Just some minor surface rust...

wow wow wow! Looks absolutely fantastic! For the compound, how about simply replacing it with a solid tool block? I know that the compound is handy to have, but you have another lathe and a solid block would up the rigidity some. It's on my list to make one at some point.

For the motor - find a used treadmill :) I put a TM motor on my 618 and it is totally awesome. You can go from drilling 1/8 to 1/2, turning, chamfering and threading at a turn of the dial (and perhaps a swap into back gears). I have TM motors on my lathe, DP and mill and can't recommend them highly enough.
 
Both really good points, Matt, and I have thought about them. I had already remembered your conversion with the treadmill motor from a few years back and went back to look at it again about a month or two ago. There's a part of that that is really appealing to me and I can certainly see the advantages, but there's also that part of me that likes the belts. They're reliable, and not dependant on the electronics side to function.

As for the rigid tool block, yes, there's a benefit to that as well. I've been scouting ebay for a used compound but the prices are getting stupider and stupider, so I'm expecting that I'll try my hand at making one. I don't have a good source of cast iron bar here though so it looks like I'll have to scrap something for salvage. I've got a number of used and abused cheapo cast bench anvils, and one of them might fall victim to the axe. The jury is still out though.

The irony of this whole affair is that I got this machine for nothing, had little if any hope that any of it would be salvageable, and because of that promised myself that I would not get carried away and spend a whack of time or money on the thing! As you can see, I've failed miserably on all three counts! ;)

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate your suggestions and interest.

-frank
 
You can still change belts for different speed ranges, but a variable speed motor allows you to adjust the speed on the fly too - eg. facing off a large diameter part or dialing in rpm to avoid chatter. Mine has been 100% reliable since I put it on there, they're pretty simple things at the end of the day.

My idea for the compound replacement was a 1" thick (or so) slab of steel with an appropriately sized hole bored through it for the cross slide spigot and set screws from the side to secure it. Maybe a couple of extra screws for security. Perhaps 2 T-slots - one at the front for my tool post (height matched so my holders wouldn't need adjusting) and one at the back for a reverse cut off blade holder. I have the steel (I think) with a hole in it, but things keep pushing it down the list. A much easier project than making a compound from scratch though, that would be a very involved project.

I hear you on the investment thing - Jim Dawson gave me a Craftsman sleeve bearing 6x18 years back which I spent quite a while on before getting a great deal on a well tool 618. The original Craftsman ended up looking a whole lot better than the 618, and now it's with a cousin-in-law. I keep meaning to finish off painting my 618, but stuff keeps getting in the way :)
 
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