Delta 14” lathe “gift horse”

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deeceedub

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Mar 24, 2018
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Brownfield, TX
My husband and I both like to work on our lathe, and we like to work in the shop together....which means we need another lathe. One of his customers at work had one he wanted to give to us, so we picked it up today. It's an old Delta 1440 model #46-715 and it came right on and turned smoothly. BUT there is no lever to adjust the speed, and it doesn't seem to be available to purchase. Does anyone know where we can get parts? We also need a knockout bar, tool rest, new centers, etc. While I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth...some horses are more trouble than they're worth. :rolleyes:
 

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dogcatcher

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This is one of those lathes that when Delta was sold, the new owners were brain dead. They have slowly comeback with starting to supply parts, but this is one of the tools that was left behind. I doubt even if the parts had been available it would be worth fixing.

An option might be to change out the pulleys on the motor and the spindle shaft, and make it a "belt changer". I have no idea of cost or if it is even possible.
 

Charlie_W

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Sterling, VA USA
With the handle missing, I would assume the Reeves drive was in need of servicing. My thought is that it would cost too much to be worth trying to fix up much. You said it ran? Perhaps this would be a buffing station if the speed is correct.
I would put my dollars into a different lathe.
 

leehljp

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Keep the lathe for a while and look at Ebay a couple of times a week. I have found some old parts that way. Takes a little patience but sometimes it pays off.
 

leehljp

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I have the Grizzly lathe G0462 that has the same "kind" of Reeves drive. Below is the link to it. I do not assume they have the same parts but I have found the same parts interchangeable on other items before.

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/partslists/g0462_pl.pdf

The Reeves drive looks very close to the same. It is not available on the ereplacement site, but Grizzly's Reeves drive is. If somehow you could compare the measurements, it is possible that the Grizzly parts "might" work.
 

deeceedub

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Mar 24, 2018
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Brownfield, TX
Thank you all for the advice. The Delta is really big and takes up too much room in the shop to only serve as a buffer, and we are not mechanically adept enough to rebuild the Reeves. One of the very experienced turners from the local club has volunteered to come down to our shop and check things out, so we will see what he says and go from there. Meanwhile, we will keep looking on eBay and maybe we will get lucky. Thank you all!
 

leehljp

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Take a look at this thread, it's old but give some hope. Good Luck
Alternate Sources for Delta 46-715 Lathe Parts | Fine Woodworking Knots

The link above, although old, suggests exactly what I suspected, that the Grizzly parts should fit. Keep that in mind when your friend comes over. I fully understand people who are not mechanically minded (as most in my family are) but to those who are - it is not a big deal, and sometimes fun to see something running again. Print out the quotes from the link above that deal with the Grizzly parts - and the PDF parts list from the Grizzly. Let your friend check out the prices before you make a decision.

I have that model in a Grizzly and really enjoy the ease of change in RPM vs changing belts. And the motor is more powerful than the normal pen lathes, which shows when turning larger items. Also, while I don't have the specs, I think the Delta will turn larger diameter items than a pen lathe will. My Grizzly will turn 14" diameter with little problem while 10 to 11 is the max on pen lathes.
 

deeceedub

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Mar 24, 2018
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Brownfield, TX
Thank you, Hank, I will do that. Yes, one of the thoughts behind getting the larger lathe was to allow me to turn larger items, as I am planning to turn cake stands that will be about 12" diameter.

The guys in the club have been fantastic to share knowledge and I bet they will enjoy the lathe rehab undertaking, if such a thing is possible.
 
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Wisconsin
I still see people asking a lot for these on craigslist. Just saw one they want 1200.00. asking and getting are always 2 different things. that said maybe a trip to the local hardware store with a picture of the head is in order if you still fortunate enough to have a local mom and pop place left. Sometimes those old timers have good ideas on how to rig something so it works
 

deeceedub

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Mar 24, 2018
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Brownfield, TX
Update: we have found someone locally who has a reputation for being "able to fix anything." He is going to see what he can do before we abandon all hope. Thank you everyone for the valuable input!
 

Loucurr

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Feb 15, 2016
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Florida
Change out the motor for a treadmill dc motor. That will give you variable speed and reverse. Treadmills are always on Craigslist and offerup for free and there are YouTube video showing how to convert it.
 
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