Wood Lathe Restoration

Restore a wood lathe.

I found a sturdy old wood lathe at an estate sale for pennies and decided to give it a spit shine.

Inspect the lathe and disassemble it. Take good photos of all the moving parts, they come in handy on reassembly.

Cover the bolts and other small hardware in white vinegar to remove rust and grime.

Wash the large parts and dry.

Use your favorite paint removal method. I chose aircraft remover this time around.

Wire brush and wipe the parts down with a solvent. Allow to dry.

Cup brush any parts that need a little extra help with an angle grinder.

Tape off parts that will remain unpainted.

Prime the parts.

Disassemble the electric motor.

Clean out the motor and remove the paint. Prime the motor housing to ready for painting.

Select your paint colors and give all the parts a few good coats.

After 4 or 5 days the vinegar should have done its job. Wire brush, dry and lubricate all the hardware.

Buff all the shiny bits.

Reassemble the beast.

I replaced the drive center and live center. Took MT1 morse tapers. Check the alignment after installation.

This lathe didn't have a banjo lock, so I built one. You can see the instructable through the following link.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Lathe-Banjo-Lock/

Grab some lumber and build a stand to accommodate the lathe and motor.

Stain or paint the stand.

Secure the motor with heavy bolts.

Mount the lathe and hook up the belt. Information on lathe speed can be found in the following instructable.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Calculate-Drill-or-Lathe-Speed/

Plug in the beast and make sure everything is groovy.