Bench top lathe

[JSH]

After having chased around lathes for a while, parts should not be to awful hard to find for a SB, however the cost for them may make one think if the really need it or not.

Bill, I would sure like to take a look at the SB for sure and the Sheldon if convieniant, hey I like old iron of any kind.
If it is OK with you I would like my machinest buddy to come along. He is good people, gun nut, bullet caster, single shot rifle looney, answers a lot of my questions on this subject.
Jeff

 

[Pistolero]

This is my Sheldon SWQE. I use it regularly.




South Bend 11", my beginner's lathe. I learn to turn and thread on this one. Plug in, turn
on and cut metal.

Bill

 

[freebullet]

Those look very nice compared to local units for more $ I've looked at.

 

[Pistolero]

Thanks. Both are clean, running and ready do go. I stripped and repainted the South Bend when I bought
it, so it is in good shape as far as finish. The Sheldon has never been mistreated, so it's in original
paint. It has never been in commercial shop service, was owned by a gunsmith since new. IMO,
a single owner takes more care of a machine than an operator in a commercial shop, plus there
is likely less hours on it too. One guy in a gunsmith shop cannot run each machine all the time,
so it may only run a few hours a day. In commercial shop service, the machine needs to be making
parts every hour of every day to keep the business going. There may be better Sheldon's out there,
but not by a lot.

Also, both have been in dry, heated shops for at least the last 20 years, far better for the iron, much
less rust. A lot of old machines get put in a barn and start rusting up.

Bill

 

[Bret4207]

I've been using and abusing a little 6" Atlas for 3+ decades now. One piece of advice I'd give is that bigger is better than smaller, even in benchtop lathes. I see 6" Atlas/Craftsmans for sale around here all the time. They're fine for light hobby work with good sharp HSS tooling. Try making heavy cuts in "almost too big to fit" items with carbide and you quickly find out the little light lathes limitations. Threading is a gi-gundous pain in the keester. I'd much rather squeeze in a 10 or 13" lathe that really too big for my space than spend hours and hours abusing a little lathe (or mill or shaper) trying to do something it was never designed for and then ruining the piece or busting something on the lathe in the end.

Just 2 cents from a guy who really needs a 16" Leblond..........

 

[smokeywolf]

Just 2 cents from a guy who really needs a 16" Leblond..........

Sage advice. Worth much more than 2 cents.

Incidentally, carbide tooling/cutters are not designed so much for "heavy cuts". They excel at lighter cuts at higher spindle speeds. For roughing cuts, use high speed steel with at least 5% cobalt.

 

[KeithB]

Bret, I have a 15" x 50" Clausing. Not exactly a benchtop item but I wouldn't want anything smaller. A little overkill for gunsmithing size work. If something is too big to run on this puppy it's too big for me to mess with anymore. Had to build an overhead hoist system to change chucks though, a 10" three jaw is just too big to lift comfortably.

 

[smokeywolf]

My 17/25" X 40" WEBB also has a 10" three jaw. It too seems a lot heavier than it did 10 years ago. When I set up shop in the next house, I'm definitely going to follow Keith's lead and set up an overhead hoist.

 

[Bret4207]

At this point what I need is to lay a second floor over my garage so I can move my woodworking stuff and books and such up there, and use the downstairs for metal work, chainsaws, etc. Then I would have room for a real lathe. That plan has been in the works for 15 years now......

 

[Intheshop]

Bret,move the lathe into the living room....doh.

I bought a repro ....oh,how you say,art...of a machine co,ad poster of OWWM.Mat/frame with a drop dead,get out of town,gorgeous one off pce of Walnut,right?

Got it hanging over our '47 Wade 8A collet lathe....minding it's own business.Sorta overseeing in the machine shop.Wife makes here "annual" pass through,seeing what she can bust me on......and like some Hollywood princess,points at the above,art....

It's now hanging in one of our,better rooms in the house.Felt so bad letting go.....replaced the spot with a late '40's....Bear wheel alignment sign.Which is stupid cool....she knows it's all good,what's his is mine.Back to work.

 

[Pistolero]

So what is the "machine co. ad poster of OWWM" image that was so compelling that it had to be moved to the
living room? I was originally thinking that this was a version of some of the girlie calendars that various companies used
to put out, but clearly not that.

Bill

 

[Intheshop]

"American Wood Working Machine co."

Beautiful logo and font,probably 1910-1925?Repro as stated.I hang around OWWM website a little,figured their sorta fund raising efforts worth a try.

Can't really say why wife got all worked up over it?On the surface,the crotchy Black Walnut frame,old looking artwork.

On a deeper level,haha.....she's jealous that we take such pride in our working environments.....machine after machine that have been professionally "resto'd",some brought back from dead.....still providing very useful service.Might be....we find the initiative to guvment in mouldings and refinements from paying gigs,implementing them into,"just a shop"?Compared to her workplace.

She did get really bent,oh 20 or so years ago when I built,basically upper end $$$ library units,completely finished.....and we keep hardware and certain paint supplys on.Said some BS about,"you don't put that in the house"...which she knows isn't true.BUT,it's like .....she has to say something?

She snagged my picture,because she could.

 

[JSH]

Quick up date. My checking account is some what lighter than the week before. I am the happy owner of the above Sheldon. Picked it up Saturday.
I am still moving things around making room. Throwing a lot of stuff out and giving stuff away. I am done storing a lot of "treasures"!
Kind of a win win for me really. I am getting stuff organized and put with like items where they belong. Will take me a year or so to find some things I am sure,lol. Clothes and gear have all been stowed in totes and labeled with what the contents are.
I'll be darned if some of my hunting clothes have not shrunk while in the foot lockers!!!
I have not found anything I was looking for prior to this.
I thought I was running low on WW alloy, well that is not a problem. Along with a lot of bar solder and ingots of foundry dead soft and roof sheathing. Best thing is it is, it has all been smelted and cleaned, except for maybe 50 pounds of lead from a lead glass outfit. After getting a rough guess on the lite side, I would say at least 3000 lbs. I may look at more big bore guns now,lol.
Jeff

 

[Brad]

Waiting to see lots of neat projects

 

[RicinYakima]

Jeff, Good for you! It is good to clean out every decade or so. Just like me doing bullet moulds on ebay, you need to get rid of things you are not going to use. About your hunting clothes, last time I was elk hunting my pants size were "Winchesters" , 30X30. Now, sadly, I am a "Krag" 30X40, and I'm not any taller.

 

[freebullet]

Definitely envious on the lathe, can't wait to see what you make first.

 

[Pistolero]

It was great meeting one of the brotherhood of the lead projectile. Jeff is a great guy,
and now he has a good, solid lathe, fully tooled and ready to run.

Looking at what to replace it with, several options. Now that there is a hole, I need to refill
it.

Bill

 

[Intheshop]

JSH,just noticed on OWWM site(old wood working machines)....

Scroll down to BOYD,metal working for sale sub forum,there's a Sheldon 11",steady rest FS.

But,in any case....every bit of time you spend getting your new lathe in a "happy place",along with general cleaning of your shop space...

Is gonna make your life that much better!You're going to be making chips before you know it.

 

[Pistolero]

Not Jeff, but that lathe already has a steady and follow rest with it.

Bill

 

[Intheshop]

Very cool Bill!
Here's hoping you find a nice pce of "arn" to fill the vacancy,haha .