Electrical question about lathe

[Ed Pawlowski]

Nothing from High School has sentimental value to me. Not even 5 days detention for smoking in the schoolyard.

[hubops]

I got 3 days suspension for that same crime. .. spent about half of it at the pool hall. John T.

[krw]

+1 (other than SWMBO, of course ;-)

[russellseaton1]

Hmmm. I am pretty sure at my High School we had a smoking section on the g rounds. Sidewalk area between the buildings. You would see 3-4-5 kids sta nding there smoking before or after school or at lunch. Don't think there was time between classes to light up. The kids smoking were not exactly th e top of the class.

Only time I got suspended in High School was for senior skip day where we w ent to the beach/lake. Dang school called my Mom and she said no she did n ot give me permission to miss school. I guess you could get retro active p ermission for skip day if your parents said they authorized you to miss sch ool. But they locked me in a room with other kids for the whole school day . Not really suspended from school. It was boring and miserable to sit qu ietly in the same room all day long. Always seemed counter productive to p unish kids that way. Take kids out of class and make it so they could not learn anything from the teachers that day? Wouldn't it be better to make t he kids go to class and learn all day? Punish all the kids by closing scho ol! What the heck.

[Bill]

That's a pretty severe penalty. At my high school they smoked in the "boys" rest room, and occasionally behind the arc-welding curtain. Sometimes the rest rooms were so crowded you could barely squeeze through to conduct any business..

[krw]

We had a Senior Skip Day, too. All classes before us did, though none before had a 95% participation rate. The administration was mighty pissed the next day and, worse, almost all the parents approved of it so there wasn't a damned thing they could do about it. When the Dean of Girls (the battle-axe got the job of calling parents in my part of the alphabet) called my mother, you could see her face get red when mom told her that not only did she know where I was (at a state park about 50 miles away) but let me use her car so my girlfriend (now SWMBO) and I could go.

[DerbyDad03]

5 days for smoking? Holy crap!

I went to high school in NYC. Rough neighborhood. I don't think I would have gotten 5 days for *dealing* in the schoolyard...and I ain't talking about a card game.

[Bill]

Thanks for the tips. They couldn't give me any information over the phone. I have an appointment to go inspect it! : )

Bill

[Bill]

The serial number of the lathe under discussion is only 19 away from a "known" Oliver 51-B registered at vintagemachinery.com. That one was "purchased off of craigslist from a gentleman who had purchased it from a school" (this hints at its history). Small world.

The bottom of the plug says, very nearly, 20A, 250, 3.0 ... I believe it is 4 wire 3-phase (is this consistent?). Of course who know how many times the unit has been rewired in it's lifetime. The current configuration was really too convoluted for me to understand. I could not see the motor since it was hidden away inside the unit. The person who allowed me to inspect it got irked that I even unplugged it. The electricity was "not available" for me to turn the unit on. It was set up with a switch in a box. I'm leaning away from it (not being in the need of a new big project), but you folks have been successful in talking me into stuff before! ; ) Although it comes with a box of parts, it's not like you can just run out and buy parts you want. I believe it was made in 1931.

Bill

I'm allowed to "ask questions" and he said he'll "get them answered". Are there any good questions I could ask? A guy who lives a few doors down from me has a similar lathe in his garage and I have never seem him use it. It would probably be simpler for me to go over and make him an offer! ; )

[Martin Eastburn]

If it is 3 phase it could be a 4 wire WYE 3 legs and a neutral / ground.

The motor should have 3 wires of the same color (White) and one green or Black.

If it has two white a green and a black it is a 220 across the white and black neutral green safety ground.

If you have a plug on it that would also help us. If you are talking about the plug numbers / letters. Means maximum not how used.

I have seen 220 in a shop on a 5 lug plug. That plug had the lug sizes and it exceeded need.

I used to use 5 plug 200 amp a pin and 3 phase 5 wire. Neutral and Ground. Coffee can (2 pound size).

Mart> Bill wrote:

[Leon]

Doh! LOL

[Electric Comet]

why not make him an offer maybe drive over in a forklift with the cash in hand

have noticed that some people buy a big lathe with similar ambitions but once they fire it up and use it or misuse it they get scared away and then it collects dust as they never muster the courage

but it is not anything to be ashamed of and i am not putting them down knowing the limitations of man or machine is good and erring on the side of caution is also good

[Bill]

In case anyone is curious, the final bid (not by me) was $950 + 22%. I only mention this as a reference point for others. I think that's beyond what some other have paid in similar auctions, even taking into consideration that a (probably $150) set of 8 "unbranded" gouges was included. Evidently, machinery made in 1931 holds up!

Bill

[Scott Lurndal]

That tool set was a standard delta turning set from the 90's in the original wood box. Not bad tools (I have a set) but not expensive by any means.

The tools in the auction looked like they'd never been used.

[Leon]

What does you neighbor want for his? ;~)

[russellseaton1]

Harbor Freight sells the same tool set. Either soft steel or High Speed Steel. $19 or $65. I doubt the eventual buyer gave a second's thought to the tool set. The (probably $150) is outrageous.

[Bill]

Exactly! As he is a Harley salesman, and has at least 4 "bikes", I'm guessing that he got it in trade. Come spring, I may kindly ask he what he would like for it... : )

[Bill]

You are right, they look like the $19.99 set. (I never guessed you could buy a set for such a low price)!

Bill

[Electric Comet]

not a bad price probably and good to see new life for an old machine

then there is the transport or shipping to deal with

from what i have read those old machines not only hold up they are unmatched by anything you can buy now for their weight and size