Even the old Homecraft line would be worth 50 bucks if there were no cracks
in the castings. Of course, they used to age 'em better in those days, so
chances are small on that.

No plate on the beast to tell model #? If you had that, or the time, you
could do some looking at http://www.acetoolrepair.com/index.htm to see if
things were pretty much where they should be. The motor is probably
designed to mount below, tensioning of its own weight, and a stand is just a
big table or cabinet which allows for belt change access.

I'm turning on a 46-204 "medium" duty lathe myself. With a 12" swing, it
has a 3/4 HP on it.

"Dain-Owens" wrote in message
...
My craft guild is dumping an old Delta lathe -- probably about 35 years
old
-- for a newer donated Delta model 46-700. The old Delta's electric motor
burned out, so the guild will sell me the old lathe without a motor for
less
than $50. Is it worth while to add a new, variable speed motor to this
lathe, or should I stick with a 1/2 HP or so 1600 rpm lathe as recommended
by one of the members?

And does anyone out there have some plans or recommendations for building
a
stand for the lathe that includes a motor mount? I'll get the bare lathe,
and need to come up with the rest of the outfit. I thought I'd find some
plans for a lathe stand at the local Woodcraft store, but found nothing.

I like the old lathe -- good and solid, with a nice tailstock. I hope
it's
worth an additional investment.

Jim