A nice gift

[PeterGe]

A friend of mine, a retired watchmaker, asked me if I was interested in an old watch lathe.

Why he even asked I don't know [emoji6]

 

This what I received from him, an old Lorch lathe. Old but in good shape, no play at all. With a full assortment of collets. And the best part? I got it for free [emoji3]

 

What do you think? Still usable or just a piece of antique?

 

I actually was thinking of using it but first I have source a motor. Any suggestions for this?

Looking forward for your opinions.

 

 

 

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[wls1971]

18 hours ago, PeterGe said:

What do you think? Still usable or just a piece of antique?

It's very nice and very usable. The easiest option for a motor is an old sewing machine motor these can be picked up very cheaply on ebay and if you get one with a foot peddle you can have variable speed as well.

There is still an abundance of accessories available on ebay for these lathes but you have a good set of collets to work with its a Geneva pattern lathe you need to measure the collet's to determine if the lathe is a 6mm or 8mm version if you intend to search for parts at a later date 8mm parts are easier to source.

As it stands you should not have to spend a lot to get it running.

[PeterGe]

Thanks for the response. It is a 6mm lathe. I've already been searching around and it seems that the 6mm accessories are indeed a lot harder to find.

I've been looking out for a sewing machine motor on a local 2nd hand site, but no big offers there. So perhaps I should have a look on ebay. Any particular things I should pay attention on?

[wls1971]

No any sewing machine motor will do there are thousands on ebay one with a foot pedal would be easier to use if it does not come with a foot pedal you will have to probably rewire it as most sewing machine manufactures use their own type of three pin power connector.

This is a example of what to look for,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEWING-MACHINE-MOTOR-FOOT-CONTROL-PEDAL-BELT-FIT-LOTS-OF-OLDER-SEWING-MACHINES-/352101388920?hash=item51fae0d278:g:8yMAAOSw3h1ZVXGB

The best place to look for lathe parts is German Ebay they seem to get far more horological tools than anywhere else for some reason and quite often at a better price.

But I wouldnt worry about parts until you have it up and running and been using it for a while trying to jump before you can walk is very frustrating.

2 hours ago, PeterGe said:

Thanks for the response. It is a 6mm lathe. I've already been searching around and it seems that the 6mm accessories are indeed a lot harder to find

Yes but remember better 6 mm than 6.5 mm