So Raphael from the rigging company that listed it was nice enough to send two of his guys over with a forklift to unload it.
More pics over on instagram:
The lathe doesn't have the most huge swing, (classified as 14"), and no gap in the bed, but it has a lot of other things I like. The motor is 240v 3 phase and located underneath the headstock casting behind those nice louvered iron doors, driving the main shaft via a gang of v-belts. I haven't run the motor, but going through the gears and rotating the spindle I don't feel any big crunchies. I don't know the year this one was made, but most of them were made during or just after WW2, and they're extremely well made. So unless it was abused horribly it should be working nicely within a reasonable envelope of wear. We'll see if there are any missing teeth in that gearbox...
The whole thing is really, really greasy on the outside and the grease is full of aluminum oxide abrasive. I can't think of a worse combination of things to be on a lathe! I found a 14" aluminum oxide PSA backed disc sitting by the faceplate. It was stuck onto the faceplate at some point like a big disc grinder. Whoever used this lathe as a big disc grinder didn't bother to cover the ways to keep the dust off. So once I move it inside it's going to need a thorough tear down, degrease and cleaning. I'll be taking pictures of all that as I go, from making some machinery skates to getting it back up and running. Just moving this thing becomes a big project!
I'll keep the Instagram pics coming as this one progresses.
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