Lathe restoration

[Richard Galloway]

Ok, here is my question. Just purchases an Rockwell/ Delta 46-525 lathe from the local school. It is pretty decent, but needs some TLC. My question for this group is whether it would be better to go as cheap as possible, put on a new single phase or 110 volt motor, rattle can paint job and Use it... or put out the dollars, get the new single phase motor, VFD, put on a riser to change it from a 12" lathe to a 16" lathe and a quality paint job.
I figure the cheap way I'll have a 12" working lathe for about $500, the full blown way would run me closer to $1400, but it would be close to a new lathe in use.
All opinions welcome!

[Jim Burr]

Maybe both?...fix it up to get it working now and then add stuff as $$ becomes available...or not.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Hi Richard, there are some folks here that have done excellent rebuilds on machines very similar to yours, so I am sure they will give you some good advice once they see this post. Good luck with your new lathe, old iron like that is sometimes the best.

[Tim Rinehart]

I'm no expert on riser-blocking a lathe, but just put any desire to do that in perspective of whether the added forces from heavier pieces and bigger torque moments will be within capability of not just the headstock/tailstock/ways/banjo/motor, but also the overall weight and stability of machine.
I started out with a Jet 1640 and considered riser blocking my lathe as I've heard some do, but decided it was safer and more practical in the end to simply buy a PM 3520.

Bottom line, I would go with minimal modifications to make it usable as it is. If you find you really need or want more, selling this one will be easier as you'll have less dollars tied up into it. FWIW.
Good luck either way. Restoring old arn has it's own rewards that you can't always put a price on.

[David DeCristoforo]

Before I started using my lathe, I installed new bearings and belts which needed replacement because the machine had been sitting unused for a lot of years. Recently I painted it and did a lot of "cosmetic" work on it. If I had it to do over, I would have broken it down completely right at the outset, sandblasted all of the paintet parts, and repainted everything before putting it back together. That's a fine old machine and merits to work. Financially, this type of "rehab" is not expensive. Adding bigger motor, risers, VFD etc. is a whole 'nuther story. Ultimately, you would have an updated piece of "vintage" American arn instead of a "Chiwanese" machine that might or might not be just as good. You would have to decide how much that would be worth to you, Personally, I prefer the former but that's just me.

[Rodney Walker]

A quick question, I've never seen a single phase motor connected to a VFD, just 3 phase motors. Does a single phase work with a VFD?
Also isn't that model already variable speed? You may be able to cut costs on that end and come up with a very nice lathe for less than you expect. I'd go ahead with adding risers. You'll most likely want the extra capacity and that machine should be beefy enough to handle it.
Keep us posted on your restoration,
Rodney

[David DeCristoforo]

"...isn't that model already variable speed?..."

It is and uses a "Reeves drive". My Rockwell also has a Reeves drive and I really cannot see any need to replace it with an electronic speed controller. It works fine and is much less likely to malfunction than a finicky electronic part. JMMHO...

[Andrew Frandsen]

I just had an old beat up Walker Turner sand blasted and primered at a body shop for about $250. It is a grey epoxy primer and looks so good that I think I will just leave it. You also get my vote for adding the VFD. I did this to another lathe and will do the WT as well. As far as adding the riser blocks I would say go for it. My previous WT was pushed to its limits and performed like a champ. The older equipment was typically really well made. My big lathe is a General 260 to which I added a 13' extension and a VFD. On this one I paid about $3000 for what would have cost me $10,000+ to buy new. Some prudent shopping can get you some really nice features for a relatively modest expenditure. To top it all off it was fun work to do.

[Roy Turbett]

I have two Powermatic 90's that I restored. I replaced the three phase 1 hp motor in the first lathe with a 1 hp single phase motor. In hind sight, I would simply add a VFD and keep the original motor. The second lathe came with a 1 hp single phase motor. I raised the head and tailstock on this lathe 3" to give me 18" of swing which is plenty. The stock banjo has only 15" of swing but the extra 3" allows the toolrest to be positioned under the turning. I put the smallest pulley I could on the motor which gives me a speed range of about 200 to 1400 RPM which is plenty fast for turning bowls. The 1 hp motor is slightly underpowered for larger bowls and if you're going to replace the motor I would go with a 1 1/2 or 2 HP. Raising the head and tailstock does not have to be an expensive proposition. I made mine out of scrap countertop grade particleboard faced with formica and 1/4" x 2 1/2" wide steel runners. You can also use a hardwood like maple to make the risers. This is the method Ernie Conover mentions in his book. There are several threads on the subject at OWWM.ORG including a detailed write-up I did on my second rebuild.

[Mark Hazelden]

Just to throw another idea into the fire.... What if you buy the VFD and motor with the idea of someday using both on a bare bones Vicmarc VL300. I almost went that route but lacked the cash. Others here have done it though.

[Richard Galloway]

Just to throw another idea into the fire.... What if you buy the VFD and motor with the idea of someday using both on a bare bones Vicmarc VL300. I almost went that route but lacked the cash. Others here have done it though.

Mark, that is something I have also considered and now makes this restoration seem all the more worthwhile.

To everyone else, thank you for all your input. I have decided that I Will be doing this restoration. The lathe is currently broken down into semi small parts (ways and variable drive still together so I don't loose the adjustments) for painting which will be done with automotive paint so I can add a hardening agent. The riser blocks I'm making out of 1/2" by 2" flat bar welded inside and out with plate on the top to bolt the head and tail stocks to. A longer/ taller banjo is in the works with a friend in TX making me a new/ longer cam action bar.
I too am a fan of American Iron versus most over seas tools.
I'd post photos but don't know how to link photos from Flickr to SMC? Can that be done?

If anyone has more Specific details on what motor and VFD to use for this please let me know, that part of this is all Greek to me. Metal working/ machine work I can do, electronics/ electrical I can Assemble, but lack the skills to know which is the proper items I need. The motor on there now is only 3/4 hp so I'll be getting a bigger one, probably a 1.5 or 2 hp after all the input here.

Thanks everyone!