Replies

1. 
   DavidxDoud | Nov 28, 2005 07:56am | #1

   well,  there is always ebay -

   and here's http://www.owwm.com/  - - Old Woodworking Machines -

   a quick search of their manufacturers index and forum didn't reveal any 'Bradford Machine Tool' company - didn't check 'metalmaster' and such -

   I'd encourage you to check in with Jeff Goslin there (head honcho) his email is prominant - they get real excited when someone offers a new manufacturer -

    

   "there's enough for everyone"
1. 
   user-51823 | Nov 28, 2005 05:55pm | #5

   thanks for the links david. just coming home from my parents' house and was considering posting a similar question.
   i'm facing the same clearing-out, starting any time i feel up to it. dad is almost 91, had a stroke a few years ago and has much more than just an attic's worth of tools and miscellany. theres trash mixed in with some wonderful stuff. i'll keep a few sentimental items and some things i can use (the bandsaw, etc) but there's 2 enormous lathes ?! yes, 2 !?) that i'd like to go to a good home. i didn't consider ebay for the big stuff, but heck, people sell cars there too, so why not-

1. 
   moltenmetal | Nov 30, 2005 04:17pm | #11

   Dude- enter some profile information!  I bet there's lots of people out there who want your dad's big old lathes- if you're within a reasonable trucking distance!

1. 
   Tsquared | Dec 01, 2005 05:30pm | #15

   Well, sorry to say, he's long gone out of the business, and long gone besides. Just this saw left.

2. 
   user-51823 | Dec 04, 2005 08:40am | #16

   thanks for the heads-up about my profile. i had to re-register a few weeks ago and didn't realize i had to rewrite it.
   i think my old profile info still exists as "msm", but it was pretty cryptic.short of ebay, what do you suggest is the best venue to advertise a coupla lathes? and any suggestions on weighing them? lol-

1. 
   VaTom | Dec 04, 2005 09:39am | #17

   short of ebay, what do you suggest is the best venue to advertise a coupla lathes? and any suggestions on weighing them? lol-

   Here's not a bad place.  I've been looking for one.  How far south of Va do you have to go to find "steamy"?  Weight, I've got no idea.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!

2. 
   Huck | Dec 04, 2005 09:43am | #18

   There's a classifieds section right here - I'm guessing you could find a good home for them without going the ebay route. Post some pics and descriptions, the rest will take care of itself! Just one man's opinion.

3. 
   user-51823 | Dec 04, 2005 05:44pm | #19

   wow- i've never been past the boards here. thanks!
   next time i go to visit them i'll take the digital camera.
   i'd still like to be able to post at least a guestimate of the weight for the benefit of potential buyers...

4. 
   moltenmetal | Dec 05, 2005 04:06pm | #20

   How to weigh depends on what you've got at hand.  Do you have a means to lift it?  If so, you can rent a crane loadcell. 

   If not, then the other trick I've used is a "porta power" style hand jack- you know, the ones with the ram separate from the hand pump- and a pressure gauge.  Jack one end off the ground and record the pressure.  Jack the other end and do the same- the sum of the two gives the approximate total force required to lift the whole object.  Measure the area of the ram's piston with a vernier caliper.  Pressure equals force over area:  if you know the area of the piston in square inches and the pressure in pounds force per square inch, you know how many pounds force your object is putting on the ram to lift it.  If you don't want to do the math, lift something HEAVY you know the weight of and record the pressure.  If one ton gives you 1000 psig on your gauge, and the lathe takes 2000 psig to lift it, you know the lathe weighs 2 tons.

5. 
   DavidxDoud | Dec 05, 2005 04:35pm | #21

   or if you just want a rough estimate,  go to the 'Grizzly' wesite and find a machine that's comparable - they are proud of the weight of their machines and list it in the specs -

   http://www.grizzly.com/products/mach-specs-pdfs.aspx?key=460

    "there's enough for everyone"

6. 
   jimblodgett | Dec 05, 2005 04:46pm | #22

   You could put a bathroom scale unfer each foot and add up the numbers.

   Craigslist is a good way to find local buyers for anything under the sun.   

7. 
   user-51823 | Dec 05, 2005 06:00pm | #23

   lol- good idea, but i feel pretty certain that even distributed 4 ways, the weight of the bigger lathe would crush an ordinary bathroom scale. it's an industrial doojobey dad got at an auction from a high school wood shop, and it's a solid sucker. i suppose i could weigh some scraps of plywood and set them ontop of the scales first-thanks for all the suggestions all!

8. 
   user-51823 | Dec 05, 2005 06:07pm | #24

   brillinat suggestions. how big is this rig you describe though?
   the other problem is how crowded dad's small workshop is. the lathes were the first to move into it in 1969, and everything else was moved in all around it, and the clutter got worse after dad turned about 80. there's going to be lots of moving just to get to the things. this thread has been great to help me start preparing for dismantling the workshop :-(

9. 
   moltenmetal | Dec 05, 2005 08:59pm | #25

   Forget about bathroom scales or using modern equipment for comparison- the old stuff was built in the days when cast iron was cheap and unreliable so more was better and reducing the casting thickness wasn't worth the risk.

   You can get pancake rams down to less than 2.5" high, with lift limits up to 50 ton each if you want.  You lift the unit in place, so as long as nothing is resting on it you don't need much space to work.  Just block the ram under a solid part of the casting and jack each end up 1/4" off the floor in turn, keeping all body parts clear at all times.  The jack's on a hose and you can put it anywhere. 

   Princess Auto up here sells the whole deal (pump, hose and ram) with a lift limit of 10 ton for about $100 CDN - I'd imagine Harbour Freight sells the same thing for about $70 US.  These rigs are also commonly available for rent from industrial machine mover outfits or industrial rental places.  They don't usually come with a pressure gauge- we just add a heavy steel 1/4" NPT tee and a barstock nipple on the discharge of the pump and screw the gauge in.  Careful as these rigs are often 10,000 psig rated, so you can't get away with common plumbing components here!  We use this method to do check weights on tractor-trailer sized chemical plant modules.

   I was anticipating that your dad was like my dad is- mine just turned 90 this year and is still going strong, but man, he liked HEAVY stuff!  The old Hendey engine lathe my dad has in his basement weighs at least two tons- and went in through the basement window.  The mill was a little trickier still at 2.5 tons...the main casting alone is over 1.5 tons.  He had to lower the concrete rough opening by about 18 inches to get that one in.  He jokes that when he passes on, whoever buys the house will be buying a workshop too!

2. 
   Tsquared | Nov 28, 2005 05:57pm | #7

   Thanks for the info. I wrote him and we'll see what happens. I checked the site and found no references. Good things await those who wait..............

2. 
   BillHartmann | Nov 28, 2005 08:02am | #2

   Are you sure that it is Bradford and not Binford Tool Co? <G>

   I found a lot of stuff on Bradford Metalmaster lathes.

   Here is a history of the company.

   http://www.lathes.co.uk/bradford/

   But this is a comfirnation that they did make such tools.

   "The second World War saw the erection, in 1943, of a new plant to manufacture four-ton, six-wheel drive truck axles for the Government; this building was used from 1946 to make a new range of electric grinders, buffers, polishers and portable electric hand tools - a range which gradually absorbed most of Bradford's production capacity, the lathe line in the 1950s being reduced to a single model built with swings of 14, 16 and 18 inches."

1. 
   mrmojo | Nov 28, 2005 03:18pm | #3

   he he he said erectionDue to recent budget cuts the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off until further notice.

1. 
   Tsquared | Nov 28, 2005 05:55pm | #6

   mrmojo seems to have a tool issue here...................

2. 
   Tsquared | Nov 28, 2005 05:54pm | #4

   Thanks, but the manufacturer's tag is clear as a bell. I've even got a parts list with the letterhead. This thing is a gem. thanks.

1. 
   BillHartmann | Nov 30, 2005 01:23am | #8

   Does the letterhead show a Cincinnati? That is where the Bradford Co that I linked to was located.BTW this is what I ment by asking if it could be a Bindford tool.http://www.mortystv.com/showcards/home_improvement.shtml

1. 
   Tsquared | Nov 30, 2005 08:37am | #9

   Yeah, it has the full cincinnati address. My dad was in the machinery business, so i know alot of names, etc.Dov

2. 
   Tsquared | Nov 30, 2005 08:42am | #10

   BTW, the link was interesting , especially, the Pamela Anderson pic, hyuk. But was I supposed, use something from that link? Besides Pam................

1. 
   Piffin | Nov 30, 2005 04:32pm | #12

   Sign in the machinery shop..."Ladies,
   If you are wearing loose clothing
   Watch out for the machinery.
   If you are wearing tight clothing,
   Watch out for the machinist" 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   Tsquared | Nov 30, 2005 05:42pm | #13

   Here, i thought i was  a Rabbi, and see how wise you are.........

3. 
   Piffin | Nov 30, 2005 05:48pm | #14

   just a monkey witha keyboard 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!