Stringer EW Mini Lathe

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me joining your forum, I have cleared a Stringer EW Mini Lathe out of elderly relatives garage. I have no knowledge of these! I initally was thinking about restoring this ( but after lurking and reading, for the last few days, I think it may be better with a new home ! )

So questions if i post pictures can you tell me what i need to complete it ?

Is it worth trying to get it running first ?

I have 2 older style electric motors but no way of joining them to the lathe

Ps how do i post pictures ??

Sorry for the silly questions

Thanks in advance

K

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

I think I have managed to post pictures in the album

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Firstly, how to post pictures can be found here

Secondly, I wouldn't advise attempting any sort of restoration – not as easy as it sounds (to do it properly) and could ruin it completely.

Rob

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

The EW Lathe is small but had a good reputation when new in the 50s – It was, along with a Myford ML7 used in the Model Engineer magazine workshop when there was such a thing.

Things to consider are the general condition of the lathe, is it capable of doing the work you want to do with it and more particularly with this model – you could buy it without features such as back gear and add them later if you wished so if something is missing was it ever there – and do you need it?

Have a look here for more information http://www.lathes.co.uk/ew/index.html

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 03/10/2022 18:23:05

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

Thank you Nick,

it appears I haven’t got the H section at the back for the transfer of power

but I do have the rare aluminium cover ( evidently! )

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

There was a long thread about the Stringer EW some years ago : **LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=46082

I’m sure it would at least be worth skimming through

MichaelG.

[Grizzly bearParticipant @grizzlybear]

Kevin,

That's a really interesting surname.

Bear………..

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 03/10/2022 19:21:59:

There was a long thread about the Stringer EW some years ago : **LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=46082

I’m sure it would at least be worth skimming through

MichaelG.

Thanks Michael that was the post that brought me here

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Fair enough

MichaelG.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

The motors in your pictures appear to be from a washing machine or similar. This makes sorting out the connections difficult. If you do decide to use the lathe I suggest using a new motor.
Search on here for sewing machine motor for one option.

Robert G8RPI.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Throw the motors away – or sell them separately Kevin

The lathe looks OK and you have the boring table and back-gear – both potentially useful.

You don't need the countershaft, it's not hard to make one.

Essentially, if you are not going to use it, then best to sell it to someone who will. They are sturdy small machines, better than the Unimat in my view. I'm sure someone will find it very useful.

Regards,

IanT

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Your won't need more than a 1/4HP motor for this.

If you're still clearing the garage, look for the countershaft. Fingers crossed, it will be there somewhere although it's possible your relative never had it in the first place. It the guard is original it's feasible there other optional-extras. for this lathe somewhere in the workshop.

The countershaft frame is a distinctive H-shaped casting with the pulley shaft in journals bored directly in what would be the tops of the 'H' uprights in the working position. Two screwed-in pins at the bottom engage the cheeks of a folded-steel elongated-'U' mounting-bracket with holes for screwing that to the bench or wall.

The 'H' cross-bar engages a similar folded-steel bracket holding a stud with knurled hand-wheel and steel tube for tensioning the belt to the lathe. The tube will lodge on one of the headstock clamp-bolt ends though I have mine working from the back wall of the trolley I made for the lathe.

The motor needs a hinged mounting with its own tension-control.

If this assembly is lost then it would be reasonably simple to fabricate a replacement.

As a guide, my EW Lathe's primary-drive has a 2" dia motor pulley and 6" countershaft pulley, with a modern 240V motor.

….

Like Nick Clarke, I am not sure if your lathe has its back-gear, as the belt and guard rather hide its location. In full trim it has a back-gear and a set of change wheels so will cut a reasonable range of threads. It is not designed to, and cannot, offer a fine self-acting feed though. Nor does it have half-nuts.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Many years ago, I bought an early Myford S7 sadly the seller had Alzheimer's and noticed an EW lathe in the workshop, but he would not part with it

With the Myford spares there were a top slide etc. plus a boring table from the EW and I still have them.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

The back gear is in the box with the boring table.

Regards,

IanT

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply, I’m starting to realise this is not a simple ( when you have very little knowledge of it ) thing to bring back to life

Does the lathe in in current condition have a value ? Would I better putting on eBay or am I allowed to advertise here ? Saying that I have no idea what it is worth …

K

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

it is probably a lot simpler than you fear!

Your photograph shows the lathe itself is all there and simple cleaning, oiling and verifying the gib adjustments will give you a good idea of its overall condition. Do not try to dismantle it, certainly not at this stage. You will then have a better idea of whether to keep and use it yourself or to sell it.

As Ian points out, you have the back-gear assembly but it is not on the lathe, for some reason.

The back-gear uses two gears on the spindle, and two on a casting that is held to the rear of the left-hand headstock casting. This is secured by a screw with a handle on its outer end, working via a compression-spring and washer, through a slot in the casting to allow the back-gear to be engaged or disengaged. A machine tenon on the headstock and channel in the back-gear body locate and guide the assembly

These components are in the lower-left corner of the box of parts in your second photo. Hold the back-gear casting carrying the two gears, vertically, at the back of the headstock, and its location is pretty obvious. Thread the screw through the spring, washer and casting, and wind it into the tapped hole in the headstock.

To release the pulleys to allow the back-gear to work, you first slacken a grub-screw in the central pulley groove. Note this will need an Imperial-sized Allen key – all the fastenings are BSW and BSF..

In the same box, the accessories include the boring-table. That should have its own gib-strip: it is longer than the conventional cross-slide.

The gears also there are probably some of the change-wheels – they will fit the banjo stub-axle and end of the lead-screw, and a further clue is a small hole in the faces near the central hole, to hold a driving pin (just a bit of 1/8" dia mild-steel rod). There may already be others threaded onto the lathe – can't tell as they are hidden by the guard.

'

Interesting – your lathe is standing on has what looks like a pair of original mounting blocks. Mine lacks those (and the guard), and stands on two machine-planed hardwood blocks (ex-furniture parts).

NB: Although the bed is of robust design for its size, still be careful when mounting it on a stand. Ensure it stands free without rock, and tighten the bolts only enough to keep it still. I used 'Nyloc' nuts to maintain the settings.

.

To type that lot I had several times to get up and examine my own EW lathe, on its wheeled stand, in the hall!

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

Silly question time

found the back gear cleaned and fitted, now removed ( what does this actually do ? )

is there an easy way to remove the lathe chuck to clean it ?

K

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

You did not need remove it from the lathe again, if that's what you mean, unless temporarily as part of cleaning the machine generally.

It stays there!

In normal use you slacken its securing screw, lift it clear of the two spindle gears and clamp the screw up again. Then tighten the pulley grub-screw so the drive is now directly to the spindle.

It gives a low spindle-speed, whose primary purposes on this lathe are two-fold.

1 – It allows slow rotation when turning something of large diameter, and for interrupted cuts (e.g. turning square and hexagon bar) as that imparts a hammering action to the machine.

2 – Screw-cutting, by driving the lead-screw via the appropriate change-wheels to give the correct pitch.

On more sophisticated lathes it adds a third, a fine self-acting feed; but the EW is not designed to give this.

+++++

The chucks and face-plate on the EW (and many other smaller lathes including the Myfords) are screwed onto the spindle nose; and they can become very tight to unscrew. Heavy interrupted cuts are among the most likely causes of excessive tightness.

The safest way here is to use two strap-wrenches (not chain-wrenches!); one threaded round the pulley, and the other round the chuck. Sometimes, simply gripping the belt tightly by hand only, round the largest pulley, is enough.

DO NOT use the horribly tempting way that too many lathe owners have done to their cost, of using the back-gear as a lock, and the chuck-key as a lever, often clouted with a hammer. It is more likely to break the gear teeth than slacken the chuck.

When screwing a chuck or back-plate to the nose, ensure the threads and registers on both components are scrupulously clean, and give them a smear of thin oil. Tighten it by hand only, to meet the register flange.

Note the danger of running such a lathe backwards, as very occasionally useful, is of unscrewing the chuck.

++++

For the rest…

For cleaning this lathe, leave the headstock castings on the bed. You can slide the tailstock off. In fact I do that sometimes when I do not need it there, to give me more room for the operation in hand.

A clue to the overall state of the machine is the appearance of the top of the bed. Unless it has been surface-ground at some point, the bed on these lathes seems to have been finished by fly-cutting. If the little semi-circles this leaves extend under the chuck, the lathe has seen quite light, careful use.

I would though expect wear on the steel lead-screw and its cast-iron nut as these are used for all feeds, both manual and for screw-cutting.

The spindle should turn freely and smoothly by hand, with the belt off, with no shake. Be very careful adjusting the pinch-screws, not to crack the thin journal walls.

I would expect the back of the spindle register to have worn a cylindrical rut in the front of the headstock. It was quite deep on mine, so I made a thin bronze thrust-washer, fitted with a very thin brass anti-rotation peg that just lodges in the adjustment-slit in the headstock. The peg I made is a weeny bit of brass studding screwed into the washer, trimmed to length, and with two flats filed on it.

From memory I think the gib adjusting screws are BSF or BSW, with slotted heads that over time become rather chewed up. I think some of our suppliers stock suitable grub-screws, but they could be made from stock silver steel bar. If so, give them a point or chamfer, and harden and temper them, so they don't become irretrievably mushroomed inside the slide.

(Some might suggest opening and re-tapping the holes to take metric grub-screws I would not except where a thread has become stripped! Apart from mixing thread-standards in one machine being bad practice, there is precious little brittle cast-iron around them for safety; nor room for the larger lock-nuts.)

[Kevin EnticknapParticipant @kevinenticknap67054]

We found the H section today ( photo added ) No locating bracket

I have to say I’m rather please !!

thank you for your help so far

[Author]

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