Detroit Lathe

The "pedigree" of this machine is,at best dubious. The headstock clearly states "Detroit", a maker of good reputation from the US, but there were some inconsistencies.

The lead screw is Imperial, the cross feed was metric, so was the compound slide!

Those more knowledgeable on the matter, agree with me though, that this "mongrel " was a post WWII lathe, made out of a locally cast bed (made in Ghent,Flanders) and piece send over to Germany after the war as part of the Marshall plan.

The restoration of the machine took over a year, as a lot needed doing to it. The cross feed screw was replaced, as it was worn beyond salvation, and all the gib strips were changed too. The spindle bearings, were adjusted, as they were still in remarkable condition.

A lot of cosmetic work, was done as well, and that made the machine into a shiny piece of equipment!

The whole machine was taken apart, prior to replacing parts and readjusting and painting them, and were de-rusted with a home brew solution of "stannic chloride" Which is nothing more, then a solution of tin in hydrochloric acid. After the treatment, the remains of any acid was neutralized with a solution of washing soda.

It can easily take take 7 feet between the centers and take parts up to 2' 7"  in diameter when the gap piece is removed!

It was bought from a man, who didn't need it anymore, for a "symbolic" price.The new cross feed screw,was made at my former school, by an old mechanics teacher,who had long retired,but lived near the school, and who couldn't be kicked out of the place!  A "liquid " price was agreed upon.....

All in all :a true "belt driven beast of the Lowlands"!

C 1 "Red & Black"

The C 1 the Red and Black was purchased through a vendor in Holland.
There are a number of these lathes on the market, sold in a variety of colors and under various brand names, but all originate from the same factory in China.
As there is no difference between the machines, one needs to find a vendor, that gives the most favorable conditions.
There is enormous difference in price between different vendors.  These little lathes are sold in the United Kingdom, under the brand name Clarke. The price of the Clarke lathe is 50% higher, then the price I paid on the mainland!

The UK is more expensive for machinery, but often cheaper for tooling!
That is a significant difference in price!

Once purchased, you will find out that these are handy little machines, for which a host of different tooling and appendages are available from a variety of sources.
I have heard and read reports, that the electronic speed regulator, can be  temperamental,in some cases, but fortunately I have no such experiences.

I would not have bought this lathe, if it were my only machine.  For that it is just too small.
But as I have a milling machine and a big belt driven lathe, it was only meant for making small parts.  If it were to be the only machine in the workshop, I would have gone at least one size up. 

HBM  16 Mill/Drill

A lot of very nasty comments have been made about this machine.Well, I believe, this was one of the better purchases I made, for the workshop. Despite appearances, it is a very sturdy and strong machine, that supports a host of metalworking techniques.

The comments about these machines had mainly to do with the supposition, that the spindle bearing weren't up to much: I can testify here, that the spindle bearings are just as good as those from many millers double and triple the price!

It also, could be used "out of the box". Most of these machine need a fair bit of adjusting, before all the surfaces are correctly at the right angle from each other. This one was finished well enough, that no improvement was needed, after it was simply bolted together.

It has a powerful 500 Watt motor, and can take a lot of abuse, if need be.

If there is one drawback,it is the shape of the cross table. The two slots,should have had a third counterpart in the middle of the table.

This can be remedied by mounting a table (just the top of course) on the existing one, that has three or even five slots. 

The machine was purchased from the same Dutch vendor as the C1 lathe.

In short, it is not a "racehorse", but it does pull its weight!

Einhell  SB 701/1 Pillar drill

This is my bench mounted pillar drill, it is another simple,though sturdy machine of German make. 

When this machine was bought, some adjustments to the column were needed, so it would stand "true".

I did, after a while replace the Jacobs type chuck with a "Metabo"  one of the  key less type.

It was purchased from a local dealer, and I have nothing but good words to say about it!

The machine has a 630 Watt motor, that gives ample power, for even the toughest drill jobs.

A cross vice will be added in the near future, to make the machine a more precise and practical tool.

Ferm Wood turning Lathe

Good stuff doesn't always come at extreme prices. The proof of that is in my modest wood turners lathe .

It is made by "Ferm", which is a dutch Company, that was one of the first to have their designs made for them in China.

The consumer organizations have written at length about the  whole range of tools made by Ferm, and it often comes out on top of old and established brand names, even without the enormous price differences taken into account. They have a vast range of tools, and all of them are good, and very well priced.

So much so, that, even if one claps out on you after a while, it is more economic to buy another one, of the same type, and still come up on top ,as far as economy goes!

The machine comes cheap, compared to all the other brand names, and it has some drawbacks, but none that can't be fixed if you have a metal lathe!  The thread on the spindle is not standard, but that's why the Lord invented adapters, so you could make one!

The motor is 400 Watt, and 600 would have been better, but it does the job.

It wasn't bought for ornamental work, but it is long enough to fit a table leg, so if the wife tells me ,I feel the urge to start making furniture...I can....well at least the wood for the  table leg fits in the lathe!

FSMC-200/150 Wet & Dry bench grinding mill

Another piece of important kit, that costs less, then an evening in the Pub! Mine is a "Ferm", as discussed above, but there are several makers, that sell these machines, for comparable prices.

It has a 370 Watt motor, giving the dry stone 3000 rpm and the the wet one 135.

Take care of the wet stone, though, as a replacement of that will cost you almost as much as a whole machine!

IN the near future, the gray stone (dry side) will be replaced by a softer one, but I will have more on that on the separate page, that deals with grinding.

Grinding lathe tools, freehand, is not something you want to venture into. So the construction of a tool grinder will follow, in time on the projects page. This machine is mainly for  the grinding of woodwork tools, like chisels used on the wood lathe.

One important thing though: DO NOT USE ANY GRINDER IN THE SAME ROOM AS OTHER MACHINE TOOLS!

If you have to do that, then cover all the machines well. If you don't the fine grinding dust will find its way on the bed ways of your lathe and cross tables, and act as a sanding paste.

And that is the last thing we want!