I finally have a Lathe Project...

Home Model Engine Machinist Forum

Help Support Home Model Engine Machinist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ConductorX

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
132
Reaction score
35
or a Project Lathe...

I just made a deal with a friend of mine to get an old lathe he has. The lathe itself will be a project and I hope to drive everyone batty with questions.

Starting with. What kind is it? What size? What else can anyone tell me about it. I will be picking it up next week and posting more photos as I go along.

Thanks in advance.

lathe3_zpsb00d81d3.jpg


lathe4_zpse01259c9.jpg


lathe_zps77a8524d.jpg


lathe2_zpscc9220f4.jpg


I see many hours with a wire brush ahead of me.

"G"
 
Thanks for the very useful link.

Hopefully it has a serial number on the parts or some kind of Id to help me start. I would get old and gray (wait too late for that) searching all of those pictures.

"G"
 
It looks like it has been in a fire. If it has babbit bearings they may have melted.

Good luck on the restoration. Sorry, I don't know what kind of lathe it is.

Ron
 
Looks as if it has good capabilities if it runs and the ways are in good shape.

The saddle has a milling attachment which can be useful. Also has a taper attachment. The round chuck lying on the bench near the headstock appears to be a Jacobsen rubberflex, a collet system. The collets come up on eBay from time to time. Also has the steady rest and the tailstock, in addition to the turret.
 
It looks like it has been in a fire. If it has babbit bearings they may have melted.

Good luck on the restoration. Sorry, I don't know what kind of lathe it is.

Ron

It was in a building that burned but supposedly only had paint damage, it has been sitting in another warehouse for a very long time.

I have a machinist friend that happens to make his own babbit bearings.

I'll know more once I pick it up.

Thanks Ron
 
It was in a building that burned but supposedly only had paint damage, it has been sitting in another warehouse for a very long time.

I have a machinist friend that happens to make his own babbit bearings.

I'll know more once I pick it up.

Thanks Ron

I'd be more worried about any ball / roller bearings it might have. It wouldn't take much heat to damage such bearings.

I does look like it should clean up nicely. Yes a lot of work but it also looks like you are getting a very capable machine.
 
Love the backdrop sign in pic. 3
I wondered what a watchmakers lathe looked like.

The guy with the lathe is a friend from my VW Club. He has a reported warehouse chock full of goodies, but he only brings a very select crowd there. I noticed two old gas pumps in the back ground also. It has been reported there is all kinds of goodies in there like that government warehouse #13.

"G"
 
Rockwell Delta 11"

Ian,

Thanks much. Do you have one of these lathes? I looked it up and it seems to be very well built. Looks like I will be able to get parts and manuals for it as well.

DELTA_11_zpsf62f727c-1.gif


"G"
 
Gary,
No, I have never owned one, but I did see one a few years ago. The flat top and on/off switch are quite characteristic of the breed.
From the look of the VWs on your site, you clearly like a challenge and I think you have one with this lathe. Never mind the fire damage and the potential of warped beds, anything with capstans indicate heavy industrial usage in my book.

Good luck Gunga Din.

Ian
 
I did think Boxford with the flat top, but not 100%.

I may be joining this thread soon as I've just been given a Chipmaster in need of TLC...
 
I am not an expert on restoring lathes, but I do enjoy a challenge.

"G"
 
Yep defiantly a Rockwell 11". You seem to have found one will every single factory option and attachment available! Congrats on that as a lot of those things are hard to find and very expensive when/if found. I know cause I have one with none of the accessories. Your lathe is a very good home shop lathe. It has a L00 spindle with 1.4" bore. Yours is an older model with the crank wheel for the variable Reeves drive system. The lathe looks like it sat in the weather for a long time and rusted up pretty good. Oil everything very good and start going through things one piece at a time to clean them up. The best resource for information I have found for these lathes is the Rockwell 11" Yahoo Group that exists for them. If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]. Of if ya decide you wanna get rid of any of those accessories..... ;D;D
 
it looks like the rockwell i learned on in school. nicely built machine in my opinion. the one i had used was worn out but still held tolerances if you knew how to work around them. since it was in a fire i would take the thing apart all the way down to peices, check everything out including the hardware and bearings. replace what is needed from wear or fire damage and have a nice machine
 
McLarenross and Todd,
Thanks for the good words. I joined the Yahoo group already.

I will pick up the lathe tomorrow and then start taking photos and trying to identify all of the parts and pieces that are coming with it.

"G"
 
Congrats!!! I was at ACME Surplus in Sanford Florida today and they have the same one in there just not burnt or rusty. I just glanced at it as I was gathering materials for a project and didn't have time to drool over it.
 
I picked up the lathe yesterday. It is a Rockwell 11 x 36. I was surprised to find that it isn't totally frozen. The headstock and most parts won't move or turn. The turret slide works. All of the indicator dials are intact and legible. I have to build a new cabinet for the base. The old one is totally rotten. It came with some interesting parts that I need people to help me identify.

Serial number: 117-8954
DSC_0125_zps52018330.jpg


Turret Extended: (6 heads)
DSC_0122_zps7a37e777.jpg


Adjustment screws?
DSC_0124_zps0e3b5a1e.jpg


Taper attachment??
DSC_0126_zps68017603.jpg


Tool Holders
DSC_0146_zps88104c4b.jpg


Boring Bars??
DSC_0147_zpscae842af.jpg


????
DSC_0151_zpsf8adfd91.jpg


Dogs
DSC_0158_zps44231fcc.jpg


4 - Jaw Chuck
DSC_0159_zps7e3d2430.jpg


Tail Stock
DSC_0162_zps3a1781c7.jpg


Steady Rest
DSC_0164_zpsfd014b05.jpg


Rest ???
DSC_0166_zps503e75ca.jpg


Tool holder:
DSC_0167_zps074fe1ce.jpg


Adjustable Tool Holder?
DSC_0168_zps9a3a3049.jpg


Faceplate
DSC_0173_zps09d56ec7.jpg


Some kind of chuck with insides missing:
DSC_0175_zps5841098c.jpg


I think I have overloaded the forum with photos.

One last thing. I cleaned up part of the ways with a scotch brite and some WD-40
DSC_0144_zpseb6ec66d.jpg


"G"
 

Latest posts

Back
Top