Machine-shop-tastic :)

[AdeV]

Readers at "the other place" may recall I recently bought a Bridgeport Series 1 milling machine, my first step down the road of having my own hobby machine shop. Ideal for making a DubbleUJ-style ali block fuel heater, for example. After a scary moment with the spindle bearing seizing, my Bridgie now works just fine (if noisily), and will hold about 0.003" tolerance on most parts (I reckon I'll nail that down to about 0.001" once I sort out levelling the vice) - plenty close enough for Lister work.

Of course, I get to luxuriate in 3-phase utility power at the moment, but that's all going to change when I'm off-grid in my sun-drenched Portugese hideaway [note to self: make sure Portugal really is sun-drenched]. Maybe I need a Big Lister to run a 3-phase shop... A JP3 or JP4 perhaps...


Anyway, I've now bought a lathe, at last! And, me being me, it's no sensible choice one-man-hobby-sized machine. No.... Try 6.5" centre height (13" swing) by 40" between centres, with a removable gap increasing capacity to 20.5" diameter by 5" thick work, with a whopping 3-phase motor on the back of it.

Here's a pic of the actual lathe:



And a better pic, presumably from a manual or brochure:



I should get it next week, and will probably have it under power by the end of next weekend (hopefully), and will finally get to cut the thread into my Lister exhaust pipe

Just need the tool grinder/belt sander now... and a diamond wheel for carbide stuff... and some decent tooling... and a quick-change toolpost.... etcetera. Feh, I'll build some of that stuff.



So.... make me jealous, what machines do you have in YOUR shop?


[ADDENDUM] For what it's worth, the lathe is an Edgwick Mk 1 (see http://www.lathes.co.uk/edgwick/page2.html), and cost me the princely sum of £340 (maybe US$500). Of course, moving it is going to be a complete pain in the chuff, I'm currently having a jig made up for my car trailer, so I can pop it on that & drive it home.

[admin]

please bear in mind one thing when attempting to move a lathe

they are all top heavy, and very unpredictable as to their tipping point
their center of gravity is very high and not easily determined until it is too late.

many fine machines have been badly damaged in moves, this is something well known
amongst riggers and old time machinist that have frequented the moving of these machines.

just be careful, and don't get yourself between it and a hardspot, because if it goes over
you will be the grease the egyptians used to move stones with.

good luck, and nice find

admin

[AdeV]

No worries regarding moving it. It will be forklifted onto my car trailer (which will have a tailor-made mounting jig on it); and I have access to a forklift at my place too, so I can lift it off the trailer and right into place in my shed. I hope to be pretty much nowhere near it, at least until it's within a couple of inches of the floor.

It looks like it's in fantastic condition too, and it comes from a famous diesel engine builder...





...Perkins! (not Lister, unfortunately)

[vdubnut62]

Well, I for one AM jealous. I have to get by with an old 1951 vintage Atlas 10x32......
I'll bet my forklift is bigger than yours. I welded 2 forklift racks together, mounted them on a 60 hp 4x4 tractor.
Nah nah nah boo boo!
Really, that is a very nice machine.
Ron

[AdeV]

LOL - you got me there, Jens, clearly the biggest swinging..........lathe in town 

I wish I could lay claim to the Forklift, but I don't own it, it belongs to the welding shop next door. But I get to use it if I'm nice to them

I nearly bid on a lister diesel powered forklift that was on eBay the other week; lack of funds was the only thing that stopped me.

[AdeV]

Well, I for one AM jealous. I have to get by with an old 1951 vintage Atlas 10x32......
I'll bet my forklift is bigger than yours. I welded 2 forklift racks together, mounted them on a 60 hp 4x4 tractor.
Nah nah nah boo boo!
Really, that is a very nice machine.
Ron

Ron - the Edgwick was (according to lathes.co.uk) in production between the mid 1930s & 1960... I don't know where mine falls in that range, may never know, but it's interesting that such an old design (albeit very modern looking in '35, I imagine) should have lasted so long.

I like the sound of your forklift.... I'm waiting for the right project (=cheap) to come along at the right time (=I have just been paid)...

[WGB]

Hey Jens, mine is a 16" x 10' as in 10 feet! 

[mobile_bob]

a few years back i bought of ebay a leblond 19" rapid production lathe
yes it will swing all of 19 inches and 60 inches between centers

dad while positioning it in his shop needed to lift it just an inch or so to get a 2x4 out
and it went over on its face,, sure made him sick and it killed a few other shop tools in
the process, i believe the machine probably weighs in at around 4500lbs if it is an ounce.

it suffered a damage cross slide handwheel and jambed the gibs tight which locked the slide
but he managed to drill/tap and pull the gibs and get that free'd up again.

moral of the story, don't trust a lathe!

it takes very little to topple one, far less than you would think on some machines

if you are going to lift it with a forklift, lift it with a sling from above and not under the whole machine
its must too unstable in my opinion

it looks like you scored a very nicely made machine, it sure would suck to hear it fell over and crashed
or fell on you or someone else in the process.

bob g

[admin]

anybody want bragging rights???

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/1435038168.html

talk about swing!!!

admin

[AdeV]

a few years back i bought of ebay a leblond 19" rapid production lathe
yes it will swing all of 19 inches and 60 inches between centers

Suddenly, my lathe & I are feeling all inadequate and small

dad while positioning it in his shop needed to lift it just an inch or so to get a 2x4 out
and it went over on its face,, sure made him sick and it killed a few other shop tools in
the process, i believe the machine probably weighs in at around 4500lbs if it is an ounce.

it suffered a damage cross slide handwheel and jambed the gibs tight which locked the slide
but he managed to drill/tap and pull the gibs and get that free'd up again.

moral of the story, don't trust a lathe!

it takes very little to topple one, far less than you would think on some machines

Ouch. A cautionary tale indeed.

if you are going to lift it with a forklift, lift it with a sling from above and not under the whole machine
its must too unstable in my opinion

It already has a sling "fitted" (where it was lifted out of Perkins), which I've asked him to leave on the machine after it's on my trailer, so I'll be able to lift it the same way.

it looks like you scored a very nicely made machine, it sure would suck to hear it fell over and crashed
or fell on you or someone else in the process.

It'd better bloody not fall over.... but rest assured, I will be taking lots of care with it.

[rcavictim]

Ade,

That is a really fine score!  I have a similar vintage, maybe a bit older, South Bend toolroom lathe with 16" swing and 36" or 40" (I forget) between centers. Pretty sloppy and worn out though but I'd be dead in the water without it and I paid over four times what you did for yours after delivery.  It does not have a gap bed though.  That would be sweet to have.  I'd love to have a mill.  Could have really used one the other day.  I'm getting pretty good at making shaft keyways with an angle grinder by hand though. 

[harv_44]

    Ade,


      You lucky devil, congratulations on a great find!!

       On your picture, is that a three jaw chuck held in a four jaw?

       Just wondering.

                                        Harv

                 

[vdubnut62]

WOOHOO! "Swing Envy"
Ron

[AdeV]

       On your picture, is that a three jaw chuck held in a four jaw?
     

Harv - it sure is... I'm assuming it's just like that for travelling, although given the Edgwick's chuck changing procedure is somewhat long-winded (3 bolts to undo, rather than just unscrewing or undoing a camlock), I wonder if it was used like that... when I get it here I'll check the runout, if it's dialled right in, I'll guess they used it like that.

I'd like to convert it to a D1-4 camlock, which will save lots of time swapping between chucks & faceplates, etc.