Photo Index - Delta Specialty/Delta Mfg. Co./Delta-Rockwell/Rockwell Intl. - 955 double duty

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Delta Specialty/Delta Mfg. Co./Delta-Rockwell/Rockwell Intl.
Milwaukee, WI; Jackson, TN; Tupelo, MS

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Lathe, Wood
Machine Size:	9"x19" ( modified)
Submitted By:	James Huston

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	955 double duty
Date of Manufacturer:	unknown
Serial Number:	N/A
Last Updated	1/15/2012 12:54:05 PM

Comments:

I bought this from a coworker who purchased it before realizing what deplorable condition it was in.The former owners had overtightend the head and tail stock, cracking and distorting both die castings; the pulley had one step broken off, and someone mistook the last foot of bed for an anvil ( the 955 has a welded sectional steel bed).
I saw it as the basis for a really nice mini lathe for my wife.
The 955 has a lot of nice features; it has a much better indexing setup than any other lathe its size,it uses the same toolrests as the full sized lathes, and tooling can be readily made for it, as there is no threads or taper, just two straight shanks ( all accessories are held in place by a transversely placed set screw). If you can drill a concentric hole in it, this lathe can run it.This lathe has been equipped with a four jaw chuck, live center, spur center, face plates and drill chuck.
The steel bed lathe is enjoying a renaissance; designers have come to realize ( as Herbert Tautz did in the thirties) that a welded sectional steel bed allows for a much lighter lathe than a cast iron bed can provide, while stopping vibration ( each weld is a barrier for the harmonic variable produced by the lathe) about as well. This lathe can show a clean pair of heels to a modern mini lathe in a lot of respects.
I decided to amputate the crushed portion of the bed, leaving 19" between centers. I managed to coax the castings back into true, and improved them by filling the undersides with devcon putty,there by increasing the surface area clamped to the bed, as well as making them,in effect, solid castings. I bought a treadmill for the motor and electronics and built a stand from the feet of a destroyed joiner stand.The motor is hung below the bed, and all electronics are housed in a box by the tailstock.The wiring is run in channels milled out of the walnut top.
The 9" and 11"steel bed lathes are perfectly suited for this conversion, due to the fact that the bed can be shortened without cutting off any feet.
My father-in-law is a graphic designer, and he was able to make up "period" decals for the lathe, which has been christened "lil' Herbert" ,after its designer,Herbert Tautz.

Photo 1:

Comments: The lathe ,ready to be transported
Source: jhuston

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Photo 2:

Comments: The lathe on its work station
Source: jhuston

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Photo 3:

Comments: Speed chart, on/off switch and speed dial
Source: jhuston

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Photo 4:

Comments: tailstock with modified Delta live center
Source: jhuston

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