I own a Perris lathe bought for about ?50-?60 (may be less as I bought other items and I recall there was only one other bidder who soon dropped out) at a rummage sale which came with various fittings + tools but not the gears – the usual way of buying these at that period appeared to be to buy the basic lathe, unpainted, no motor and then make your own base board + add a motor – mine came with a a small induction motor (a grinder motor would be too fast for most use) + reversing switch (not sure re use as the chuck screws on) again in a wooden box – I moved this to a better electrically safe box and added a NVR switch. Perris started to move to factory complete systems which was Cowells approach as this gave more profit and would widen the market.

Some fittings are compatible with the later and somewhat better Cowells (still sold but prices are amazing!) – however the the early Perris used a 1/2 inch UNF thread on a small diameter spindle (+ a right mix of metric, BA and UNF threads elsewhere) – Cowells use a 14mm metric spindle (thus the chuck etc is not compatible without re-boring the spindle and headstock – metric threads were used everywhere.

As the owner of a so far unmodded Perris I’m always in market for some tooling esp as mine came without the gears.

ETA I have a larger lathe + small mill that get used for most – the little Perris being relatively easily portable(ie I can lift it!) I wanted as a demo lathe (eg already shown at one fair) + ultimate use in my retirement flat

Edited By Frances IoM on 25/09/2016 08:55:45

Peter,

Like Frances and Michael, I have an earlier version of the lathe, a Flexispeed, and should be interested in a some items if you were to eventually to decide to split the lot. I would have thought, though, that it would sell as a going set quite well.

James.

Edited By James Alford on 25/09/2016 10:24:43

Peter,

Thanks for posting the Gear Chart … Much appreciated.

Having seen your photo; I agree with Bill, that it would be a pity to split such a nice kit.

… That said; if you want to recoup maximum cash for it, you may do better selling the major accessories seperately.

decisions ; decisions !

MichaelG.

Hello Peter.

You have a Perris PL100 lathe, a much rarer machine than the others that have been discussed on this thread. The crucial point is that it is unlike the PL90 machine, it has a different leadscrew, and the gears do not fit the other machines either.

These machines appear to have been built between 1966 and 1971 or thereabouts.

Your machine is therefore fairly late, appears to have been well cared for, and is very well equipped.

One was recently sold on ebay, not as well equipped, and fetched just over £400.

Last week I bought what were described as spare parts for a Perris lathe. They were most of a PL100 lathe less the bed, headstock and spindle. I was pleased when you published a photograph of the gear chart because it allowed me to check the gears that were in the spares. They were all there.

I would be interested in purchasing this lathe if you do decide to sell. I would also be interested in buying any brochure, handbook, or any other documentation that you may have, or of course a copy. All costs would be met.

If you wish to find out a little more about your lathe look at Tony Griffith;s website, lathes.co.uk . He has a list of dozens of lathes, milling machines, drills, shapers and other machine tools. Perris lathes are there, bottom of the second column. The bit you need to read is 'The evolution of the Perris lathe'. It was written by Andrew Webster some time ago. It appears to be a complicated story. There is a bit about the PL100 lathe, but not much. There is less on the main site. As I said it is a rare lathe.

At the moment I am attempting to refurbish a very early Cowells lathe which was very badly worn. I have three Perris lathes, all needing work and having faults that I did not expect to see given the reputation of Brian Perris before his death in 1975.

I wish you success in dealing with your lathe.

Regards. Mike.

.

Presumably because a 'for sale' advert starts with the asking price and risks going down … Whereas the ebay listing starts with the minimum asking price and goes up.

MichaelG.

Shoulda visited Specsavers!

There's a Perris lathe listed on Ebay as an auction that looks exactly like the one pictured in this thread.

Andrew

Pity you never got to use it. Making things is fun and you could have made a clock which would have become a family heirloom even if it didn't work very well.