My wife has been nagging me about various projects I have foolishly promised over the years so, apparently, it is time I started to produce some results.

My typical Achilles heel is:

1) identify an interesting/needed project

2) realise I don’t have the tools to do it so start to make them

3) these tools turn into a project on their own

4) go back to 2) rinse and repeat…….

Anyway, the Boxford lathe mentioned elsewhere on this site is progressing slowly (nothing in the last year as life has got in the way). One of the problems I have is I need to make a circular bracket thingy which is a lathe job but the lathe is not working at the moment. There have also been several other projects that need lathe work as well so I thought I would pick up a manual one to get me moving at least.

My requirements were fairly simple but hard to realise. I wanted a turnkey solution within budget – simple!! Long story short I eventually found what looked like a suitable candidate which was part of a bereavement sale where the model engineer husband had died.

Collection was all OK and it came with a bucket load of bits which I still have to go through and sort. As always with stuff I buy though I got it home, connected it up and nothing – dead, dodo, nada. Story of my life. I then had to break the man code and read the manual and it turns out it needs to be set to either forward or reverse before the magnetic switch will turn on. OK, it now turns forwards and backwards but there is no speed readout. A lot or reading later, some wiring dissection and it turns out the original owner was not electrically gifted. A complete rewire later and it is working fine. The only hiccup is the potentiometer is worn and there is a dead spot on it. Easy fix but it does not stop it working (mostly).

Thanks

More soon

Last updated 3/9/2023