Managed to bust my new lathe :/

ErichKeane

Making scrap at ludicrous speed.
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For those who remember me, I picked up a 14" Reed Prentice a few weeks ago. I FINALLY got it running today, the T nut made for my tool post, and ungunked the 3 jaw chuck. I was flying high! I even put some CRS round into the lathe and started cutting it with some HSS tools. On top of the world!

Then, disaster... I decided to try power-feed. I'd been used to a Logan 10" without power feed, and a single half-nut engage and move lever. The RP however has a powerfeed engagement lever and a half-nut engagement lever. HOWEVER, it also has a crossfeed engagement lever, and a linear feed engagement lever (Z axis and X axis?). I didn't remember that, so I went to engage the power feed lever, it caught, then the gearbox selection lever exploded!


The previous owner apparently had a similar problem (it looks like someone did a terrible job welding this in the past), so I don't feel TOO bad. I'm hoping the RP yahoo group has someone with a replacement part I can buy, otherwise I have to figure out a good way to fix this one. I have a bit of an idea on how to do that (remake the 'stud' part out of cold-roll plus a hole in the middle, then mill the handle down below that and find some way to attach them with bolts/pins/etc, but hoping I can just get a replacement instead.

Oh well, one step forward, two back, eh?
 
The thrill of victory to the jaws of defeat! You have the right attitude and you will get it fixed. My heart goes out to you!
 
Hard to tell from the pics, but I think I would braze the parts back together and machine it to clean it up. I've fixed a lot of broken lathe parts by brazing them back together. If done right, it's a permanent fix. By the way...I'm jealous of your RP!
 
Just about every lathe that has multiple feeds has interlocks to prevent you from engaging more than one feed at once. Even really old lathes. If it once had one, and it is broken or something, it should be repaired so parts do not get destroyed by engaging more than one at the same time. Don't just fix it, try to fix it so it can't happen again...

On second thought, looked up Reed-Prentice, formed in 1912, that is perhaps old enough to be when machines did not have to be smarter than people.
 
I mostly use Low Fuming Bronze, with StaySilv Black Flux and this stuff is crazy strong just as strong as a weld in most cases.... I also do Tig brazing but its very easy to get the metal to hot, gas brazing is very forgiving....

During WW2 the USA was gas welding air planes together and the UK was gas brazing their planes.... Both are strong enough to fly!

Is this the part that is broken? The end of the gear selector handle? We maybe be able to just make a new tube then pin and braze it on the handle....
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