freeportflather

This is Freepy, the free Freeport Flather. It was stuffed along a sidewall in a storage room in the wood shop and the only helpl I was going to get was at the shop rate of $45/hr. That said I must tell that the shop forerman, Dave, spent a fair amount of time helping me out for free. Nice guy. He looked at my Flather's rebuild pages and realized I was the guy they should give their lathe to. I was available - voila! My thanks also go to Karl 'the Hammer' for alerting me when this lathe came up on the OWWM site.

This is not a lathe you would buy, too much weird jerry-rigging. The box on top might have something to do with the drive train. . A 1 horse Craftsman motor came, too. I knew I had to get the weight down if I was going to move anything. Took off the box, then the headstock, which bolts onto the bed, and then the tailstock. This is a pretty primitive lathe. Also got a live center, tool holder, center rest, ww tool rest, and the face plate you see.

My only hope working alone was to hoist one end of the lathe with Sky King and run up and down alternately pushing and pulling to move slowly across the cement toward the outside door.

Even with everything but the carriage off this machine is very heavy. It is a probably a full 8 foot bed.

What you see here, essentially bed, legs and carriage, are all outside the shop agains the wall now. Rosie the Ranger was full of parts and pieces. Tomorrow maybe I can get back over there and get the rest into Thomas. I figure if I hoist one end and remove the legs I can get that end up in the bed and slilde it forward enough to get the legs off the other end and haul it all.

Right is the tranny which came along. It says GM and has a #13. None of the original countershaft assy. is present. Below is Freepy out of Thomas and on the ground at home. The bed is 8'.

Left is the Freepy RR. While the idea was sound we went off the rails just past the little Maple and had to call it a day. That was yesterday and today he is in the shop on pipes and dry and comfy.

These are 3 shots of the headstock. I have it setting on the faceplate and can just twirl it. You can see the bronze bushings that serve as bearings - no babbitt here. Has the back gear and a little 3 step cone pulley that runs the feed rod and lead screw.

When I was pullling Freepy apart in the shop I unbolted the headstock and lifted it off. As soon as I lifted it I thought I didn't want to ever do that again. It weighs in at 205#.

A good site that covers this lathe. Lots of stuff on this guy's pages. Look around. Links to my prior Flather rebuild can be found on the home page. I don't expect to do much with Freepy until well into winter.

The mystery tailstock chuck: J.H. Westool's Little Giant Double Grip Wescott Chuck. Pat. dates of 1864 and 1886; company was out of Oneida, N.Y. It is on a #2 Morse Taper.

Pat. date on Freepy is 1886; his serial no. is 276. This would appear to be the first model of lathe the Company ever made. See the site I mention below for lots more info. This would seem to be the 15" model.

This is the change gear rack. 'Twould seem that one gear has left the building. And to the right is one of a pair of identical leg sets. They bolt directly up into the bed and weigh 75# each.