An interesting modification to this early Mk1. When you have released the collet look closely into the bore and see if it was recut to accept the collet or has an insert as used on some small lathes.
The lack of leadscrew and seemingly short bed if it is not a photographic perspective effect leads me to wonder if it was damaged and sawn off short. The body from the gap to the right hand end should be 8in.

The tailstock is on backwards and also modified, probably to get extra length between centres.
Do you have some more collets? The body of these ones are normally one of 3 sizes, 6,8, or10mm. The front of the collet is normally stamped with its capacity in tenths of a mm so “24” is 2.4mm.

On 5 October 2025 at 21:31 richard3267 Said:

… Dad bought an Expensive Bergeon lathe, then later sold it and went back to the Flexispeed.

Be interesting to know why!  In theory, a Bergeon should run rings around a Flexispeed.  Possible reasons:

• The Bergeon was in poor condition.   Expensive brand names do not protect against wear and tear.  A Flexispeed in good nick will easily outperform a Bergeon that’s been thrashed!
• He was comfortably familiar with his personalised Flexispeed and didn’t get on with the Bergeon.
• Maybe the Bergeon didn’t outperform any better than the Flexispeed in dad’s skilled hands.  If so, he might have decided to sell it, the money being tasty if the Flexispeed was “good enough”.    An unskilled operator might prefer the Bergeon because it’s quicker and easier to get good results from good equipment.  But it sounds as if dad was skilled.
• Lathes like the Bergeon pay off when fully accessorised.    Was there a big box of bits?  If not, the lathe on it’s own isn’t particularly wonderful.

Do you remember what the lathe was used for?   Building new, repair work, or both?  Clocks or watches?  What other equipment did he have?  Big workshop or under the stairs?   The history is as fascinating as the machine!

Dave

Like Dave … I find that photo intriguing on many levels

Thanks for sharing it.

I think we could have a virtual ‘Archeological  Dig’ trying to identify some of the items.

MichaelG.

Wonderful historical record. Working at home but still wearing a tie.

On 9 October 2025 at 20:08 Bazyle Said:

Wonderful historical record. Working at home but still wearing a tie.

My Dad, born 1910, was a jobbing builder/stonemason. He always wore a shirt and tie, set off with bib and brace overalls at work. His labourer didn’t wear a tie, just like management wore trilbys, foremen wore bowlers, the rest wore flat caps

On 10 October 2025 at 16:11 Gary Wooding Said:

On 9 October 2025 at 20:08 Bazyle Said:

Wonderful historical record. Working at home but still wearing a tie.

On 9 October 2025 at 12:25 richard3267 Said:

The motor on the cleaner in the picture is AC/DC and could run at 10,000 RPM. Occasionaly I turn it up to max speed.

Why does a cleaner need a 10,000 rpm motor?

It doesn’t.  Quite likely the cleaner is fitted with a Universal Motor rated up to 10000rpm though.  Not because that’s needed for work, but because unloaded Universal motors tend to run away and are liable to destroy themselves.

A Universal motor would be unlikely to get to 10,000rpm in a cleaner because it’s loaded by stirring.     Richard is advised not to run at high-speed unless the stirrer is immersed.

Universal motors aren’t as popular as they were in the good days!  Many shortcomings but being able to run on AC or DC was very helpful in the decades before electricity standardised on 240vac 50Hz.

Dave