Littlejohn Lathe

[NormanV]

I am very happy, a few months ago I bought a Loughborough training lathe. I am perfectly happy with it except that it only came with a 3 jaw chuck that is not particularly accurate. I have since bought a 4 jaw chuck and a faceplate.
But this is where things get good, I have just won an Ebay auction for a fully equipped Littlejohn lathe at what I think is a bargain price complete with two three jaw chucks, four jaw chuck, small faceplate, dividing attachment for the headstock, boring table, fixed and travelling steadies, toolpost grinder, power feeds, full set of changewheels and many other bits and pieces. The bonus is that most of the parts will also fit the Loughborough lathe.
I don't mind the lack of a screwcutting gearbox as I only need to thread occasionally and it is no big deal to set up the gears.
I needed to share my good fortune as no-one at home is interested.
Attached is a pic from Ebay that shows some of the accessories.

[doubleboost]

Some very nice bits and pieces with that lathe
A friend of mine has one for sale with a gear box on it
John

[awemawson]

  Nice win Norman 


"I needed to share my good fortune as no-one at home is interested."


Oh HOW I can empathise with that sentiment ! I can do things and people across the world know about it and comment, but there's not a single enquiry at home ! 


Andrew

[Pete.]

Nice score Norman. The extras more than make up for the minor hassle of using changegears.

[tom osselton]

Nice find! 

[chipenter]

The club was given a mark one same as yours With loads of extras , the traveling steady is interesting as it fits on the cross slide dovetails , the mark three cross slide fits without modifieng , I will be replacing the dewhurst switch this week , when I set it up and made a test cut it was within a tenth of a thow over 12 inches not bad , you have a good machine there and it will shift metal .

[NormanV]

I'm glad nobody told me that I have bought a load of rubbish! All I have to do now is find a few strong men to help me lift it off the floor onto the cabinet so that I can try it out.
It only gets better! I was rummaging through one of the boxes of bits and found a set of outside jaws that happen to fit my 3 jaw chuck that was missing them!!!!!! How many times have I needed them?.

[chipenter]

31\2 hundred weight it took 3 of use with everything off that would come off . the bench had studs witch made it harder , don't do the fixings to tight and use shims .

[awemawson]

I'd approach that lift with cribbing timber. Maneuver  the lathe parallel to the bench and close to it. Lever up one end and insert timber cribbing, then do the same at the other end. Slowly increase the size of the cribbing, putting it in crisscross fashion for safety. I had to do a similar thing last week to raise a hugely heavy 4th axis unit. The trick is to prepare your cribbing timber beforehand and if at all possible use a uniform sizes. Sturdy wooden crates are useful when you get to a certain height to maintain stability.

This of course assumes that you cannot get an engine crane close enough to it to be useful, and that there is nowhere 'above' strong enough for a block and tackle.

Andrew

[NormanV]

I do not have a collection of useful bits of timber, I lived abroad for many years and have not long returned to UK and have not had time to collect any together. Last time I had to raise a lathe I used Andrews method but all the timber has now been used on projects. I keep my eyes open as I drive around but England is so tidy these days that I don't see any stuff laying around. I used to live in the Falkland Islands and I could always find some wood for such tasks even though there are no indigenous trees.

[awemawson]

Can you construct an 'A' frame over it, or jury rig a lifting beam?

Years ago I had a 'woops' moment when I was moving a Roundhead Colchester Student on a pallet truck. I was turning it 90 degrees and foolishly turned the steering wheels a full 90 so it pivoted  on them and toppled over, against the door which opened inwards  I had to climb through the window to assemble sufficient tackle to get it upright. I constructed a beam over it from a brick pillar on one side, and an 'A' frame on the other, and pulled it up with a 'Haltrack' Halfords engine lifting block & tackle. That WAS a heavy lathe - one side of the door frame was pushed outwards and it's fixings pulled bricks out of the wall 

Andrew

(who's first job offer in life was on the Falklands as a radio operator for Cable & Wireless - I declined it  ) 

[NormanV]

Andrew, yes, pallet trucks can turn nasty sometimes.
You should have taken the job. The Falklands are a wonderful place to live and it does not feel isolated at all. In fact I used to tell people that I lived at the centre of the world. Of my world anyway!

[Pete W.]

SNIP
You should have taken the job. The Falklands are a wonderful place to live ....
SNIP

Hi there, Norman,

Is it true that in places like the Falklands you don't need to convert your lathe/milling machine etc to inverter drive?
If you need to change speed, you just ring up Fred in the generator shed and ask him to tweak the frequency a bit.         

Seriously, though, do take care with lifting the Littlejohn.  An old friend of mine inherited a Littlejohn from a family member - it was fairly old but he did lots of precision work on it.

[NormanV]

No, I used to wait for the wind to drop so that the turbines would slow down.

[chipenter]

Rewired the control switch today and the spindel wouln't turn , took two of use ten minets to find the back gear pin had been puled out .

[S. Heslop]

I can do things and people across the world know about it and comment, but there's not a single enquiry at home ! 

Don't get me started.

[awemawson]

I can do things and people across the world know about it and comment, but there's not a single enquiry at home ! 

Don't get me started.

We are a much unappreciated bunch 

However they'll miss us when we're not around to do those little things that seem so simple, and are if you are backed up by a proper workshop. An example this morning: oak front door needs some screws to repair a loose stile, they need plugging with oak dowels of the right size. OK you can buy a plug cutter but not just for a couple of screws, so we have lathe turned oak dowels and I must now go and clean the sawdust off my metalwork lathe !

Andrew

[magnet]

i have a littlejohn great little lathe. I lifted mine with a piece of 50x50 boxsection bolted to the roof beams with an acro prop at either end for a belt and braces approach then a 1 ton chain block on a short sling................Magnet

[Meldonmech]

Hi Norman,

                     I have had a Little John Mk 1 Lathe for years, and started with a full restoration. This is a solid heavy duty lathe and has served me well. The only thing you have to watch is the power feeds, there is a tendency for the drop out of feed lever on the apron to stick, which can have disasterous results. Would advise you do some tests on scrap material especially using longitudinal feed to get a feel for it, away from the chuck.
                                                                                             Good Luck  Cheers David

[NormanV]

Hi David, thank you for the warning. I will check it out before I do any proper work on it.
At the moment it is still on the floor, I know that this will sound sad but I don't know 3 people in my area to ask for help so I will have to buy some timber and a hoist so that I can lift it on its own. I'm not in any particular hurry as I have my Loughborough lathe, except the belt on that snapped today because I cut it and glued it to shorten it as it was slipping due to lack of tension. I am going to sew it back together.

[kayz1]

Don't have a clue where you are Norman but i'm in North Wales if thats any good to you, retired so time is all mine...
 Lyn.   ( male )

[NormanV]

Thanks for the offer Lyn, I am near Skegness, couldn't be much further!

[NormanV]

Finally it is off the floor and on the stand. I had some visitors yesterday and we managed to lift it between three of us. Now to bolt it down and get it levelled.