I don't know if any of you remember this thread..
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/very-strange-lathe-on-ebay.59044/
Anyway I've been tinkering away on the Willson relearning long forgotten skills. One of the big advantages of the slant bed design is it's ability to accommodate large diameters. well, bigger than most other lathes of a similar overall size. The Willson is about as big as I'd want to go in my home workshop. Anyway, machining is my new hobby. My second hobby. Hot rods and Ford V8s are my first hobby, and being able to use my second hobby to support my first hobby is rewarding.
I needed to machine down the rear axle bearing surface on one side of a 1940 Ford axle housing. Thinking the Willson would take anything I could throw at it, I was disappointed to find the axle casing would not swing. After a bout of considering different options I decided to heat and bend the offending spring perch and gain the clearance I needed.
Anyway I thought you guys would like to see the Willson in action swinging what will probably be the biggest job I am likely to set up in it. It's a good job the lathe is the long bed version. I don't think the standard length unit would have taken the axle casing.
I put this up on Youtube:
And a few pics. Everybody likes pics, right?
The job in the lathe. The offending perch can just be seen the other side of the toolpost.
Yes, the shelves behind are in fact the end cut off a pallet! waste not want not.
To get it between centres (sort of) I had to make up an adaptor. The adaptor was a good excuse for me to machine some tapers. Morse taper 5 on the headstock end, and a taper to match the inside of the bearing race on the other end. The bolt transfers the drive to the casing flange.
Once machined I was able to get the repair sleeve on nice and snug. The finished job looks good and serviceable
The grey area shows where the perch was heated, bent and then reheated and restraightened.
Anyway I just thought it would be nice to post a follow up to the original "strange lathe" thread.
Mart.
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/very-strange-lathe-on-ebay.59044/
Anyway I've been tinkering away on the Willson relearning long forgotten skills. One of the big advantages of the slant bed design is it's ability to accommodate large diameters. well, bigger than most other lathes of a similar overall size. The Willson is about as big as I'd want to go in my home workshop. Anyway, machining is my new hobby. My second hobby. Hot rods and Ford V8s are my first hobby, and being able to use my second hobby to support my first hobby is rewarding.
I needed to machine down the rear axle bearing surface on one side of a 1940 Ford axle housing. Thinking the Willson would take anything I could throw at it, I was disappointed to find the axle casing would not swing. After a bout of considering different options I decided to heat and bend the offending spring perch and gain the clearance I needed.
Anyway I thought you guys would like to see the Willson in action swinging what will probably be the biggest job I am likely to set up in it. It's a good job the lathe is the long bed version. I don't think the standard length unit would have taken the axle casing.
I put this up on Youtube:
And a few pics. Everybody likes pics, right?
The job in the lathe. The offending perch can just be seen the other side of the toolpost.
Yes, the shelves behind are in fact the end cut off a pallet! waste not want not.
To get it between centres (sort of) I had to make up an adaptor. The adaptor was a good excuse for me to machine some tapers. Morse taper 5 on the headstock end, and a taper to match the inside of the bearing race on the other end. The bolt transfers the drive to the casing flange.
Once machined I was able to get the repair sleeve on nice and snug. The finished job looks good and serviceable
The grey area shows where the perch was heated, bent and then reheated and restraightened.
Anyway I just thought it would be nice to post a follow up to the original "strange lathe" thread.
Mart.