Is it worth putting money into?

[John Fricke]

Hello all, I'm new here and relatively new to woodworking. I spent the last 4 months of my fathers battle with cancer helping take care of him and getting the opportunity to work in his woodshop with him on his good days. The woodworking bug defenitely hit. Anyways, I have a Rockwell/Delta lathe that I got for $25.00 at auction. It runs fine and the bearings are tight. There is no model # on the lathe. It has 1 hp motor and according to speed chart it ranges from 340-1325 rpm. It has no chuck or tool rest. It has 6" clearance to bed and the bed is 42" long. My ? is if it is worth my $ to get this lathe operational. I have a mini Jet for turning pens. I would like to use this to turn bowls and and vessels until I can afford to upgrade. Will I be able to get the money back that I have to put into it. Sorry for the long post and thanks for any input.

[Raymond Overman]

I turned a lot of bowls and other things on a similar lathe for about 5 years. If you are handy with a welder or have a buddy who is, you can make a nice workable tool rest out of 1" drill rod stock. As for chucks or faceplates, 1" x 8 tpi accessories are easy to find.

My father had a similar lathe and his ran as long as mine did. He bought it off a school surplus sale and added a motor.

I'd say it's well worth it if you're just starting out turning bowls and don't want to sink the money into a new lathe.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John...Welcome to the Creek!

Others will have to advise you on the lathe as I don't have any experience.

[Bob Hallowell]

John,

It all depends on what you want to do with it, That being said with the low speed that low you can turn some 10"- 11" bowls so I would say yea that should be a great starter lathe. and $25 was a great price!

Bob

[Gordon Seto]

The parts appear on the big auction site very often. You may want to post a picture of your lathe. I think someone will be able to identify the model number for you.

[robert hainstock]

Twenty fiveyears ago, the delta tool line became the Rockwell line. There were no changes in the various models. I have a Rockwell bandsaw that in every way is interchangeable with the current 14 in. model. The spindle on your lathe is most likely 1 in dia, 8 tpi. If so look at Delta lathes on google for the model. get an owners manual from Delta, and you should be good to go. :):)
Bob

[John Cooper2]

This is a 1943 Delta 1460 that I got a month ago,

Paid much more than $25.00 and put another $50.00 into it.

I am thrilled with it and think it will last many years for me.

Does it look like this?

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/jcoop0001/Delta%20Lathe/lathers14.jpg

[Victor Stearns]

John, Maybe if you post a picture it would help. Chucks are availble based on the thead size of the spindle. As stated eariler, a friend with a welder or machinist may be your best friend.
Good Luck
Victor

[Kurt Bird]

John,
When I had a Delta lathe, I contacted Delta with the serial number, (possibly on the back side of the headstock, stamped in), and they were able to identify the model number. If your lathe is like the photo submitted above, the tailstocks, banjoes, and tool rests are very interchangeable, and can be found on eBay most of the time. Hope this helps!
Kurt Bird

[Ben Gastfriend]

My thought is, you'll probably be able to get alot out of the lathe that you're describing with a very small investment. Tool rests can be made out of some cheap steel rods, and faceplates don't cost that much money, and come in virtually every spindle size. Chucks on the other hand... get one with changeable thread sizes so you can use that chuck if you decide to upgrade!

[John Fricke]

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii128/roadymi/lathe1.jpg



http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii128/roadymi/lathe2.jpg

I Know it ain't pretty. When I bought it, it was sold in not running condition. The Plug was smashed so I replaced that and when I plugged it in it just groweled. I took the wiring plate off and whomever had wired it musta been having a bad day. It wasn't wired correctly for 110V or 220V. I rewired it for 220 and voila it ran like a top.

[Justin Bukoski]

John, fix 'er up. That's a no brainer.

[Jeff Clow]

I'll take it off your hands for twice what you paid!! Just tell me where to send the 50 bucks. Gee, 100% profit...you can't go wrong!

Jeff

[Bob Hallowell]

John,
fix it up man, and go to the bay and buy a tool rest. there are some listed right now. You will need a low rest for the 10" swing you have. It will be a great lathe!

[TYLER WOOD]

If you don't get that thing running, I'll come up there and beat you up! That thing looks in good shape and all you need is a couple of cheaper parts to get it working. Hand wheel, live center, tool rest, banjo, some paint and cleaner your good to go. It looks lie the ways are in decent shape just a little cleaning and gopefully your ready to go.

[Jim Underwood]

Oh yeah. That's a solid machine. Welll worth fixing up. You could even upgrade the motor to the 3/4 HP if you wanted. It's quite up to the task.

I've got one (Rockwell Delta) in my shop that I'm supposed to be putting a 3/4 HP motor on for a friend. I just haven't gotten around to fabricating a plate for the motor...:o

[Kevin Cole]

Keep it for sure!
I have the same lathe but not variable speed and I payed $400, so $25 is a deal of a life time.