I'll make the commentary and then show pictures.
I friend of mine had a machinist making grooved pipe for him and he is older and retiring.
He asked me some time ago if I wanted t sell mine, 'well you know what the answer was for that.
He makes huge commercial RO systems.
Well today he came over and said he wanted to look at my late so sure.
Then he told me he bought one.
Who made it?
I dont know.
So we went out to his place and looked at it.
Mind you he doesn't know one thing about running a lathe or how to even hardly get it to go.
But the guy that did his work for him gave 1 hour class.
He was trying to cut grooves in pipe to no avail so I fired it up and showed him all the stuff he as doig wrong.
The poor guy had no idea at all.
The cutting tool was about 1/4 inch off center so you get the idea.
He was cutting way to slow too.
I spun the puppy up to about 450 and cut a pretty good groove even though stock was hanging out way too far.
He was shown the down and dirty razor blade trick to get the tool on center.
I showed him several other things it did and explained it to him.
I told him to get a bull nose live center to hold the end rigid and explained rigidity while cutting.
In the pictures coming soon you will see the lathe
(((after))) it was cleaned.
To be honest I told him the lathe was in really good shape for as old as it is and hardly no wear in the ways at all.
So that is how I spent my Sunday afternoon, showing someone my age how to run a lathe.
I had the time of my life running this old thing from our past and figuring out what all the levers did.
I will also be picking up some work from him that he cant do hopefully.
I told him he got a very good deal on the lathe considering what he needed it for.
Pipe grooving machines are way more expensive than what he paid for the lathe.
I volunteered to give it some tender loving care and adjustments as the old gal deserves it.
One of the last of good old American Iron.
They will never make this stuff again.
