The root of all evil..

[Patrick Walsh]

Want it really is a useless terrible self inflicted affliction.

Like really what would I really even ever need with this thing but I want it so bad.

Pathetic really. I think I need to find real purpose.

Must be a lack of nature in my life.

http://www.woodweb.com/exchanges/machinery/images/522630/Oliver_26_resize.jpg

I really want it so bad but my dam bungalow just won’t have it. I’m thinking rent a storage space for it. But then I need to hire riggers to move it. I guess I could buy a fork truck and trailer it to the rental space. But then I’m nearly 10k deep into something to sit in a storage space in hopes I ever have a shop to hold it. Then there is If I ever use it more than a handful of times in my life.

But man even with all that I want it so so bad. It’s been pulled up in a tab and I look at it everyday.

I think I’m sick?

[Patrick Kane]

Ha, I saw that the other day, and had similar feelings. I hate turning, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen that lathe before in all the years of looking at auctions and Craigslist ads.

[Patrick Walsh]

Yeah it’s so close to me.

Is to as in also too or to. I can’t spell..

Phase perfect and electrical service upgrade and being able to use my newly restored t75 and t23 or a giant beautiful hunk of metal in a storage space then having to sell my house just so I can use it someday.

Let’s be honest I’d build one pencil post bed and that would be it as I have zero desire toward turning anything other than metal machine parts. But you know I have recently taken up organ building and I think I will be more in love with building organs someday than I am with Woodworking should I be able to find my way to making the type of organs found in grand cathedrals. Then I can see a use for machinery of this scale.

So I should probably buy it right. I’m gonna need if I’m thinking right here. Come on tell me it the smartest thing I could ever do and I’ll be so glad I did.

I’ll drag it home on my back if I get it in. Yo head I have to have it and it’s the only way I can figure out lol..



Ha, I saw that the other day, and had similar feelings. I hate turning, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen that lathe before in all the years of looking at auctions and Craigslist ads.

[Darcy Warner]

I owned one at one time, mine was from 49 and lived in NJ at us pipe and steel since new.

[Darcy Warner]

424518



Only picture I could find.

It is currently making large scale turnings in MI.

[Patrick Walsh]

Wow!

Ok so I can’t have it.

They have. Little brother to it but it’s not as complete and no point for a stupid tool collector like myself unless it’s pristine. Well complete not pristine.

That thing is huge on a trailer. I’d need a massive shop. That’s not gonna happen for maybe a decade.

This organ building gig is going well and so long as they stay in business I think I’m gonna wanna stay as it’s way better than building cabinets.

Plus my drive to and from work is like 12 minutes.

Plus my boss seems pretty darn easy to get along with.

But you know it’s only week number four so ask me what I think I’m four years.

[Darcy Warner]

The 26 on WW was missing the wheels on the bed when it slides out and it just looks smaller than the one I had, like less swing, but I believe they were all the same. If I remember correctly there were only around 40 of them made. I was told 8800 pounds with motor, but old 6k pound yale picked it up, but the entire motor and drive train was behind the mast, which probably added ballast.

That's a 20' gooseneck.

[Patrick Walsh]

It can’t be pulled apart into like five large pieces.

[Jake Hillestad]

You may have seen the vid already - if not its pretty interesting. May give you a little taste of the size shop and tooling you'll be looking at.....lol. Whole thing is worth a watch but skip to around 2:15 for the lathe.

https://www.pbs.org/video/Virgil-Leih-573717H-1/

[Darcy Warner]

You may have seen the vid already - if not its pretty interesting. May give you a little taste of the size shop and tooling you'll be looking at.....lol. Whole thing is worth a watch but skip to around 2:15 for the lathe.

https://www.pbs.org/video/Virgil-Leih-573717H-1/

I have seen that several times, forgot it was a 26c. A lot of them were sold to large mines. One literature cut says where some were at.

[Darcy Warner]

It can’t be pulled apart into like five large pieces.

Yeah, but they would still be a few thousands pounds each.

[Patrick Walsh]

Hmm,

Not like I’m gonna buy it.

Well if I had the space you bet I’d be hustling to figure out the asking price. But I dint so seedy when I do have the space and I can’t find one or similar.

Kinda like the t23 tenon table a couple years ago.


I’m just a broke dope always living beyond his means...

I just had a meltdown between my ears at Home Depot buying a rotary hammer. Even though I full well know I’ve blown up every rotary hammer I have ever owned baring never having owned a hilti I still wanted to buy the fancy one. I felt like a mad man resisting the temptation to spend on the one I wanted vrs the least expensive one I could buy that I forced myself to walk out of the store with.

It’s a sickness..

All I’ve ever know. Bad habits die hard I suppose..


Yeah, but they would still be a few thousands pounds each.

[Rick Potter]

OK, I will say it.

You are SICK!

Don't ask how I know this.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Hmm,

Not like I’m gonna buy it.

Well if I had the space you bet your ass I’d be hustling to figure out the asking price. But I dint so seedy when I do have the space and I can’t find one or similar I’ll be pissed at myself.

Kinda like the t23 tenon table a couple years ago.


I’m just a broke dope always living beyond his means...

I just had a meltdown between my ears at Home Depot buying a rotary hammer. Even though I full well know I’ve blown up every rotary hammer I have ever owned baring never having owned a hilti I still wanted to buy the fancy one. I felt like a mad man resisting the temptation to spend on the one I wanted vrs the least expensive one I could buy that I forced myself to walk out of the store with.

It’s a sickness..

All I’ve ever know. Bad habits die hard I suppose..Having used Bosch, Hilti, AEG, Skil( back when they made real tools,) I prefer Bosch. Hilti used to use a special style bit. I still have a couple bits in back of shop. Have an AEG that needs repacking. Have the kit, but it uses spline drive bits. My three Bosches use SDS bits. Oldest came from a former employer who closed up shop. Second (Bosch Bull Dog) was purchased used from local pawn shop for $45, and came with over a hundred bucks worth of bits. It did have a problem, which a new cord fixed. Last (another Bull Dog) in new condition from another pawn shop set me back $75. It was the last tool purchase I made while in business. Never saw one day of service, as other Bull Dog refused to die.

[Patrick Walsh]

Post a picture of your sickness Rick.

I’ll assume you have this machine or a very large lathe.

It really does kill me to not purchase it.

I’m so over this world/culture of disposable everything garbage. Like really the amount of trash I generate from one day of eating food.

This stupid old machines are my redemption for a life of generated waste.

I don’t belong in a metropolitan area. But how can o live somewhere rural and afford this madness.

Probably the age old question?




OK, I will say it.

You are SICK!

Don't ask how I know this.

[Patrick Walsh]

Well Bruce I have blown up one of the old bulldogs. Then a new bulldog. Then a Makita, then another Makita.

But you know I used to build homes like big homes that often had one tinny little old section of house we could not knock down and would have to tie into. This type work required a arsenal of tools and at time days full of drilling hour upon hour.

Right now I simply have to drill like 15 holes in my foundation for 1/4 tapcons for a lumber storage rack. But man even though I know battery operated road art hammers are a huge no no for my task I sure wanted that sweet dewalt 20v max brushless number. Even though I also know any tool purchased at a big box store has junk internals.

The Makita I purchase with a stupid free angle grinder “don’t get me started I have a pile of free angle grinders that cam free with other tools” was $199. The dewalt was $299 tool only and I don’t own dewalt drills so it was another $119 for a battery and charger. Had I gone that route I would just purchase the $249 20v max brushless impact compact driver kit for $249. The result would had been exiting Home Depot $550 poorer plus tapcons plus a handful of bits.

I think I made a good choice. I could just purchase a real heavy duty lumber rack from McMaster Carr for $1000 so I couldn’t talk myself into $550 to drill 15 holes.

Yup I’m nuts..


Having used Bosch, Hilti, AEG, Skil( back when they made real tools,) I prefer Bosch. Hilti used to use a special style bit. I still have a couple bits in back of shop. Have an AEG that needs repacking. Have the kit, but it uses spline drive bits. My three Bosches use SDS bits. Oldest came from a former employer who closed up shop. Second (Bosch Bull Dog) was purchased used from local pawn shop for $45, and came with over a hundred bucks worth of bits. It did have a problem, which a new cord fixed. Last (another Bull Dog) in new condition from another pawn shop set me back $75. It was the last tool purchase I made while in business. Never saw one day of service, as other Bull Dog refused to die.

[Frederick Skelly]

Patrick, what the devil are you gonna do with a lathe that big? Make telephone poles?
(Ok. I get it. With a lathe that big you're gonna make anything you darn well want.)
But how often you actually gonna use it? And you gotta rent space for it?
Resist temptation man. Fight it!


Ok. I tried to help. Now. If you get it, you gotta post pictures so all the rest of us can drool. Dont leave us all hangin' man. :) :) :)

[Bill Dufour]

If that cost over $2,000 or so they should have bought a real lathe. A metal lathe of that size would probably go for scrap price. Only problem is a metal lathe would be RPM limited by headstock bearings. Would that size machine need a special foundation or is any slab good enough since it only needs wood accuracy?
How about nice Axelson made in California.
Bill

[Darcy Warner]

It's a fair price, I got a bit more with delivery out of the one I had, it had an outboard stand and 90% of the accessories with it, it was just ugly from sitting in a defunct pattern shop for 10 years or so. The outboard stands are worth over 1k. The guys that got mine are on IG if you want to see what they use theirs for.

Having a lathe like that, with capacity no one else has, let's you charge whatever you want for your work.

[Darcy Warner]

If that cost over $2,000 or so they should have bought a real lathe. A metal lathe of that size would probably go for scrap price. Only problem is a metal lathe would be RPM limited by headstock bearings. Would that size machine need a special foundation or is any slab good enough since it only needs wood accuracy?
How about nice Axelson made in California.
Bill

Real lathe? No one builds anything close to that machine.

15 feet between centers, 60" swing in the gap 72" long and over 8 feet outboard.

It's not the bearings on metal lathes that limited the speed on the older ones, it was the gear train in the headstock, tooling available at the time, but you don't need a lot of speed when you are turning a 14" diameter 48" long hunk of 1144. My 1944 Hendy runs Timken tapered roller bearings, bigger and rated for more speed than the ones in my trucks axles.

[Patrick Walsh]

You have a link.

I actually just made a Instagram account this week.

Yeah I have pretty much been late to the party for over a decade now.

You know you have to have a source for work on a machine like that “I don’t” but that’s a great point.

Mark Henberry linked me to a thread on PM this morning to a very slick gap bed Wadkin restoration. I don’t think that machine was quite as large but it was still very big and slick as hell all gear driven. Honestly it was much more suited to my needs.

I think I need to just buy a piece of crap land way up in Maine or something with a heated metal building. If I go far enough up I could probably get something for like $75k and just go up there and either find a way to survive or let myself die surrounded by my precious machines..

Down here I’ll never be able to have a machine like that and it will always bother me as it’s really short money for the kinda kicks I’d get out of it.

Point of reference. My new employer spends $4k for 3500 foot 25 minutes west of Boston plus heat and electricity. I can’t afford anything like that ever.


It's a fair price, I got a bit more with delivery out of the one I had, it had an outboard stand and 90% of the accessories with it, it was just ugly from sitting in a defunct pattern shop for 10 years or so. The outboard stands are worth over 1k. The guys that got mine are on IG if you want to see what they use theirs for.

Having a lathe like that, with capacity no one else has, let's you charge whatever you want for your work.

[Patrick Walsh]

Darcy,

While I have your attention.

What can you tell me about this machine. Namely is it good for wood. We drill tons of holes at work and need something variable speed that is high quality.

Form what I can google it seems this is a very nice machine. I just don’t know if it’s suited to wood or only metal. Like I said I need slow speeds for large bits and high for tiny bits.

And zero runout would be nice.

[Patrick Walsh]

I’m not gonna get it that’s the point. I just want it real bad.

And yeah the point is I could turn whatever the hell I wanted.

The other point is like some people like cars organs whatever I like old machines cuz I’m a grumpy old guy mad at a world that has become accepting that everything has a shelf. Few care and nobody expects even relative quality nevermind something that could stand a couple lifetimes of consistent use. People don’t even know the difference between crap and good anymore.

I’m with Darcy on the people complaint about the cost of a contractor a cabinet maker or a mechanic but don’t bats eye to but the dam Tesla or the house in the right neighborhood.

Last kitchen I installed was in a $15 million dollar house. I know the boss did the job for pennies crying to us the whole way through he couldn’t have gotten more. It was easily a $90k project he got $56k for. The kicker was installing the kitchen the contractor told us the island I spend a month building would have a $17k chandler over it. Same house had a full size indoor pool but bleeding my boss for a $100k kitchen for $56k was ok with them.

It’s my previous employers fault for taking the job and not holding him self or us as more valuable but you know that’s what he believe and he believed he could not get more. Non the less pass and dint let people take advantage of you like that. But I’ll be people giving hard working guys a hard time over feeling entitled to a decent life themself.

It’s the same argument as the Pella door thread. I’m not gonna buy the Pella I’m gonna work around the clock give away every ounce of my free time to do so because I can’t sit still and I’m not gonn succumb to this disposable society.


Patrick, what the devil are you gonna do with a lathe that big? Make telephone poles?
(Ok. I get it. With a lathe that big you're gonna make anything you darn well want.)
But how often you actually gonna use it? And you gotta rent space for it?
Resist temptation man. Fight it!


Ok. I tried to help. Now. If you get it, you gotta post pictures so all the rest of us can drool. Dont leave us all hangin' man. :) :) :)

[Randy Viellenave]

Patrick,

Don't view this as a sickness! If it were, the world would be awfully sick. Woodpeckers makes their living off of providing "pretty" tools that many want for little other reason than they are cool looking (myself included). When I worked for a system integrator and a customer pointed out something that was not in the documentation, I would explain it as an undocumented "feature". But since they didn't want it I would happily have the feature removed in the next build.

Try to think about this aspect of yourself in a more positive light such as:
Personal Detail
Positive Trait
Sound Quality
Virtuous Feature
Envied Facet
Quality Characteristic

Once you have accomplished that, then go buy the thing, bring it home and tuck it in, then sleep well knowing you have rescued this lonely old machine that obviously has as much character as you do. Just think of all the stories it could tell!

PS: Those of you with BS meters need to disable them before reading this...

[Bill Dufour]

Real lathe? No one builds anything close to that machine.

15 feet between centers, 60" swing in the gap 72" long and over 8 feet outboard.

It's not the bearings on metal lathes that limited the speed on the older ones, it was the gear train in the headstock, tooling available at the time, but you don't need a lot of speed when you are turning a 14" diameter 48" long hunk of 1144. My 1944 Hendy runs Timken tapered roller bearings, bigger and rated for more speed than the ones in my trucks axles.


Buy an old metal working lathe that size and disable the gear train to increase the rpm. Might be nice to make a separate powerfeed for the apron to turn straight work. That 40" axelson is max 500 rpm. The company is not that old so I am sure they used roller bearings only. Never using solid bearings.
If you are not using the geartrain it becomes much easier to block up the headstock and tailstock by a foot or two. This was done at th factory by many makers but keeping things aligned and the gears all working makes it difficult.
Bill D

[Patrick Walsh]

Rick are you trying to suggest to me that I’m blowing smoke up my own rear on this one ;)

Cuz I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what your saying.

Of course there is no place in reality where I need or have any use for this thing. This is just like the guy who walks buy the Tesla store at the mall and the door opens on its own and the husband goes. Oh hunny I think we need one.

In all reality I have everything I need.


Patrick,

Don't view this as a sickness! If it were, the world would be awfully sick. Woodpeckers makes their living off of providing "pretty" tools that many want for little other reason than they are cool looking (myself included). When I worked for a system integrator and a customer pointed out something that was not in the documentation, I would explain it as an undocumented "feature". But since they didn't want it I would happily have the feature removed in the next build.

Try to think about this aspect of yourself in a more positive light such as:
Personal Detail
Positive Trait
Sound Quality
Virtuous Feature
Envied Facet
Quality Characteristic

Once you have accomplished that, then go buy the thing, bring it home and tuck it in, then sleep well knowing you have rescued this lonely old machine that obviously has as much character as you do. Just think of all the stories it could tell!

PS: Those of you with BS meters need to disable them before reading this...

[Darcy Warner]

Darcy,

While I have your attention.

What can you tell me about this machine. Namely is it good for wood. We drill tons of holes at work and need something variable speed that is high quality.

Form what I can google it seems this is a very nice machine. I just don’t know if it’s suited to wood or only metal. Like I said I need slow speeds for large bits and high for tiny bits.

And zero runout would be nice.

https://boston.craigslist.org/sob/tls/d/plymouth-vertical-drill/7055824329.html

I have no idea how fast my two old delta 17" DP run, changing the belt to another step on the pulley is too much effort.

Yes, that is a wonderfully built DP, I think 3600 top speed is satisfactory, it goes down to a crawl. My favorite DP is my ca. 1900 Cincinnati with power feed.

Classicwoodworks_mi has that 26c.

[Darcy Warner]

Buy an old metal working lathe that size and disable the gear train to increase the rpm. Might be nice to make a separate powerfeed for the apron to turn straight work. That 40" axelson is max 500 rpm. The company is not that old so I am sure they used roller bearings only. Never using solid bearings.
Bill D

Most of these big pattern lathes had power feeds as well.

Have you seen the prices of big metal lathes? Not many have that kind of swing and if you find one, it weighs 20k pounds minimum.

[Darcy Warner]

The wadkin RS is a nice lathe, but I believe they are a bit overpriced compared to other similar comparable machines. The RUs bring good money because there are not many, but the Oliver 26c makes an RU look like a toy. Heck the oliver 66 does too.

The oliver 25 varieties were super nice lathes, I believe lathes were the best thing oliver made, next to their straightoplane.

[Patrick Walsh]

All good info Darcy you sure know your machines.

The same seller has a 26 but it’s not q00% complete. Good enough to use but. And honestly I could even get it in and fit in in my shop. I’m sawing 12pm for one lol.


The wadkin RS is a nice lathe, but I believe they are a bit overpriced compared to other similar comparable machines. The RUs bring good money because there are not many, but the Oliver 26c makes an RU look like a toy. Heck the oliver 66 does too.

The oliver 25 varieties were super nice lathes, I believe lathes were the best thing oliver made, next to their straightoplane.

[Patrick Kane]

Wow, that thing on the trailer really brings it all to scale. The original listing on woodweb made it appear large, but on the trailer it looks enormous.

I knew they were rare. 40 in existence is very rare. Almost makes you want to own something that unique.

[Bill Dufour]

FYI: I found out Axelson made a 49x196 lathe. I could not find any thing about it. That is over four feet diameter by 16 feet between centers. Smaller ones had 8.5 inch spindle bore. That spindle bore is more then the biggest stuff I have ever turned.
Who says they never made big machine tools in the west.
Bill D

[Frederick Skelly]

I get it Patrick. I've seen it too.
Hang tough.
Fred

[Darcy Warner]

Wow, that thing on the trailer really brings it all to scale. The original listing on woodweb made it appear large, but on the trailer it looks enormous.

I knew they were rare. 40 in existence is very rare. Almost makes you want to own something that unique.

I doubt there is half that number still around.

[Patrick Walsh]

Found this,

Figure anyone else as carried away as I am about these wonderful pieces of history might appreciate more material to nerd out on.

And oh boy that train would you look at that train.

I’m not much into trains but I sense a theme brewing here.

My new gig building or as I am being told organ people often also really like trains. I have been aware of people whom like trains my whole life but never really stopped to get it till I saw this picture.

Im Pretty sure I’ll end up with it bad for organs as I have with old machinery as a woodworker. I can also see the multifaceted mechanical and romantic appeal of a old train suddenly.

I’m must be getting old. To think I was once a kid preocupied by the lunatic fringe cutting edge of pop culture. Now it’s old iron anything. So glad I don’t have kids as where would I find the time or resources to recognize all this great fun.

Man not working weekends or like 70hr weeks sure gives one time to get a bit carried away.

[Darcy Warner]

424546

It just really depends on the length you would like. 424546

I have a late 1800s fay and scott pattern makers lathe that I can get 9 feet between centers, but it's a bit light for heavy work.

[Derek Meyer]

Patrick, maybe you should just see if you can go work for Darcy and live vicariously through his shop machines. It's be way cheaper in the long run. :)

[Patrick Walsh]

Nah I have a bad habit of making my passion my work.

Generally in many ways what they say holds true on both sides of the grass.

Make your passion your job and it becomes a job.

But you know I’d rather ruin a good passion doing something I can’t least tolerate then find another passion.

So I’ll keep my machinery fetish as my hobby that mingles side by side with my vocation as a maker.

Gotta have something to always be fired up about and excited by.

At least I do as we all know get this thing once. I feel pretty strong that we had better be enjoying it.

Patrick, maybe you should just see if you can go work for Darcy and live vicariously through his shop machines. It's be way cheaper in the long run. :)

[Kevin Jenness]

Face it, sooner or later you are going to need a pattern mill. Might as well lower the basement floor several feet.

http://vintagemachinery.org/classifieds/detail.aspx?id=10973

[Patrick Walsh]

Nah but I do want a full size milling machine.

Really I’m just supposed to be self employed.

Sad for me I’m just not that personable or willing to take on all that self employment involves.

I am considering cutting into my floor near my door to recess a hydronic lift table.

I have also really considered excavating my yard digging down deeper than my now foundation. Pouring a abutting foundation, engineering a slab ceiling to the whole thing with Allan planted atop it. All with some kind of elevator or hatch probably within a shed of some sort to get a machines and work in and out.

I’m serious before I just wanted to leave I was close to calling the engineers In.

Now being pretty happy with the new job and hopeful it has longevity and not wanting to screw up my 12 minute commute I may have to revisit my bunker shop idea.

And stop being a wise guy. That add is from 2016. What kinda torment are you trying to invoke upon me lol..


Face it, sooner or later you are going to need a pattern mill. Might as well lower the basement floor several feet.

http://vintagemachinery.org/classifieds/detail.aspx?id=10973

[Darcy Warner]

Face it, sooner or later you are going to need a pattern mill. Might as well lower the basement floor several feet.

http://vintagemachinery.org/classifieds/detail.aspx?id=10973

I need to get mine running. Lol