Fixing a Scrapped Lathe

Bringing a Force International 12x36 lathe back into service. Repairing damage, replacing missing parts, machining parts I couldn't find, and re-wiring some trashed electrical. (Testing/scraping/calibrating in a later video).
0:00 Intro
0:53 Fix the Broken Carriage
2:11 Wiring a DPDT Switch
2:29 Fix the Missing Cam-Lock Hardware
6:19 Reassemble Carriage
7:32 NEW BXA Quick-Change Tool Post
8:28 Fix the Tailstock
10:45 Fix the Ball Oilers
13:18 Fix the DRO Sensors
18:54 Fix the DRO Power Supply
20:52 NEW 8" 3-jaw Chuck
23:53 Review and Much Celebration

[@chetlockwood1491]

I too am the proud owner of a scrap bin lathe, trucking company leaving a location, opted to throw a 12x36 Atlas lathe away. I have profound dumpster diving tendencies, so I ferreted through the dumpster and retrieved all I could find. It was not a plug and play, I rebuilt, replaced and repaired as needed, It's been a great treasure and does good work. I'm a machinist by trade, so it gave me a flexible resource in my own garage/shop, parts Large and Small on Demand.

[@kenbergstorm6241]

Sahara theter rollcall

[@georgespangler1517]

I have 6 atlas lathes I've bought and restored holding on while prices climb,, 2 -12 x 36 with quick change gear boxes and 4 6 inch 618s and pretty much every attachment for them,, can do great work with the 12 inch but doing light cuts,, and does better with high speed steel tooling,, but just bought my dream lathe 11 inch Logan same 54 in length bed as atlas but has 300 lbs more weight and oil filled apron with clutch and vways,,, you being a machinist I'm sure are aware of the atlas limitations,, but they really bring great money now and parts can be found, engineers really dropped the ball with the.oo42 finest feed rate but I overcame it by switching drive gear on banjo to half the teeth really cuts fine now,, and I only lose first row on thread cutting chart ,, and can switch gear back if needed,, but the Atlas was more the hobbyist lathe and didn't see school shops or factories,, really are nice machines..was looking for a Atlas horizontal mill but found a Sheldon horizontal mill no0,, really nice mill,, good luck with yours

[@deankay4434]

Chet > Are there any more dumpsters like that around? I have operated a big lathe for 30+ years, although I have never seen it or touched it. Hell, I don’t know what color it is…. But around 3AM, I start using it over and over and over. DK. ASE Master Tech since 78, retired. Comfortable broke!

[@henrinaths1]

I have two tos trencin, a SN 50C and a SN 40C I am NOT a machinist SO I need to glean as much restoring hints I can get. (Just to retain the little sanity I seem to have lol) This old tony seems to have step out for a bit...

[@cindydecker1304]

ⁿ

[@SteveSorgatz]

Thanks for bringing back memories from high school metal shop class. I am still proud of the projects I made; a center punch, a machinists' hammer with a turned and knurled handle and a case hardened head, and of course the bent aluminum letter holder for mom. Back then (~ 1960) we did not have digital readouts, so I used a micrometer to determine how close I was to the final spec. Today, I'm pleased that I can follow what you were doing and understand the problems you solved along the way. And thank you Mr. Holt, wherever you are. Steve Sorgatz, Prospect High School Class of 1961

[@petera.m.5143]

Didn't expect my highschool shop teacher to pop up in my recommended 😅 your shop class landed me in light duty automotive for the last 6 years. I use the basics you taught me every day. I remember me and a class mate in a little older VW Jetta, you were livid we left in the middle of class to get car parts without asking 😂 Thanks for getting me into trades! Edit: That reminds me, you never saw it, but I left chuck key in the lathe (about 5 minutes after you'd told me to make sure not to) and turned it on, lucky for me I had my facemask on, thing smacked me so hard it rung my ears 😂😂

[@GregWellwood]

I went and circled the "Never Leave The Chuck Key In The Chuck" sign in memory of you, thanks. Good times. I have fabricated five new chuck keys for the lathes so far.

[@donalfinn4205]

I only happened by here because there was no ads in front of it! I’m glad I did! Well done.👍☘️

[@johncooper4637]

I would recommend disassembling your new chuck and cleaning it out. You will likely find a lot of grinding dust in it as well as some very thin oil. It looks very similar to my PM1236.

[@seanbyrne9503]

He is a great shop teacher i used to have a blast getting under his skin lol Jokes aside this guy is truly brilliant he was knowledgeable and a great teacher that ten years ago fore me. One of a dying breed of teachers much respect it looks like he is still at it.

[@GregWellwood]

I still tell kids the tailgate/hammer/face story. Good to hear from you.

[@chestervaldes7551]

"and I'm already looking forward to being disappointed"- that's a phrase that I can really relate to in life!

[@bradj.3832]

Wow, I wish we had scrap like that around here....😉

[@garfield2742]

at my country things like that would be labeled as "x display"

[@dpsamu2000]

Reminds me of a Niles lathe I rebuilt. It was 10 feet tall 30 tons with a 6 foot chuck, 40 foot ways in 2 sections 20 tons each. The carriage with tool post was 4 feet high, weighed 5 tons, and the tail stock 4 feet high weighed 3 tons. Electric motor for rapid travel, and a "trailer hitch" to move the tail stock. But the bosses didn't want to over tax the motor so we lifted the tail stock with the overhead crane to slide it along. Hand precision scraped the ways, and took 2 weeks to precision straighten, and level. To set to the .001' spec. with precision levels even though the ways were 4 feet wide, and 2 feet high made of 8 to 10 inch thick steel it handled like trying to straighten a wet spaghetti noodle. Best thing I made on it was a satellite frame for NASA.

[@davebrittain9216]

I laughed when you said "Gestetner". I have not heard that word since the 70's. Remember that fantastic smell the copies had? Used to just love that as a kid.

[@yuglesstube]

I had a Mrs Chalk handing out Gestetners...

[@aktrapper6126]

"thanks for watching" reminded me of SMA. Great job restoring the old girl.

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Just last month I was at an auction and we were touring the shop that was going out of business. The usual standard machine shop suspects except for this old Clausing Colchester lathe that had all kinds of crap stacked on top like it had been used for storage a long time. There was a red tag on it that read No Longer In Service. I immediately told my banker we’re buying that thing. Keep it quiet. I ended up getting it for less than scrap value and all that was wrong with it was a damaged gear. Added a DRO and glass scale and I ended up with a killer lathe.

[@raymondlockett8654]

I salute your attitude, undaunted, optimistic but willing to take a fail, brave enough to see it through and ready to seek other goals. brilliant

[@curtisweller4138]

He MUST be from Canada! Any shop teacher here in the USA (back when they were still in stock) certainly wouldn’t have said “buggered” or “heck”. He’s either Canadian, a Mormon, or both. Either way, I loved it! Just wish that I could have had him as my shop teacher when I was in school. Loved the restoration and your practical knowledge. Now if I can just find a broken lathe for steel scrap prices…

[@mrpappa4105]

"the guy who mounted this was drunk" & "always research after" thats the comments who gets a Swede to become a subscriber, just found your channel, enjoyed every minute. Good job.

[@davidpotter3777]

The hardest thing to get in a shop is the passion to do the work. You have plenty of that. God bless you and your family amen and aloha

[@johnkelley9877]

This was great watching an old hand lathe being brought back to use again. This is a good excuse to by a bigger truck for future projects. Thanks for sharing this.

[@brucewrandol]

What you are doing is exactly the job that my dad did for Battleground School District in Battleground, Washington. My dad has been gone 25 years but watching you do what my dad did was very interesting to me. It takes a whole bunch of knowledge and common sense to do this.

[@alro2434]

The roll-pin has an install direction. Put the split towards or away from the force on it, if the split is at 90 deg., then it is constantly getting closed up and squeezing may/can loose its tension. Peugeot trans shifter forks class 1972. Thanks, nice vid.

[@Tommy_Mac]

I worked in a shop that had a lot of larger equipment. We had a technician come in to repair a power feed on a (Italian made) 36" swing drill press. There was a bad gear in the feed. He wanted $4k to have the gear made and to reassemble the press. I was able to find the gear online for $150. Put it back together and it worked fine. Machine tools are usually pretty simple. I rebuilt most of a Logan lathe built, and used, since 1945 by a guy that built his own aircraft. It works great for my hobby projects. I love that lathe because I fixed it up...and it works! Very satisfying!

[@JRo250]

There's a slight chance the DRO design needs a negative voltage somewhere but most likely it converts AC to DC right at the input. A 12V DC power supply might also work.

[@jfan4reva]

One of the great things about (older) machine tools is yeah, they're held together with fasteners, so you can take things apart, fix them, and then put them back together. Also nice when you get a 'one tool many badges' machine. Makes finding parts a lot easier.

[@abbywall793]

Enjoyed your video, you have a way that keeps my interest peaked . There was not a teacher I knew when I went to school that could ever do that. I would have enjoyed being a student in your class room !

[@wilfredkube8570]

Somebody referred to the adage which advises “measure twice, and cut once”, and somebody else said, (perhaps as a joke), “Measure once, cut twice - I like that”. This reminded me of an old joke, about the carpenter who had difficulty fitting a piece of wood to his construction. As he contemplated his difficulty he said, “I just can’t understand it, I’ve cut it twice and it’s still too short”.

[@repalmore]

I have a similar lathe and had to make some of the retainers like yours. Literally yesterday of this comment date. To form the flats I just clamped it in the lathe chuck and filed them down. For sure, no need to heat treat but won't hurt anything to do it.

[@bradpage8967]

How you exactly came across a lathe at scrap price would have been the best information of the whole video!

[@GregWellwood]

The right place at the right time. You can't exactly craft that. I wasn't looking for a lathe, as I already had a 10x27. I just couldn't say "no."

[@courierdog1941]

very glad to see you were able to pick up someone else's mistake for scrap. Sometime the scrap results from an error in judgement, or technicians who do no like work. or some body really wanted a bigger shiner toy and dispose of what was on hand. good luck

[@phillace]

Brilliant video , you really are entertaining to watch , nice restoration , its nice to see another machine saved from the crusher .

[@michaelbirchall2247]

It's the Lathe paradox; you need a Lathe to build a Lathe.

[@xyyx7559]

fell in this rabithole XD

[@jfan4reva]

It's the paradox of all hobbyist(?) machine tools, you spend most of your time after acquiring them using them to do repairs and upgrades of that same machine tool.

[@archangel20031]

I went to a rare earth magnet seller on line and purchased a bunch of 1/16 square 1" long magnets, and they are great at entering small holes to pull out springs and ball bearings.

[@homesteadfromscratch]

My kind of shop teacher. It brings back memories I probably never had.

[@nickhardy8300]

That is what I did in Berlin 1945 we overhaul machines from burnt out factories. And that's how I got my aprendentship after 3 years of hard work and became a machinist.

[@Workshopfriend]

Good to see your practical approach getting best results for minimum expense. Thanks for sharing.

[@alexnet8943]

Когда я смотрю ваши видио, я отдыхаю ! Вы очень технический человек. Спасибо.🇺🇦🌻

[@adamfrench8735]

Really enjoyed the video and finding you. We need more people like you in the world. Give no excuse and get busy fixing. Thanks for the inspiration

[@MAsWorld1]

It’s impressive that all the other stuff (gear head) still works nice save!

[@rille47]

Great acquisition sir, congratulations. Every shop needs one (or two)

[@Engineerd3d]

This is a good job. Awesome machine. Congratulations on bringing it back.

[@courierdog1941]

Good to see you are from Canada.

[@Horus9339]

Brilliant attitute, love your style Sir. Keep up the good work.

[@timziegler9358]

You are inspirational! Your persevering approach to repairing that damaged lathe is a giant lesson on life. Thank you.

[@silasmarner7586]

Super refreshing attention to detail yet simple approach to all problems - clean, orgainize, fix, and order when all else fails.. even twice!! Thanks for the video sir! I just happened upon it.

[@bgdavenport]

I was a high school shop teacher, too. Wonderful time!

[@yvesdesrosiers2396]

Good job getting that thing working. A suggestion for your new chuck. I would take it apart and clean it well. Most Chinesium products have a lot of grit inside which can cause premature wear. Thanks for sharing. Cheers

[@GregWellwood]

Will do!

[@barrygrant2907]

I took machine shop in my senior year of high school. I often regret not pursuing machinist work, but my fallacy was I had to measure twice, cut once, and then get another piece of material and start all over. I used a lathe once after that to make a bolt into a hinge pin for an aircraft in A&P school. Impressed my instructor if nothing else. So I'll subscribe and follow along, for a while at least, because mechanical things interest me.

[@rickeymh]

Nice find and awesome rebuild.

[@billsmith3195]

Not quite my battlefield but you sure made this interesting and educational. I learnt a bit out of this. Thank you.

[@DragonsFireMetalWorx]

great content! found you through the canadian metalworkers forum...takes me back to high school shop class, just listening to the way you share the information...top notch sir...top notch

[@GregWellwood]

There's a Canadian Metalworkers Forum? I'm off to check it out!

[@mjallenuk]

Not sure how you found your way into my suggested list but glad you did and subbed for good measure!

[@leebatt7964]

I never took shop in high school because a) no girls took shop and b) the shop teacher was real bastard. I regret not exploring machining as a kid as it my favorite hobby/obsession now 40 years later. Maybe if you or someone like you had taught shop at my school the world would now have one less lawyer and one more machinist today. Great channel, keep it up.

[@michaelsimpson9779]

Well done you. My Dad's a fitter and turner, lathes n mills are awesome. Love your tshirt....

[@richardbrunt7180]

What a great site you have. I am now one of your converted followers. Richard Cape Town South Africa.

[@kristiangunderson]

I recognized your website from your shirt, didn't realize you're on KZbin too. Good to see an old machine brought back to life, instead of so many people just buying new these days. I just got an old 12x36 lathe that hadn't been used for many years from work, at roughly scrap price as well. I'm also in Canada, and feel your pain on getting stuff shipped. Mine's a Bulgarian made ZMM, and was missing the chuck. It's got some weird proprietary quick change mechanism, but I was able to make an adapter to use a plain back chuck using one of the bigger lathes at work. Other than that, it was usable after many hours of cleaning. Mines 3 phase, so I bought a VFD that will convert single phase. They didn't spare the cast iron building it though, it's over double the weight of a King 12x36 at 1600 lbs. Unloading and getting it in position in my shop was interesting, especially getting it through a 4' wide door..

[@the4thj]

THANK YOU THANK YOU for doing this video! I have the Old Harbor Freight version (Gearhead 12x36) of that one, now Grizzel sells it. Have not had the roll pin issue, but this shows me how/where I will mount a DRO someday, that 8 mm (8mm), sized oilers, and more of the workings of my lathe in general. I need a better oil can though and help on that, I use a Goldenrod with a screw on tip a little recess in which I beveled an area for an 8 mm 'O' ring. I have in the past pushed in those balls and had them not come out. I do have a switch issue with mind randomly using the lathe it just turns off. Waiting for Grizzley to send me a new one (BACK ORDER!), my 3 jaw chuck was not worth much could not use a parting tool bought the 4 jaw 8" love it of course you have to indicate everything. I have Accusize 252-222 BxA I do to this day still do not understand the sizes! AxA BxA could you do a class on that please?

[@richb419]

Good for you! I have a newer version of this lathe new from Grizzly. My head stock was full of metal chips from the factory. many people ended up changing all the bearings because of this. I would advise opening the top lid and at least taking a look and check the run-out at the chuck end of the spindle. I still love the lathe after all. Rich

[@Improveng1]

Brilliant job, thanks for sharing

[@sblack48]

Those chucks can be reasonably good butvthey come from the factory full of grinding dust. There are several vids here on yt of guys dismantling them and removing shovels full of crud. Cleaning to prolong life is highly recommended

[@bobm7275]

I know little about machining but it looks like a good way to occupy a lot of time.

[@grahambeech5576]

Well done, great job.

[@duanespooner6649]

Thank you for this I love projects like this.

[@notgivennotgiven7776]

Dude, I'm jealous. Stuff like this, even if it can't be fixed, there's so many parts that can be used for other projects. At least that's what I always do.

[@RayNaraine]

Loved this vlog so much I subscribed! Thank you!

[@etheroar6312]

Same here.

[@megeezer69]

Clever man, & more than capable of repairing that lathe

[@MATTYANDSMOKE]

Gr8 score bud. One for the good guys. 😎

[@micmike]

Very good effort, enjoyed the video. Thanks

[@johnblake3863]

Nice work! Your lucky students!!

[@johnchristopherrobert1839]

I’m loving your content. Thank you

[@lelandclayton5462]

As a Low volt tech I applaud you with the CAT6 cable. Also as a self taught electronics engineer I always design my circuits to use DC and the ability to use 9 or 12 volts. Never use a DC adapter when it calls for AC, could fry things. I would like a lathe but with my luck I would only use it a few times then it would collect dust along with my 3D printer, saw table and CNC machine.

[@lv_woodturner3899]

Good to see the lathe back to working order. I have the original Shooting Star display on a milling machine I purchased used in 2017. Not all the features of your display. I was going to upgrade to your display, but then found the company founder passed away suddenly, so as you mentioned the company closed. Sad for his family and for us Shooting Star users. Good to know the power supply is odd 7V AC. I had not looked at the transformer, but just checked, and sure enough 7V AC and 10VA output. I will continue using my DRO until it stops functioning then will likely upgrade to a better unit. Thanks for the tip on removing the oilers. I have to replace some of mine and was wondering how to get them out. Dave.

[@toninica]

Come on, man. How lucky are you to find a lathe at the price of a pile of scrap metal? I would like that too. Uff👍👍👍

[@the_real_randall]

I have this same lathe, in the Precision Mathews variant. At least it looks the same! PM 1236 is Lathe Model. Gives me encouragement that you can put an 8-inch chuck on the lathe.

[@billjulian9496]

Teach, your SHENWAI 900 is an outatanding lathe, you did well! I recently bought one andhave no issues

[@glasslinger]

$1400 for a lathe in that condition, now working, is a VERY GOOD DEAL! Prices of used machines that size (super desirable!) are through the roof if they are in any reasonable condition! And with a working digital readout? ROBBERY!

[@georgespangler1517]

I figured as much 2 year's ago and started buying them up here in Delaware and restoring them,, l have 6 atlas lathes now 2-12x36 with quick change gear boxes and 4- 6 inch 618s and a 11 inch Logan and Sheldon horizontal mill and pretty much all attachments and tons of tooling,, have only invested 3000 dollars in everything,, I've seen the prices rise to over 4 times what I payed as people realize vintage machines are still better than buying new unless you really pay up,, l will never sell my Logan lathe and Sheldon horizontal mill,, but will be selling all the atlas's soon,, l figure the 2 12 inch with quick change gear boxes will recoupe all the money l put out and others will be profit as well as the attachments that bring crazy money, the 4 milling attachments are bringing 400 dollars a peace now,, l have one 618 that's never been used like brand new,, beautiful machine. Atlas lathes was more the hobbyist lathe and was taken good care of by most that bought them..

[@jaisonbadillo5139]

Thank you Sr. I greatly appreciate what you do!

[@ogaugeclockwork4407]

Great buy! They’re not a bad machine.

[@Mynameja]

Brilliant hope you have years fun. Fantastic video loved it.

[@BruceBoschek]

Great job! BTW, the axes on a lathe are actually Z (bed from head stock to tail stock) and X (cross slide) Y is vertical and unchanging. Also, something I got used to many years ago after a sad learning event. It is a good idea to place a wooden board on the ways when changing or mounting a chuck. That way if you slip or anything else happens causing the chuck to fall it will hit the board and not the ways. Chucks are heavy and difficult to handle. That new chuck looks very nice. Enjoyed the video very much.

[@GregWellwood]

Thanks! I've had a number of comments about the X and Y and actually Z, so I took a look at the DRO today. The "DRO Y" has the option of measuring radius or diameter, so if I want to use that, I'm kinda stuck with it (not a useful option if I use it as a Lathe Z). The "DRO X" reads +/-0.0005" and the "DRO Y" reads +/-0.001". This is my first kick at the can with a DRO, not sure I trust it yet; I'm still micrometers and verniers in my head. I'll get there. I used a section of conveyor belting to protect the ways.

[@BruceBoschek]

@@GregWellwood I think there is a lot of confusion about the axes of lathes. DRO manufacturers don't make it any clearer. You probably will need to check the DRO and the machine dials with dial indicators. Sorry I didn't notice the conveyor belt way protection.

[@raymondj8768]

GREAT JOB SHOP TEACHER DUDE !!!!!

[@therealzilch]

Great stuff, subscribed. Cheers from a musical instrument maker in Vienna, who has to make lots of his own tools, Scott

[@earl60446]

Great job on that DRO, only a shop teacher machinist would measure with a machinist rule between zip ties on that DRO cable, LOL, good job all around.

[@deankay4434]

Who uses 7Vac for anything? That is crazy!!! Plus, 450 MV is not enough… “I’m giving it all she’s got Captain! I hope the Dilithium Crystal’s hold out, the deflector shields are pulling all of our power of the propulsion system, Captain!” Scotty out!

[@tomboyqueenX]

I enjoyed your patois. You have a knack for it. Good content too.

[@Mangsaab1954]

"patois" ..... now I know where "patter" comes from. I learnt something today thanks!

[@philipdenner8504]

Well done that man.

[@rick3140]

Check the chuck to see if the one of the scroll pinions is marked. It with be the only one that will have accurate accuracy when the jaws are tightened. It’s called the nominated pinion, and was the one used when the jaws were ground. Good job on the lathe.

[@jamessmith7691]

Good find. Watch out your sleeves my shop teacher would say.

[@ramrodou812]

Awesome video. I want that truck.😀

[@themotofixery]

Love the commentary! Thumbs up

[@ronbianca1975]

Good job my friend! Keep up the good video!

[@HairyNumbNuts]

That's an excellent lathe. I have one (different name, same Taiwanese made unit) that I bought brand new.

[@calvarybuilders5689]

As your tightening the Chuck to the spindle, use a rubber mallet on the face of the chuck to help it tighten and accuracy

[@boblordylordyhowie]

I'm working on a mini lathe for a friend as it had been in an accident and some parts were damaged and the cover and control panel box was shattered. I had to find replacements from 3 different lathes, construct a new mounting plate for the control panel, a mounting plate for the control box as it was far different from the original. I fixed it up but found the brushes had worn unevenly for some reason, so, am now awating new brushes to see if it will work, if not I suspect some unseen damage to the control parts.

[@adrianhorsnell8900]

A very interesting video, thank you very much. From your accent I guess you're Canadian - my compliments on your effortless command of Anglo Saxon swearwords, I look forward to watching more of your videos!

[@GregWellwood]

I am indeed Canadian. For bonus marks, can you tell by my accent alone, which part of Canada I am in? Western/Prairies/Ontario/Quebec/Atlantic?

[@davidlegault9745]

@@GregWellwood No tools allowed in Ontario school shops. Shop teachers only teach origami - errr, that was until the paper cut incident - not sure what they are teaching now so that lets out Ontario. Great video by the way - fellow Canuck here in Ontario.

[@JBFromOZ]

Nice work! I recorded a series AL960B salvage rebuild, looks like a very similar lathe. By taking the tang off the tail off the drill chuck, you may risk the drill chuck spinning in the Morse taper!

[@joemuncie9187]

Nice video. You're a better machinist than you admit to

[@BensWorkshop]

Never used a DRO myself, so I would have left that off, but well done for getting everything back together.

[@andresgazso881]

What I like about this video is that it requires a lot of money in machines, tools, knowledge, and time, to be able to buy a cheap machine

[@krisgreenwood5173]

That's an understatement.

[@Agnemons]

@@krisgreenwood5173If a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into. Then machine tools are a hole in the concrete floor you throw money at.

[@mikeandcolleenk9831]

Id love to find a scrap lathe!! Awsome

[@nitris223]

I have the exact same lathe. I had the same roll pin fall out twice. The hole was slightly larger and would not hold the pin securely. I solved it with some airplane lock wire. It's a pain taking the carriage off. I dread the day I have to source any parts for it.

[@edsmachine93]

Good find, nice score. Well done on the fixes. I have a 12x36 Enco. Your lathe is basically the same thing. Great content. P.S. I will subscribe. Thank you, EM.

[@davesanders9203]

"I happen to have stuff lying around"! That's how I make things work! LOL!

[@Californiamartinez]

Cool video! I’m subscribed.