On 9/27/2019 at 2:28 PM, Smallpatch said:

Lew its not hard to replace the reeves drive with regular 4 and 5 belt stepped pulleys. I bought a wore out lathe just to see if I could do it and it works good for me but I'm not in to changing speeds with a flip of a switch or a dial in speed setting so no big deal there... I fixed the motor where it would slide back and forth to line up with all the pulleys as needed.

Patch, thanks for the idea. One of the characteristics of the Delta lathe I realized was lacking (as I got more experience) was the too high low end speed. It was too fast- approximately 450 rpm. Too high for most sanding. Pulleys probably won’t do much better. 

@Larry Buskirk @RustyFN @HandyDan  Thanks, just not sure it’s worth putting that much time, money and effort into a lathe this old. 
 

 

I’m thinking after all the help everyone has provided and my responses- I’m just looking for an excuse to buy a new lathe. 

Lew, please tell us the size dog house you are going to need.  I suppose you also want wiring and plumbing?  

57 minutes ago, FlGatorwood said:

I suppose you also want wiring and plumbing?

Winter is coming so HOT water would be nice as well.

Gentle Reader,

 

Just to show your wife that you are a sensitive caring kind of guy it would only be the right thing to do if you told her that you will miss her a bit, but the enjoyment of your fancy new lathe gives you comfort that you made the right decision.

 

My first lathe was the Delta 1440 Boat Anchor so I am well aware of the grief that it is giving you.  For some reason I still have it ... a true shop queen if ever there was one ... it just sits there taking up space and not doing any useful work.  The pulleys are made of die cast zinc and that is the reason that they are so prone to failing.  I have a big box full of worn out and broken pulleys:  worn key-ways, cracked at the hub, cracked at the rim, and badly warped.  On the positive side, I became very adept at disassembling, repairing, and reassembling that mechanical malfeasance.

 

I was on a serious mission to turn my sow's ear into a silk purse, but after a while I could see that the cost was going to be a sizeable portion of what I had originally paid for the lathe (a little less than seven hundred dollars back in 2004).  My compassionate wife could feel my pain so she said, "Why don't you just get a Robust American Beauty lathe?"  I almost got whiplash from grabbing the phone and dialing Brent English, AKA Mr. Robust.  And, before you ask, you can't borrow her to approve your upcoming lathe purchase.

 

Try a new approach ... tell your kind loving wife that you are suffering greatly at the hand a Devil inspired torture machine masquerading as a woodturning lathe and for your physical and emotional well being you need a _________(fill in blank)_______ therapeutic device (meaning a device that spins wood reliably).

 

Glad to be of service,

Bill Boehme

On 9/26/2019 at 7:52 PM, Larry Buskirk said:

 

Keep an eye on Craig's List. You might find something pretty nice for much cheaper.

 

 

You could also try FB marketplace.  Even here in the boonies, they appear frequently.  

Jim

10 hours ago, lew said:

Patch, thanks for the idea. One of the characteristics of the Delta lathe I realized was lacking (as I got more experience) was the too high low end speed. It was too fast- approximately 450 rpm. Too high for most sanding. Pulleys probably won’t do much better. 

Lew,

We have ways of making even older lathes spin very slow.

How slow do you want to go?

10 hours ago, lew said:

I’m just looking for an excuse to buy a new lathe. 

Won't be near the fun of Resto-Modding an older heavier duty one! 

Probably more $$$ too. 

8 hours ago, Billy B said:

Gentle Reader,

 

Just to show your wife that you are a sensitive caring kind of guy it would only be the right thing to do if you told her that you will miss her a bit, but the enjoyment of your fancy new lathe gives you comfort that you made the right decision.

 

My first lathe was the Delta 1440 Boat Anchor so I am well aware of the grief that it is giving you.  For some reason I still have it ... a true shop queen if ever there was one ... it just sits there taking up space and not doing any useful work.  The pulleys are made of die cast zinc and that is the reason that they are so prone to failing.  I have a big box full of worn out and broken pulleys:  worn key-ways, cracked at the hub, cracked at the rim, and badly warped.  On the positive side, I became very adept at disassembling, repairing, and reassembling that mechanical malfeasance.

 

I was on a serious mission to turn my sow's ear into a silk purse, but after a while I could see that the cost was going to be a sizeable portion of what I had originally paid for the lathe (a little less than seven hundred dollars back in 2004).  My compassionate wife could feel my pain so she said, "Why don't you just get a Robust American Beauty lathe?"  I almost got whiplash from grabbing the phone and dialing Brent English, AKA Mr. Robust.  And, before you ask, you can't borrow her to approve your upcoming lathe purchase.

 

Try a new approach ... tell your kind loving wife that you are suffering greatly at the hand a Devil inspired torture machine masquerading as a woodturning lathe and for your physical and emotional well being you need a _________(fill in blank)_______ therapeutic device (meaning a device that spins wood reliably).

 

Glad to be of service,

Bill Boehme

Hahahahahaha Thanks! I think the Robust is out of the question but she might just go for the Jet!

3 hours ago, Larry Buskirk said:

Won't be near the fun of Resto-Modding an older heavier duty one! 

Probably more $$$ too. 

Actually, Larry, the Jet is beefer than the Delta.

56 minutes ago, lew said:

Actually, Larry, the Jet is beefer than the Delta.

Probably in todays machines.

My 11" dates from 1941. 

No plastic, electronics, reeves drive.

Just line-shaft/countershaft, pulleys, belts, and can use just about any motor.

@lew,

I forgot to mention all of your present tooling will fit. 

The trouble with restoring or modding is that it will quickly become your new hobby that replaces actually using the machine to turn something.  It might be justifiable if the lathe was actually deserving to be modded, but the 1440 is just a cheap lathe that's marginally satisfactory when it works and a big aggravation when it doesn't.

8 hours ago, Billy B said:

The trouble with restoring or modding is that it will quickly become your new hobby that replaces actually using the machine to turn something.  It might be justifiable if the lathe was actually deserving to be modded.

Billy,

I would agree on the later machines, but what's your opinion of something on this order? 

 

As to restoring/modding the machines I feel I can get better built machines for less money.

Sure it takes some time to do the work, but I feel I make up the difference by getting more machines for my bucks.

I guess it all depends if you want immediate satisfaction, and how full your wallet is. Mine's almost always running on empty.

Larry Not to break in and Bill will respond but my Pm will get down to 50 rpm and that is handy for some things I do and that is probably the main difference in old prime lathes and new. Note there were some old Generals and others that would get RPM that low. As to weight I think that the manufacturers have learned the lesson that more weight is a good thing.

Gerald,

The speeds shown in the ad are what they are with the factory pulley set up. The beauty(in my warped mind) with these old machines is how simple they are to work on. That and the fact that they can use a standard (non-proprietary) motor.

If you add a second countershaft setup you can get RPM's that are much lower.

Besides that...

 

(I just love watching pulleys and belts spinning!)

 

1 hour ago, Larry Buskirk said:

Gerald,

The speeds shown in the ad are what they are with the factory pulley set up. The beauty(in my warped mind) with these old machines is how simple they are to work on. That and the fact that they can use a standard (non-proprietary) motor.

If you add a second countershaft setup you can get RPM's that are much lower.

Besides that...

 

(I just love watching pulleys and belts spinning!)

 

You are getting into stuff that gives me the willys . Changing belts --ok , changing motors---not so fun. Sooo many to choose from and then how to change power wireing to use 220!!!!!

Almost all of the stuff I play with is wired for 110 Volts. 

Pretty much simple stuff.

220 is not that hard to work with.  Not like we have 3 phase stuff in most home shops. @Artie  could enlighten us more on the finer details. LBAEL it as 220 volts once done, that is always helpful. 

2 minutes ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

220 is not that hard to work with.  Not like we have 3 phase stuff in most home shops. @Artie  could enlighten us more on the finer details. LBAEL it as 220 volts once done, that is always helpful. 

I know how to wire 220, but since my equipment is primarily set up for portable use I figured it's much easier to find a 110 Volt outlet.

That and the cost of 220 Volt extension cords! 

The finer details of 220 volts is that it is exactly double that of 110 volts! (I just crack myself up sometimes). The benefit of this is that the amperage is exactly 1/2 at 220 volts compared to 110 volts (assuming the load is convertible. Applying 220 volts to a 110 volt machine usually produces a small fireworks show). Main advantage for a small home shop is smaller wire, but you lose an extra spot in the breaker panel. The larger the horsepower the better benefit in running at the highest available voltage.