I brought home this little Wade turret lathe today. From what little I can find on the internet it appears to be a #5. It has had some repairs and the cross slide doesn't appear to be original. Luckily it did come with a decent set of collets which it seems are a Wade specific design.
Whoever was running it last had it running with a link-belt v-belt on the flat belt pulley. My plan is to tear it down and restore it. I am thinking about replacing the flat belt pulley with a v-belt pulley and running it with a 3/4hp variable DC motor that I happen to have sitting around.
Does anyone on the forum have experience with these lathes? Does replacing the flat belt with a v-belt pulley seem like the best thing to do?
I replaced the flat belt pulleys with V belt pulleys on my first lathe (an old Atlas flatbed) and found the performance greatly improved.
Of course, it left the lathe still lacking in many ways (especially the "ways", LOL).
I mounted a permanent magnet DC motor on my mill drill and found that it lost torque the slower it ran, so I still had to change belts to get the "Oomph" required for slower spindle speed work.
I'm presently (read eventually) going to replace my self installed single phase motor on my Tree 2 UVR mill with it's original 3 phase motor and drive it with a VFD. I'm curious to see what the lower speed torque characteristics will be.
That is an interesting looking lathe. I've seen people use automotive timing belts on flat pulleys, turning them 'inside out'. I look forward to seeing your progress on this.
(08-02-2014, 06:06 AM)stevec Wrote: I replaced the flat belt pulleys with V belt pulleys on my first lathe (an old Atlas flatbed) and found the performance greatly improved.
Of course, it left the lathe still lacking in many ways (especially the "ways", LOL).
I mounted a permanent magnet DC motor on my mill drill and found that it lost torque the slower it ran, so I still had to change belts to get the "Oomph" required for slower spindle speed work.
I'm presently (read eventually) going to replace my self installed single phase motor on my Tree 2 UVR mill with it's original 3 phase motor and drive it with a VFD. I'm curious to see what the lower speed torque characteristics will be.
Thanks, stevec. I have an Atlas of my own so I know what you mean.
I figured it would lose some torque at slow speeds so I would plan to include as many steps as possible with the space available. That way I could change out the motor easily if it isn't working satisfactorily.
Thanks, Mayhem and EdK. I'll be sure to post pictures as I go. I'm looking forward to learning some new skills along the way.
(08-02-2014, 11:33 AM)Arbalest Wrote: Nice looking Lathe you've got there! Are you going to refurbish it?
Yes, I am going to refurbish it. I got it disassembled and moved yesterday. I'll be working on removing the spindle first. i plan to pull it out with a spacer and threaded rod unless I get a better suggestion. I am rethinking my plan to change the belt pulley. I have read that many SB lathe owners are using automotive serpentine belts.
(08-02-2014, 07:57 AM)Mayhem Wrote: That is an interesting looking lathe. I've seen people use automotive timing belts on flat pulleys, turning them 'inside out'. I look forward to seeing your progress on this.
I did this on the 9" SB I formerly owned replacing a leather belt. The power transfer was at least doubled when I went with the timing belt. BTW, I used Loctite 681925 plastic bonder in combination with a lap joint to size and install the belt. Its available at most big box stores.
The Wade you got is a Second Operation Turret lathe with a forming cross slide which was supplied originally with the machine.. They were used to do volume production of precision parts.. Looking forward to seeing your restoration.. These machines and other Wade lathes were high precision tools built in Waltham Ma. with the heritage from the watch industry..
