Tuesday 4 October 2016

unknown metal working lathe

Hi all today 04/10/2016 this arrived. As yet I don't know the manufacturer name for it. It is very like an early Drummond but, gut feeling tells me it not for some strange reason. So all, guys & girls any ideas photos etc emails from you would be much appreciated. (Now identified it is a Drummond M type long bed, Lathe number 1335  this number from factory records dates it back to early 1923) being a long bed makes this a rare lathe. Parts missing now sourced awaiting arrival.  The part still missing an original end cover see the bodged up green cover in the photo below that where it goes.
(I don't have a photo of what it look like) ANYONE KNOW OF ONE.?

As soon as I can get it into the workshop I'll post some better photos. In the meantime. please keep checking in I'm really looking forwards to doing this total refurbishment.




  It is still not in the workshop but not to worry with the help of my son we managed to lift and secured it back on its stand.


Phew far too heavy to carry to the workshop as it is, I have decided to stripe off as much as possible first, it has to come apart to be refurbished anyway. Once I have taken off everything We can then carry the main body down to the workshop which will be much lighter.

Today,  I have made some progress in identifying it, I think the long red handle is a smokescreen, homemade, why, ???  I have no idea.  I  noticed some machine drilled threaded holes once  I could see it better at working height,  now I've realized there was a longitudinal feed bar missing from it.  see in photos this is indicating more of a possibility it is an early Drummond or  My-ford, hopefully, I can find some serial number when it stripped. Stay tuned keep you posted.






Today 05/10/2016 great afternoon in the sun, time well spent stripping,  all the upper parts removed, surprised me the time this lathe spent out in all weathers none of it ceased up. Nearly all stripped what left on the main base unit will be stripped in the workshop.



Just waiting for Number 1 son to come home from work then we will lift the base unit off the stand and down to the workshop, that is some chunk of metal. At the turn of the century, they certainly knew how to build machines.


All parts waiting for stripping everything back to bare metal first.

Hi all here we are now back from a weeks holiday spent in Marmaris Turkey it was lovely.

 As you can see, its all in pieces now, I've tried paint stripper it does work but, it doesn't get it completely clean and right back to bare metal,  sort of 99 %, I've just won on eBay a second-hand battery charger 10a heavy-duty unit, I can now set up an electrolysis tank to remove everything right back to clean bare metal ready for painting, make life a little easier.

Battery  Charger arrived earlier today,  now  I need to source a suitable tank or large tub.

This is where it will sit when not in use, Now I,m off t to sort a suitable tank and a donor chunk of metal.


Here it is unpacked and in the workshop.

OK electrolysis tank now set up and working it is very slow but very thorough.  In the tank are some of the smaller bolts and some of the smaller parts, Rather than placing one item in one at a time I bought a flour sifter, snipped off the handle and wired is as a tripod connected the other ends of the wire to the crossbar and connected the neutral clip from the battery charger to them. bubbling away nicely.  Its needs to be in there much longer to get that heavy rust off removed just for the photos.


I sourced both of the headstock cog guards,  they're hung up with a coat of paint remover left on them overnight, I'll give them a wire brushing later today and the second coat of paint remover clean them up then into the tank for a final clean off t.


Yesterday I applied the first primer coat to the tailstock (seen below), once all the bolts and locking levers are done I'm going to rebuild the tailstock without the top coat of paint, primarily for two reasons.

1. I intend to send the base bed off to get the bed reground so don,t want topcoat paint ruined in this process.

2. When the bed is reground they will regrind the base of the tailstock, and headstock at the same time so they all seat down at the correct levels, once this has been down then I'll strip it all apart again and apply top coat.


loads more to come, (I have managed to find a source for the main  cogs guard still awaiting photos and a price for it, so stay tuned on this one.)  Still awaiting a reply.

Started to rebuild the tailstock but only with a grey primer on it, for now, I'm off on holiday to see my daughter again today so spent the morning in the workshop getting what pieces had just come out of the electrolysis bucket ready and primed.




 
I  also now have to get another brand new bucket as this one has sprung a leak.

As I was killing time just before my holiday I decided to chuck a plug on the motor to this lath the wiring is very bad and grumbling away with splits everywhere, but what I thought was a knackered motor due to the time the lathe was outside in all wind and weather, its a runner nice surprise, that will save me a lot of money, as soon as, I'll strip it oil grease and maybe some new bearing lick of paint completely rewire the whole system, more on that later.


Tailstock placed back on the lathe bed, as yet not finished due to leaking electrolysis bucket sprung a leek, next into the bucket was to be the tailstock wheel and a few other bits, but ha ho it will have to wait till I get back and buy a new bucket.

I'll see if I can source some new chrome lever lock handles if not I will have to paint these black.




Earlier in the week, I tested the bed for flatness with a very accurate straight edge and a set of feeler gauges all flat right down to the end in front of the head-stock where I could only just slip it under with a thickness of 0.002 gauge.

  
Its progressed very slowness over the last few weeks, I did manage to source the end covers complete with the back panel to cover all the gear cogs, I've also purchased a better  1/2" chuck and key the old one-two badly pitted to use safely,  sourced a new arbour and key for an older chuck albeit 3/8  plus two new centres one with a floating head, so all in all a lot of downtime on the laptop.

In the workshop, pieces were soaking in the electrolysis tank which has now allowed me to reassemble the tailstock. While assembling the tailstock I discovered a major problem.



 As can be seen, my problem is, two missing adjustment screws. As far as I'm aware these are for minute adjustment to line up the tailstock with the headstock. (dead centre) My problem here is where do I source these from without having to buy a complete second-hand tailstock? any ideas?.


Well, I searched and searched but, I could not find those missing bolts several weeks have now passed. I had to bit the bullet and source another tail-stock this time a complete one, seems a lot of money just to source two bolts but, all is not lost once the lathe is up and running the first job  I, ll do is turn two replacement bolt fit them into the second tail-stock and flog it on, this way when my lathe is nearing completion I can at least adjust and get the tail-stock lined up with the headstock to be able to turn these two bolts.

Whilst trying to source those bolts another thing is still happening like the cross slide is now stripped apart and is going through various stages of refurbishment paint stripper and electrolysis to remove most of the rust before I start its final clean up and reassembly.


Second coat of paint stripper, wash off tomorrow then it is ready for electrolysis.

   
 Part of the cross slide already brewing,  the brew just beginning to start bubbling.

The base stands with its second coating on the underside wash and cleanup tomorrow the turn it over and start all over again on the inside.



 While all this is happening in the evening its back to the internet and good old eBay sourcing time,  to start tooling up the lathe thing like:-

1.   1mt Arbor for a 3/8 chuck + missing chuck key as well.
2.   1mt 1/2  Jacobs chuck complete.
3.   1mt 1/2 floating arbour.
4    1mt  4 pronged arbours.
5.  10mm lathe chuck key.
6.  Tool rest for woodturning.
7.  20mm * 6mm *1.2m flat bar for missing linkage arm.
8.  End casing


It has finally turned up it is in excellent condition. I started to polish up the nuts and bolts, I made a make do polishing pad on my old woodturning lathe as can be seen in the following photos all in all a busy few days with a lot more to come.