DocsMachine
Titanium
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2005
- Location
- Southcentral, AK
Wound up the maybe not-so-proud owner of a W&S No.2 in what appears to be pretty good shape.
At least, I hope it's in pretty good shape, as I bought it after only having seen that photo, and have yet to take delivery of it.
The story is it passed through three different hands in the last 18 months or so, with each buyer hoping they could do standard engine-lathe type work on it. Keeping in mind that this is Alaska, and decent lathes only show up for sale once every third blue moon but only following an election year.
I found out about it via the grapevine, contacted the current owner, who wants more of a small desktop engine lathe, had 'im send me a pic, and bought it. Besides the thirty-plus collets shown, there's the 4-jaw, supposedly a three-jaw, and a basketful of turret tooling. (Which I have not yet seen.)
If all goes well, I should be taking delivery on Wednesday. Running short on space in my converted-garage shop, but I figured it was worth the cost.
For those that will ask, yes, I did specifically want a turret lathe, and yes, I know how to run one.
I had my 11" Logan set up with a turret for several years, and made a ton of product on it. That machine got converted to CNC a few years back, and I've been teaching myself how to run it (with varying levels of success) ever since. I still have all the turret parts for the machine, and will be converting it back once I can afford a proper turning center.
But in the meantime, I have sufficient product that I can keep both the homebrew CNC and a good turret decently supplied with work for the forseeable future. I still have a ton of turret tooling, in 5/8", 3/4" and 1" shank, and this one supposedly comes with as much or more. (You can see a couple peeking out from under the bed below the cross-slide handwheel.)
Oh, and I have, and have read thoroughly, the W&S Operator's Manual.
I say all this just to be clear I'm not some noob hoping for a cheap engine lathe I can use to make spacers for my tricycle.
I know what I bought and I know how to use it. (At least generally speaking. )
THAT said, I'm quite the noob as far as an actual, proper, purpose-built W&S turret lathe goes. So expect the usual share of stupid noob questions- although I'll try to refrain from asking if I can replace the ram with a tailstock.
First off, I don't have the serial number yet, but can anyone give me a rough idea of this thing's age? I'm given to understand it's in good shape, with at best moderate overall use, and has most likely never been rebuilt, refurbished or repainted.
The current owner tells me it's a 2-speed motor. What's the likely HP range? (Looking on the internet gives me a pretty wide potential range.)
Roughly how much will it weigh? That part's mostly curiosity- the seller has an 8K forklift to load it, and I have a 966 on standby to unload. I also have a set of professional 20K-capacity machine skates to roll it into the shop.
What's the spindle through-hole size? How to chucks mount? Is it a standard spindle of some sort, like an A or D-series, or is it some proprietary fitting?
What's the spindle speed range?
And, most importantly, but also probably most open-endedly, what should I specifically look for, and what sort of maintenance would you recommend? Change the headstock oil? Is there a headstock pump or is it splash-oiled? Are there clutches that will need adjustment or at least inspection?
Thanks in advance, and I'll of course have pics of the unloading, installation and initial inspection.
Doc.
At least, I hope it's in pretty good shape, as I bought it after only having seen that photo, and have yet to take delivery of it.
The story is it passed through three different hands in the last 18 months or so, with each buyer hoping they could do standard engine-lathe type work on it. Keeping in mind that this is Alaska, and decent lathes only show up for sale once every third blue moon but only following an election year.
I found out about it via the grapevine, contacted the current owner, who wants more of a small desktop engine lathe, had 'im send me a pic, and bought it. Besides the thirty-plus collets shown, there's the 4-jaw, supposedly a three-jaw, and a basketful of turret tooling. (Which I have not yet seen.)
If all goes well, I should be taking delivery on Wednesday. Running short on space in my converted-garage shop, but I figured it was worth the cost.
For those that will ask, yes, I did specifically want a turret lathe, and yes, I know how to run one.
I had my 11" Logan set up with a turret for several years, and made a ton of product on it. That machine got converted to CNC a few years back, and I've been teaching myself how to run it (with varying levels of success) ever since. I still have all the turret parts for the machine, and will be converting it back once I can afford a proper turning center.
But in the meantime, I have sufficient product that I can keep both the homebrew CNC and a good turret decently supplied with work for the forseeable future. I still have a ton of turret tooling, in 5/8", 3/4" and 1" shank, and this one supposedly comes with as much or more. (You can see a couple peeking out from under the bed below the cross-slide handwheel.)
Oh, and I have, and have read thoroughly, the W&S Operator's Manual.
I say all this just to be clear I'm not some noob hoping for a cheap engine lathe I can use to make spacers for my tricycle.
I know what I bought and I know how to use it. (At least generally speaking. )THAT said, I'm quite the noob as far as an actual, proper, purpose-built W&S turret lathe goes. So expect the usual share of stupid noob questions- although I'll try to refrain from asking if I can replace the ram with a tailstock.
First off, I don't have the serial number yet, but can anyone give me a rough idea of this thing's age? I'm given to understand it's in good shape, with at best moderate overall use, and has most likely never been rebuilt, refurbished or repainted.
The current owner tells me it's a 2-speed motor. What's the likely HP range? (Looking on the internet gives me a pretty wide potential range.)
Roughly how much will it weigh? That part's mostly curiosity- the seller has an 8K forklift to load it, and I have a 966 on standby to unload. I also have a set of professional 20K-capacity machine skates to roll it into the shop.
What's the spindle through-hole size? How to chucks mount? Is it a standard spindle of some sort, like an A or D-series, or is it some proprietary fitting?
What's the spindle speed range?
And, most importantly, but also probably most open-endedly, what should I specifically look for, and what sort of maintenance would you recommend? Change the headstock oil? Is there a headstock pump or is it splash-oiled? Are there clutches that will need adjustment or at least inspection?
Thanks in advance, and I'll of course have pics of the unloading, installation and initial inspection.
Doc.
