Been offered this lathe very cheap, bit big for me I suspect although a friend can bring it out here for free- a huge help.
I've used a big old basic lathe a lot in the past, made all the bits for my boat with an 8' long flat belt monster made in the 20s. All it had was a dog clutch and a back gear. With care it could manage reasonable tolerances (or I could...!). I even managed to do some basic milling with it, using what an American pal calls 'shade tree engineering'.
This TOS thing looks horribly complicated and I can't find much info on the net. It lacks a 4 jaw chuck, and I'll need to change the motor (it's 7hp and my whole house supply is only 30amp).
Am I taking on too much? I'm retired, not too flush so it's a bit of a decision. I want a good spindle bore size for shafts and stuff so it's attractive from that point of view.
What d'ya think?
I've used a big old basic lathe a lot in the past, made all the bits for my boat with an 8' long flat belt monster made in the 20s. All it had was a dog clutch and a back gear. With care it could manage reasonable tolerances (or I could...!). I even managed to do some basic milling with it, using what an American pal calls 'shade tree engineering'.
This TOS thing looks horribly complicated and I can't find much info on the net. It lacks a 4 jaw chuck, and I'll need to change the motor (it's 7hp and my whole house supply is only 30amp).
Am I taking on too much? I'm retired, not too flush so it's a bit of a decision. I want a good spindle bore size for shafts and stuff so it's attractive from that point of view.
What d'ya think?