- Thread starter gavuk
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Pete.
Member
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Here's what you need. Go to this page and half way down there's a pink screenshot of a program called gearsvb61.exe
http://www.varmintal.com/alath.htm
Make sure you get the right one, there are a few programs listed.
http://www.varmintal.com/alath.htm
Make sure you get the right one, there are a few programs listed.
Chickenjohn
Morris Minor and Porsche 944 fan
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Lovely bit if kit! Wish I had the space to have a lathe. Just think, if that lathe is from the 1940's, it may even have machined some parts that helped win the war!
Chickenjohn
Morris Minor and Porsche 944 fan
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Well, if I was ever lucky enough to have a large enough workshop to house my lathe and English wheel, I would want both to be from the 1940's or earlier. Just so I could tell people "these machines saved the world from the dark light of perverted German science".
Chickenjohn
Morris Minor and Porsche 944 fan
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There are a few on Ebay at the moment- starting from £500 or so. Has to be much better, as said above, than a £500 lathe from machine mart! http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cl300m-metal-lathe
I would post Ebay link but the notice above forbids posting of Ebay links.
Herbert?? tempted to buy one just because it is called a Herbert! ;-)
I would post Ebay link but the notice above forbids posting of Ebay links.
Herbert?? tempted to buy one just because it is called a Herbert! ;-)
A Good site for secondhand equipment both sales & wants,
http://www.homeworkshop.org.uk/,
Good thing about the harrisons is they have a clutch so the motor runs continuously. Far easier to convert to single phase than the Colchester Bantams where the motor stops & starts all the time.
http://www.homeworkshop.org.uk/,
Good thing about the harrisons is they have a clutch so the motor runs continuously. Far easier to convert to single phase than the Colchester Bantams where the motor stops & starts all the time.
Like everyone said, to cut metric cut single pass, turn off machine and wind it backwards by hand to the start of the thread then repeat. The threading dial on the saddle is only suitable for imperial thread pitches.
I have the 127T gear with my l5a and have cut metrics with it like this.
As mentioend in the pm might have a manual but will have to scan it, sometimes harrisons have a serial number stamped into the bed either in the tailstock end of the bed or down inside the bed beneath the tailstock area.
You can date it from that, but its not a very very early one as the headstock was split at a much lower level.
Id date it as a mk3 onwards from appearance, which puts it at 1950-1955 era. The elements that date it are the cover split being the later pattern, and the speed plate is the l5a version rather than the smaller brass riveted on one of the earlier l5, and the leadscrew gearbox.
Someones removed the switch which controlled the suds etc, probably if its been converted to single phase at that point, but its no big loss. The door lock missing could be annoying but a standard yale from a house door fits it
G&M have some face and chuck backplates to suit that size spindle nose, its the smaller threaded one isnt it?
If you have the 1.6-inch, 6 t.p.i. nose, theyre easier to find parts for, the later 2.25-inch x 6 t.p.i is a bit rarer and more awkward as they didnt run so many of them before switching to a L00 taper nose. Ive got the 2.25 one on my l5a. G&M had a few backplates for the rarer size too though but they might have flogged them off on ebay now. Worth a call though.
http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_branch.php?sub=19
I have the 127T gear with my l5a and have cut metrics with it like this.
As mentioend in the pm might have a manual but will have to scan it, sometimes harrisons have a serial number stamped into the bed either in the tailstock end of the bed or down inside the bed beneath the tailstock area.
You can date it from that, but its not a very very early one as the headstock was split at a much lower level.
Id date it as a mk3 onwards from appearance, which puts it at 1950-1955 era. The elements that date it are the cover split being the later pattern, and the speed plate is the l5a version rather than the smaller brass riveted on one of the earlier l5, and the leadscrew gearbox.
Someones removed the switch which controlled the suds etc, probably if its been converted to single phase at that point, but its no big loss. The door lock missing could be annoying but a standard yale from a house door fits it
G&M have some face and chuck backplates to suit that size spindle nose, its the smaller threaded one isnt it?
If you have the 1.6-inch, 6 t.p.i. nose, theyre easier to find parts for, the later 2.25-inch x 6 t.p.i is a bit rarer and more awkward as they didnt run so many of them before switching to a L00 taper nose. Ive got the 2.25 one on my l5a. G&M had a few backplates for the rarer size too though but they might have flogged them off on ebay now. Worth a call though.
http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_branch.php?sub=19
gavuk
artful-bodger
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- Wilts
Many thanks for replies ,Mr Fluffy ,thanks for your help thus far 
,it is the smaller 1 1/2"x 6tpi ,i've bought a backplate and manual (still think £10 for a copy is a rip)....have a new 5" 3 jaw on its way ,will wait and get a 4 jaw a bit later,i've waited a long time to get a lathe ,so will build it up as i go ,i can wait for metric thread cutting as i can at a push do that at work,a cheap source of 127 t gear would be nice ,
....now got to learn difference between mod and dp gears 
,it is the smaller 1 1/2"x 6tpi ,i've bought a backplate and manual (still think £10 for a copy is a rip)....have a new 5" 3 jaw on its way ,will wait and get a 4 jaw a bit later,i've waited a long time to get a lathe ,so will build it up as i go ,i can wait for metric thread cutting as i can at a push do that at work,a cheap source of 127 t gear would be nice ,....now got to learn difference between mod and dp gears I've got a Harrison L6
1964 vintage, which makes it a few months older than me! Gap bed gives 19" swing, so most motorbike wheels will fit in it. Gave £150 for it as the clutch wasn't working. The main issue with these small/medium sized Harrisons is that they don't have a full length cross slide, so a little wear in the dovetails gives a lot of wobble!
The big difference between the L5/L5A and the L6 is the amount of metal in it, the L6 weighs in at about 750KG, still managed to move mine on a pallet truck.
A quality machine, even if it is a bit tired.
I'm also on the lookout for a 127tooth change gear, later ones had a double 120/127 tooth gear with a selector lever to give metric threads as well.
Cheers, Mick.
1964 vintage, which makes it a few months older than me! Gap bed gives 19" swing, so most motorbike wheels will fit in it. Gave £150 for it as the clutch wasn't working. The main issue with these small/medium sized Harrisons is that they don't have a full length cross slide, so a little wear in the dovetails gives a lot of wobble!
The big difference between the L5/L5A and the L6 is the amount of metal in it, the L6 weighs in at about 750KG, still managed to move mine on a pallet truck.
A quality machine, even if it is a bit tired.
I'm also on the lookout for a 127tooth change gear, later ones had a double 120/127 tooth gear with a selector lever to give metric threads as well.
Cheers, Mick.
Tony griffiths has the 127T changewheel listed at £90 which is less than 100
From :- http://www.lathes.co.uk/page8.html
Backplates (threaded nose for L5 and L5a): extra thick 6.3” diameter. £65
127T metric translation gears £90
New cross feeds nuts in bronze: £75
New top slide nuts in bronze: £55
Ive got the mentioned teeslotted boring table (but not from there, I wouldnt pay that for one) thinking It'd make my lathe loads more useful, but in reality its hardly ever been fitted since I bought a mill, and just gets in the way. Im not even sure I can find the gib for it to go back on at the moment either...
From :- http://www.lathes.co.uk/page8.html
Backplates (threaded nose for L5 and L5a): extra thick 6.3” diameter. £65
127T metric translation gears £90
New cross feeds nuts in bronze: £75
New top slide nuts in bronze: £55
Ive got the mentioned teeslotted boring table (but not from there, I wouldnt pay that for one) thinking It'd make my lathe loads more useful, but in reality its hardly ever been fitted since I bought a mill, and just gets in the way. Im not even sure I can find the gib for it to go back on at the moment either...
Also another aside, someone in the past has hobbed up a changewheel in some sort of fibre material for the idle gear train, and it shuts up the ringing from the changewheel box that theyre notorious for really effectively. Ive never crashed with it in use, although Id imagine that its easy to wreck it like that.
The only time I go back to a all steel changewheel train is to cut a certain pitch thread if the size dictates I cant use the fibre.
The headstock internal taper is a odd one on the l5a as its its a Jarno number 13, or morse 4.5 is close enough to modify to. Harrison supplied them with a 3mt sleeve adapter, but I seem to recall the earlier l5 being a 3mt out the box but dont buy any tooling just on my vauge memory
My l5a in the old workshop :-
What the l5a spindle nose looks like :-
This I guess is what you have :-
http://gallery.pipandphil.com/d/31027-1/DSCF1333.JPG
The only time I go back to a all steel changewheel train is to cut a certain pitch thread if the size dictates I cant use the fibre.
The headstock internal taper is a odd one on the l5a as its its a Jarno number 13, or morse 4.5 is close enough to modify to. Harrison supplied them with a 3mt sleeve adapter, but I seem to recall the earlier l5 being a 3mt out the box but dont buy any tooling just on my vauge memory
My l5a in the old workshop :-
What the l5a spindle nose looks like :-
This I guess is what you have :-
http://gallery.pipandphil.com/d/31027-1/DSCF1333.JPG
Gav,
In your OP, you mentioned waiting for a 'green wheel' - I guess you have some lathe tools with brazed on tips that you want to sharpen.
Others may slay me for blasphemy, but personally, I'd say junk them. You should be able to do most of your work with run of the mill square section HSS ground to shape. Cheap, and very tough (even the chinese stuff).
If you *really* need carbide, get a couple of replaceable tipped tools from Ebay. Tips run at about a quid a piece, and usually have 3 or 4 cutting edges.
Nice lathe - I have an M400, the series that came after that. Love it.
Ian
In your OP, you mentioned waiting for a 'green wheel' - I guess you have some lathe tools with brazed on tips that you want to sharpen.
Others may slay me for blasphemy, but personally, I'd say junk them. You should be able to do most of your work with run of the mill square section HSS ground to shape. Cheap, and very tough (even the chinese stuff).
If you *really* need carbide, get a couple of replaceable tipped tools from Ebay. Tips run at about a quid a piece, and usually have 3 or 4 cutting edges.
Nice lathe - I have an M400, the series that came after that. Love it.
Ian
brightspark
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hss does the majority of stuff like u say unless its hard steel or cast iron with hard spots in it then i use brazed on tiptools . the replaceable ones can work out expensive and easily chip on rough metal
gavuk
artful-bodger
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Hi Ian ,i have a collection of lathe tools ,i've aquired over many years ,but i agree with you i like to grind my own tools from hss blanks ,but i do find the cheap supplied grinding wheels are too coarse and soft, so opted for a green wheel on a cheapy bench grinder to give me that option too,i was given an ice cream tub full of inserts ,but i don't own many holders, will post some pics soon as i'm not sure of the make,i have some brazed tips as well but not that many .......Must give a huge thanks to Brookie456 for the bits he gave me at the Lorch day ,top man!,even made his missus sit in the car while were messing around........I've yet to get it dialled in as work ,lorch days ,and car hunting for my daughter has taken a lot of my time,i will get there eventually ,i bought a backing plate and cheapy 3 jaw chuck to start off with but after Mr Fluffy's expeirence's i won't invest lots till i have prooved its accuracy ,same goes for 127 gear,suds pump etc ....on my wanted list ,just not straight away .........i appreciate everone who has taken the time to reply many thanks Gav
.......Must give a huge thanks to Brookie456 for the bits he gave me at the Lorch day ,top man!,even made his missus sit in the car while were messing around........I've yet to get it dialled in as work ,lorch days ,and car hunting for my daughter has taken a lot of my time,i will get there eventually ,i bought a backing plate and cheapy 3 jaw chuck to start off with but after Mr Fluffy's expeirence's i won't invest lots till i have prooved its accuracy ,same goes for 127 gear,suds pump etc ....on my wanted list ,just not straight away .........i appreciate everone who has taken the time to reply many thanks Gav 