Thread: Advance lathe backgear

Hi everyone,

I new to metal working, and I am looking to get a metal lathe -- a bench-top lathe would suit my needs for now. Recently an Advance lathe (looks 1960s) came-up for sale nearby, but I can see immediately that the back-gear has some broken teeth -- 5 from the photos, three right-next to each other. However, at $750 with some tooling it is within my price range. How serious is that damage? And what are my options for repairing or replacing the backgear?

Cheers

Originally Posted by tuscany33

Hi everyone,

I new to metal working, and I am looking to get a metal lathe -- a bench-top lathe would suit my needs for now. Recently an Advance lathe (looks 1960s) came-up for sale nearby, but I can see immediately that the back-gear has some broken teeth -- 5 from the photos, three right-next to each other. However, at $750 with some tooling it is within my price range. How serious is that damage? And what are my options for repairing or replacing the backgear?

Cheers

No way to answer that without pictures and dimensions. There are plenty of ways of fixing that issue, but the ways depend on available skill set & tooling.

If you're new to metalworking then I don't like your chances. You'll need assistance.

The chances of buying a replacement are slim & very slim unless it's a clone of something popular. I'm afraid a brand name is pretty useless unless it's a big and long established manufacturer. I've never heard of or seen an 'Advance' lathe.

I'd regard the damage as quite serious, FWIW, because it means that all the slow speeds are effectively unavailable.

PDW

Originally Posted by PDW

I'd regard the damage as quite serious, FWIW, because it means that all the slow speeds are effectively unavailable.

It does depend on whether you want to cut threads with it though - it may be worth getting for general turning (where broken back gear teeth are unlikely to matter) and then repairing the backgear later when you want to cut threads.

The ad shows a tidy machine (looks a bit Southbend clone ish), so it's up to you. There are people here that can help/ give advice if you decide to repair. You may find that being a Southbend clone a Hercus backgear may fit too.

On edit - I'm told it is not a Southbend/ Hercus clone. My mistake

Michael

A link to the lathes.co.uk site
Advance lathe

They are more a clone of the early Myford lathes. I have a Tapered Bearing Headstock model which is quite rare. Sadly still in pieces, but did not get the change gears but the Myford will fit with some modification.

Here's some links for you -

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&r...41320020,d.c2I

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&r...41320020,d.c2I

http://home.iprimus.com.au/stevor/Lathe.htm

If you need the dimensions of the gear (which is actually the Bull Gear) then I could possibly find mine sometime.

If you do get the Advance then maybe someone here can do the repair in this link.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/stevor/gearrepairs.htm

I have a Myford super seven lathe and am very happy with it. It is a brilliant machine from a hobbyists point of view. Given the oppertunity to get my sticky mitts on a similar lathe at that price even with the damaged back gear, I would jump at it.

RDG In the UK bought the rights to Myford and are haveing lathes and parts made for them. From the information given here I would think that there is a reasonable chance that you could get replacement parts, or at least parts that can be modified to fit. Plus there are guys here that have many many collective years of experience you can ask for advice.

Welcome to the world of turning metal into swarf

Depending on the size repair could be done by replacing the gear for between 85 to 110 dollars.

Originally Posted by BaronJ

I have a Myford super seven lathe and am very happy with it. It is a brilliant machine from a hobbyists point of view. Given the oppertunity to get my sticky mitts on a similar lathe at that price even with the damaged back gear, I would jump at it.

Yeah but having seen the ad for this lathe, a better comparison would be like a Mercedes Smart Car to a base model Kia. Maybe a Lada though that might be a bit harsh as I haven't seen the machine other than in photos.

Saveable, yes. A starter lathe if everything was working, yes. For about half the current price. With that damaged back gear it isn't really capable of performing the full range of tasks a metal lathe is expected to do. Plus the OP is new to metalwork so won't have the skills to fix it himself. If I was doing it I'd braze up the missing teeth and re-cut the gears or make a complete new gear. That requires brazing equipment and a mill with dividing head & gear cutter or if in possession of good filing skills & lots of time, a set of files and a lot of patience. I think there are too many contiguous teeth missing to do the old drill/tap some holes, insert screws and rough-file to fit fix.

I'd wait for a better machine at 2X the price. If that gear is broken, what else has been abused?

PDW

Originally Posted by PDW

I'd wait for a better machine at 2X the price. If that gear is broken, what else has been abused?

PDW

I agree. Lot of work to fix that gear and probably find other problems.

Thank you all so much for your help and advice. I might see if the seller is interested in a different price, but certainly -- the ability to do screw cutting and turn at slower speeds is on my wants list when it comes to a lathe. Then again, it is the wet-season so maybe some filing to keep me occupied and distract from the cabin-fever come January-February would be a good thing.

I have briefly used an advance lathe and while fit for simple home turning I would say that it has the same deficiencies as the early myfords, tiny tiny dials on the feeds, short cross slide travel. But with generally lower build quality, not terrible but built to a price. They are at least mt2 in the tailstock though. I would think somewhere more around the $400 mark