# Would a Coronet Mayor lathe be worth buying?



## heimlaga (20 Oct 2015)

I am not very interrested in turning but every now and then I need to turn some simple parts. My Taiwaneese disaster of a lathe keeps fighting me so I had already found an old a very beaten up and worn out small line shaft driven lathe with babbit bearings and all in true 19th century style. It is awaiting a rabuild.

Now I stumbled on a Coronet Mayor lathe for sale locally. Ready to run for the same prize as the slightly more solid line shaft driven lathe would cost to rebuild and convert to motor driven.

They both have roughly the same capacity...... should I buy the Coronet and avoid a lot of rebuild work or what do you think?
How solid is a Coronet Mayor with that curios one post bed?


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## Wildman (20 Oct 2015)

I have a coronet major with All available attachments, and love it to bits. The morticer is regularly used to make field gates. Mine is an unusual model, a one off in that it can turn 6ft between centres. It is solidly built to a standard long gone. They made many models over time and there are different spindle nose fittings, mine is 7/8 x 12 tpi but they also made the more common 3/4 x 12 tpi which is easier when it comes to finding chucks etc. However adapters are available. I see no reason to change mine which has the following attachments.
Saw bench, planer, Morticer, Grinding wheel, polishing mops, linisher, bandsaw, sanding disc, spindle molder (with a full set of cutters). Comb jointer etc etc. It is a complete workshop in one machine, great if space is a problem and time is not. Oh yes and it is a very versatile lathe, with the ability to turn the head and turn very large dia's off the front if you can slow it down enough. A motor speed controller works well for that. Tailstock is only no 1 Morse taper but chucks up to 3/4 are available very cheaply off the bay.


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## heimlaga (20 Oct 2015)

Thanks!

This one is only a basic lathe without any extra accessories. 
I talked to the seller and found it will be on the small side for my needs. Though another forum member who lives nearby has showed some interrest in it.


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## DennisCA (21 Oct 2015)

I decided to buy this lathe after heimlaga tipped me.

I wasn't going to at first. I immediately rejected it on the grounds of the lack of height between the base and headstock being only 11.5cm. 

One of the things I have wanted to make for a while but lacked a lathe for, are some woodgears style stools (nicest stools I've seen imo) and I want to turn the top on a lathe. But since you mentioned you can swivel the headstock and turn larger parts I decided to give it a go.

edit: This one also has the grinding wheel attachment, is it useful for sharpening turning tools?


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## vankou (21 Oct 2015)

Hi

The grinding wheel on the outboard side of the Headstock on the Major (I guess that your Major is a blue model) is very useful. The beauty of it is that you can use it on the lower lathe speeds to avoid burning your tools. One drawback of course is that the grinding wheel is turning the whole time that the lathe is running. The grinding wheel housing will only take a 7 inch grinding wheel which are not that common although I did manage to find one when I had a Major from Abtec Abrasives and so hopefully you may manage to find one nearer home.

Incidentally, a lot of people think that because the Major only has a single bed bar it is in some way an inferior machine, but this design means that once set the centres will always line up even when sat on an uneven bench. The triangular feet may be out of line but the bed bar will always stay true.

I hope this helps.


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## DennisCA (21 Oct 2015)

It's a red model actually, does that matter?


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## vankou (21 Oct 2015)

Doesn't matter at all. The colour changed to blue in 1977. If your lathe has the fixed grinding wheel on the outboard side of the headstock it will be a later model built just before they changed the colour.


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## DennisCA (21 Oct 2015)

Thanks for the info, it'll be interesting to see it in person.


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## vankou (21 Oct 2015)

Hi Dennis. 

I have only just managed to see your photo of the lathe.While I,m sure the lathe itself is fine I would be inclined to remove the grinding wheel as it doesn,t have the grinding wheel housing that the later models had. if that wheel fractures you would be in serious danger. I hope that I am not teaching my Granny to suck eggs here but I thought it wise to point this out.


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## DennisCA (21 Oct 2015)

It seems as if a wooden housing could be built from plywood, perhaps. I would have to take a look when I get the lathe.

One thing I saw while reading a site about this type of lathe was that there was a metal lathe attachment. That would be quite nice for some limited metal turning I think.


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## dickm (22 Oct 2015)

I'm a great fan of the old Coronet machines - if you look back to the 1960s there was super work done on them and they were built to last.

Happy to be corrected, but I don't think there was ever a metal turning saddle for any Coronet. The Myford ML8, which was a fairly similar basic design but without the swivel head, did have one, but that was probably because Myford had the bits to hand from their metalworking lathes. Have got one for my Mystro, and it occasionally comes in handy, especially for precise turning of plastics. As a general rule, wood lathes don't have low enough speeds for anything but very small metal turning.


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## DennisCA (23 Oct 2015)

http://www.lathes.co.uk/coronet%20Major/index.html

Around the middle of the page it mentions "Swivelling compound slide rest (CM506) for metal and precision wood turning."


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## dickm (23 Oct 2015)

DennisCA":zy4obon7 said:


> http://www.lathes.co.uk/coronet%20Major/index.html
> 
> Around the middle of the page it mentions "Swivelling compound slide rest (CM506) for metal and precision wood turning."



Well, well - happy to be proved wrong. But I wonder how many were actually sold? They had certainly disappeared from Coronet's list by the time they changed to blue!


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## Wildman (23 Oct 2015)

it is quite easy to add a swivel topslide from some other small machine. Whilst I have dedicated metal turning lathes I do use a topslide for thread cutting in wood. Running the grinder on the slowest speed would allow a home made housing, not difficult to make out of mild steel. A grinder housing was sold as an extra but it is the one accessory I do not have. I don't need it of course. However they do come up on ebay from time to time. As do many other parts. The manual shows tables being turned around 4ft in dia but obviously the speed has to be further reduced. I think they did a speed reducing gearbox at one time (on my to make list eventually) The following has a saw table and support, 4.5" planer with thicknesser, worth buying for the attachments. Actually it is cheap enough for the 1 hp motor and 10" sawbench. Everything will fit on yours.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252125113676? ... EBIDX%3AIT
I note yours has both the long and short tool rests but only one saddle so you could use the extra saddle as well.


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## DennisCA (24 Oct 2015)

I don't need any of those things though, I have all those tools separately and in bigger formats. And it's a bit far being located in the UK.

For metal turning and slowing it down, I wonder if this is a good use here for a variable frequency drive, the small ones can be had cheap.


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## dickm (24 Oct 2015)

Wildman":h9k2wt80 said:


> I think they did a speed reducing gearbox at one time (on my to make list eventually) .


Hope you make a better job than the originals - they were reputed to be one of Coronet's less good items and were incredibly noisy. But that's just what I've read or heard from others; no personal experience.


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## heimlaga (26 Oct 2015)

I picked up the lathe for Dennis today.

It seems like a very good little lathe though I think it would benefit from a slower running motor than the oringional one.


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## DennisCA (4 Nov 2015)

I got the lathe home last night and I am cleaning and reassembling it, I found a marking on the central beam that says it was made in 1972. The motor definitely seems to be an original, 1-phase Gryphon motor. I still find it a bit strange they went with such a fast motor.


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## DennisCA (4 Nov 2015)

Now that I have the lathe in hand and can look at it better it has lead to further questions.



Wildman":31y88b2i said:


> A motor speed controller works well for that. Tailstock is only no 1 Morse taper but chucks up to 3/4 are available very cheaply off the bay.



I am curious what would I use a chuck on the tailstock for with this lathe? I know on metal lathes it's handy for drilling but they seem to be able to smoothly move forward via built in mechanism, this lathe doesn't seem to have anything like that, I can only see that you push the tailstock in position and lock it down, doesn't seem to be much else it can do.

I suppose a chuck for the headstock could be useful for clamping smaller things though.


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## joethedrummer (5 Nov 2015)

Try turning the handwheel on the tailstock, if it is not locked or siezed , it should move in and out, dead handy for drilling holes to a set depth and when using a toothed forstener bit.
Loads of members have given me good advice on the use of my Coronet, and mine goes back to the 60s.


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## DennisCA (5 Nov 2015)

Seems all that turning the handwheel does is draw the inside bit backwards until it seats fully, I don't see how I can get the thing to move forward. I thus figured on this lathe it was just for locking things down.


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## Wildman (5 Nov 2015)

turn it in the opposite direction, hee hee


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## DennisCA (5 Nov 2015)

Then it just unscrews and falls off. Only way I get it to turn in is if I screw it the other direction and press on with my hand on the center thread. Requires some force and can sometimes require a knock to loose if I tighten it too much the other way.


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## DennisCA (6 Nov 2015)

I assume the way I am using it is how it is meant to. It's an extremely simple tailstock, others perhaps have some spring arrangement or completely different setup that allows for moving it back and forth easily via the handwheel.


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## Robbo3 (10 Nov 2015)

Dennis
Have tried to email you to see if you would like a copy of the manual plus some other assorted Coronet Major & Minor bumph.

If you are interested, send me your email address.


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## DennisCA (10 Nov 2015)

Hi I was just going to ask for it infact, only got home from the hospital today so I haven't had any use for the manual until now. got your mail and will reply.


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## DennisCA (10 Nov 2015)

Well I finally got the lathe up and running at home. Just a phone picture of it set up, not sure if I want to keep it permanently at that bench, but it is very heavy to lift! Not sure what to do.







Also scored an old lamp for 5 euros, need to get more of these and put them around the band saw and drill press too, real nice to have.


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## Robbo3 (10 Nov 2015)

Dennis, I've sent two emails because the first with the PDF manual is 5.4MB so will take a little time to download.


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## DennisCA (30 Nov 2015)

Almost set fire to a part last night due to friction against the tailstock. Man it got so hot I wonder about the tempering of the dead center.

At any rate, bought an MT1 live centre from germany. Also building a new motor mount so I can fit this 3-phase 1400 rpm motor I got for it.


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## johnbaz (2 Dec 2015)

Hi

I won a Coronet Headstock on Ebay that was poorly described as a motor!  I paid £15 for it and don't think I was robbed!! :wink: 

I knew it was a lathe but wasn't sure what type, The bars, Tailstock and rest are missing but I actually bid on it for the motor an switchgear!! 











The chap that listed it actually plugged it in and showed it me working! I may cut some 40mm bar at work then keep an eye on ebay for the other bits needed to build it back in to a lathe!! 8) 8) 


Cheers, John


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## DennisCA (21 Dec 2015)

Followup question on this. I want to replace the belt with a power twist link belt instead. Anyone know what type the factory belts are on these lathes so I know which one to get?

I've also fitted a 3-phase motor with a homemade tilting mount, the rod is to be cut off yet in the pictures. This one's 1400rpm so much more suitable and i can fit an inverter in the future:










Turned a french roll pin from oak on it. I also fitted a live center on the tail stock, a dead center is a dreadful thing...


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## Choca (4 Jan 2020)

Robbo3":263943bc said:


> Dennis
> Have tried to email you to see if you would like a copy of the manual plus some other assorted Coronet Major & Minor bumph.
> 
> If you are interested, send me your email address.


Hello Robbo3
I am new to site and in the process of buying a coronet major, (not received it yet) would it be possible to have a copy of manual, bumf etc. and how much are they? Is it possible to fit 4 jaw chuck to headstock?


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## Robbo3 (5 Jan 2020)

Choca":1alpa12d said:


> I am new to site and in the process of buying a coronet major, (not received it yet) would it be possible to have a copy of manual, bumf etc. and how much are they? Is it possible to fit 4 jaw chuck to headstock?


You will have to email me your email address as you can't PM.
On a PC, left click on my avatar & choose the icon that isn't an envelope (email & PM have icons wrong way round).
Yes you can fit a chuck. Check the threads, some were 7/8" x 16 rather than 3/4" x 16.


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