Denham Lathe Rescue

[DecK]

A few years ago, my old fella brought this back from one of his trips to England. He mounted a motor to the headstock and got it running and then stuck it to the back of the workshop and covered it with every bit of rubbish we could find.

With the bit of free time at Christmas I decided to have a look at it and was surprised with what I found. There doesn't seem to be any major play in any of it and for a lathe made in the early 1900's it seems to have a lot going for it. It has a power feed to the saddle and cross slide, forward and reverse feed to the saddle, I think I counted 4 chucks from around 6" up to what could be a 15". A mix of 4 jaw and a self centering 3 jaw.

It is a gap bed and I know the section for the gap is there somewhere. It also has a set of change gears up to 127 tooth but missing 2 of the smaller ones.

Now, I know nothing about lathes but the talk about them on here peaked my interest and caused me to have a look at it with the idea of moving it from it's current resting place to a workshop I'm building at the moment. The workshop wont be finished for a few weeks so the eventual move and hopeful restoration will be a few weeks (maybe months) down the line.

I've bought a dti and mag base this eve just to see if the chuck is running true as there is vibration through the lathe when its running but this could be down to the way the motor is positioned and a not too level surface. I'm hoping to remove the motor from where it is and make a frame that can be bolted to the wall and get a 3 phase motor to run off a VFD. I have tried before to turn stock on it but the results were terrible being honest and that put me off it but know now that there is more to it than just turning it on and running the tool along the stock.

So basically going into the unknown here. If anyone has any opinions on what to do or questions just ask.

 

[gaz1]

from my reading on them the 127 tooth gives you metric cutting

heres a bigger cutting gear size for the junior



the question id be asking myself is do i need to move it or can i use it where it stands

 

[skotl]

I'll be following this with interest, having recently bought a Denham Junior MK II.
I'm guessing it's a Mark 1? Can you find the serial number, which is probably on a brass plate on the headstock?

 

[gaz1]

I'll be following this with interest, having recently bought a Denham Junior MK II.
I'm guessing it's a Mark 1? Can you find the serial number, which is probably on a brass plate on the headstock?

you and me both as the last time i touched a lathe was at school 30 years ago for me

 

[DecK]

from my reading on them the 127 tooth gives you metric cutting

heres a bigger cutting gear size for the junior

View attachment 76596

the question id be asking myself is do i need to move it or can i use it where it stands

No, I need to move it. If I go to the trouble of resurrecting this my old fella will delight in covering it with rubbish again just to torment me. Hoping if I give him what he paid for it he wont mind shifting it a few metres East cause its in the way where it is. It has a screw cutting chart as well. Different to the Junior

I'll be following this with interest, having recently bought a Denham Junior MK II.
I'm guessing it's a Mark 1? Can you find the serial number, which is probably on a brass plate on the headstock?

Don't think it's a Junior. Just think it's too big with a 6" swing over the bed and 12" with the gap removed. Saw this post earlier today and spent a while looking for a plate but couldn't find one. There probably is a serial no. on it but its covered with a layer of grease and grime that's over the whole lathe. The plus side to that is that all the paintwork seems decent was you clean it off.

you and me both as the last time i touched a lathe was at school 30 years ago for me

Well at least you've worked with one before. I was either sent to the wrong school, (which I was, all boys, Christian Brothers run), or else I was born too late and there was no such thing as a machine shop there.

 

[DecK]

Got to spend a bit of time at it today and gather all the pieces together

Have 4 chucks including the one on the lathe, a face plate, a steady and the set of change wheels. No idea what the plate on the bottom left is though. Going by the thread on it though it should fit the spindle if I can get that 3 jaw chuck off.
Also found what I think is a coolant reservoir. There was a plate covering it just to the left of the headstock on the splash tray and the plate has a section that something bolts on to.


Don't know what's going on with the chuck on the left. Not sure if it's missing a big piece on the back or if it's supposed to be that way.

 

[Pete.]

If the studs sticking out the back have little cut-outs in them then it's probably a camlock chuck so not designed to fit your lathe. They don't make a 2-stud camlock though so it looks like it's missing some of it's studs. Should be easy to sell though if it's in good nick.

 

[DecK]

If the studs sticking out the back have little cut-outs in them then it's probably a camlock chuck so not designed to fit your lathe. They don't make a 2-stud camlock though so it looks like it's missing some of it's studs. Should be easy to sell though if it's in good nick.

Yea, think your right. Just went out to take a picture of the back



Looks like it's missing two studs and there is bits of damage to it. At least it's the one I can't use that's damaged I knew today anyway it wouldn't fit the spindle

Most of those bits look like good electrolysis candidates

Well their candidates for something anyway. Just hoping its not the bin have to look into electrolysis

 

[Maker]

Looks like it's missing two studs and there is bits of damage to it. At least it's the one I can't use that's damaged I knew today anyway it wouldn't fit the spindle

I'm not sure that is a camlock, the pins look too short and the pins are only for pulling it to the spindle*, there should be a very short, large diameter female taper on the chuck to centre it, which it looks like this doesn't have.

*I think the pins also provide the drive, but it might be the taper is designed for this, I'm not sure.

Edit: I don't think they made one with 4 pins either. Should probably have started with that.

 

[MattH]

I'm not sure that is a camlock, the pins look too short and the pins are only for pulling it to the spindle*, there should be a very short, large diameter female taper on the chuck to centre it, which it looks like this doesn't have.

*I think the pins also provide the drive, but it might be the taper is designed for this, I'm not sure.

Camlock doesn't have a taper, that's American long nose I.e. L0 etc.
Camlock as per the pic just has a boss that is mounts on.

 

[Flathead_Dave]

Camlock type has a short 7 degree taper,male on spindle,female on chuck.
I don't think the one in question is camlock,there would be what looks like two lots of chuck key holes,I see only one,for the jaws.
I used to use a large Herbert at work that had a straight recess for the chuck,and nuts that held the chuck studs onto a plate on the spindle.

 

[Pete.]

The later photo says that it isn't a camlock but you couldn't see that from the original pic.

 

[ford34/2]

Post removed --Irrelevant

 

[DecK]

Yea, figured that it wasn't a camlock. Done a bit of research on them last night and looking at it today and it isn't tapered. It is threaded and measured it as 13/16" internal thread so guessing it's supposed to fit a 1" thread. Had a look and there is nothing around to suit it. Also found that the 6" 4 jaw chuck isn't going to fit the spindle. It isn't threaded or tapered and doesn't even look like its been finished internally. Once I did a bit of cleaning it was obvious that it had just been mounted in the jaws of another chuck. Fairly gutted about that.



The 12" 4 jaw will fit the spindle anyway. It does have a bit of damage to it. A corner on 2 of the jaw ways ?? is chipped off.



Got the 3 jaw of the headstock as well. Took a 3 foot stillson and about 5 foot of 50mm box. Say it's been on there since the war So now my 4 chucks are down to 2 and mabe 1. Found what could be a thrust bearing is shot on the headstock too. Taking off the motor and pulleys and stripping the headstock is the next job now.

 

[MattH]

Sorry dont think its L00 or L0, etc, completley wrong shape.Shape is consistant on all American Long Nose Taper stuff--L00, L0, L1, L2. Just bigger versions of each other.

I wasn't suggesting that it was American long nose. Only that the type of mounting with a large taper is American long nose (in response to Maker).

 

[ford34/2]

Thrust bearings will be no problem, The likes of Simply or your nearest Bearing supplier should fix you up. Simply is handy as you can search the site, find the bearing number- then you can go shopping.

http://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/Products-Thrust-Bearings/c4747_5208/index.html

Theres a good possibility you can buy and fit a backplate to the chuck, 4 Jaw independant??

Stan

 

[ford34/2]

Camlock doesn't have a taper, that's American long nose I.e. L0 etc.

My Apologies, totally miss read and didnt understand that bit.

I wasn't suggesting that it was American long nose. Only that the type of mounting with a large taper is American long nose (in response to Maker).

SORRY-- My post removed

Stan

 

[DecK]

Yea not that worried about the bearing. Few crowds nearby carry a big enough selection and what they don't have they can order in. If that fails I can try the net.
Forgot to say earlier that I found 2 X 3 phase motors as well for connecting to a VFD. One of them is a nice, tidy sized 1 1/2 HP Brooks Crompton. Only about half the size and weight of the single phase that's running it at the moment

 

[Pete.]

That machine might have cone-shaped plain bronze bearings in the headstock. If so they might (should) be adjustable. Stripping the headstock is a good move anyway because if it has bronze bearings and has been run without lube they might be shot to bits.

 

[DecK]

On the chuck side of the headstock there is an oil reservoir and a wick system for carrying oil to whatever kind of bearing is there. The reservoir is probably a bit bigger than an egg stand. On the other side there should be a reservoir too but it has been broke off. You just reminded me I needed to go looking for this Reservoir is to the right and centred on the headstock in the picture.




More than anything the spindle lock is operated from a lever on the back of the headstock just over the change gears. I can see that it moves a shaft about a foot long, on a cam, with 2 gears either end that locks the headstock but cant see how and its bugging the life out of me. Stripping the headstock in part just to see how its done.