# I have an interesting lathe from Warner Brothers



## mycrofft (Aug 2, 2010)

I received it as a gift in 1970. It has a 36" throw, was allegedly put together from generic factory castings and bearings, and was originally dark green with an unguarded belt drive and no base. Other than a slight warp in the middle of the machined (not bar or tubing) tailstock track, it's GREAT. A family friend bought it when Warner's dissolved their prop department and gave it to me when I was sixteen.
I am looking for an idea what type of second-hand motor I might press into service. (I had the motor off a Hobart slicer but that burned out very quickly). I have belts and pulleys/drive shaft to adjust speed/torque.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

Welcome to the forums, Someone with no name signed Yesterday with the same pic, Would please use Your name, and where your from? We are not able to know who You are. Thank You! Sounds very interesting. Thanks for joining


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## mycrofft (Aug 2, 2010)

I'm not noname, alwyas Mycrofft. I live halfway between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe on a straight line (near Sacramento).


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

mycrofft said:


> I received it as a gift in 1970. It has a 36" throw, was allegedly put together from generic factory castings and bearings, and was originally dark green with an unguarded belt drive and no base. Other than a slight warp in the middle of the machined (not bar or tubing) tailstock track, it's GREAT. A family friend bought it when Warner's dissolved their prop department and gave it to me when I was sixteen.
> I am looking for an idea what type of second-hand motor I might press into service. (I had the motor off a Hobart slicer but that burned out very quickly). I have belts and pulleys/drive shaft to adjust speed/torque.


Hi Mycroft:

I'm going to suggest that you examine your bearings. Clean or replace them first then tackle the motor problem. A lathe itself should not put so much stress on a motor that it burns out without it being very obvious. i.e. you set your chisel into the workpiece and the motor slows almost to the point of not turning. You should be able to do that several times before frying the motor. You might also check to see if there is a reset on your motor. It may be that you've only overheated the motor and a simple reset will restore it to use.

You might also check to be sure the machining still lines up. If they've warped over the years that could also stress the bearings and motor. You may have to install self centering bearings or have the bearing races machined.

Next, you have to consider the size of pieces that you're going to work on. A lathe with a 36" throw is one heck of a big lathe. If you're going to turn 36" logs into full adult body baptismal fonts, you'd better go looking for a concrete pad to mount it on and a whopping big motor, the bigger the better. If you're going to spin tuba bells reduce the concrete, increase the motor but slow the speed.

However, you can use the same lathe for smaller stuff quite handily using a much smaller motor. How big was the Hobart motor? Double it and see how things work. Your telltale sign is when the motor slows as you work. Start with your slowest speed first and gradually built it up until you see it slowing under load. Now you know your limits and your capabilities. If you come across some low cost garage sale motors you might create a switchable motor situation where you use a smaller motor for economy on small pieces and a heavy motor for the really big jobs.

Now, lathes of that capability are rare, even in the professional world. You might let it be known in your area that you have such a machine. Other turners or even organizations may be prepared to pay for time on it to do jobs that they otherwise have to set out of region/country. That's where a second, heavier motor may come in handy.

Hope this helps and good luck.


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## mycrofft (Aug 2, 2010)

*Thanks for the feedback*

I imagine the lubrication through the bearings is about twenty years old, although the drive head spins freely and the tension adjustment which telescopes the static tailpiece works smoothly as well. No wobble. The Hobart motor only has to twirl an eight inch razor sharp blade, but it was cheap, so I tried it. I thnk my dad, who set it up for me originally and relubed it once, was using an old Maytag motor originally.
Only drawback to the design (besides being fifty years out of date as to safety devices) is that, since the entire tailstock is part of the casting which comprises the bed, a separate tool rest is required to do face turnings. If the whole thing hadn't been painted black (obscuring details by cutting contrast) I would post a couple photos.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

Hello Mycrofft! Thank You for letting us know You, and where You are. You have a very interesting lathe there. You said that Your Father, (I believe) had a Maytag motor to power that big Guy, If it works for the most part, then use it, or a newer one a little bigger. Thanks for filling Your profile, We can now read Your post at will, and respond as is necessary. Thanks.


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