# New toy



## marcros (16 Aug 2016)

I have been looking for a lathe for a little while and bid on eBay over the weekend. I collected it today. 

It is a boley 4L, I believe it is from the 1930's. You can feel the quality in it and it is very heavy. 

It needs a bit of work doing to it which I will start when I have finished doing my meddings drill. 

Other than a general clean, the main issue is the compound slide, where there is play in the forwards backwards shaft. The seller said that a thrust washer would sort it- he was open about the issue in the listing so I will see when I strip it down. It needs a new flat belt and a bench/stand making. I assume that the motor runs but if not I will have to get one. 

Also came with a full set of change wheels! 

I will post some pics shortly.


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## adidat (16 Aug 2016)

pics or it didn't happen!!!



adidat


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## marcros (16 Aug 2016)

all in good time- taking me ages to transfer them from my phone, resize and upload them!!!


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## adidat (16 Aug 2016)

You can download the photo bucket app and then just upload them from your phone then copy and paste the link on the computer

Adidat


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## marcros (16 Aug 2016)




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## monkeybiter (17 Aug 2016)

Looks like a nice project.
Is this why you're in need of more space and selling stuff?


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## marcros (17 Aug 2016)

it is certainly a good part of it. i enjoy woodwork, but at the moment, i get 3-4 a week in the workshop at most. In the winter, it is too cold for glue to set. I figure that if i focus on some things like making pens, I can complete a project in a session or two. I want to use the metal lathe so that i can accurately size the parts for threading using taps and dies and make them completely from scratch rather than kits.

I have been meaning to bung some stuff on sale for a while, but i wanted to take some pics of the lathe tonight, so got my buttocks in gear!!


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## DTR (17 Aug 2016)

Congrats on getting a Boley!

Might a thrust roller bearing be a bit smoother than a thrust washer on the feed screw? (if there's room for one, that is)


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## marcros (17 Aug 2016)

Thanks Dave. A thrust bearing may well be a better option, I will have to look. The chap may have said that actually. He mentioned both, but since neither meant a great deal to me, i just remembered the bit about stripping it down to have a look. I assume that it all comes down to space?


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## Aggrajag (17 Aug 2016)

adidat":1vabgyw6 said:


> You can download the photo bucket app and then just upload them from your phone then copy and paste the link on the computer



The problem with that is every picture takes at least 30 seconds to view, even on a PC with 20 meg connection; the photobucket website is atrociously slow.


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## marcros (17 Aug 2016)

i found quite a simple way of doing it on my mac, once i had got them off my phone. i needed an android file transfer programme apparently, and then it was easy.


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## adidat (17 Aug 2016)

Aggrajag":sx8g7nmb said:


> adidat":sx8g7nmb said:
> 
> 
> > You can download the photo bucket app and then just upload them from your phone then copy and paste the link on the computer
> ...



The website is pretty rubbish sure. But they load instantley on the forum

Looks like a nice lathe btw! Just planning the move and making space for my new south bend 13" lathe.

Adidat


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## bugbear (17 Aug 2016)

marcros":3dzqrdxr said:


> It is a boley 4L, I believe it is from the 1930's. You can feel the quality in it and it is very heavy.
> 
> It needs a bit of work doing to it which I will start when I have finished doing my meddings drill.
> 
> Other than a general clean, the main issue is the compound slide, where there is play in the forwards backwards shaft. The seller said that a thrust washer would sort it- he was open about the issue in the listing so I will see when I strip it down. It needs a new flat belt and a bench/stand making. I assume that the motor runs but if not I will have to get one.



Hmm. I would look into how this is supposed to work; I find it hard to believe there's been enough wear to result in that lash, so it may be either a poor modification, repair, or missing part.

Lash is normal, and can be worked round, but this is a Boley; it should have (almost) none.

BugBear


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## marcros (17 Aug 2016)

adidat":1z69rb2t said:


> Aggrajag":1z69rb2t said:
> 
> 
> > adidat":1z69rb2t said:
> ...



That sounds a beast!


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## MusicMan (17 Aug 2016)

Mark
Bugbear is correct, that is a misadjustment or missing part, not wear. When I get out of hospital, as promised I will look at mine (which is very similar) and photograph how it goes together. There should be zero slop in that part. There may be wear in the leadscrew and/or nut of course. In mine it is mostly in the central part of the leadscrew.

Good to see the pics. It does look in nice condition. It will be interesting to see if the bed does not have too much wear as yo go to and from the headstock. That fit is adjustable with a neat taper gib plate. I've just had my machine rev round (bed and slides) and am in the process of realigning it all. Except this darn UTI and laser prostate surgery then another UTI have kept me out of the workshop for three months!

Keith


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## woodpig (17 Aug 2016)

Given the age of the machine it could well be a badly worn leadscrew nut.

Some folks have made their own replacements:
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/thread ... e-easy-way


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## graduate_owner (17 Aug 2016)

How do these compare with a M series Myford Drummond type?

K


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## adidat (17 Aug 2016)

woodpig":1syzx1wy said:


> Given the age of the machine it could well be a badly worn leadscrew nut.
> 
> Some folks have made their own replacements:
> http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/thread ... e-easy-way




That's an excellent method, thanks for sharing that!

Adidat


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## DTR (19 Aug 2016)

graduate_owner":3snog56m said:


> How do these compare with a M series Myford Drummond type?
> 
> K



No experience with either, unfortunately, but I'd expect the build and design quality of a Boley to be exceptional. The M-type, on the other hand, was aimed at a different market. That's not to say that the M-type isn't a good lathe; there's some debate as to whether the M-type is better than a Myford ML7. It was certainly good enough for the British armed forces to adopt as their standard lathe during the 1940s.



adidat":3snog56m said:


> woodpig":3snog56m said:
> 
> 
> > Given the age of the machine it could well be a badly worn leadscrew nut.
> ...



Agreed, very clever


*edit:* This is my 1234th post. My OCD demands that I never post again for fear of ruining my perfect post count (hammer)


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## woodpig (19 Aug 2016)

It should be possible to get leadscrew nuts for most lead screws out there but there's always the possibility of non standard pitch etc so the moulded Delrin is a good backup solution which will always fit properly.


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## MusicMan (19 Aug 2016)

Hi Mark

I've escaped from hospital and had a look at mine as promised. There is a part missing on your handle assembly.

First here are pics corresponding to yours, of the handle wound clockwise and anticlockwise. There is virtually no backlash. And note that what backlash there is is nothing to do with wear on the leadscrew or nut. It is adjustment of the handle assembly.












Removing the end screw allows you to see the mechanism. The arrowed component, a spacer, is missing on yours.






It is not a thrust bearing, just a spacer, totally pointless to make this a bearing. Its purpose is precisely to adjust the backlash in this drive, and allow the graduated scale to be set easily. If too thin (as yours is, being zero!) it gives backlash in the drive. If too thick, it will clamp up too strongly on the knurled component above, which contains a friction clutch allowing the scale to be rotated (to set to zero, for example) without turning the leadscrew, and will not allow you this useful technique. So the thickness has to be accurate. I measured mine at 1.80 mm thick, but yours may be slightly different. ID is 11 mm, OD 19.5 but you obviously need to check this on yours. Looks like the first job when the lathe is set up!

This is the part you need to make, along with the key just in case that is missing. I think the stepped form is deliberate.






Any wear in the nut/screw is additional to this setting backlash. While the above method of making nuts is useful, in my lathe the main wear is on the central region of the leadscrew, not the nut. And the nut itself is an odd external shape, with wings to fit neatly in the housing, so a plain cylinder nut will not do. The thread, from memory, is 12 mm x 1 mm square, but I'd need to check that. They are available fairly cheaply.


Hope this helps

Keith


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## marcros (22 Aug 2016)

thank you for the pics Keith.

How large is the bench that yours is sat on- I assume that it will need to be quite deep to accommodate the motor and countershaft. Would something like 2ft 3 be enough, in which case a solid firedoor would do nicely as a bench top.


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## DiscoStu (23 Aug 2016)

I very much approve of the car used to transport it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## marcros (23 Aug 2016)

it is very handy for tasks like that, even if it is a little on the thirsty side.


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## MusicMan (23 Aug 2016)

marcros":13gwpk3g said:


> thank you for the pics Keith.
> 
> How large is the bench that yours is sat on- I assume that it will need to be quite deep to accommodate the motor and countershaft. Would something like 2ft 3 be enough, in which case a solid firedoor would do nicely as a bench top.



Mark

My Boley cast iron bench is 115 x 42 cm, but the layshaft sticks out at the back making the total width 80 cm. This is actually a bit more than needed. My spindle-layshaft distance is 50 cm and this is about ideal for the pulley sizes, but I think you could safely go down to 40 cm. It should fit on a door-size bench if you put the layshaft assembly right at the back and the lathe a bit forward of the centre. I would double the thickness of the bench top though.

Keith


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## marcros (23 Aug 2016)

Thanks. I have got some spacing bars for the layshaft, when I work out where they go!

80cm is 2'8 so a door blank should work- either 2'6 or 2'9.


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## metaler (30 Nov 2016)

If you wish to know a little, or a lot, about Boley lathes there is plenty of info on the Lathes website. This website is a major source of details for old and not so old machines. It is very well known but I do not see it getting a mention on this thread.

To find it go to Google and put in lathe Boley and it almost certainly will come up first.
Harold Hall


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## marcros (30 Nov 2016)

thanks Harold. the site was a great help when I was looking at whether to buy or not. I have half a bench made- i need to get a top on it now.


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