Delta Rockwell Wood Lathe (left outside for a year)- should I buy?

Hello!

I am completely new to turning (have used other power tools, band saw, table saw, radial arm saw, etc) and was looking at this one wood lathe
(same model as the one pictured, but not the real deal). It has been left out in the elements (Denver, CO) for over a year but looks not too rusty. I can post pics if you are interested sometime soon.

Anyway, it has all of the parts besides a safety shield but it is rather rusty. The electronics cabinet looks to be sealed pretty tightly and the motor is underneath the headstock, so they should be in good condition (hopefully). It also comes with about 6 or so turning chisels and maybe a couple live or dead centers if I ask nicely.

Bottom line, they said it would cost $40 and takes 115V. Nothing wrong in my mind with starting a new hobby, and already have built my own 3D printer.

However, I will probably need to get lessons (recommendations?) and I will also need to move it to my home. Will a pallet jack and a flatbed truck be good enough for that? And can I put it in the garage?

Anyway, here is a photo of the exact same model (same keyed on switch), but not the one I am looking at specifically. Let me know if you want pics.

Attachment 302171

Should I get it? Lots of work to clean up the rusty lathe (and maybe a new paint job) but I have the time and patience. What do you think?

Thanks,
Rob Schwartz

Just found a group of woodturners in Denver... maybe I could get lessons from them :) http://www.frontrangewoodturners.org/

Just me..........maybe not you, but I would let that deal pass! Outside in the elements for a year, will mean not only rust, but pitting on the unprotected areas. :eek: Electronics will draw moisture, even if enclosed, so to me, taking a chance on such an old lathe with that condition.........unless you are one who enjoys doing complete restorations of old iron.....;).....again, just me!

If the bed is not pitted but only lightly rusted I would take a chance on it for $40. There are a lot of folks here who have rebuilt that lathe with very good results. If everything but the frame, spindle, and bed are ruined, you could still convert it to VFD with a new motor. I am not aware of parts availability, but the bearings are bound to be standard size and available. I think it comes down to are you willing to do the work to restore or do you want to get to spinning wood right away.

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Originally Posted by Roger Chandler

Just me..........maybe not you, but I would let that deal pass! Outside in the elements for a year, will mean not only rust, but pitting on the unprotected areas. :eek: Electronics will draw moisture, even if enclosed, so to me, taking a chance on such an old lathe with that condition.........unless you are one who enjoys doing complete restorations of old iron.....;).....again, just me!

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It didn't seem pitted to me, but I'll take a peek at that tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know about the amount of work needed- I will keep that in mind and take a peek at the electronics. I'm guessing starting it right now is not a good idea without disconnecting the belts. Appreciate the advice.

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Originally Posted by Paul Williams

If the bed is not pitted but only lightly rusted I would take a chance on it for $40. There are a lot of folks here who have rebuilt that lathe with very good results. If everything but the frame, spindle, and bed are ruined, you could still convert it to VFD with a new motor. I am not aware of parts availability, but the bearings are bound to be standard size and available. I think it comes down to are you willing to do the work to restore or do you want to get to spinning wood right away.

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VFD? Sorry, not familiar with the lingo here. Does that mean a variable frequency drive? Also, how much would a new motor be if I decided to get one?

Can I look at one of the restoration pages? It would be good to figure out the necessary steps so I don't go it alone. :)

Not worried about turning as of now- I'm willing to invest some time for the reward in the end. It'll be a good learning process too, I'm guessing.

Rob.........if you are willing and able to do restoration and such, then $40 is a great price. If the motor still works, then that is a plus! One can purchase electric motors, sometimes, rebuilt ones at reasonable prices. A new belt and use the pulleys that come with the unit, and away you go. Deep pitting on the cast iron bed ways is a problem. Also check to make sure the quill operates like it should......some older ones are just plain worn out, and finding replacement parts can be a real problem.......our club has one of those, perhaps a little older that we were going to restore, and the members decided it was just in too bad a condition with the quill problems it has, so they opted to purchase a couple of Jet 1221's and are looking at another big lathe for the club.

Also, reeves drive need regular maintenance, so make sure it works well or get a VFD........if you go that route, in my opinion, you would be better off getting a new lathe, because you will have nearly as much in parts and such as you would spend on a fairly good new lathe!

One bonus about the quill is that they have extra quills that they might be able to give me... non-rusted ones too. So that should work out just fine. I think I'll disconnect the belts and inspect the electronics tomorrow. If everything looks good, then I'll test-plug it in (worst case scenario something is messed up and it breaks badly, but that was going to happen anyway).

For $40 I would already have closed the deal. Then I would find out if it was all fixable. It is a wood lathe, not a metal lathe that needs precision a little pitting on the ways wouldn't kill the deal for me, a lot changes the game plan. The Reeves drive might be frozen from gunk, but that should clean up.

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Originally Posted by Rob Schwartz

It didn't seem pitted to me, but I'll take a peek at that tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know about the amount of work needed- I will keep that in mind and take a peek at the electronics. I'm guessing starting it right now is not a good idea without disconnecting the belts. Appreciate the advice.

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Shouldn't be any "electronics"... power switch and a motor. Unless someone has added a digital readout, VFD, or something. As others have said, for $40 bucks, I'd grab it. If you do nothing but sell a couple part off of it, you'll come out ahead!

This opinion is probably worth about 50% of what it costs, but here goes.

First, The gap in the bed at the headstock end is an older concept. Most lathes in this size with some vintage to them have that feature. The idea was that a larger diameter faceplate piece could be turned, and in school shop classes it was common to glue up a platter blank and make a shallow bowl or plate. A bad part of this design is that the gap isn't long enough to allow for use of a chuck to hold the blank and still swing the blank in the gap. Chucks for woodlathes were not used when the gap bed idea was common. Another bad part of the gap bed design is that it prevents the banjo from being used up close to the headstock. This is not a problem for most spindle work, but on short items it can become awkward. Not impossible, just awkward.

Your situation and what you enjoy will dictate what you do. The $40 is really not a consideration, as the scrap value is close to that. From that standpoint, you can't get hurt regardless. If you enjoy or at least don't mind restoration of machines, then the rehab will be the reward for undertaking the project.

If your primary purpose is to get into woodturning, then a lathe that needs to be worked on before it can be used and has a few quirks that make it less than enjoyable to use once in running order, then this lathe may not be a good choice.

I would pass and look for a more modern lathe.

I might consider buying it and dismantal it and sale the parts. Take the profits from the sale of parts and buy a good used lathe.
Curt

I had that same lathe a long time ago and used it for quite a few years. It's a well built lathe with a 12 inch swing over the bed. The gap is only usable for platters. (In those days almost no lathe had a larger swing). My only real problem with the lathe was the reeves drive. Just wasn't well designed. But it worked. It's under powered (I seem to recall a 3/4 hp motor). However, unless you take heavy cuts on a 10 inch bowl that's not a problem.

I turned many hundreds of bowls and a lot of spindles on my Delta before upgrading to a bigger and better lathe.

For a beginners lathe at $40 it's real steal. Grab it. If you spend a few bucks fixing it up you'll have a good lathe for not much money.

You mention taking lessons....Best thing you could do. There is no substitute for hands-on learning. A good teacher will advise you on the tools you'll need to start. Many turners will tell you that you'll need a chuck to start. You don't. IMO it's best to learn with a faceplate and a glue block.

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Originally Posted by Marvin Hasenak

For $40 I would already have closed the deal. Then I would find out if it was all fixable. It is a wood lathe, not a metal lathe that needs precision a little pitting on the ways wouldn't kill the deal for me, a lot changes the game plan. The Reeves drive might be frozen from gunk, but that should clean up.

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I agree. I can't believe all the people that would turn down that lathe for $40. I would have been reaching for my wallet quickly before the guy changes his mind.

It does not look like it has been outside for a year. It must have been covered and protected well.

Steve

For $40 you can't lose. If it turns into too much work you should be able to get more than that at the scrap yard. If you decide to scrap it let me know. I'd be interested in the banjo, tool rest and shaft.