Enterprise 1550 lathe restore

[JMan23]

Hi, I'm new to the forums. I have acquire an enterprise 1550 lathe in pretty rough shape.
I'm a small engine and ATV mechanic, I know pretty little about machining but would love to learn. My goal is to get this lathe running and use it to bore cylinders. The trouble I'm currently having is with the saddle, I have removed it from the gearbox. The problem it the mechanism that moves the slide is extremely hard to turn, and I'm not sure how the lead screw assembly comes out of the saddle.

 

[brino]

Hello @JMan23

Yup that is one rough looking lathe!
Your final results will really depend on the flatness of those sliding surfaces...... which is difficult to judge from here.

Sorry I have no info/suggestions for you......

Are there handles missing from the headstock? It looks like two unused holes there... or are those for oil level check and drain?

Without the badges/plates/etc. it may to slow to figure out all your speed and feed options.
Are they readable? Did you find a manual?

Have you tried getting the chuck off yet? That might be another battle.
Search here for some ideas on that.

Welcome to the group!

Brian

 

[JMan23]

Hello @JMan23

Yup that is one rough looking lathe!
Your final results will really depend on the flatness of those sliding surfaces...... which is difficult to judge from here.

Sorry I have no info/suggestions for you......

Are there handles missing from the headstock? It looks like two unused holes there... or are those for oil level check and drain?

Without the badges/plates/etc. it may to slow to figure out all your speed and feed options.
Are they readable? Did you find a manual?

Have you tried getting the chuck off yet? That might be another battle.
Search here for some ideas on that.

Welcome to the group!

Brian

I'm hoping the flatness hasn't been too affected, since the rust is just surface and hasn't pitted into the iron. The 2 holes in the headstock, one was some sort of switch and the other is empty. Not sure what they were for. Some of the badges and plates are still readable, some may take some trial and error to figure out what all they do. I haven't tried to get the chuck off yet .

 

[brino]

@JMan23

I poked around the usual places for manuals but didn't find any.

This site claims to have some parts:
http://www.hhrobertsmachinery.com/S...sts/manual-machine-parts-lists.html#kirloskar

This one looks very similar:
https://machinehub.com/listings/42894-15-quot-x-50-quot-enterprise-engine-lathe#gallery-1
...and you can read some of the badges. It might be worth saving some of those pictures.

Foot brake is great to have, does it also have a gap bed? (ie. do the ways near the headstock unbolt to allow you to swing a disc bigger than 15")

I'll keep looking for a manual.....

Brian

 

[markba633csi]

You'll need to soak the slide in penetrating oil until it starts to loosen up. A 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone is a good sauce for that.
I'm sure the machine won't be anywhere near as accurate as it once was, but with luck you might get some work out of it
Looks like it's been outside for a while- is it a Katrina victim? Hopefully the motor is still good...we have some electrical folks here
-Mark

 

[brino]

Is this it?
https://xyzmachinetools.com/download/136/all-machine-manuals/30722/xyz_1550_lathe.pdf

 

[Chipper5783]

The manual I posted is still there in Downloads. That machine looks pretty nasty, but I have resurrected some ugly opportunities, with good results (just a lot of work). D

 

[JMan23]

@JMan23

I poked around the usual places for manuals but didn't find any.

This site claims to have some parts:
http://www.hhrobertsmachinery.com/S...sts/manual-machine-parts-lists.html#kirloskar

This one looks very similar:
https://machinehub.com/listings/42894-15-quot-x-50-quot-enterprise-engine-lathe#gallery-1
...and you can read some of the badges. It might be worth saving some of those pictures.

Foot brake is great to have, does it also have a gap bed? (ie. do the ways near the headstock unbolt to allow you to swing a disc bigger than 15")

I'll keep looking for a manual.....

Brian

Thanks for the references, that will be helpful. It doesn't have a gap bed.

 

[JMan23]

Not q

Is this it?
https://xyzmachinetools.com/download/136/all-machine-manuals/30722/xyz_1550_lathe.pdf

Not quite, it's close, I actually have that manual but the saddle is different.

 

[JMan23]

You'll need to soak the slide in penetrating oil until it starts to loosen up. A 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone is a good sauce for that.
I'm sure the machine won't be anywhere near as accurate as it once was, but with luck you might get some work out of it
Looks like it's been outside for a while- is it a Katrina victim? Hopefully the motor is still good...we have some electrical folks here
-Mark

Thanks, I'll have to get a pan or something to soak it in. It will still need to come apart to get it cleaned up. I really have no idea where it came from. I bought it from a local retired machinist who buys up these lathes from places that go out of business. Yeah hopefully the motor is good, I have an inverter on the way so I can test it. It's a 3ph motor.