I don't recognise it, David

But, the chain drive, curious tailstock, and the drilling head all make it a bit 'special'

It might be a great restoration project.

MichaelG.

The tailstock at least looks shop-made.

I'm inclined to think that the whole thing is home made. If it was closer to me I would go take a look to see if I am correct.

John

–

I'd happy walk away with it if only to take that awful coat of rust off it.

Michael

Have a look at http://www.lathes, unknown lathe no.64.

Dave

Interesting. When I said home made I had a toolmaker in mind 'cause some of the parts look fabricated.

Slightly related my Father told me that as a toolmaker they were allowed to do what ever they fancied to solve problems during WWII as they came up. He mentioned a lathe of a sort that was built for a specific job that needed pretty high accuracy. They set the parts up with a theodolite and then held them in place by casting them into concrete.

It makes me think this is some ones foreigner unless there are several about. It's hard to see that as a one off for a specific purpose. More a general purpose set up.

My father's attitude about me obtaining a small really precise lathe was why not make it yourself pointing out that standard mild steel sections are accurate to a few thou. I sometimes get tempted.

If anyone is tempted he reckoned a slant bed would be ideal. Probably correct and for a simple feed steel tape drive. That has been used in the past.

John

–

Have a look at http://www.lathes, unknown lathe no.64.

Well found that man

From my reading it was not uncommon prior to WW2 for a model engineer to buy, or have cast, a lathe bed, and from that build his own, as in books such as "the Amateur Mechanic & Work Handbooks" "Small Lathes, Making and Using" first printed in 1920, my copy is the Australian edition 1943, plans there for a2 1/2" centre lathe with back gear and slide rest.

Ian S C

The history of a lathe in the most basic sense is extremely old, you think, anything that needed a relatively round wheel (without it being too bumpy) needed a lathe.

Extract from English & American Tool Builders by J W Roe 1916:

Take the slide-rest. It is clearly shown in the French
encyclopedia of 1772, see Fig. 3, and even in an edition
of 1717. Bramah, Bentham and Brunel, in England, and
Sylvanus Brown, in America, are all said to have
invented it. David Wilkinson, of Pawtucket, R. I., was
granted a patent for it in 1798. But the invention has
been, and will always be, credited to Henry Maudslay, of
London. It is right that it should be, for he first designed
and built it properly, developed its possibilities, and
made it generally useful. The modern slide-rest is a
lineal descendant from his.

PS Maudslay's famous screwcutting lathe of c 1797 had a screw-operated cross slide but, seemingly, no top slide.

Edited By ega on 12/03/2016 11:36:22

Interesting main spindle drive, reminds me of a cycle "derailleur" gear changer.

Maudsley

**LINK**

MichaelG.