My new lathe is home

I swapped out a couple tools I wasn’t using and picked up this new (to me) lathe from a local seller. It’s a General 260-1 10 speed reeves drive woodturning lathe. It’s much better than my old one as it weighs over 500lb so it’s plenty stable and won’t vibrate easily.

Features:

High quality ribbed cast-iron headstock, tailstock, and bed.
Precision-machined bed guideways allow the tailstock and tool rest to slide smoothly.
Hinged headstock cover features a convenient speed ratio table.
Tailstock is equipped with an eccentric quick locking lever system.
High quality steel base including a one-piece cabinet with shelving.
Powerful North American designed, totally enclosed, fan cooled industrial motor.
All models equipped with a push-button “on/off” switch and a magnetic safety switch.

Specifications:
Swing-over bed capacity 12” (305 mm)
Swing-over gap capacity 16 1⁄2” (419 mm)
Max. Distance between centers 38” (965.2 mm)
Max. Distance with 60” extension (optional) 98” (2489 mm)
Floor to spindle center 41” (1041.4 mm)
Nose-inboard (r.h. thread) 1 1⁄4” – 8 (31.7 mm)
Nose-outboard (l.h. thread) 1 1⁄8” – 8 (28.5 mm)

Spindle bore 5⁄8” (16 mm)
Headstock / tailstock taper Morse no. 2
Tailstock spindle travel 2” (50.8 mm)
Turning speeds (Variable) 375 TO 3300 RPM
Motor M2 – 1 HP, 230 V, 1 Ph, 12.8 A
Weight 564 LBS (256 kg)

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Chest of drawers

I’ve finished the dresser at long last, it only took 3 years 🙂
The carcass is made of red oak plywood sides and back, then solid wood frame and everything else. It was supposed to be a baby change table but I thought I would make it into a chest of drawers with a slide out tray to sit powders, creams etc.
The drawer boxes are made from cherry with dowel joints with false ebony dowel plugs for looks, then the oak drawer fronts were attached to the boxes. No drawer slide hardware, it’s hardwood runners.

I finished it by spraying aniline dye mixed with polyurethane until it darkened enough. Then a few coats of clear finish.

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Up to my ass in God boxes

I get some weird requests, someone wanted me to make them a few God boxes. The idea I’m told is you write something confidential down (wish, thought, evil doin’ and put it in the slot. The box can never be opened so it’s sent off to the spirits. Anywho, they liked it and ordered 10.

I never heard of them but they helped pay for my new lathe.

All made from solid birch, mitred sides, top and bottom are rabbetted. The logo was routed with a core box bit using a circle, then a square template. The slot was routed using a stopped guide.
Length 7″
Width 5″
Hight 3.5″

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My new lathe stand

I’ve finished building a new stand for my lathe, the old one was metal, loud and vibrated too much. My Beaver 3400 lathe now sits on a solid ash stand with 3″ thick legs and has a mdf top to help absorb vibration. I’ve rigged up my 1750 rpm 1hp motor with an in-between jackshaft to slow the whole thing down to as low as 230 rpm. From lathe headstock to jackshaft I’m using a set of 5-4-3-2 step pulleys, from jackshaft to motor I’m using a 6-5-4 step pulley and 2″ pulley.   In the future I’ll likely swap out the motor pulley for a matching 6-5-4 to take advantage of all speeds. The motor is gravity tensioned and is bolted to a swinging hinge.  The jackshaft lifts on a set of hinges but I clamp it down on shims which works just fine for now.

 

 

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