Stocksy27
Established Member
Looking to pick on of these up from a auction 36" between centers any ideas on prices? Also can you lower the bowl turning rest to take bigger bowl
Blanks with some modification?
Blanks with some modification?
Union gradute lathes guide prices
- Thread starter Stocksy27
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
They go for anything from £5-600 for a pretty rough example to well over £1500 for a good one with variable speed. LRE Engineering can raise the inboard centre height for around £300 but you have to get the machine to and from them. Make sure the spindle threads are not damaged and the Morse tapers not badly scored.
AFAIK the only way to increase outboard capacity for bowl turning is to use a free-standing tool rest. It's also getting hard to find LH threaded chucks these days.
AFAIK the only way to increase outboard capacity for bowl turning is to use a free-standing tool rest. It's also getting hard to find LH threaded chucks these days.
Retire2004
Established Member
- Joined
- 6 Feb 2008
- Messages
- 87
- Reaction score
- 2
Hi Stocksy,
Norman seems to have covered the mods required to the inboard side. You could carry out this mod yourself (maybe with help from a local engineering shop).
However, I suspect you are more interested in possible mods. to the outboard end! I have done this myself, It requires a piece of 25mm or 30mm thick boiler plate about the size of an A4 sheet of paper (horizontal). Basically, the three mounting holes for the outboard bed or knee are reproduced in the top RH corner of the plate, (will need to be counter bored if intending to use the the same screws), and 3 tapped holes provided in the bottom LH corner. The plate is then bolted to the lathe body and the knee is bolted onto the plate. This effectively drops the knee about 4" and brings it out towards the front of the lathe by the same amount. This increases the swing of the lathe from 20" to 28". (Could be more, but this means that the plate would foul the belt access door! The top of the swan neck tool rest will now be about 4" too low, so an extension piece is required to make this up.
Regards
Tudor
Norman seems to have covered the mods required to the inboard side. You could carry out this mod yourself (maybe with help from a local engineering shop).
However, I suspect you are more interested in possible mods. to the outboard end! I have done this myself, It requires a piece of 25mm or 30mm thick boiler plate about the size of an A4 sheet of paper (horizontal). Basically, the three mounting holes for the outboard bed or knee are reproduced in the top RH corner of the plate, (will need to be counter bored if intending to use the the same screws), and 3 tapped holes provided in the bottom LH corner. The plate is then bolted to the lathe body and the knee is bolted onto the plate. This effectively drops the knee about 4" and brings it out towards the front of the lathe by the same amount. This increases the swing of the lathe from 20" to 28". (Could be more, but this means that the plate would foul the belt access door! The top of the swan neck tool rest will now be about 4" too low, so an extension piece is required to make this up.
Regards
Tudor
Stocksy27
Established Member
thanks for the help, Retire2004 thats the idea i had in mind have some thing made up, I've got a lathe for £275 so the restoration will start, will be upgrading to a 1.5hp variable speed motor kit too 
