Kermit the Lathe's Wild Ride. (and some friends, too)

This drill press and lathe needed to find a new home, but first they had to get outside through a regular old door way as seen on the left of the top photo.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0023-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff004-2.jpg

The drill made it out first, but the lathe was first to it's new home a bit over a km away.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff009-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff007-1.jpg

Our fine escort!:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff013-2.jpg

On the road:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff010-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff011-3.jpg

At the new "batcave".:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...uff01211-1.jpg

Some more "high speed" shots:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff016-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tuff0191-1.jpg
Just a little hard to see...

Anyway, that was how the day was spent.

Thanks for wading through the photos!

You needed a police escort?

Great to see that the equipment got a new home.

Forklift (w/o tag) travelling down a four lane public roadway? It seemed prudent.

Now tell the truth, he was there to book you for exceeding the speed limit.

When I aquired my big lathe, we had to totally dismantle it, then reassemble when it arrived home, still got that hernia.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muffett.2008

Now tell the truth, he was there to book you for exceeding the speed limit.

When I aquired my big lathe, we had to totally dismantle it, then reassemble when it arrived home, still got that hernia.

---

He about scared out of my seat when he hit the siren to go to an accident with injuries call! No escort after that.

Speaking of big equipment, I still haven't figured out what to do with the planer:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff030-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff031-1.jpg

Glad to see Your local PD took the Protect and Serve route rather than the Collect and Serve as the do in my part of the country.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY

Glad to see Your local PD took the Protect and Serve route rather than the Collect and Serve as the do in my part of the country.

---

It's easier if you ask first! And you know half the guys on the force...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmoore

He about scared out of my seat when he hit the siren to go to an accident with injuries call! No escort after that.

Speaking of big equipment, I still haven't figured out what to do with the planer:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff030-1.jpg


https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff031-1.jpg

---

Hmm, load it on a fifth wheel and tow it over? They ain't exactly making big classic machines like that anymore...just like with that horizontal mill behind it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by enbloc8

Hmm, load it on a fifth wheel and tow it over? They ain't exactly making big classic machines like that anymore...just like with that horizontal mill behind it.

---

Well, the guy unloading it from the 18 wheeler said that based on his loadmeter it weighs about 60,000 lbs. The mill behind it ran about 9-10,000 lbs.
Anybody that wants that mill can have it for free. The overarm support is inside. It can probably be made servicable again with a lot of TLC. It wasn't "used up" like my #2 Cincinnatti, but it is fairly weathered.
My beef with it is that the spindle speeds available are just too slow-well less than 1000 RPM, max.

The drama with the planer is the new shop just isn't big enough to contain it , unless all the other stuff goes. I got it to do P40 wing parts and tooling, but that project is long past- I think!

I love to watch a skilled machinest at work it is like magic! Thanks to all those folks who crafted the mechanical works of art we call Milsurps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY

I love to watch a skilled machinest at work it is like magic! Thanks to all those folks who crafted the mechanical works of art we call Milsurps.

---

I've only been doing it for about 30 years, and still I think it's more like watching the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" at times. Of course, considering what I work on for a living, it's no wonder. I mean, "machining aluminum oxide plasma spray covering an inconel substrate with polycarbonate diamond tipped inserts"? How's that not some sort of incantation?

Sounds powerful enough to me, but I'm the guy who wears my tinfoil hat in an attempt to protect my diseased brain from all the dangerous radiation that the microwave kicks out. If you think that's bad, just wait until our (Twosteam and myself) book on Magick for the Millions comes out. It explains EVERYTHING...... although you may not quite follow some of the explanations!

Looks as if it was a monumental process, just moving and then getting things set up. My lathe is only 85 pounds, so I guess that's one advantage of it.

BTW, that is a cute little Bridgeport lathe. What size is it?

If you are up this way some time be sure to call. I know where there's a BIG lathe that we can stare at; I think the original operator was named "Kong".
.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smellie

Sounds powerful enough to me, but I'm the guy who wears my tinfoil hat in an attempt to protect my diseased brain from all the dangerous radiation that the microwave kicks out. If you think that's bad, just wait until our (Twosteam and myself) book on Magick for the Millions comes out. It explains EVERYTHING...... although you may not quite follow some of the explanations!

Looks as if it was a monumental process, just moving and then getting things set up. My lathe is only 85 pounds, so I guess that's one advantage of it.

BTW, that is a cute little Bridgeport lathe. What size is it?

If you are up this way some time be sure to call. I know where there's a BIG lathe that we can stare at; I think the original operator was named "Kong".
.

---

That incantation was the just the bare bones summary. I could flesh it out, but not just now- not enough time!

The Bridgeport (that one's not mine- mine are still in storage awaiting their turn once I manage to move some other stuff out of the way..) has a 42" table IIRC. J head, not 2J.

I don't mind big. But i do try to avoid CNC. Too boring! Or too exasperating, depending on the run.

Oh, this one's not CNC by any means. I don't think they had that back about 1890.

It's big enough that you could build most of a steam locomotive on it. Or make a pretty good stab at a 12-inch gun.

Absolute monster.

The shop that has it keeps it because you would have to pull down one whole wall if you wanted to move it out.

It's beautiful!
.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smellie

Oh, this one's not CNC by any means. I don't think they had that back about 1890.

It's big enough that you could build most of a steam locomotive on it. Or make a pretty good stab at a 12-inch gun.

Absolute monster.

The shop that has it keeps it because you would have to pull down one whole wall if you wanted to move it out.

It's beautiful!
.

---

Sounds very interesting! A bunch of railroad enthusiasts near Chattanooga, TN rescued a steam engine driver wheel lathe that had ended up in Poland somehow. (It was US built, oddly) They were trying to get me to run it, but the commute time would be enormous! Supposedly the last one of it's type in existance.