# J. A. Fay & Co Lathe



## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

This is on my local CL and I'm gojng to look at later. 

The poster says 9 1/2' between centers and it comes with many parts and pieces for it. He said it runs great, new bearings and good solid motor. 

He wants $1400. 
He says he thinks it weights between 2500 and 3,000 pounds?? He has a contact to load it and i can arrange for it to unloaded at my garage. I have a F-550 so hauling it won't be an issue. 


What can you guys tell me about this lathe?


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

Disregard the first picture.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Can't tell you a thing about it. What is the swing on that thing. Do you need a lathe that large. $1400 dollars will go a long way toward getting a modern lathe. That one only has 5 speeds unless the motor is variable speed.


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

john lucas said:


> Can't tell you a thing about it. What is the swing on that thing. Do you need a lathe that large. $1400 dollars will go a long way toward getting a modern lathe. That one only has 5 speeds unless the motor is variable speed.


Damn your the man I was hoping to learn a lot from. You told me all about my PM 90 when I bought it about a year ago. 
I didn't ask the swing size. I'm on my way to look at it now. 

It has a duplicator for spindle work.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

I sure hope that you didn't buy it. $1400 is absurd. So is 9½ feet between centers unless you are planning on turning a lot of architectural pieces.


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## mako1 (Jan 25, 2014)

Depends what you use it for.I had a Vega lathe custom made for my shop at a cost of $7600.
It was a 15 X 144" lathe.Variable speed with duplicator.One job for a state renovation project paid for it.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If you have the space for it I would go for it. Fay and Egan is a great company and and worth the $1400 especially for a lathe that long. There was a much smaller Fay and Egan school lathe on ebay listed for $1600. These old lathes are so heavy that it cuts down on vibration.


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## tewitt1949 (Nov 26, 2013)

Personally I won't have any use for it. It would be way over kill for most projects. If it had a larger swing, where you could make a bowl or plate 2 foot in diameter then it would be a little more attractive. It's about 5-6 feet too long. Sorry, just my opinion.


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

I did go look at it after work last night. 

It's a big machine. It has a 18" swing. It comes with about a dozen tool rests. It has 2 banjos and a 3rd mis- matched banjo. 

Originally the lathe is said to have ran off a water wheel so the motor isn't factory mounted. It is mounted to 2 I beams about 6-7 ft off the ground. The motor is a really big old motor. It's about 16" across and about 18" long. Single phase 220V and running off a 15 Amp breaker. The motor makes some noise when starting but after it reaches speed it's super quite. 

Here's the part that worries me. They look to be original pulleys both on the spindle and motor but the belt connecting them is old and is connected together with the staple band looking things, I don't know the true name for this. 

In order to get a continuos belt on, I'd have to take the spindle and pulley off and then slip it onto the motor pulley. The pulleys look worn and aren't exactly square. But the belt tracks and stays on. 

Other than that, the legs and body are in great shape. The paint isn't the best but that's to be expected. I couldn't find any cracks or places were it has been fixed. 

The duplicator on the lathe is very similar to the cutter on a metal lathe. It is moved by 2 hand wheels.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

If the lathe was originally run on water it might have Babbit bearings. If that's the case I would avoid it. Not many people out there know how to recast a worn babbit bearing. 
You can get this lathe for about the same money and I've heard that it's pretty decent. 
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heavy-Duty-Wood-Lathe-18-x-47-/G0733


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## BigJoe16 (Feb 20, 2012)

john lucas said:


> If the lathe was originally run on water it might have Babbit bearings. If that's the case I would avoid it. Not many people out there know how to recast a worn babbit bearing. You can get this lathe for about the same money and I've heard that it's pretty decent. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heavy-Duty-Wood-Lathe-18-x-47-/G0733



I've decided against buying it. It needs a good amount of work and he seems stuck on his price. I don't need a machine that big anyhow. 

He said he replaced all the bearings in the spindle. Thanks for the response though. I've never herd of Babbitt bearings. I never would have thought of something like that either.


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