Mark, I haven't drilled the center hole in the piston top yet, but I think it is about 3/4" thick. I'll get some pics when I get home. My wife and I are full time caregivers for our disabled Veteran son (Iraq War), and we are now on our monthly LONG trip to Salt Lake City for his treatment at the VA. sigh... Anyway, I have a collection of those old pistons. A pair of them are part of a long term project (all my projects seem long term 
) to make an indexer setup for my larger mill. It will be kind of a headstock/tailstock thing, with the wrist pin bores being the headstock and tailstock bores.
Peter, thanks for the ideas, I'll have to see what parts I can scrounge for that. My Unimat lathe (both mill and lathe are actually Db200s, not SLs as I said) had quite a few modifications including a Taig tailstock.
And, here's the motor setup on the mill. I think the pen lathe will have a countershaft, if it works out.
Jim and Derek, I have hopes for the little lathe. I don't intend to push it hard, so it should do the job for me. I hope...
Oh, I cut a chunk of Lilac from one of my lady's plants... with permission of sorts. :nonono: I read yesterday that I should slice it in half and chunks, and seal the ends. Gotta do that I guess.
