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

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Lancaster PA USA
    Posts
    254
    I believe that spindle is 1" x 8tpi and has MT2 tapers in the headstock and tailstock. All very common and very easy to find faceplates , chucks and other accessories . That is a steal !
    I know the voices in my head aren't real but boy do they come up with some good ideas !
    People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love. - Claude Monet

  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Bergstrom View Post
    That piece a lone is worth over $100 to a restorer. That is going to be a great lathe even if it was a lot more. WD 40 works great for removing rust. Scotch Brite or some mild steel wool. No sand disks or paper. I'm totally jealous.
    Aw thanks Looking forward to restoring it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Myers View Post
    I believe that spindle is 1" x 8tpi and has MT2 tapers in the headstock and tailstock. All very common and very easy to find faceplates , chucks and other accessories . That is a steal !
    I suppose so! I actually ended up getting a faceplate with the lathe, so it did work out. Thanks for the info.

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Ladendorf View Post
    That should clean up nicely Rob. Google "Kroil" and get some to soak the stuck parts. Get a wire wheel for your angle grinder and bench grinder, and if you can, pick up a finishing Beartex convolute wheel for more metal work.
    Thanks for the tips.

    Quote Originally Posted by Marvin Hasenak View Post
    DO NOT USE SANDPAPER ON THE WAYS, I believe it is 3M that makes some pads, cannot thing of the name right now, maybe someone else can. It works like an abrasive but won't remove metal.
    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Ladendorf View Post
    ScotchBrite? +1 I use with WD-40 as a lubricant.
    I have some of those ScotchBrite pads- I'll try em out tomorrow.

  3. #33
    I bought it just a couple hours ago and it is now in my garage (quality pictures here):

    IMG_4057 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    IMG_4087 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    IMG_4084 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    IMG_4077 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    IMG_4078 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    I ended up getting all of this stuff (in various conditions) with the lathe from the seller:


    • a new (!) safety guard
    • 2 safety drive centers
    • 1 4-prong drive center
    • 1 rusty live center
    • 4 different tool rests (see image)
    • 1 steady rest
    • 1 non-rusty tailstock (now I have 2)
    • 12 different chisels (varying degrees of sharpness)
    • 1 large faceplate


    I immediately also noticed that the front cabinet panel is missing. Not a huge deal, because it's just a piece of metal with vent holes in it. I could most likely fabricate one at some point.

    So I began a bit of work today in disassembling and cataloging the pieces (I'm putting all the small parts in plastic bags with a sticky note with the number from the manual). WD-40 has been absolutely essential so far. I've been taking pictures the whole time of the lathe and posting them on an album on Flickr as well.

    I managed to get to the point where I could take out lots of screws and parts to get a good idea of how to take apart the spindle (where I'm starting). The gear changer piece is engaged in the gear, which makes the spindle unable to spin. In an effort to remove the pin holding the gear changer part in place, part of it broke off and it is still holding the gear changer part in place. No big deal for now, but I'll think of something.

    IMG_4112 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    Otherwise, I need a large wrench to get the nut off the spindle. Everything else is progressing along very well.

    The only other thing that I noticed was that the paint job is not doing well. I'm thinking of repainting it once it is ready to be reassembled, but in some flashy color like red. We"ll see
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Rob Schwartz; 12-19-2014 at 2:55 AM.

  4. #34
    I'd agree with going for it. $40 is nothing, and it seems by your comments that about 1/2 of your excitement is in doing the re-building work. Nothing wrong with that. Worst case scenario, sell it to the next guy for what you have into it and upgrade. You really have nothing to loose. Yes...you can get it home on a pallet and flatbed or small trailer, no problem. And yes, setting it up in your garage will be perfect. That is what most of us do. If you are married, you may have to invest in an air compressor if you don't already have one to blow shavings off of yourself before going inside. That is, if you want to stay married.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Chicago Heights, Il.
    Posts
    2,136
    The reeves drive mechanism probably will just need a a little lubrication. Don't disassemble if not necessary. The hole you show looks like the lock hole. If engaged the spindle does't turn. Don't hit it with a hammer or you'll break the indents. With the belts on, the spindle will be hard to turn over. You can pull the drive belt From the motor shaft and the rest will loosen up. With the belt off put the end of a thin piece of wood on the head stock and put your ear on the other end. You will hear the bearings rolling in the head stock. If they're not too noisy, try leaving the spindle alone. Rustolium paint will make it look like new. The extra tail stock could fetch $150 or more.
    Member Illiana Woodturners

  6. #36
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sioux Falls, SD
    Posts
    372
    Wow, that's a heck of a deal. I am truly jealous!
    USMC '97-'01

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    El Dorado Hills, CA
    Posts
    1,311
    It looks like some sort of bait and switch. The first picture you showed was a machine in good condition. The later pictures show a machine that really did sit outside for a year. Still a good deal. Congrats and have fun with it.

    Steve

  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Peterson View Post
    It looks like some sort of bait and switch. The first picture you showed was a machine in good condition. The later pictures show a machine that really did sit outside for a year. Still a good deal. Congrats and have fun with it.

    Steve
    Sorry for the confusion there- the lathe in the first pictures was just to represent the model that I was going to get, not the real deal. I knew that it was nothing like the one I was looking at and inspected the rusty one before. Thanks for the tip

  9. #39
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Sioux Falls, SD
    Posts
    372
    I want to be baited and switched like that. Where do I sign up?!?!
    USMC '97-'01

  10. #40
    More pictures here...

    Tried out the ScotchBrite and WD-40 and I am thinking about trying steel wool to see if it goes any faster.

    Anyway, the ways are getting to be better looking (slowly) and there is smooth, shiny steel underneath.

    IMG_4115 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    IMG_4120 by robschwartz22, on Flickr

    I'll be away for the weekend, so no lathe work. However, I'll have time next week to let you all know what happens. It was very satisfying to see the clean metal underneath the rust today and I can't wait to get the ways all sparkling.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Tidewater, VA
    Posts
    273
    Rob,
    The only thing pictured which could be confused for a faceplate is more likely a sanding disk, as it has no holes for wood attachment, looks to be 8-10" diameter and to have a slimmer cross-section than I would expect for a large faceplate. The clencher is whether it is made of aluminum (the old Delta sanding disk was). The usual Delta faceplates are 3" dia. (aluminum) and 6" (cast iron); both sizes have holes or radial slots for screws to retain the workpiece. A sanding disk is not a common find: think $$. And its cross-section is less robust. Don't drill a sanding disk to make it a faceplate: ruins the value of the accessory and risks failure/injury when the disk is put to a task it isn't designed for.

    BobV

  12. #42
    Yep, it is probably a sanding disk. It has all sorts of glue on it and weighs the right amount for it to be aluminum. No holes either.

    Seems like they are rather hard to find, but I found one similar to it online. Thanks for the tip about not drilling holes-- I won't. After some googling it appears that most people who want to sand things make do with a piece of 3/4 in ply, and they just screw it to a faceplate and glue on the sandpaper. But I guess I'll have more options.

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Tidewater, VA
    Posts
    273
    RE: "...all sorts of glue on it...' If contact cement, let solvent be your friend. Turn faceplate face up. Dampen a paper towel with mineral spirits, pat it down to make full contact. Let sit while the solvent loosens the glue, then wipe off goo. Minimal elbow grease required.

    And I am remiss for not saying earlier: you got a screamin' good deal on the lathe and accessories. The spare tailstock alone could triple your money or fund new bearings-n-belts. The previous owner might need professional counseling for seller's remorse.

    BobV

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    835
    A heat gun can help with the glue too, just not WITH the mineral spirits!

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Great Falls, VA
    Posts
    813
    Rob, based on my modest experience restoring milled surfaces on cast-iron lathe ways and bench-machine tables, you're going to need more than steel wool and ScotchBrite pads to rejuvenate those ways. Especially if there is pitting, as there appears to be. The steel wool and pads will take forever, and if you're rubbing hard enough to remove the pitting, it will be virtually impossible to keep the surface flat.

    I would do a patch test with WD-40 on some good quality 400 or 600 grit automotive-grade wet-dry sandpaper. Use a sanding block to keep the surface flat and gently work up a slurry of the lubricant. Wipe frequently with paper towel to see what you're getting.

    David

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