This all started about two years ago, when a friend of a friend asked me to mount a 12volt DC motor onto the back of a small precision lathe for him, and it was soon done and not charged for.
About six months later, thru my friend I was asked if I would like to buy it. Although I had only seen the main lathe, and it had a real crappy paint job done on it, I did notice that while it was in my hands, it was in very good condition under the bad paintwork, plus he said he had the missing saddle and compound plus a few other bits. So being generous, I offered 200 squid (pounds) and then everything went quiet.
This evening, while I was in my shop I heard my little side bell ringing and when I eventually got there, it was the friend of a friend and he said 'I've brought you that lathe'. I said that after 18 months it was pushing it a bit, but I said ok, as long as he got it under my covered way, out of the rain. So he did, and I raided my piggy bank and paid him off and away he went. While he was bringing it in, I kept out of the way and it wasn't until after he had gone, and turned the outside lights on that I realised just what I had bought. I already knew that it was a 17/70 series Pultra, http://www.lathes.co.uk/pultra/page20.html ,that uses only collets in the spindle, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw.
This is the basic lathe, with collet closer and lever tailstock.
In the first box, at a cursory glance, dozens and dozens or even hundreds of collets, the said saddle and a beautiful lever operated turret unit, and that was just the top layer, I haven't had time to search underneath.
The second box was even more surprising. More turret slides and bolt on accessories.
This lot is going to take me ages to sort out.
There is a down side, none of the original motor or pulley system is there, hence the reason he asked me to fit a small motor to it, but I am not worried one bit over that. I have some very powerful but smallish motors with wonderful electronic speed control boxes with them that were destined for a cam grinder. Sod the grinder, I would prefer a precision lathe any day.
Just got to find somewhere to actually put it.
Bogs
About six months later, thru my friend I was asked if I would like to buy it. Although I had only seen the main lathe, and it had a real crappy paint job done on it, I did notice that while it was in my hands, it was in very good condition under the bad paintwork, plus he said he had the missing saddle and compound plus a few other bits. So being generous, I offered 200 squid (pounds) and then everything went quiet.
This evening, while I was in my shop I heard my little side bell ringing and when I eventually got there, it was the friend of a friend and he said 'I've brought you that lathe'. I said that after 18 months it was pushing it a bit, but I said ok, as long as he got it under my covered way, out of the rain. So he did, and I raided my piggy bank and paid him off and away he went. While he was bringing it in, I kept out of the way and it wasn't until after he had gone, and turned the outside lights on that I realised just what I had bought. I already knew that it was a 17/70 series Pultra, http://www.lathes.co.uk/pultra/page20.html ,that uses only collets in the spindle, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw.
This is the basic lathe, with collet closer and lever tailstock.
In the first box, at a cursory glance, dozens and dozens or even hundreds of collets, the said saddle and a beautiful lever operated turret unit, and that was just the top layer, I haven't had time to search underneath.
The second box was even more surprising. More turret slides and bolt on accessories.
This lot is going to take me ages to sort out.
There is a down side, none of the original motor or pulley system is there, hence the reason he asked me to fit a small motor to it, but I am not worried one bit over that. I have some very powerful but smallish motors with wonderful electronic speed control boxes with them that were destined for a cam grinder. Sod the grinder, I would prefer a precision lathe any day.
Just got to find somewhere to actually put it.
Bogs
