Member postings for CHRISTOPHER MILLS 1

Phil,

Many thanks, and I will take your wise point on the 3.5 ton van.

I rather look forward to your investigation into my best options with the CovMac.

I see from the historical archive, that by 1938, CovMac were a subsidiary of Alfred Herbert and Company, also of Coventry.

Chris.

Phil,

Sorry to be a pest, but I am calculating the weight I have to shift.

Assuming Tony is right about the weight of the standard Covmac 13" geared head model @ 1870 lbs, 130 lbs short of the ton, our models are heavier in that they have an extra 21" of central bed, and the plinth instead of the headstock end legs.

I am trying to calculate weight of the bed and headstock on their own.

If I remove tailstock,(80lbs?) carriage (200 lbs?) , drip tray, (50lbs? plinth and leg, (80lbs) gap piece (30lbs) and chuck, my feeling is the bed and headstock, and gearbox, remaining are going to be well less than a ton, in which case I can shift it using a drop tail lift three and half ton van?

An average drop tail lift will take a ton. I had ruled that out, early, but now dismantling I think will enable it.

This seems to be my answer, assuming I can separate bed from legs okay .

Are you in broad agreement with me, here? I think I am getting there, now.

Many thanks.

Chris.

Phil,

Although new to metal lathes, I have very carefully spent 18 months studying every aspect of interest to me.

After talking to you, and others on this forum, I am now quite looking forward to moving it.

I think I am resolved now to separate bed from base. Cast iron plinth and legs look so fragile, and the top heaviness seems an accident waiting to happen.

Do you know if the legs come off the drip tray, and then the bed off the tray, or if the legs are integral to the drip tray?

There is a series of "You Tube" videos, headed "Hendy Lathe Move", where this enthusiastic, novice (a bit like myself) American moves a huge old Hendey lathe, in some of the most lunatic ways possible, all alone, every stage done entirely alone) into his basement, and it is more useful, in some ways, watching how "not to do it" than watching professionals doing it properly.

He survived, but he caused three major pieces of damage to the Hendey, including smashing off the taper turning attachment, bending the main rod alongside the lead screw, and smashing off one of the main casting bed legs. He was lucky he did not kill himself, at one point he has it at the tops of a flight of stairs,he is standing at the bottom gazing up at it. When it did finally fall, and smashed the bed leg, he had, give him credit, stepped to one side, out of the danger path.

I think I will separate the legs and bed, under carefully controlled conditions, then bolt and lash the bed to the Rolls Royce pallet" and have my friend put it to his transport. I will discuss it with him on Sunday, when I see him.

Can I visit you, and see your CovMac, when I am up north on business? I would much look forward to it.

Yours differs a little in that it has wheels on the side and compound slide controls. Mine has those cute little handles, with two pieces, a ball and a sort of a toggle. I do not know what they are called, but I love them.

I would guess that my Covmac is a little earlier than yours. I hope to get you pictures in the next week or so. Mine is a battleship grey colour, with a darker grey paint showing underneath. I want to restore it to the darker grey colour.

What do the two big handles on the top of the headstock do? I imagine the left hand one is setting four different spindle speeds, but the right, I do not know.

Chris.

Muzzer,

Many thanks for this - I thought these looked too good to be true, for the price.

How do they get away with this, under our famous Health & Safety culture?

Chris.

Phil,

Many thanks for your time in offering all of this advice. I will take it all onboard, but the friend who said "pallet it" is a very experienced engineer, who has a great deal of experience moving machinery. He has many lathes. Maybe he has not moved many??

I would build a "Rolls Royce of a pallet, because it is not going on any standard sized pallet, being over 7 feet long.

I will look up all the references you have kindly given me.

If I have to move it myself, my inclination is to separate the bed from the legs, and move them separately.

Is there any sense in that? It would address its top-heaviness. I wish to dismantle it anyway, for renovation.

I will take no chances, because I really love this lathe, and I am under no real time pressure, because the vendor is very relaxed; it was his father's and he has taken over two years even to advertise it for sale. He is very happy to see it going to a good home, for the alternative was the scrapman, as nobody else was interested in it.

I cannot afford a professional company, so I really have to shift it myself.

I have to swivel it through 90 degrees, twice, to exit the shed it is sat in.

So, I was thinking of running two heavy duty plywood plates, under the headstock and tailstock ends, with twelve swivel castors, altogether rated at 2.4 tons, and run it over two 1/4 inch plywood sheets, on the floor, to smooth out any bumps in the concrete.

That would move it to the road. I would use bottle jacks to get it up, with two 9 x 2 timbers, under the bed, high enough to push the plates with castors in under.

There is a 2 ton capacity engine crane, hand operated, on eBay for £133. It looks a serious piece of kit.

Could I use one of those to put it onto a flatbed?

I feel happier with the idea of separating bed from the plinth and legs.

I paid £400 for the lathe, and am budgeting about £400 to move it.

Your advice is very much appreciated.

Many thanks.

Chris.

Phil,

Many thanks. According to Tony's site, that motor of yours is off the 17" inch chuck model.

I have a friend who will move my CovMac on a pallet.

I have to move it out of situ, in a back garden shed, and get it to the road. It is all level, and all concreted, but I will be taking no chances.

Are all the pieces you removed easy to get off, or do I need to know anything occult?

Chris.

Phil,

Many thanks for these photographs - it is indeed the same CovMac model as mine.

I hope the weight is not as bad as you say - if Tony has the weight of the 17" geared head right, @ 3360 lbs, then ours must be quite a bit beneath this?

I am hoping for no more than 1.5 tons.

If weight is a problem, I think I will remove all things you removed, plus the saddle.

Has yours got the wooden bar, which runs the length of the machine, attached to the clutch?

When I am up north, I would love to come and see your lathe in the flesh.

You might be able to teach me the controls, too, as I am new to all of this.

I am really looking forward to it all.

Chris.

Neil; many thanks for that .

Phil; I saw your name on another forum, and was hoping to speak with you. We should set up a CovMac group, now there are at least two of us!

Have not moved my lathe, yet. Do you have any idea of its precise weight?

I am in north London, but I will have business in Leeds and Manchester in the coming future. I would love to view a second CovMac.

These lathes are really beautiful. I am really hooked. Why do so few survive, today? I have only seen proof for five survivors, and one of those I fear has likely since gone to the scrapyard.

Chris.

Thanks gents.

How is the apron American?

Can anybody summarize the controls on the 13" geared head CovMac for me? I have never yet used a metal lathe.

Many thanks.

Chris.

Neil,

Mine is a hybrid between the two geared head machines shown on Tony's site: It has a 13 inch chuck throw, with 60" bed, and a plinth base, with little storage cabinet, similar to the 17" geared head model.

It was owned for many years by a retired engineer, and looks meticulously maintained, very well oiled, etc. It needs a clean up, and its cosmetics reviving. It comes with five different chucks, and a big centre steady.

I don't understand the controls yet. I will pick it up in the next few weeks. It is quite heavy to move, (I guess it at about 1.4 tons) but I have an experienced friend guiding me.

It took me over a year to find the lathe I really wanted. Too of these lovely old works of art are heading for the scrap merchants.

Chris.

Dear Neil,

Many thanks. I will contact Tony.

His website has been invaluable to me, in choosing to buy a CovMac.

This lathe is of stupendous quality.

Best wishes.

Chris.

I am the proud new owner of a Covmac (Coventry Machine Tools) metal lathe; I believe these are uncommon, and I would like to speak to anybody else who may own one. I have no idea, yet, how any of the controls work. I am not an engineer, yet. I seek some guidance as to operating it.