Found an Old lathe

[Afoster61520]

as the title says, found an old lathe. My dad bought a house 10+ years ago, the owner died and the son didnt want anything from the sheds. The owner clearly a some type of metal worker.

So my dad is selling up an as we were cleaning the sheds i spotted this lathe in the corner behind a lot of junk. Its been wired up to a motor, all i know really, i had to leave so didnt have time to clear the mess to find out more.

Can anyone tell from the pictures what kind it is or if its of any use?

Much appreciated.

 

[MattF]

That's a 5" Drummond dual height bed lathe. Something looks unusual about the saddle though, as if it's been modified.

 

[Afoster61520]

Hmm thanks for letting me know the make..
could have been modified. I have no idea.
Would it be worth taking? Free of course, just the hassle of getting it lifted out and transported home.

 

[MattF]

I'd definitely say yes, but then I am biased. Some info on this link:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/drummondlargerlathes/

 

[God mode restorations]

Hmm thanks for letting me know the make..
could have been modified. I have no idea.
Would it be worth taking? Free of course, just the hassle of getting it lifted out and transported home.

Yes. Get that home

 

[Afoster61520]

Whats the chances shes in good order an able to use? any idea what age it would be? Ill definitely be taking it home, big clean up operation in order then. Got a couple decent vices, leg vice and a nice anvil also. Smiling ear to ear.. il give that article a read later.. thanks matt

 

[Afoster61520]

Yes. Get that home

Its coming first chance i get! 6 or 8 man job getting that thing lifted? About time i started learning the art of machining

 

[MattF]

Age wise, early 1900’s. Not sure exactly how long they were produced for, but somewhere between 1910 to 1920 is thereabouts.

 

[Afoster61520]

That’s unbelievable matt. And it doesnt seem to be in bad condition. Next time im up at the house il clear it up abit more an take some more snaps.

 

[Pete.]

Looks fairly complete, might even have all the treadle parts. In it's day it would have been a very decent treadle lathe but nowadays it's little more than a curiosity.

 

[Afoster61520]

Il get more pics for you guys another day. That way yous can tell more about it as i have no clue..
Its also got a old metal tool box full to the brim of bits and bobs for the lathe.

 

[MattF]

In it's day it would have been a very decent treadle lathe but nowadays it's little more than a curiosity.

Not everyone wants or needs anything more Pete. Old lathes are just as good as more modern ones with gearboxes etc. for those who neither need, nor want, anything more, and that is an extremely versatile lathe. If it was good enough for the Military to lug around war torn areas and such, in their mobile workshops to repair their equipment, it's sure as hell good enough for what most are likely to need a lathe for.

 

[God mode restorations]

I have brought an old lathe. Well I brought it months ago. It's all working but ain't got a clue what it is. Will have to go get it at some point.

 

[God mode restorations]

Its coming first chance i get! 6 or 8 man job getting that thing lifted? About time i started learning the art of machining

If it's good you will not need 8 blokes. I'd be dragging it out some how.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

If it's good you will not need 8 blokes. I'd be dragging it out some how.

Yup. I got mine out of the van and in the garage pretty much single handed. Couple of mates turned up for rolling it down the ramp on the sled I made and didnt even touch it.
Amazing what can get done with levers and rollers and a bit of ingenuity.

 

[gaz1]

id agree with rest of them get it home clean it up its cost you nothing

sounds silly but only ml10 might have a cross feed ml7 dosnt have it

 

[gaz1]

oh yeah nearly forgot take a good closer look at that junk you may find other surprises in there

worth checking before throwing out

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

id agree with rest of them get it home clean it up its cost you nothing

sounds silly but only ml10 might have a cross feed ml7 dosnt have it

Glad mine doesn't. Less to go wrong and easier to strip when required. Suppose it's handy if you have a large part to face but il survive.

oh yeah nearly forgot take a good closer look at that junk you may find other surprises in there

worth checking before throwing out

Indeed. If your lucky more parts of the lathe and it's tooling.

 

[gaz1]

from the pic it apears he could have the treadle part bottom left of pic i can see what used to be the cast holders for pot sinks to right

but im curious what those green things are in plastic bags

im also curious whats in the box of lathe goodies

 

[Bill Edwards]

Glad mine doesn't. Less to go wrong and easier to strip when required. Suppose it's handy if you have a large part to face but il survive.

Having a nice Harrison I have power feed to the cross slide, and although it's not actually very common for me to face anything big I can hardly imagine not having it.
It gets used a lot, easier to get a nice finish than trying to turn by hand, and no effort required. It gets used for some parting jobs too.
Even on smallish work I probably use the power feed for facing more often than not.