Now that the Powermatic 45 is restored

[Doug Morgan]

Well now that my lathe is restored to the original condition, I am looking forward to many turning projects.
210860

Restoration started back June 11, 2011 this year and finished October 22, 2011. I tested the system and it worked fine.
I did the nickle test, with a unbalanced piece of wood and the lathe up on the mobile base, it passed with flying colors.
210861

So now I have a lot of tools to purchase. I have thought about a test set of turning tools (HSS) to learn with before making the jump to some good tools.

Any suggestions on face plates, live centers or accessories feel free to give me a hint.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?167919-Powermatic-45-restoration-project

[John Keeton]

Doug, that sure is a sweet looking lathe!! You realize, of course, that asking this bunch for suggestions on accessories is really, really dangerous!! I hope you have saved up some money, because they will have it all spent before the day is out!;)

Were it me, I would buy the Harbor Freight set of HSS tools to play with - about $40 on sale, or less with a coupon sometimes. I still use several of them. And, I would probably look at a chuck vs. a faceplate. Other than for a donut chuck, I never use a faceplate - though some turners use them a lot and prefer them. If the live center you have is functional, I think that would be at the bottom of my want list for now.

Prioritize!! The list will get long - endless, actually. So, it is important to buy tools as you need them instead of jumping in too deep at the beginning.

[Jon Prouty]

Nice lathe! The live center looks a bit funny... almost like the taper does not match the tailstock. Second the HF set... it is pretty decent.

[Baxter Smith]

You did a great restoration on the lathe. I enjoyed watching it progress! A grinder and sharpening system of some type such as the Oneway wolverine would probably be a help as well. Sharp tools of any type will make it a lot more fun.

[Tim Leiter]

That is one sweet looking lathe. The live center doesn't look right to me either. Is that an M2 tapered live center in possibly an M1 taper tailstock???

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Doug,
If you like old iron, and you obviously do, you just have to love your lathe and admire the work you did to bring it to this condition. Congratulations and best of luck with it. I agree with Tim that the taper doesn't look like it fits but if you were savvy enough to rebuild and do such a great job, I'm sure you already checked that. Still, I would save the center currently on your tail stock and find one with a cup center. Though they are perfect for some applications there are times a cone just isn't the right thing to use. They have a tendency to sink in the wood in some applications and allow the piece to get loose. As for tools buy an inexpensive 3/8" spindle gouge, a 1/2" bowl gouge and a parting tool. You won't wear them out turning but you won't hesitate to experiment with different grinds if you know the tool is expendable.
faust

[Sid Matheny]

I spent several years making parts for those at Powermatic when I was younger. Sweet rebuild!

Sid

[Bob Bergstrom]

Tbat sure looks like a #3 taper in a #2 hole. I would suggest getting the proper taper so not to risk injury or messing up the tail stock ram.

[Scott Hackler]

That looks awesome. I have some questions about the 45, whats the max turning diameter.... max length... and HP of that ole machine??

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking restore. I bought this set 6 yrs ago and still use all of them today. http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCHSS8.html Yes I have a lot more expensive tools now but these are a good starter set and have most everything you need to get started.

[Doug Morgan]

Doug, that sure is a sweet looking lathe!! You realize, of course, that asking this bunch for suggestions on accessories is really, really dangerous!! I hope you have saved up some money, because they will have it all spent before the day is out!;)

Were it me, I would buy the Harbor Freight set of HSS tools to play with - about $40 on sale, or less with a coupon sometimes. I still use several of them. And, I would probably look at a chuck vs. a faceplate. Other than for a donut chuck, I never use a faceplate - though some turners use them a lot and prefer them. If the live center you have is functional, I think that would be at the bottom of my want list for now.

Prioritize!! The list will get long - endless, actually. So, it is important to buy tools as you need them instead of jumping in too deep at the beginning.

Thank you John I will do just that. My wife just asked what I wanted for Christmas and I told her a 4 jaw chuck. We will see :-)

[Doug Morgan]

That is one sweet looking lathe. The live center doesn't look right to me either. Is that an M2 tapered live center in possibly an M1 taper tailstock???

I questioned that live center myself so I will be checking it out and I'll get back to ya.

Thanks Doug

[Doug Morgan]

That looks awesome. I have some questions about the 45, whats the max turning diameter.... max length... and HP of that ole machine??

Its 12" over the bed and 16" over the gap. Distance between centers is 39". The old motor was 3/4 but I have put a 1 HP in. A friend of mine has come up with a 2 HP and is giving it to me. One of the original problems with the Powermatic 45 and 90 was that they were both under powered (or so I have been told).

Thanks Doug.

[Doug Morgan]

Great looking restore. I bought this set 6 yrs ago and still use all of them today. http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCHSS8.html Yes I have a lot more expensive tools now but these are a good starter set and have most everything you need to get started.

That's in my price range. Thank you. I figured to pick up the Harbor Freight set to learn with and advance to better tools as I learn. I can't prove it but when I look at the harbor freight and penn state tools, the have the same markings, handles, brass cups at the top of the handle and HHS steel. That would raise the question are they from the same distributor or manufacturer? I mean right down to the lettering on the steel. Same font and spacing on the tools. The handles have the same two rings on both ends and a single in the middle with the same taper. Makes one wonder...

Thank You.
Doug

[Doug Morgan]

I spent several years making parts for those at Powermatic when I was younger. Sweet rebuild!

Sid

Thanks Sid. I really enjoyed it.

Doug

[Doug Morgan]

You did a great restoration on the lathe. I enjoyed watching it progress! A grinder and sharpening system of some type such as the Oneway wolverine would probably be a help as well. Sharp tools of any type will make it a lot more fun.

That sounds like what I need. Thanks Baxter.

Doug

[cal thelen]

nice job on the rebuild. I have the starter set of harbor freight tools also they have been fine for me. but i do like my 3/8" sorby fingernail gouge alot. okay what is the nickel test?

[Doug Morgan]

nice job on the rebuild. I have the starter set of harbor freight tools also they have been fine for me. but i do like my 3/8" sorby fingernail gouge alot. okay what is the nickel test?

Its a balance test for the lathe.
211002

You stand a nickle on end (same can be done with a penny if your really good). You start the lathe and look for vibrations. If the lathe vibrates the nickle will fall over. I did my test under adverse as I could. The wood was unbalanced. The stand was up on wheels and not directly on the concrete. IF there was a chance for vibration it should have shown up under those conditions. The alignments on the lathe are limited. The only tests are to run the tail stock in to the head stock using the two centers on each one. They should meet as close as possible. Those are the only two tests I know for a lathe.

[Jerry Marcantel]

Good job on the restore, Doug... When you get a chuck, build yourself a chuck plate and you'll never use a face plate again....... Jerry (in Tucson)

[Roy Turbett]

Doug,

Nice job on your restoration. I'm an OWWM fan and just picked up a 1955 PM 90 project lathe to go along with my other two PM 90's and a Jet mini. I bought some unhandled tools from Penn State on sale and turned my own handles. It was a great learning experience and I saved a few bucks too. I just made a few specialty tools for Christmas ornaments out of Allen wrenches.

Don't get too hung up on that horsepower thing. If you use your Reeves drive and run the 1 hp motor at full speed you will have all the torque you need for a 12" lathe. If you add a VFD, still use the Reeves drive and keep the hz as high as possible to get the maximum torque and keep from overheating the motor.

Does the PM 45 have a 1 1/2 inch x 8 spindle like the PM 90? If so, your choices for a chuck will be somewhat limited because its an odd size. Grizzly makes a knockoff of the VicMarc 100 that sells for about $125 but the threads weren't deep enough for it to seat properly without adding a spacer. I had the same problem with the adapter that Craft Supplies sells. I know the spindle on the PM 45 is shorter and the threads may be too making this a non-issue. The last time I checked the VicMarc 100 wasn't offered with a 1 1/2 thread and I ended up buying two VicMarc 120's for about $300 each. I like the VicMarc because of the dovetail jaws but you'll soon find out that opinions on chucks vary considerably. Check out your local turning club and see if you can try some of the accessories you're considering. Have fun.

Roy

[Mike Cruz]

Hey, Doug, you been turnin' on 'er? How's she holdin' up?

[Bill Wyko]

WOW that is absolutely georgeous. Nice resto. Is this the one I saw on PM's facebook page? If not, you should definitely share it with them.

[Doug Morgan]

WOW that is absolutely georgeous. Nice resto. Is this the one I saw on PM's facebook page? If not, you should definitely share it with them.

Thank you
Yes Bill this is one of the units on facebook.
I had so much fun and lots of support over the restoration on my lathe.