vandell lathe

[Adam Thorpe]

hi everyone Iam a young woodworker form Ontario Canada. I was rencetly give an old Vandell lathe made in Ottawa Canada.I was told it was made in 1919. My problem is that the head stock has no inside shaft to receive a standard tapper spur it is just center drilled and threaded on the out side diameter it came with a face plate that threads on so does any one know how i could attach a spur? here are some pics
Thanks Adam Thorpe

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Adam,

Depending on the thread, you could contact Oneway ...of Canada I might add....

They make a fine chuck that has a spur as an accessory.

Check out this link: http://www.oneway.ca/chucks/accessories/index.htm

Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

[David E Keller]

I agree with Ken. Another option would be to have a local machine shop make something to fit your spindle with a morse taper... Sort of a screw on morse taper. Ken's idea is probably better.

[Kim Ford]

Adam,

I think your two choices are to get a chuck that will thread on you spindle which will then allow you to "chuck up" a spur. Or take you headstock assembly to a local machinist and have him cut a MT 1 or MT 2 taper for you.

What is the taper in the tailstock? I would try to match that if you can.


Good Luck.

[Tim Rinehart]

I would also recommend getting some advice from some of the old iron users about oiling recommendations. I noticed you have oil fed bearings, and you probably need a cap or something to keep debris from getting in.

Before going 'too' far with investing into chucking/spurs...I would suggest a good cleaning, oil it up, and check to see that you don't have excessive runout (slop) in the bearing to spindle interface. If you do...may not be a good use of money, unless you just want to keep an old piece of vintage machinery going. Not a thing wrong with that...but need to recognize that getting parts will typically necessitate having something made, etc.

Good luck, it is a cool looking old lathe.

There's a site called OWWM (Old Woodworking Machinery) that may have info on it too.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

First thing I would do is to manufacture some sort of belt guards, if it doesn't have any.... I shudder to think how many times I'd get burned by that belt arrangement. Cool looking lathe!

Nova chucks have a wood screw as well as a spur which clamps in using the jaws. I wouldn't want to mill out the spindle. Just because it's old iron and cool.

Just my $0.02. Good luck with your decisions. Hope you can get it running.

[Dennis Ford]

If you can purchase a nut that threads onto the spindle and have access to a drill press, you can make a substitute for a spur. Drill the nut as shown and solder or glue in short pieces of steel rod. A little grinding on the rods and you are good to go. (This will be too large for small spindles but will work for many projects).

[Adam Thorpe]

Thanks for your responses.
Of course a chuck I should have figure that out
I have a 1/3hp motor that I am going to hook up to this unit Iam afraid that if I get a chuck that it will just be really underpowered and I have no internist in drilling the shaft. what are all your thoughts. it seams to be a great unit worth making motor mount and of course belt guard great suggestion. the bearings are in great shape but would a 1/3hp motor cut it?
thanks again

[David E Keller]

1/3 HP seems awfully underpowered to me. It would probably be OK for pens and stoppers, but I wouldn't have much faith in it being able to do larger stuff.

[Mike Willeson]

Adam,

1/3 hp is on the low end, but I had an old lathe from about 1938 that used a 1/3 motor. You can manage with that while you learn and practice. While your practicing, keep an eye out for a 1/2 hp or larger at rumage sales, maybe an appliance store, or any place you can pick up somebody else's discarded treasures.

We all start somewhere. Start with what you have and grow into it.

Enjoy your lathe.
Mike

[Harvey Schneider]

Best Wood Tools makes a spindle extender that accepts a #2 Morse taper. That may be an expensive solution. There are spurs that mount in a chuck. That should be a lower cost solution.

[David Woodruff]

Having re-built many lathes in my life, I find it is a learning experience, but falls short of satisfaction. Initially one is satisfied as one should be. After one learns a few turning techniques the spindle run-out problem emerges. Things just do not rotate concentrically, or center on centers. The dichotomy exist in the mind. I value my early experiences, otherwise I would not know what I do today. Learning is fun and cost a few $$$$. Have at it. I would and have done exactly what you are doing. There is good advice here, learn from it.