...and it won't be another CNC article...

Just a little preview "teaser" for an article I am working on which hopefully will appear in MEW before too long. I acquired the Cowells lathe shown in the pic below for a very decent price on Ebay recently (well, decent compared with what you pay for a good one!) & am in the process of restoring it to rather better health.

The next pic shows the saddle and slides after the application of a bit of TLC.

Regards,

Tony

Edited By Tony Jeffree on 28/02/2012 09:12:14

A stepper motor would fit purfect on that slide

John S.

True! Well, maybe I should reconsider...

Regards,

Tony

I shall look forward to this Tony as I have a lathe of 1947 vintage requiring a refurb

I hope your article is both informative (telling me how to do it) and inspirational (to motivate me to get on and do it)

John

John -

I will give it my best shot

Actually, nothing I have had to do to it so far has been particularly taxing - it's a simple machine after all - just lots of elbow-grease to get it clean and tidy. Just in the process of fixing the drive system - the original motor was shot (and dangerously so) so mine will get the VFD/3-phase motor treatment.

Regards,

Tony

Yes Tony and I'm sure you will find it useful.

I have a little 8mm watchmakers lathe with a compound rest, adjustable micrometer dials and collets from 0.4 to 4.8mm x 0.2mm steps. I don't use it that often but when one has something small to do it's just the thing. I could do with smaller fingers ( and better eyesight) though!

Regards

Norman

My word, how do you achieve that refurbished finish. I think I should be told.

I could then apply it to my 1951 ML7 and the 60s mill.

On second thoughts, it would make a excellent article in it's own right. I don't recall anything like that.

It makes me envious when I see a photo of something that looks as if it's just out of the boxwhe it is perhaps of the 70's.

Regards,

Ken.

There's no big secret - just lots of elbow grease & judicious use of oil, white spirit (or paraffin if you prefer), Scotchbrite pads and abrasives. What I have discovered with this project is that a machine can look cosmetically apalling (as this one did) and yet once the cr@p has been removed it starts to look like a decent machine in no time at all.

It has been very satisfying to return it to (almost) its former glory - removing metal from the ways isn't a good plan, so without a full regrind I did get left with a bit of rust staining on the bed, and my paint job probably isn't up to the standard of the original, but it looks way better than it did.

Regards,

Tony

Looks nice and worth the effort!

Totally irrelevant comment, but other ex-South Wales members will understand: Why did the Cowells adverts have a picture of Stan Stennet in them?

Neil

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 28/02/2012 19:53:33

Its coming on...remarkably, after a complete strip down and re-assemble, there were no bits left over...apart from the leadscrew, nut & handwheel that have yet to be fitted

Next stage is to sort out a new motor & speed controller & stick the whole lot on a new base.

Edited By Tony Jeffree on 28/02/2012 22:43:58

No need to write the bloody article, you have done it and diddled yourself out of 18s and 7d to boot.

John S.

There's plenty more where that came from - this one will run & run

Regards,

Tony

Hi Tony,

I had one of these lathes in the long distant past, it was bought as a set of fully machined castings and parts which after painting was a self assembly job. The machine was at that time marketed by B Perris, I think the address was somewhere in Norfolk, memory tells me he died suddenly, but I may be wrong as I was about 18 at that time and I shall be three score years in a few months.

The lathe was very well engineered the parts went together like a dream and I had a few trouble free years use out of it before being subsequently used as a trade-in on a S/H Myford S7.

I do not think the cost of the kit was no more than £28 incuding postage, but again the little grey cells might be difficient.

Gray,

Hi Gray -

I knew of the connection between Perris and Cowells (the current Cowells is basically a development of the Perris) but I hadn't realised that the Perris was sold as a kit. Its a shame that you didn't hang on to it when you bought the S7 - you should see the (silly) money these things fetch on the 'bay these days!

Regards,

Tony