12-04-2022, 09:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 13-04-2022, 04:25 PM by Bob Culver.)
I purchased very similar one new about 1975. About $1000 when my wage was around $4000 pa. The same today is less than $2500 and the same employment about $90,000! Later ones have a more robust pillar. Fitted mine with a cross brace. Tools were then so expensive I hoped to avoid a separate drill but too cumbersome. Have little used but one job was milling hopefully parallel edges on a pair of angle irons which were then shimmed and clamped level across the the lathe bed for static balancing of a Javelin crank with added counterweights, Bradford cranks, flywheel/clutch assemblies.
It is incredible how inexpensive machiney has become... and some still do not have a lathe!
(I have a lot of Model Engineer mags from about 1930. A new 3 inch lathe without chucks or motor was UK L8, over two weeks of a tradesman's wage.)
In reply to JonE the devices are heavy but readily break down into motor, head, column , base and with a bit of work that can be split also.
I have seen very reasonable small lathes acquired through Trade me for L400 equiv so the equiv price here would seem not exceptional. Often old lathes come with accessories and a set of bonus collets, end mills etc would be a great added asset.
The additonal pulley interesting as changing belts seems much more of a chore than with a bench drill.
And incidentally the house for L10,000 equiv at the same time is now valued at 50X that! When I spent up on my lathe and mill drill I consoled myself that such retained value.... I could have bought a Pentax instead. And a new car was not hugely more espensive
It is incredible how inexpensive machiney has become... and some still do not have a lathe!
(I have a lot of Model Engineer mags from about 1930. A new 3 inch lathe without chucks or motor was UK L8, over two weeks of a tradesman's wage.)
In reply to JonE the devices are heavy but readily break down into motor, head, column , base and with a bit of work that can be split also.
I have seen very reasonable small lathes acquired through Trade me for L400 equiv so the equiv price here would seem not exceptional. Often old lathes come with accessories and a set of bonus collets, end mills etc would be a great added asset.
The additonal pulley interesting as changing belts seems much more of a chore than with a bench drill.
And incidentally the house for L10,000 equiv at the same time is now valued at 50X that! When I spent up on my lathe and mill drill I consoled myself that such retained value.... I could have bought a Pentax instead. And a new car was not hugely more espensive