What to do with it?

[Cato]

I know this is a dangerous place to ask open ended questions but ... I have a Smart and Brown Model L which is surplus to requirements, it's in great shape apart from the worn cross slide bronze nuts. It's not really worth selling as they're worth four parts of bugger all as a lathe, but I don't want to scrap it either. So I'm trying to think of something it could be converted/adapted to which may be useful.

Thoughts I've had so far are using it for indexing or balancing small cranks shafts, or maybe set it up as a cylinder grinder for small shafts. Anyone got any other ideas?

 

[Shox Dr]

Table lamp. Everyones doing it, and just in time for xmas.

Sorry

 

[James1979]

Sell me the collet closer and upcycle the rest as per ^

 

[Cato]

Table lamp. Everyones doing it, and just in time for xmas.

Sorry

Ooh! Fit a glitter ball to the chuck, mount a few coloured LEDs to the tail and wind it in and out whilst out of my gourd and shouting "It puts the lotion on its skin!" at the top of my voice. That should cut down on the random walk-in customer numbers.

 

[OJCar]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174865105884

Stick it on flea-bay with "Spares & Repairs, Barn Find, Vintage" etc in the Title ?

 

[Cato]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174865105884

Stick it on flea-bay with "Spares & Repairs, Barn Find, Vintage" etc in the Title ?

Everyone loves an optimist apparently.

 

[rtcosic]

OK, I'll bite.
Two questions:

Is it any use as a beginner's practice tool? Just to learn the principles and make shavings.
What is the exchange rate of bugger-alls to pounds?

And the obligatory third question of the pair:
How would I get it from Birmingham to Rugby?

 

[Arc Tourist]

Photos please, or we are going to lose interest in posting sarcastic replies.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Mount a powered cutter on the cross slide and use it for cutting keyways?

Although I'd guess if the cross slide nuts are worn that badly it's not going to be much use attaching anything to the slide if it needs much precision?

About the only non-lathey thing I have done on my lathe is when I made up a thing for notching (fishmouthing) the ends of tubing.
It was pretty basic and I have got a proper notcher now but a proper notcher even homemade is worth a lot more than a scrap lathe so, even if you don't want a notcher yourself, might be a way to make a few quid out of it.

 

[Wildefalcon]

Men in sheds donation?

 

[frank horton]

perhaps find a kid that wants one....much better than a lamp or junking out for parts...

 

[hotponyshoes]

Set it up for metal spinning then you could make lampshades for all these lamps

 

[Cato]

Mount a powered cutter on the cross slide and use it for cutting keyways?

Although I'd guess if the cross slide nuts are worn that badly it's not going to be much use attaching anything to the slide if it needs much precision?

About the only non-lathey thing I have done on my lathe is when I made up a thing for notching (fishmouthing) the ends of tubing.
It was pretty basic and I have got a proper notcher now but a proper notcher even homemade is worth a lot more than a scrap lathe so, even if you don't want a notcher yourself, might be a way to make a few quid out of it.

That's a good idea, really good. Replacing/making cross slide bronze tube nuts wouldn't be too much of a challenge. Back in the mists of time when I got it someone on here offered to do exactly that for me. The ability to cut keyways wouldn't be needed often, but it would be a good thing to be able to do.

 

[Cato]

perhaps find a kid that wants one....much better than a lamp or junking out for parts...

Sadly kids interested in anything even remotely like engineering are as rare as hen's teeth in my experience.

 

[Cato]

OK, I'll bite.
Two questions:

Is it any use as a beginner's practice tool? Just to learn the principles and make shavings.
What is the exchange rate of bugger-alls to pounds?

And the obligatory third question of the pair:
How would I get it from Birmingham to Rugby?

1) I would say so, but the much more experienced latheists on here may confirm or deny? The exchange rate (should it go) would be one decent donation to an animal charity to one S&B lathe.
2) On the plant trailer attached to the back of my van. Getting it off and into wherever it would be going would be a case of 'over to you'.

Should it be moved on instead of a use found here you'd be welcome to it on the above terms.

 

[Cato]

Men in sheds donation?

Looked into that before for some other stuff. They're only interested in woodworking stuff, transport is down to you, nothing to move gear on with, tend to be miles away etc. In other words they don't make it easy.

 

[Cato]

Photos please, or we are going to lose interest in posting sarcastic replies.

This is it when it arrived, it's a bit cleaner now and the cross slide is stripped for inspection.

 

[James1979]

What’s the lever above start / stop for?

Mine doesn’t have that

 

[Cato]

What’s the lever above start / stop for?

Mine doesn’t have that

Forward (slow & fast), neutral, reverse (slow & fast). Lathe manufacturers back then did seem to make it up as they went along.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I know this is a dangerous place to ask open ended questions but ... I have a Smart and Brown Model L which is surplus to requirements, it's in great shape apart from the worn cross slide bronze nuts. It's not really worth selling as they're worth four parts of bugger all as a lathe, but I don't want to scrap it either. So I'm trying to think of something it could be converted/adapted to which may be useful.

Thoughts I've had so far are using it for indexing or balancing small cranks shafts, or maybe set it up as a cylinder grinder for small shafts. Anyone got any other ideas?

Wouldn't take a lot to get that in good shape.