101 things to do with an Adept Lathe

I enjoyed the word picture about your Barber John.

My Grandad use to take me somewhere very similar (up in Brixton when there was still a Pie and Mash shop there). I think the chairs were black leather and I used to sit on a wooden plank set across the arms and to be "very careful not to scuff the seat".

No Mr Nancurvis though I'm afraid.

IanT

I have to say, you lot don't have a great deal of imagination. Why not turn it into a lathe?

ME 2408 17 July 1947 pp. 57-60.

Neil

Neil, I think I'll just leave my little lathe as is, It's a reminder of another time. Ian S C

Given the merriment that my short-lived "game" caused ... I was interested to see this one described as a Watchmaking Lathe, being offered "direct from Myford Ltd."

MichaelG.

Michael,  I can see that the new owners have taken a step forward with their new line in Myford machines.

I have a Super Adept my Grandad bought in a pub for 30/-. It's never made anything, I cleaned it up, put some Hammerite on it, put it back on the shelf where it's now rusting away again.

Just after it was cleaned up:

So once this thread has run its course, I'll know what to do with it!

Steve

Edited By Steve Withnell on 15/07/2014 19:58:48

Edited By Steve Withnell on 15/07/2014 19:59:12

I'll give you £1.65 for it. 10% seems a fair markup

Neil

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... or indeed a Watch !!!

MichaelG.

..

"Just use it as raw materials to make something decent out of."

... That was actually the starting-point for this thread [a thinking game].

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 15/07/2014 23:13:12

I need a door stop for the workshop!

Seriously though, I remember the article Neil posted above. I enjoyed reading it many years ago and If I had had the facilities at the time to improve it, an Adept would would have made an ideal addition to the workshop.

It would be great for watch and clock repairs, and for 00 and 0 gauce railways.

There were many contributors to Model Engineer in the post war years who wrote articles about improving small lathes. They had to, they could not pick up the phone and just buy a lathe made in China for a fraction of the cost of a British machine like you can now.

It does seem a bit mean when something is over advertised. It could be bought by and OAP or kid with great expectations only to be dashed and frustrated. Different matter from one of us buying it as an ornament or curio. There is also a round bed Drummond that keeps appearing on ebay as a 'gunsmith's lathe' but so far nobody has be taken in.

Despite the knocks as said above it could be used for small work so it would be interesting if one of those who do own one to make eg a small oscillator engine and show teh process in a thread.

.

Exactly ...

MichaelG.

I can sell you an ecologist's dishwashing machine. It would be true, but no good for washing ecologists...

Seriously, despite what I said I would be interested in a short article on real experience with an Adept (super or otherwise).

Neil

When the bull wheel locking pin got damaged on my 1326 BH lathe, I used the Super Adept to turn a new one from a bit of silver steel. Did a similar job a little earlier, before the Adept was set up by holding the bit of steel in the Jacobs chuck on the vertical milling machine, and holding a lathe tool in the machine vice, and using that set up turned ??, can't remember what, but it was steel of some sort, and looking back, was probably easier than the little lathe.

Ian S C         NBG as boat anchor, or door stop.

Edited By Ian S C on 16/07/2014 13:23:45

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Quite so, Neil

... and if you were just an individual, it would be caveat emptor.

But; if you were trading as a well-known manufacturer of dishwashing machines; I might reasonably expect you to describe your machine plainly.

MichaelG.

Steve - what a beautiful little lathe!

I took an old Unimat SL (mark 1) and CNC'd it and not only is it a great exhibition display, it actually works - latest turnings are parts for safety valves. An adept would be a great little one to do, but lathes like this do not seem to exist on this side of the atlantic.

Sigh - JohnS.

Agreed. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the design of the lathe. A dovetail bed and steel-in-cast-iron headstock all work admirably. The only real problem is trying to do work that is too big for it. - empahsised by that 4 jaw chuck. The execution of the design by Adept may not have been great (but no worse than some of the more modern imports) but Cowells have shown how a similar basic design can made into a first class machine for making small items. I myself have an early Flexispeed waiting for some TLC.

Cheers,

Rod

Edited By Roderick Jenkins on 16/07/2014 17:36:22

There was one listed off and on for a year or so in the Toronto Craigslist. He started off at $150, which I thought was kind of "up there" considering its condition (poor but possibly restorable). Then the asking price was raised to $200 (perhaps in the hope that the inevitable "offers" would come in at around the original $150).

The ad seems to have disappeared recently - I don't know if he sold it or got fed up.

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John,

An interesting alternative, from your side, might be the Goodell Pratt

But; do bear in mind that G-P used a WW-style bed, so longitudinal traverse, or screwcutting, under CNC might prove challenging.

MichaelG.

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John,

Just for clarity ... this is the page that I should have pointed you to.

MichaelG.

Why does everyone knock these these lathes. They were probably leading edge technology in their day. Any lathe is a good lathe (especially if you do not have one).

Found this one at our local machinery supplier in Sydney. It is treadle powered with your foot. Not sure what type it is. Will find more details next time.