New Old Kerry Lathe

I have just got my first lathe home, cleaned it up and almost ready for use with a few additional bits. It's the Kerry AG MK3, I have read the article on lathes.co.uk and they seem a well made machine.

The gaps annoyingly missing, if any has any spare parts, doner machines I'd be interested, a manual will be also be useful.

I am looking to build some of the tools from the likes of Hemingway Kits and the like, along with some general jobs along the way.

Whats everyone's thoughts on these machines, I'd be interested to hear from past/ current owners on things to look out for.

Thanks, Tommy

You might find the results of a search in the search box in the middle of the home page here helpful.

Good luck with your Kerry!

Thanks ega, there will be information regarding the lathe I'm sure, but being my first lathe and all that, I wanted to post it.

Cheers Tommy

I’ve never had the pleasure of owning a Kerry, but our technician at BAe had one in his workshop and it was a thing of beauty !

That angled tailstock screw is a good indication of how much care they put into them.

A fine acquisition, Tommy

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 05/09/2021 18:09:51

Thanks for the response Michael, it seems a well built, capable machine, just not as many about as other makes, there is a lot that I'm liking about it, angled tail stock included. It came from a railway enthusiast' son, not been used in decades.

Thanks again.

We had one where I worked I made many stuart model engines on it, brilliant old lathe.Youre very lucky to pick that up

Allan-lloyd it's appearing that way, thanks

Hello Tommy,

Sorry to be a damper on your purchase but the chances of finding a replacement gap piece are very poor indeed. Each was a unique item made to fit each individual bed and then finished in situ while fitted to the bed along with the final scraping and finishing operations

The Kerry lathe has a fine pedigree and apart from that missing item it will serve you well.

Regards

Brian

I thought as much, could a replacement from another machine not be scraped in? At the moment I'm happy with it.

Tommy,

I'm sure you know as well as I do the complications of attempting that and get a successful result.

Brian

When it comes to replacement gap pieces on a smaller machine I wonder how practical fabrication exploiting modern adhesives and fillers would be.

I suspect the actual loading in Home Shop use would be relatively small. As the necessary hours worked lifetime being vastly smaller than in industrial use something less durable than a proper one piece cast iron job ought to suffice. If the actual bearing surfaces are turcite / moglice or an equivalent refurbishing premature wear ought not to be a great issue anyway.

The job will go much easier if you have access to a reasonable size milling machine or can charm, bribe, coerce, bully someone who has. Bridgeport would be nice.

It seems feasible to start with a lump of flat steel or cast iron the full width of the bed and at least as thick as the basic flat section. Fit a shallow slot where the raised Vee will go. Slot to be at least the width of the Vee base. Make the Vee a prismatic section with a rectangular portion below the triangular Vee so that it sits in nicely. All the top surfaces need to be made a touch undersize as the final surface will be made in place using turcite / mogglice or whatever. Cut the centre part out when finished.

Make a base out of what ever seems reasonable. Probably best to fabricate by screwing and gluing rather than carve from solid. Not forgetting suitable cross braces.Using one of the high end metal loaded fillers rather than simple adhesive will significantly reduce the accuracy of design and manufacture needed. But you will have to spend time on jigging to ensure it assembles true. I doesn't have to be made dead nuts to size. Fill to take up errors or make a bit over then machine accurate.

The trickiest, and most important, part is getting the basic alignment correct. The base of the flat portion needs to be level and parallel to the base of the original flats. Sides also need to be parallel and in line. Shim or build up with filler. Swearing optional! Once its all set add screws as appropriate to to ensure all stays put under shock loads. Don't need many, or even particularly large ones, but you do need something.

Finish off by moulding the bearing surfaces in place using the cross slide for reference as in normal practice with turcite / moglice.

Think I'd start out by having a root round suppliers or E-Bay to see if a box angle plate of sufficiently close size could be found to use as a starter for the base. From what I can gather such are theoretically really useful things but never actually get used. Mine hasn't come out of the cupboard for a real job after 40 years and counting.

Thick wall U section is another potential starter. Weld on hefty flats as needed then machine. Thats the way I'd go. Make the whole thing except the prismatic Vee from weldments. But I have a Bridgeport and good welding gear.

Clive

I would be quite content with a decent Kerry with its gap unfilled

… but I suppose it depends what jobs you have in mind.

MichaelG.