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First.. may be getting a small wood lathe! YIPPY!!!! I recently pulled a motor from a washing machine and asked a friend if he'd take a look at it and wire it up for me. He made a joke about Sanford and Son to which I responded "well, if you have a wood lathe you're offering for a song...". Joke's on me two times when he says "matter of fact, I do. Bring it in tomorrow."

In talking about the motor he's going to wire up, he mentioned that a way to find variable speed motors is to get them out of a treadmill. Never really considered it, but it makes sense. He said they range anywhere from 3/4 to 1.25 hp. Something to look into if you need a motor. I see treadmills going for cheap in the classifieds every day.

Way cool!

Alright.. lathe has been delivered. I'm taking it home tonight. This thing is bare bones and old, but at the best price ever; free, so no worries here. All cast-iron. Has a label plate on the front of the base that says "Dunlap". Belt drive, but has no motor. That's cool cuz I have one I can use. Head stock is primitive, tail stock the same. Not sure what I'm going to be able to do with it yet, but we'll see. I'm going to take it apart this evening and get a closer look at the parts and pieces, clean it up a bit and see what I have to work with. Anybody know anything about "Dunlap" lathes?

EDIT: After some research, I came across a scan of a Sears/Roebuck catalog that lists the lathe I just got.. interesting prices for hardware. I need a time machine! It's the very first lathe you'll see in the .pdf. Now to get it spinning..

http://www.owwm.com/files/PDF/Craftsman/1941-Lathes.pdf