Colchester Master

​I couldn't resist this Colchester Master when I found it on eBay, it was relatively local and reasonably priced. I am glad I got as I think I have saved it from a slow damp lingering death. As an experienced engineer and machinist with access to lathes mills etc restoring this piece of our engineering heritage holds no fear. The problem I have is no documentation drawings specs or even operating instructions, please can anyone help? Many thanks Jim.

I have a geared head version of this model and hope that you get some information. As I also have no information on mine. It is my only lathe and is still a very good machine.

Warwick.

Awesome project "Like " button pressed ..

Might be some cave drawings somewhere

My S&B is flat belt driven ,(but all enclosed ), yours has more modern (unguarded for added excitement   V belts .. How old is it?

Congratulations Jim!

Many happy hours and lots of elbow grease ahead!

Neil

Hi Chaps,

Many thanks for the encouragement and kind words, it will be a long haul but worth it if nothing else to stop it becoming landfill. The shop is closed for the Christmas / New Year break so after parking it and dusting off the flaking bits I gave it a couple of tins of penetrating oil!

Happy Christmas to you all

Jim

http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page14.html

Lathes does have one image of a shinier lathe of the same model. Looks like you are only missing a motor.

That brings back many happy memories. My dad had the exact same lathe. His was from the middle to late 1930's and had not had the headstock flat pulleys re configured for Vee belt drive. It was on flat belts driven from an overhead countershaft which we used to flick up and down the pulley steps, by hand, in order to change speed. Those were the days. Unfortunately I didn't inherit the machine as not long before he died my dad sold it to a guy who put the bits in the corner of his farmyard and not long after weighed it in for scrap. That's life. So sad.

Many thanks again for the encouragement, a very sad story from Rick probably all to familiar to most of us. If it turns out like it has just left the factory then it will all have been worthwhile, This one for your dad Rick.

Cheers

Jim