yet another lathe ID ?

Poly V belts would certainly be a more elegant solution, but the deed is done.
I think he was swayed by having a tea chest full of old V pulleys.

Just found some photos of my Portass S being restored. As I said, it's eerily similar to the OP's photo. If you look closely at the top of the first photo you can see a pushchair wheel (sans tyre) and pulley which I used as a temporary countershaft. I later use the smaller pulley mounted directly on the spindle to allow me to machine Vs into the flat pulley.

The faceplate slotting (using hand held drill and files) is almost completed in the bottom picture. I ended up mounting it on wooden blocks, raising it about 4" above the steel chip tray. I left the tailstock bolts fairly loose to avoid twisting the bed. Probably not really necessary but seemed like a good idea at the time. Next I made a sensitive drilling machine from steel sections (hacksaws, drills, taps and the lathe) and later a rack feed head for it using a Morris Minor steering rack.

Nowadays I prefer to buy the tools and make stuff with them but I was brassic then, being 14 at the time, so had to make and mend my own tools. The lathe cost me £14 - this would be the mid 70s.....

Murray

Thank you for the pictures Murray, they will give him something to aim for and make a good reference.
After a thorough clean and inspection it looks like it has never been used, or if it has then for very few hours. The headstock bearing brasses still have the 'cross hatching' inside and there are obvious scraper marks showing on the bed. All the arises are clean not a dink on it.
Could be as late as the '50's?

I have an advert from 1914 that appears to show this model. I believe the price was 1 pound 15 shillings(??). I didn't think they sold it as late as the 50s but I'm not an expert on that.

Sounds as if yours is a fine example and hardly used. If you were to look at mine in the flesh you'd see that it had had a fair bit of use. Still worked adequately for my purposes...

Murray

Double post

Edited By Muzzer on 13/11/2015 18:22:47