Restoring a pre-ww2 southbend lathe

[Sblack]

I would buy a vfd but the motor wiring was chopped off. I don’t think it would be worth fixing it.

is it chopped off outside the motor? Often done by impatient people. But that is no big deal. A smart motor guy can figure out which leads go with which windings. I have VFDs on my lathe and mill and the variable speed feature is really nice. They are available off ebay for dirt cheap. Not hard to wire up.

 

[Bansheedave]

is it chopped off outside the motor? Often done by impatient people. But that is no big deal. A smart motor guy can figure out which leads go with which windings. I have VFDs on my lathe and mill and the variable speed feature is really nice. They are available off ebay for dirt cheap. Not hard to wire up.

Yes, the leads are indeed cut off outside the motor casing. I think it will be easy to rewire myself. I’ve looked into the VFDs and will purchase one once i get the motor fixed. It’s on the back burner right now.

 

[seanb]

You have an expensive project there, depending on how long you want to spend getting parts together you might be better in the long run to part it out and look for a more complete one. How are the ways? If they are seriously worn it may not be worth repairing.

I love old iron but sometimes they are just too far gone to save

 

[Bansheedave]

You have an expensive project there, depending on how long you want to spend getting parts together you might be better in the long run to part it out and look for a more complete one. How are the ways? If they are seriously worn it may not be worth repairing.

I love old iron but sometimes they are just too far gone to save

Expensive, yes. The ways are in pretty decent shape for its age. I’ll have it up and running again but not right away. I have other stuff to work on now that spring is here. It’s more of a winter project to tinker on when there isn’t anything else to do.

 

[Chris Hamel]

My '37 9 inch SB uses a vee belt from the motor to the flat pulley and it works just fine. The belt from the counter shaft to the spindle is a flat belt which I laced together. There is a SB group on Yahoo which has been a good source of info.

Chris