MadModder

The Shop => Tools => Topic started by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 05:21:57 PM

Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 05:21:57 PM
I was just updating my blog and did a post on my cowells. I know I`ve posted some pics on the other thread but this keeps it specific to Cowells and allows me to update progress as I do have quite a few additions and modifications to make to this lathe.

This actually is a very early cowells. In fact, after a couple of brief chats with the director over at cowells, he is pretty sure that this is one of the first cowells just after the transfer from Perris lathes. The big give away is the absence of the cowells casting "stamp" on the bed. In actual fact, my lathe is likely to be a Perris made bed sold under the new name of Cowells. All fairly immaterial since the design has not changed.

The lathe came with very little in the way of tooling and accessories but for the price I could afford, I'll have to add these as I go.  Cowells is still going strong and so all parts are readily available, but sadly at a price! -  check out their website for more details.

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-001708.jpg)

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-001724.jpg)

The lathe came with a 3 jaw chuck but no key and despite all the strong words flung at me over in the "finding a chuck key" thread, I'm really really still struggling sourcing a key! I`ve had an opportunity to take it to rdg and one other local tool shop and neither could help.

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-001844.jpg)

I have also added an ER16 collet chuck since it is a good scale size for this lathe and I already have a set of collets.

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-001943.jpg)

The standard ME lathe came with the change wheel set for the auto traverse gearing but not with the suitable gear cutting change wheels so obtaining these was first on my "to do" list. I now have a full set of gears including some teeth count that should give me imperial BA threads on this metric lathe.

Blank gears:

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/cowblanks1.jpg)
(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/cowblanks2.jpg)

The cut gears, including the extra few...

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-002233.jpg)

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-002223.jpg)

The tail stock is a zero morse taper. I was lucky enough to pick this threaded original cowells arbor and original cowells sold chuck off eBay very reasonably priced.

(http://raynerd.co.uk/wp-content/upLoads/20121230-002340.jpg)

 I'd like an independent 4 jaw as soon as I can afford one. Secondly and perhaps less urgent would be a quick change tool post but I am considering making this. For completeness, I'd like a fixed and travelling steady at some point.

Really enjoying it so far.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Swarfing on December 30, 2012, 05:39:39 PM
Chris if you can cut those gears you can surely make a key for that chuck? start with a MOD profile if the lathe is metric and give it a go? make it out of plastic first for a trial fit.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 05:42:44 PM
lol... Paul, after the thread where I got a right pasting, let's leave the chuck key. I`ll get it sorted!!  :lol:   EDIT: Inciddently, I believe it is a Toyo chuck originally sold by Cowells with their ME model lathe. It looks very similar to the current 3 jaw Proxxon chuck but it seems like they don`t sell the key alone!

I didn`t cut the gears. I cut the blanks and they were hobbed for me.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Swarfing on December 30, 2012, 05:47:06 PM
Ok fair enough, beasley tools in Swindon came up trumps for me with weird key i needed for my pillar drill. They had a few oddments so might be worth giving then a call. Don't expect them to know what you are talking about so get some measurements ready
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Rob.Wilson on December 30, 2012, 05:56:20 PM
Very nice looking lathe Chris  :thumbup:

Whats your reasoning behind getting another smaller lathe ?  clock making    :thumbup:


Rob
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 06:08:08 PM
Rob
Although over the last 4 years I`ve enjoyed everything I`ve made in my workshop, clockmaking is the way I want to focus in the future.

I totally appreciate you can do small work on a large lathe, but to sit down with my optivisor on and turn small wheel arbors on my precise but small Cowells is more comfortable and enjoyable. Also, with the little ones now in the house, it means that it can also come out on the dining room table while everyone else in the house sleeps - as it currently is now!! (don`t tell the wife, she`ll kill me!)

When I was first ever looking at lathes in 2000, I use to go on the Cowells and think, "I`ll never afford one of those". This one came up at a price I was happy with and I couldn`t say no. To be honest, it is quite a dream having it! They always say a poor work man always blames his tools and that is certainly the case with me!! At least I know now I can`t blame my lathe anymore.... damn!!   :lol:

Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: hopefuldave on December 30, 2012, 06:11:09 PM
Quote:
 I now have a full set of gears including some teeth count that should give me imperial BA threads on this metric lathe.
Unquote

A pedant adds....

BA are actually Metric by design...

0BA is defined as 6mm major diameter, 1mm pitch - but then it gets messy!

First, as you probably know, the included angle is 47.5* - not shared with any other system, not easy to construct in old-fashioned drafting...
  For each BA number, there's a repeated pitch reduction on each in the series - by a factor of 0.9, so 1BA p=0.9mm, 2BA p=0.81mm, etc. so the pitch defines the rest of the thread measurements for instance:
  The major diameter similarly reduces on the series, but based on the pitch - D=6 x p^1.2 (lovely, use a non-integer power to make life easy).
*Then* round everything to the nearest thou" (I kid you not) because they were designed to be Made In Britain!

I use taps and dies for BA myself :) I missed the "accessory gear set" (in its nice polished oak box) on Ebay a few months back - 10 extra gears (half of them prime numbers) for BA / DP / Module, *before* it gets to the QCGB... Bum.

That Cowells looks a nice little lathe - I keep thinking I should get one from that end of the spectrum!

Dave H. (the other one)
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 06:19:45 PM
Hi Dave
Thanks for your post. If I`m being honest I need to cut some more metric thread first! With my boxford imperial, I`ve only ever cut a handful of threads as I mainly use metric fastners.
The extra gears come from this thread started by Jo - cutting BA and imperial threads on a Cowells: http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,1020.90.html
I was having my gears hobbed and thought I may as well chuck in the extra  37T and 47T gears to be cut. I make no pretense that I could use them to cut BA gears yet but I have them if I can use them in time. Like you, I only ever use taps and dies for BA.

Thanks again Dave,
Chris
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Rob.Wilson on December 30, 2012, 06:22:23 PM
Hi Chris

Totally agree , as you say you can make small parts on a large lathe ,but  it is easier to make say clock parts on a smaller lathe , especial hand turning using gravers , were you can sit at a table with your legs under the machine .

I have a Lorch  :dremel:


Rob 
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 06:24:33 PM
 :offtopic: -but then it is my thread!
Does your Lorch have a cross slide. Something I feel my Boley is missing but the cost of buying one on ebay would cost more than the value of the lathe itself!


Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Rob.Wilson on December 30, 2012, 06:28:04 PM
It dose Chris

(http://www.nam-engineering.com/cm/albums/userpics/10002/normal_P1040725.jpg)

Rob
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 06:29:42 PM
AHHHH! I see what model lorch you have! Yes, very nice and with the cross slide this makes it a very nice rigid machine, bigger than my Boley and actually more similar I expect to my Cowells.

Chris
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Rob.Wilson on December 30, 2012, 06:37:33 PM
About the same capacity as your Cowells , just no lead screw .

I have been meaning to make a new base for the lathe for the passed two years , I have a nice lump of mahogany I would like to use to  make the base out of , something with  with a couple of draws underneath for the tooling .   :proj:


Rob
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 06:40:29 PM
Funnily enough, mine came with the originally supplied Cowells fibreglass base but I agree with the previous owner and the current wooden slab that it is mounted to does a better job. A mahogany base and draws seems a nice idea! Good night.
Chris
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on December 30, 2012, 06:45:19 PM
You'll get a lot of use out of that Cowells, Chris; it looks in very good condition.

It's certainly an early one, judging by the single clamp bolts on the headstock bearings. Don't be tempted to tighten those up unless absolutely necessary. The weak points in the casting where the bending stress will occur are the thin bits directly above the spindle, and are further weakened by the oil holes. Mine broke above the outboard bearing, but I managed to repair it; If the inboard one ever lets go, there isn't enough room for a second bolt at the back.

One thing which surprises me is that the dials seem to be fixed, rather than zeroable as on my Perris.

Oh, and another word of warning from personal experience: if you ever dismantle the dog clutch, the interior of the box it sits in connects directly to a void in the foot at that end of the bed. Stuff a bit of rag behind the clutch to stop bits falling down there; you can't get your fingers in to recover them, and will end up inverting the lathe and shaking them out.

Andy
Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 30, 2012, 08:37:16 PM
Cheers for your tips and information Andy. I have seen your repair you had to do on your website...seems an odd design.

Funnily enough, the none zeroable dials are the only thing that annoy me but the price of changing them out works out at I think near £40 per axis since the lead screws need changing for longer ones. The main lead screw is of course even more than this! Someone out there had modded them and made them zeroable but I think if I attempted that it wouldn't turn out great. I must admit, I seriously have considered DROs but expect most people would be against this on such a fine lathe? I presume even if I was willing to pay for glass dials, I couldn't get any small enough. Any thoughts? - only it certainly would make the fact that the dials can't be zero'd, an irrelevance. However, I don't want to cheapen the lathe!
Chris
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: caskwith on December 31, 2012, 03:30:27 AM
That chuck does look very similar to my proxxon chuck. If you would like to borrow my proxxon key for testing and if successful measuring to make your own you are more than welcome to for the cost of postage, i can certainly afford to be without it for a few days.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on December 31, 2012, 04:09:49 AM
I think you might find DROs would get in the way on such a small lathe, Chris. They would certainly spoil the lathe's looks. It might be possible to mount them to the back of the saddle and cross slide, and to the end of the bed and the RH side of the saddle, so one of them stuck out behind the saddle and the other to the right of the lathe, but they would be very vulnerable to being knocked and in the latter case would need a lot of room.

Zeroable dials could be managed without too much trouble, I reckon. Your lead/feedscrews look as though they project as far as those on my Perris, so you could make up new handwheels and dials to the same design. Basically, the handwheels are like yours, but with a graduated collar fitted over the boss, friction being supplied by a spring and ball bearing in a radial hole in the boss. The handwheel is retained by a grubscrew through the knurled rim of the handwheel. Sketches in my Perris build instructions show them, and there's a scan of those on the files of the Yahoo Cowells group. I'm not sure if you are a member there as "mnbylcr2", but I can always send you a copy if needed.

Musings:
Another less troublesome way might be to make up dial collars to slip over the bosses of your existing handwheels, with an internal annular groove for an O ring to add friction. That wouldn't involve any alteration to your handwheels, but the collar would be unrestrained axially and might catch up on the ends of the cross slide etc, causing the dial to alter itself. If you could bring yourself to turn a corresponding shallow groove around the handwheel boss for the O ring to bed into, that might provide enough axial restraint.

Andy 
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Rob.Wilson on December 31, 2012, 05:48:02 AM
Hi Chris

Just out of interest were did you get your gears hobbed ?

Rob


Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 31, 2012, 06:59:20 AM
 I advertised for a set of 32dp cutters on homeworkshop and this very interesting chap said he'd do them for me on his setup if I provide blanks. They look top quality and work great. Cheaper than £165 for the Cowells set!
Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on December 31, 2012, 07:06:56 AM
Andy, really interesting thoughts and I like the latter suggestions as it involves less possibly destructive modification. I'll have to think about it more... I've not made any graduated rings but have the gear to do it.
I am mnbylcr2 on yahoo - it is a very old yahoo mail address but the only way to access yahoo groups.

Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on December 31, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Hi Chris,

In case it's of any interest, I've created a temporary page on my website and put three annotated pics of my cross slide dial on it, both dismantled and mantled (that should be a word, but is it?) .

http://andysmachines.weebly.com/perris-dials.html

I find that easier than using Photobucket.  The most time-consuming bit of the exercise was finding the 2.5mm ball bearing after dropping it on the floor  :bang: .

Let me know when you've seen the photos, and I'll then delete that page (so download them if you want to see them again).

Andy
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: dsquire on December 31, 2012, 12:17:11 PM
Hi Chris,

In case it's of any interest, I've created a temporary page on my website and put three annotated pics of my cross slide dial on it, both dismantled and mantled (that should be a word, but is it?) .

http://andysmachines.weebly.com/perris-dials.html

I find that easier than using Photobucket.  The most time-consuming bit of the exercise was finding the 2.5mm ball bearing after dropping it on the floor  :bang: .

Let me know when you've seen the photos, and I'll then delete that page (so download them if you want to see them again).

Andy

Andy

It would be appreciated by myself as well as future viewers of this thread if you could put a link to the photos in question in Photobucket or attach them to this thread. Once you delete them from your website they will no longer be available to interested readers.

These posts get read for years and it might be just what someone such as yourself needs but the infomation is no longer there. I have many times read old posts on forums and the missing photos left me very dissapointed. Thanks for understanding.

Happy New Year.

Cheers  :beer:

Don
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on December 31, 2012, 12:33:21 PM
Don, all my pictures in other topics are on P'bucket, but I didn't think the details of dial collars on a relatively rare micro-lathe from 40 years ago would be of much interest in to posterity.

But your word is my command  :bow:  :bow: , and I'll stick 'em on P'bucket and embed them in this thread before deleting my web page.

Andy

 
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: dsquire on December 31, 2012, 01:15:15 PM
Andy

It is very much appreciated. Granted it will probably not be the most popular ever topic on MadModder but if one member comes along sometime in the future and it helps them out than it will have been worth while.

Quote
I didn't think the details of dial collars on a relatively rare micro-lathe from 40 years ago would be of much interest in to posterity.

If it showed up once in 40 years there is a good chance it will show up again in the next 40. Thanks again.

Cheers :beer:

Don
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on December 31, 2012, 09:10:33 PM
Right, Don, here are the pics. Hope they work OK, because it's 02.00am on 1/1/2013 here in the UK, and I cannot guarantee my sobriety.

(http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv257/andyf1108/Perrisdials003_zps8953ff70.jpg)

(http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv257/andyf1108/Perrisdials002_zps9dbb0757.jpg)

(http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv257/andyf1108/Perrisdials001_zpsc6990362.jpg)

A Happy New Year to all  :beer:

Don suggests you might be viewing this 40 years on, in 2053. If so, did your Dad reminisce about the good old days, when things were done by cranking handles on machines to make things out of metal?

Andy
(from beyond his grave)
Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on January 01, 2013, 01:02:42 AM
Many thanks for the pictures. So the ball bearing pushed up by the little washer spring generates enough pressure and friction to carry the collar around with the hand wheel?
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on January 01, 2013, 06:28:48 AM
Hi Chris,

Not quite sure what you mean by "washer". In one photo, an arrow from the ball points to a hole, which contains a spring to push the ball against the interior of the dial collar hard enough to stop the dial moving.

Yesterday, I forgot to dismantle the thing inside a bag of some sort to stop the ball being propelled across the room when I pulled the collar off.

The ball is about 2.5mm diameter. It needn't be a ball, of course; you could use something like a shortened tiny panel pin with a head around 2.5mm in diameter, and its shank dropped down inside the spring.

Andy
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Pete. on January 01, 2013, 08:33:41 AM
I prefer the method used on my Herbert Mill. A knurled bolt down the centre of the leadscrew has a point machined on the end, and when you tighten the bolt gently it presses a brass pin outwards onto the dial to hold it in place. Quarter of a turn between having the dial loose and locked.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: BillTodd on January 01, 2013, 09:22:57 AM
Neat mod Andy :)

I may have to  pinch that for my Cadet. :dremel:

Bill

Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on January 01, 2013, 10:07:15 AM
For me, it hasn't been a mod, Bill; those dials on the leadscrew and slides are the originals on my Perris. Its a shame that Cowells used fixed dials for a while when they first took over the lathe, and made the one Chris now owns, but he should be able to mod his to get a similar result.

Pete, that's sophisticated, but I don't think it could be done on these midget handwheels and dials, first because they so small and secondly because of the central screws which adjust the endfloat on the feedscrews.

Andy
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Pete. on January 01, 2013, 10:30:25 AM
Aah yes, if they already have a screw down the middle you could not use that method. Shame because it works so wonderfully well.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on January 01, 2013, 10:31:56 AM
Not read all the replies yet but I just wanted to immediately correct   washer  =   spring!!! Please blame it on a lack of sleep with my little one.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: John Stevenson on January 01, 2013, 01:09:38 PM
I have a machine here with a resettable dial and all it consists of is a graduated dial that spins on the keyed centre and all that retains it from spinning is an 'O' ring set in the eyed centre part.

The interference fit is enough to make it not spin but can easily be moved to reset it.

John S.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on January 01, 2013, 01:37:25 PM
Same here, John. The nice big (3.5") dials on my Dore Westbury are like that, and I used an O-ring on the handwheel and dial I made for my lathe's leadscrew. The DW did need replacement  O-rings, but the old ones had been there around 40 years.

Andy
Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on January 01, 2013, 04:39:30 PM
Think I may go for the o ring method as in theory it requires no mod to my existing standard parts. I guess if it works ok, I could cut the groove on the hand wheel to stop the axial movement if I think it would help. Next job is making some "nice" graduated collars- for me, much easier said than done! Thanks for the information. I have a few other jobs and bits to finish but this is definitely high on my to do list.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on January 01, 2013, 06:23:36 PM
Chris, you can cut clock gears, so you won't have a problem scratching graduations on dial collars. And they are so shallow that you can skim them off and start again if you make a mistake.

Good guide here, apart from whacking the numbers into a dial held in the chuck, unless you are confident that the chuck and spindle bearings will take it:
http://www.neme-s.org/images/PDF_Files/Making_Graduated_Collars1.pdf

And my simple  way to get even length lines for units, fives and tens is on the bottom third of this page:
http://andysmachines.weebly.com/miscellaneous.html

Andy



 
Title: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on January 01, 2013, 07:01:12 PM
Andy, fantastic link! I'd have to scribe my lines on the mill using my dividing fixture as dividing on the lathe would just complicate things since I already have my RT setup for this. No problem though, I can see it working the same way. Your washer depth stop method is smart but I think my dro would make a good job at this.

I'd definitely need to stamp off the rotary table! Like you, i still wouldnt do it in the lathe if i had the opportunity. Do you by any chance have pictures of the mdf jig you mentioned?
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on January 01, 2013, 07:18:38 PM
You're in luck, Chris. I did a sketch and stuck it on P'bucket for some other forum. It shows a thick-walled collar, though the one I stamped with it was only about 2mm thick.

(http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv257/andyf1108/Numberjig2.gif)

Andy
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on January 02, 2013, 07:30:52 AM
Cheers Andy, so you have the markers, but you just align/ devide by eye?
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: andyf on January 02, 2013, 07:52:20 AM
Hi Chris,

Yes, the numbering was done by eye. The dial I mentioned earlier was re-engraved with 40 lines representing thousandths, and needed numbering 0, 10, 20, 30 against the four long "tens" lines. Once in the jig, I couldn't see those lines properly, so I used a felt-tip on the edge of the dial to help with alignment. The 0 was easy, but each double digit was done with fingers crossed that the two numbers e.g. "1" and "0" would be spaced nicely. I recall using a bit of carbon paper and finger pressure on the number punch to check; because of the curved surface, that only left a mark at the top and bottom of each digit, but it helped.
That dial was steel, but ally is easier to engrave and stamp. 

Andy
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on May 21, 2014, 07:29:17 PM
Just a bit of a random post here but over the last month I've got right back into using the cowells and I now love it BUT the price of the attachments is getting me down. The milling attachment/vertical slide is £230!! For that sort of money, I could buy a full peatol/taig lathe assembled!

I'm considering selling and buying a peatol again but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it! 10 years ago I dreamed of owning a cowells lathe!
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: vtsteam on May 21, 2014, 10:08:14 PM
Chris, are you interested in possibly making one? I did and it's not hard -- if you check out my Gingery lathe building thread, there's one detailed toward the end there. You wouldn't have to cast it if you don't do that stuff -- you could probably weld or braze up the basic parts from channel iron and some plate and just machine them. You basically need an upright that bolts to the carriage, and then bolt a ways on that that fits your top slide or a new one. All the machining can be done on a lathe, as I did, or of course a milling machine if you have one.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: twizseven on June 16, 2014, 04:32:52 PM
Chris,
 I have a Cowells Me90 and am regularly checking Ebay for bits.  There is milling slide and m/c vice on at the moment, item #141318094884.  It has 3days 20hrs to go and is currently £31.

Best Regards,

Colin
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: ticker on June 26, 2014, 06:47:55 AM
Chris,
 I have a Cowells Me90 and am regularly checking Ebay for bits.  There is milling slide and m/c vice on at the moment, item #141318094884.  It has 3days 20hrs to go and is currently £31.

Best Regards,

Colin

Out of interest I checked today to see how much the Cowells vertical slide and vice sold for, the final price was £175.05

Everything thats sold for these lathes always appears to fetch a good price
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on June 24, 2018, 05:49:51 AM
Well it took another 4 years but I eventually found the Cowells I've always wanted! 



I'm just making a spindle indexer/divider so I can use the wheel cutter!
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Joules on June 24, 2018, 06:16:49 AM
LOL, a very giddy kipper then....
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on June 24, 2018, 11:19:38 AM
Haha, I am indeed. It was like Christmas!
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: Joules on June 24, 2018, 12:39:44 PM
Well, keep a tight hold of this one Chris.  I still have the second lathe I ever bought, my Taig.  I should do some of the many mods for it, and actually make better use of it.  Look forward to more articles on the Cowells Chris.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: vtsteam on June 24, 2018, 11:21:05 PM
What a little beauty! Very exciting to have all of those accessories, and everything in such good condition. I enjoyed the earlier posts in this thread as well.  :beer:
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: philf on June 25, 2018, 01:47:45 PM
 Hi Chris - you've got a "Bobby Dazzler" there! :bugeye:
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: mechman48 on August 01, 2018, 01:49:28 PM
Hi Chris... what a great find, even more so with all the accessories. I've been to a couple of auctions locally & seen a couple of these but nowhere in such good nick, you struck gold with this one...enjoy  :beer: :thumbup:

George.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: gerritv on August 05, 2018, 11:33:52 AM
One sold recently here in Southern Ontario for $460.00 or thereabouts! I was tempted but already have 2 lathes,,,, bid and won on a magnificently made UPT instead.
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: mechman48 on August 08, 2018, 06:37:32 PM
Hi Chris... what a great find, even more so with all the accessories. I've been to a couple of auctions locally & seen a couple of these but nowhere in such good nick, you struck gold with this one...enjoy  :beer: :thumbup:

George.

Had another look at your video of the Cowells... one question... where is the tailstock?
Title: Re: My Cowells ME lathe
Post by: raynerd on August 12, 2018, 06:04:31 PM
Had another look at your video of the Cowells... one question... where is the tailstock?

Just taken it off the bed and is sitting on the back of the stand. You can see it behind the lathe bed 20 seconds into the video. In fact, going a step further, I’ve actually managed to get myself an additional tailstock, one of the sensitive lever feed tailstocks like on the 90CW model...so I now have two!