ok try not to make fun of me

[Ernest]

I have a lathe. I bought it several years ago from and acquaintance who's dad had it sitting in his garage for years before he died. I have it all cleaned up now but really don't know what it is.

It is marked CENTRAL MACHINERY model number is 1-9000 and it is marked made in Taiwan 1986.

so far I have not been able to find anything about the lathe and I want to buy a steady rest and maybe a collet set for it. I don't quite know how to order anything because I don't know what will fit.

My questions are. How do you measure length and swing? Oh by the way it is a gap bed lathe.

what do you suggest?

[Swindler1]

How about showing a picture of it.

[Swindler1]

http://ozarktoolmanuals.com/ozarkshoptalkblog/how-to-measure-the-size-and-swing-of-a-wood-or-metal-lathe/

[waarp8nt]

How about showing a picture of it.

I agree that pictures will help. Also, it appears harbor freight sells them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/central-machinery.html

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The length is the maximum distance between centers and the swing is the largest diameter you can turn on it without the object being turned striking the bed. So one way to measure the length would be with no chuck on the headstock and a center in the hole and a center in the tailstock moved all the way to the opposite end of the bed, then measure between the two center points. You can get a pretty good idea of the swing with a tape measure just measuring out from the point of the center in the headstock and moving it in an arc below the center to see where it would hit part of the bed. A gap bed increases the swing over what it would otherwise be, but only in the area of the gap. Central Machinery is indeed a Harbor Freight brand name. Made in Taiwan is not necessarily a minus. They have made some pretty good stuff. My lathe and mill are both made there, Birmingham brand. Mine came without a steady rest, but it wasn't much problem getting one as I think there are really only a couple of factories that make the machinery. I think you'll have a fine time learning all the ins and outs of using it. So much to learn.

[Ernest]

Thank you so much for the very helpful replies. I just couldn't figure out how to measure the length of bed. That said this working for a living gets in the way of my personal life in a big way. I hope that today I can ge the time to get out and take the chuck off and measure the length. I also didn't know the through hole in the head stock was tapered .

thanks again.
E

[JSnover]

Thank you so much for the very helpful replies. I just couldn't figure out how to measure the length of bed. That said this working for a living gets in the way of my personal life in a big way. I hope that today I can ge the time to get out and take the chuck off and measure the length. I also didn't know the through hole in the head stock was tapered .

thanks again.
E
I had to laugh at the last line. Lots of folks have been 'surprised' by that. I knew a man who had it "fixed" by a customer service rep by reaming the bore (with a large reamer, manually!) out to the advertised dimension but it took a lot of grunting and sweating to get it done. A much easier fix, should you deem it necessary, would be to run as large a boring bar as you can through the spindle, mounted in the compound rest like any other boring op. Take off just enough to true it up.

[Ernest]

I think I'll just leave it as is ;).

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

There's probably a Morse taper on the front of the spindle bore...which should lead into a fairly concentric, even through hole for stock to go through.

[Ernest]

So one way to measure the length would be with no chuck on the headstock and a center in the hole and a center in the tailstock moved all the way to the opposite end of the bed, then measure between the two center points.

Well finally. I figured out the what the center with the large morse taper was for!

swing is 12 and bed length between centers is 33 3/4th through hole in the head stock is 1.490 inches.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HrOlbbBBL.jpg it looks some what like this but much older of course

reading it looks like the head stock has takes a MT5 taper???? can I buy collets to fit that taper?

[deltaenterprizes]

I had to laugh at the last line. Lots of folks have been 'surprised' by that. I knew a man who had it "fixed" by a customer service rep by reaming the bore (with a large reamer, manually!) out to the advertised dimension but it took a lot of grunting and sweating to get it done. A much easier fix, should you deem it necessary, would be to run as large a boring bar as you can through the spindle, mounted in the compound rest like any other boring op. Take off just enough to true it up.

The taper is put there intentionally so a dead center can be installed so you can gain a couple inches when turning between centers using a face plate instead of mounting the center in the chuck.
Leave it alone, it was made that way for a reason!

[deltaenterprizes]

So one way to measure the length would be with no chuck on the headstock and a center in the hole and a center in the tailstock moved all the way to the opposite end of the bed, then measure between the two center points.

Well finally. I figured out the what the center with the large morse taper was for!

swing is 12 and bed length between centers is 33 3/4th through hole in the head stock is 1.490 inches.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HrOlbbBBL.jpg it looks some what like this but much older of course

reading it looks like the head stock has takes a MT5 taper???? can I buy collets to fit that taper?

Buy a collet chuck, much easier to find one to fit.

[JSnover]

The taper is put there intentionally so a dead center can be installed so you can gain a couple inches when turning between centers using a face plate instead of mounting the center in the chuck.
Leave it alone, it was made that way for a reason!
This is true in the case of an actual Morse taper. The bore may be a different story. In the case I mentioned, the through-hole diameter was less than advertised by about .030" and the customer needed his machine to take stock of that size through the headstock.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Do your chucks thread onto the spindle? Or does it use cam locks?

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

You can make your own collet chuck with a little practice. It makes a great intermediate level project.

Get some experience under your belt, ask lots of questions, and just about anything is possible. There are lots of highly experienced machinists on this forum that are always willing to answer questions, no matter how "noob" they may seem. Lathes can be dangerous if you aren't careful.

You are going to love having a lathe. It really opens up your reloading hobby to a new level.

Just a few things to remember (which you probably already know). Make sure you don't wear long sleeves when using a lathe. Long hair, and jewelry are also not a good idea. Basically anything that can get caught in the chuck and pull you in is bad. Also, as you already know, safety glasses are a must.

[FrankG]

If its like mine from HF its a 12x36 Gap Bed . A section below chuck area on ways is removable for turning larger diameters. Manuals can be found on line free . I think HF still have downloads also if you enter sku number from the nameplate on machine . Mine has a #5 bore taper and I bought a variety of sleeves from Enco for different applications . Ive had pretty good luck with mine now for 15 years or so. You may check with Grizzly their steady rest may fit it .

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Ernest--the picture looks exactly like my lathe. Mine is a 40" bed. Same color, and all the details I can see look exactly the same. They do come in different sizes.

[Ernest]

Do your chucks thread onto the spindle? Or does it use cam locks?

Threads on.

Thanks for all the replies. I am learning a little at a time. I'm 63 and next year I hope I can start slowing down a little at work. I really have high hopes for more time to play with the lathe.

this has really helped a lot! I can now start looking for parts in a rational manner.
Thanks again . I am always amazed at the level of caliber of the people on this site.
Ernest

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Mine use cam locks.