TL;DR: I'm trying to identify this lathe - Imgur Album
Hey all. I picked up a used metal lathe (my first machine tool!) yesterday and I'd like a hand identifying it, or possibly confirming year, as I have been unable to find any pictures of an identical lathe on the interwebs. The previous owner had removed every identifying mark, is also deceased, and family has zero information on it. I suspect it is a Jet 12x36 of 1980's (earlier?) vintage, however there are a few things that are throwing me for a loop:
Hey all. I picked up a used metal lathe (my first machine tool!) yesterday and I'd like a hand identifying it, or possibly confirming year, as I have been unable to find any pictures of an identical lathe on the interwebs. The previous owner had removed every identifying mark, is also deceased, and family has zero information on it. I suspect it is a Jet 12x36 of 1980's (earlier?) vintage, however there are a few things that are throwing me for a loop:
- I've not found any evidence that the 1236's came with a foot brake option - or any lathe of this relative size for that matter. It's possible the previous owner did this himself, though.
- There is single oil peephole in the headstock/speed gearbox (like the 1340T)
- It appears that swapping from 120T to 122T gears is accomplished by removing the gear pair and flipping it on its face, rather than any sort of lever that swaps gear engagement (I've seen those in a lot of images of 80's 1236's) - though there is evidence that there may have been something mounted in that area originally (see picture labeled 8).
- Position and number of headstock controls varies from everything I've seen.
- Tailstock styling is an identical match, as far as I can tell.
- The previous owner had a shipping label from Jet within his lathe tooling/accessory boxes. If this shipping label was indeed for the lathe, then it was delivered from Jet to the owner between 1984 and 1992 (verified by shipping destination's property records).
- 12" swing over ways (measured from center of spindle bore to nearest impact)
- 36" measured between spindle face to quill face (I don't have centers for it)
- Through-spindle bore is 1 3/8ths, front bore is 1.585.
- The numbers "21" are stamped into the cross slide, tailstock, and bed (between front ways near tailstock) - See images labeled 11 and 12.
- D1-3 spindle - came with 3 jaw and a faceplate
- Belt driven.
- Has/had foot brake. Motor was mounted in the base of the stand - but, again, this could have been something the prior owner did custom or similar, though I doubt it. See last two images.
Last edited: