Has any-one got a small lathe for sale?
I have no experience of using one but the times I am asking other people to do a little job for me is telling me it's time I had one.
Thanks ........Kipper

Us too - you know it's time when those jobs you know you can do are only a machine away!

My dad will be selling one of his small ones in a few months. I'll keep you in mind if he ever gets round to it.

If yuo can engineer a 3 phase to single phase conversion, or have three phase, or don't mind spending £350 on a phase convertor, then lathes can be had very cheaply from a few machinery dealers.

Look to spend around £500 - £750 on the lathe and get a simpler, heavy duty "old english" one, rather than a far eastern more modern one.

I have a Colchester Master 6.5" roundhead with 40" bed length,which is not really what you could call a small lathe, but it only cost me £100 delivered, and most of it works, and for an old english lathe it has the definite benefit of a metric and imperial screwcutting gearbox, downside I can't really use the metric one as on a single phase motor, I can't reverse it!!

(PS any electrical whizkids on here tell me how to rig up a single phase reversing circuit, I know it can be done!!)

I thought the reversing was done in the gearbox, not at the motor...could be wrong though!

A smaller Colchester range is the Student. They are quite good, and can agin be had quite cheaply.

Just bear in mind how much a lathe weighs though when considering moving/transport!

Yep, both our ones reverse using the gearbox, single phase motors

Dad's just turned a three phase motor into a single phase motor, not overly difficult

Most (if not all) of the Colchester lathes are electric reversing, certainly my Master roundhead is, and that uses the same basic gearbox etc as the student roundhead. There is a lever on the front of the gearbox which looks mechanical (concentric with the clutch lever) but actually goes through the gearbox and activates a big switch on the rear of the lathe that reverses two phases to the motor supply, and its laid out such that the clutch disengages if you move the reversing lever with it running.

Unfortunately, none of this works now on single phase on mine.

A friend has a "clarke" lathe from machine mart (horrible crappy thing) but that has single phase electric reversing, but I don't know how it works. Another mate also has an electric carlift converted to single phase with electric reversing to lower it (leadscrew type 2 post lift)

How does this work? If an electrician can tell me I can then set my lathe up for reversing, then I can cut metric threads in more than one pass!

(managed to thread cut a few sierra steering rack backlash adjusters to replace those crappy plastic one-use things in one pass, but it's a bit iffy!!)

I will take it as no lathes for sale then, thanks for your interesting comments though. I guess I have a lot to learn. all part of this great hobby of ours.

You are about one week too late, we have just got rid of a single phase Colchester Chipmaster.

ebay can turn out some bargins we got a myford a few years back and the prices have fallen furthur, we bought this from http://www.chesteruk.net/ they have warehouses full of lathes and mills etc

that's a pretty useful link, haven't heard of Chester before, obviously mostly remanufactured stuff from the big manufacturers (see a few familiar machines like Bridgeport BRJ millers!!)
but that's a good thing rather than bad!

Ever considered making your own?

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/lathe1.html

http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/series/index.html

http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/index.html

The Clarke lathe isn't a special piece of kit I agree but it is certainly functional.

I have the lathe / mill combination which is great if space is limited. Not found anything I can't do with it yet!!!!!

as a complete novice interested in doing more complex stuff, what can be done with the lathe mill combo? obviously turning and drilling, anything else?!

well thanks for the response you chaps.
I have been told the industrial exchange and mart is a good sorce for lathes. I will get one tomorrow and report back.
Ben if your dear old dad does want to part with one please let me know.
Thanks again.

a single phase motor has 2 windings as opposed to 3 in a 3 phase.
There is a start & a run winding.
Without getting too technical the motor starts on the start & runs on the run winding(DOH!!)
at a certain point the winding switches from 1 to the other.This may be achieved by a centrifugal switch (but not always... there are a few different permutations involving capacitors )
To reverse the motor you swop the ends over on the run winding.
If you take off the motor terminal housing cover you MAY be able to see the ends of the 2 windings along with a capacitor.
if you isolate the ends of the windings and put an ohmmeter on them you should find 2 separate windings. the start winding will be the one with the lowest ohmage.
by using an appropriate switch you can switch between the 2.
After all that i still havent got around to doing it on my old lathe
Rescued attachment Picture 129.jpg

My dad has an old wood lathe. Has anyone converted one of these for metal? is it possible?

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/lathe1.html

aluminum smelting with a flowerpot?

honestly this scares me. I've seen the damage that can be caused by the slightest bit of water and liquid aluminum. better hope it doesn't rain when you're working with this homebrew setup.

quote:

---

Originally posted by PaulBuz
a single phase motor has 2 windings as opposed to 3 in a 3 phase.
There is a start & a run winding.
Without getting too technical the motor starts on the start & runs on the run winding(DOH!!)
at a certain point the winding switches from 1 to the other.This may be achieved by a centrifugal switch (but not always... there are a few different permutations involving capacitors )
To reverse the motor you swop the ends over on the run winding.
If you take off the motor terminal housing cover you MAY be able to see the ends of the 2 windings along with a capacitor.
if you isolate the ends of the windings and put an ohmmeter on them you should find 2 separate windings. the start winding will be the one with the lowest ohmage.
by using an appropriate switch you can switch between the 2.
After all that i still havent got around to doing it on my old lathe

---

have a look here for some good price second hand lathes

hi,

I have a small single phase lathe one of the clark ones with the mill atachement that I am thinking of selling. it is in manchester I can deliver it resnoble distaces make me an ofer. if you are intrested.

Blake

[Edited on 30/3/05 by ceebmoj]

NS DEV
Glad to be of help
If you get stuck give us a shout.
I'm at L.F.E by the way

Thanks to you all for the response to my request for a lathe. I am now the owner of a myford. I need a book on how to use it now. What a great hobby this is.
Thanks again. Kipper.