Look what followed me home - a Sheldon 11-inch lathe from 1941...

I don't really need another lathe. Or another project. But that doesn't stop me from perusing the local Craigslist for a good deal. This lathe popped up on CL last week and it was just what I was looking for. And it was advertised at a very good price (yes, I'm cheap, er, thrifty). The seller didn't know anything about lathes so he couldn't tell me much about it, other than it is a Sheldon lathe and is old. It did not have a power cord so the seller also didn't know if it actually ran (part of the reason it was cheap), but he'd been told by the previous owner that it did run. We've all heard that before. Here it sits in all its glory (seller's photo):

The seller had advertised the lathe as being a 1954 model, which is probably what the previous owner told him.

During my pre-purchase inspection I found several things wrong with the lathe, which the seller also noticed when I was looking the thing over, so we came to an agreement of a lower price for the lathe. I think the problems are minor enough that I can get the lathe up and running again.

The reversing lever casting was broken (it had been brazed once but had broken again - the two gears on top of the casting are supposed to mesh with each other):

A hold-down bolt for the compound rest was broken:

A couple other problems I don't quite know the extent of their issues: the tailstock threads feel funky so I may need to make a new threaded rod for it, and the half nut lever didn't engage the lead screw correctly. Not sure what's going on there.

The lathe is safely in my basement now, and I could get a good look at everything.

I did some research online after I spotted the lathe's serial number and found that it was made in 1940 or 1941. I also noticed that the motor was wired for 230v but the motor is capable of either 115 or 230 volts. I did a quick hack on an extension cord to the motor to reach the one and only 230v outlet in the far back corner of the basement, and I was pleasantly surprised that the lathe did run, and seemed to run fairly well.

I then found a diagram online that shows the wiring diagram for 115 volts using a drum switch. How hard can it be, right?.......

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Ok, it is safely wired up to 115 volts now and hasn't burned down the house. Next is to fix the broken bits and get this lathe going again.