(OT) Giant wood turning timber bed lathes.

[airboss]

I have a pair of "The Porter" timber bed lathes dating from the early part of the last century. One set is a 16" (8 center) and the other is a 24" (12" center). When set up at the end of the bed, the centers are limited only by the height of the bearing center above the ground.

What that means is a guy could turn a 4' or 5' horn if he so desired from either lathe. They include dead centers, live centers and massive hardware for setting up knife supports and guides in any configuration you can imagine.

They came out of Paramount Studios (scene) carpentry shop from very early in the last century. Cecile B DeMille probably had Grecian Columns built on these things.

If a guy had some sense of adventure, he could set one of these up to turn round Traxtrix horns in any configuration he so desired. They were designed to be driven from a line shaft, but I think a scheme for drive by electric motor or even a Milwaukee Hole Hawg, could be put together to do just about what ever you wanted.

I don't need them, or at least not both of them. They are free. It's just shipping that will kick your butt. Carefully packed on pallets I think we could get the weight down to a couple of hundred pounds for either one. I hav recently brought a Leslie cabinet from Ohio to Sparks Nevada (255lbs) using FedEX Ltd Freight for about $155 terminal to terminal. There's a terminal in Sparks for drop off, you'ld just have to find a close by terminal to pick them up from. Having them delivered to the house with a tailgate will add over a $100 bucks.

I'll post a photo or two here today or tomorrow. If you decided to set one up as bed lathe (for turning those columns you've always wanted in your garden, you'ld build your own beds from 2 by 8 lumber laminated with Titebond. As open ended bowl or horn turning lathes I would build a base from concrete block and a little sackcrete.

Anyway, If I don't get them gone this summer they go to scrap. Hate to do that.

Dan

[SD-50]

I hope someone here snaps these up, hate to see them end up as scrap. Await the pics.
Cheers

[gearfreak]

Suitable for the 'free to a good home' portion of the classifieds section, though I've been limited to 2 posts therein, so YMMV.

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

Dan, post them on owwm.org........ you'll have a taker there.

[airboss]

Dan, post them on owwm.net........ you'll have a taker there.

That's where I heard about them. They were in Las Vegas about 8 hours away. I picked them up mostly to save them from the scrap heap.

And as far as OWWM, that is one cheap bunch. I've offered them there. No body wants to pay postage. If I'll drive them to Ohio for the yearly get together I might be able to make a trade for something equally as useful :lol: Bottom feeders.

Anyway, I read a couple things about the Tractrix (sp) and seems to me there are folks about these environs with adventurous spirits.

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

And as far as OWWM, that is one cheap bunch.

It really depends if it's strictly a hobby, or a business acquisition.

I've offered them there. No body wants to pay postage. If I'll drive them to Ohio for the yearly get together I might be able to make a trade for something equally as useful :lol: Bottom feeders.

Being in Nevada you're kind of out of the way from a lot of people.

Did you post lots of good pictures? Unless you've got a really hot machine, just throwing a quick ad up, won't always do it. Either bump the ad, or repost it. You'll have a whole lot more traffic there, than here.

Oh..... and Arnfest is in IL, not Ohio....... if you get to Ohio, turn around and go back two states

[airboss]

It really depends if it's strictly a hobby, or a business acquisition.



Being in Nevada you're kind of out of the way from a lot of people.

Did you post lots of good pictures? Unless you've got a really hot machine, just throwing a quick ad up, won't always do it. Either bump the ad, or repost it. You'll have a whole lot more traffic there, than here.

Oh..... and Arnfest is in IL, not Ohio....... if you get to Ohio, turn around and go back two states

Wouldn't it be better if I just took a map? All that stuff in the middle is the moon to me. I had the trip planned this last summer but my wife was hospitalized the entire summer. Oh well.

No I haven't really done the bang up job of trying to move the things. And I will before I melt them down. It's good 100 Y/O cast iron too. I'm sure it will machine well. Maybe make Christmas tree ornaments out of them. I would even ship them for a decent trade. What I really need to find is a nice mod#66 to trade for my #72 Powermatic. It's too big for the shop. But what a saw!

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

........All that stuff in the middle is the moon to me.......

Well, you're on the right track then......... Wisconsin is in the middle, and that's where cheese comes from, and the moon is made of cheese!

I had the trip planned this last summer but my wife was hospitalized the entire summer. Oh well.

Hope everything is ok, now.

[zelgall]

That's where I heard about them. They were in Las Vegas about 8 hours away. I picked them up mostly to save them from the scrap heap.

And as far as OWWM, that is one cheap bunch. I've offered them there. No body wants to pay postage. If I'll drive them to Ohio for the yearly get together I might be able to make a trade for something equally as useful :lol: Bottom feeders.

Anyway, I read a couple things about the Tractrix (sp) and seems to me there are folks about these environs with adventurous spirits.

If you can get one that does 24" dia cuts up north, I'll pick it up in Ohio if it'll help you out of your situation Please don't trash either one, it's hard to find lathes lie these.

[jnorv]

I am in San Jose, short drive to Sparks. Will one fit in the bed of a Pickup truck?

Jim N