Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (2024)

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Feb 7, 2010
  • #1

Hi all,

I have always wanted to own a foot powered lathe. Back in August I broke down and purchased a partial W F & John Barnes #5 metal lathe. My search for parts and my background as an Industrial Arts teacher have led me to what I am about to share. I am in the process of tooling up to reproduce and sell parts for W F & John Barnes machines. The first products in my line will be the foot pedal cranks for the #3 wood lathe and the #4-1/2 and #5 metal lathes. The first parts will be ready for shipment very soon. Literaly in days! I will gradually add more parts to the line to include chain sprockets, crank bearings, crank bearing brackets, seat brackets, pedals, seats, and flywheels. I am also planing to carry a selection of hard to find hardware items for these machines.

As the product line grows I plan to add aditional parts to the line for table saws, scroll saws, band saws and I may even branch out into other makes. I am hoping all this will go well as I need orders on my first parts to help finance the tooling up of my next part in the line. So if you are thinking of restoring a Barnes please get in touch with me soon. Your order will only accelerate the next part coming to market. And by all means if you need something that is not part of the line let me know. I am a fair patern maker and machinist and I have a foundary secured to do all my castings.

Thanks!

Mike

nzchairman

Aluminum
Joined
May 26, 2006
Location
New Zealand
  • Feb 8, 2010
  • #2

Hi Mike,

Good to have somebody making parts for the Barnes machines.
I do not need any parts but you never know maybe later.

D

DaveKamp

Titanium
Joined
Oct 3, 2004
Location
LeClaire, Ia
  • Feb 8, 2010
  • #3

Sounds great!

Sounds great, Mike!

Didj'a get the little guy put together yet? Any parts missing in there, or was it complete?

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Feb 8, 2010
  • #4

Near complete as a lathe, far from complete as a foot powered lathe. I still have a bunch of parts to make up. I figured if I have to go to all this work to make my own parts I may as well make everyones parts LOL.

Mike

P

peter

Titanium
Joined
Mar 20, 2001
Location
New England
  • Feb 14, 2010
  • #6

Looks real nice, I sure hope you can make a go of this and help some guys out in the process. Its been darn difficult even to get a loan of parts for some of these machines.

best of luck.

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Feb 14, 2010
  • #7

Yes it has. I got lucky though. I have a guy helping me out with a loan of the major parts. It is good someone is willing to trust me. I understand he does have alterior motives. He wants me to begin producing parts as badly as I do so he can have some Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (8)

I am still hunting for a few more pieces to round things out so if anyone wants to contribute to the greater good with a part loan.... let me know what ya got. I have one flywheel now for a number 5 and I am hoping to get a few more before long.

I started working on my first patern today. I hope to have it completed this week so I can start casting some parts.

Mike

nzchairman

Aluminum
Joined
May 26, 2006
Location
New Zealand
  • Feb 15, 2010
  • #8

Hi Mike,
That crank looks good.
Keep up the good work.
http://treadleit.com/ to keep yourself fit in mind and body.

Last edited:

Restorer

Plastic
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Location
Rochester NY
  • Feb 15, 2010
  • #9

need castings for a W. F. & John Barnes #13

Mike,

When I was 18, I rescued a 13 inch Barnes from being scraped. I have spent considerable effort over the years restoring it. Origional tooling is near impossible to find.

When you get tooled up for the little lathes, I could use some castings for my #13 machine.
Change gear blanks, face plate, driver plate, steady rest, follower rest etc.

Send a PM

Restorer

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Mar 16, 2010
  • #10

Update

Just posting an update so you guys dont think I am full of hot air.

I sold my first 3 pedal crank on e-bay. Cranks regardless of size are $125.00. I have a couple more on the bay right now including this one.

Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (12)

I have been working with the foundry and making paterns up.

Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (13)

This is my first patern and the first mold from it. My foundry is useing no bake sand. This patern will make a mold that can produce 4 pedal crank bearing castings at a time.

Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (14)

I purchased this match plate from Dough Cunningham. I had to build the flop boxes on it. It was the only patern he had made up. All the rest of the pieces were being cast from loose pieces. Which I am sure I dont need to tell you is very time consuming and expensive.

Take care all!
Mike Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (15)

P

peter

Titanium
Joined
Mar 20, 2001
Location
New England
  • Mar 16, 2010
  • #11

I sense a lot of happy Barnes owners in the future. That is a nice bearing pattern. You are pretty close to having the most frequently needed Barnes parts. Or should I say, those three parts, are the most needed.

One point, I like to add about making parts from original as costly and time consuming. I am sure you are right, when it comes to doing large numbers of parts. In my experience, for one-off it works very easy (my prep work) and very reasonably priced (foundry costs). I have made parts that range from fit-in-your pocket to over 50 pound, flywheels and lathe legs, working with original parts. The trick is usually to find a loner part. And cores, those damn core boxes, have stopped me cold more than once.

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Mar 16, 2010
  • #12

One good thing is most of these barnes parts require no core. The foundry i am dealing with can make molds from origonal pieces. I sure hope I never have to get big stuff like legs cast. I am planing some of the other accesories like face plates though. Geting origonal pieces would be a big problem. Fortunately Ed Hobbs is helping me out with some loaners.

Mike

J

Joe in NH

Diamond
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Location
Stratham, Cow Hampshire
  • Mar 17, 2010
  • #13

How about seat/underarm patterns? I got my underarm from Doug Cunningham but the seat came from "The Tool Works" who are/were in the business of making "rosette" cutters to make victorian cornerblocks for door trimming (used in a drill press)

Tool Works reproduced a cast aluminum No. 2 velocipede scroll saw, the seat of which they did in cast iron. (It's the same seat as used on the lathes although the underarm is different.)

Tool Works used to be extant on the internet but now they seemed to have disappeared.

Joe

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Mar 17, 2010
  • #14

As I undrstand it, Doug had no patern for the seat stem. He was having them cast from a loose origonal piece. I am planing to build a brand new patern for this eventually. There was a patern done for the seat. As Doug explained to me, he is half owner of it and the foundry ownes the other half. The foundry does not wish to sell out there share so I guess he is kind of stuck. Too bad too! The seat and pedals are the 2 toughest paterns to make. IMHO

Mike

P

peter

Titanium
Joined
Mar 20, 2001
Location
New England
  • Mar 17, 2010
  • #15

Perhaps use his foundry for the seats then?

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Mar 17, 2010
  • #16

That sounds good untill you know that his foundry is the Amish foundry called Cattail. It is about 5-6 hours from me. I am not sure I wish to deal with someone so far away. I have a realy good foundry near by (about 45 min away) And I feel I know the owner prety well. Keeping close to home will limit my turnaround time and help keep my costs low. As soon as I start driving 10-12 hours to pick-up parts or paying shiping things will change and my prices will climb. I will likely make my own patern up. I just want to be as self sufficient as possiple. Plus, I love a challenge.

Mike Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (19)

J

Joe in NH

Diamond
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Location
Stratham, Cow Hampshire
  • Mar 17, 2010
  • #17

Looking at my seat from Tool Works I would guess it was made from an original seat too. The edges of the curlycues that make up the seat in some places show some irregularity. Looking at it I would see that as a moulder's challenge since the edge of the seat is not "uniform" and the moulder would in essense be working on top of a pile of sand.

Dunno. Never done it. Maybe it's easier than I think it is. Make a pile of sand, press the seat into it, use a brush to brush away the excess sand on top and around the edges, and then do the cope and invert? It would be my luck the pile of sand would all come crashing back down on the moulder's bench.

Guess that's why foundries get the big buck.

Joe

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Mar 17, 2010
  • #18

I have made moulds before. Not many, but I have done it. Never cast loose pieces in green sand. Every one I did was either in no bake or petrobond. The sand is fairly easy to carve out. In no bake you sometimes use a grinder for the carving. Making a good patern would be my challenge. The fondary will make all my moulds. I dont want to mess with that part.

Mike

Mike Powell

Stainless
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Location
East Palestine, Ohio
  • Mar 21, 2010
  • #19

First Castings

I went to the foundry on Thursday and got my first parts. I have pedals now as well as crank bearings. The pedals are finished and ready to go. Just let me know what ya need! I dont want to sound desporate, I need orders to continue tooling up. Building paterns, even myself is not free. I need to start geting some positive cash flow if I am going to continue. I have lines of credit with my suppliers now. They are not hounding me yet to pay the bills but i would like to stay in good standing with them.

Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (22)

Pedals $30.00 ea
Cranks $125.00 ea
crank bearings 30.00 ea

Thanks
Mike Powell Restoration Parts For W. F. & John Barnes Machines (23)

Last edited:

M

meco3hp

Hot Rolled
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Location
Post Rock country, Lacrosse Ks
  • Mar 27, 2010
  • #20

Mike,
I've got a #5 that is a bench top model ran by lineshaft. It's mainly apart right now going through restoration (although I'm at a stand still on making spindle and new bearings for the headstock). If you need to see any of the other parts let me know. If anybody would be interested in working with me on making a new spindle and bearings for me let me know. We could work out a deal I'm sure. (I've lost access to the lathe I was going to turn a new spindle on.) This lathe came with most of the accessories, including a wood turning tool rest.

Mike, sounds like you've got yourself a "nitch" in the replacement parts world! Keep up the good work!

Thanks!
Richard

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