Identifying a part-built 1.5″ Baby Lathe

[IanTParticipant @iant]

This little lathe was partially constructed by a friends father – from what looks like commercially sourced castings and has come to stay with me for a while.

I spent some time last night browsing through Lathes.co.uk to try to identify it and I found several small lathes that were similar but not exactly the same – especially in terms of the bed length and the end 'foot'.

The faceplate is 3" in diameter and the overall length of this tiny lathe is just 16" (bed casting end-to-end). There are no names or markings that I can see. The work done on this machine so far is excellent – my friends Dad was clearly a very good craftsman and knew what he was doing.

The top-slide casting is missing and the other casting (set on top of the lathe bed) appears to be part of a small vertical slide.

I'm not sure when (or even if) I will get around to doing more work on her but I would like to know more about her and if possible find some photos of a completed machine. I'm hoping someone here will recognise the design and can point me in the right direction?

Regards,

IanT

[IanTParticipant @iant]

An unknown small lathe – partially built from commercial castings

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Ian,

I have no idea what it is, but it looks lovely. The spindle end looks a lot like an Ad*pt!

How are you keeping btw?

Steven.

Edited By Steven Greenhough on 10/05/2015 16:19:23

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I'll lay odds the faceplate is adept, if nothing else is!

Neil

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Perris? a bit like a PL90 ? the ways are identical to the Flexispeed but the mains are split at the back and it has the extra foot.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Hi Steve,

I am very well thank you – although I've not been in the workshop recently. Other distractions have been keeping me somewhat occupied. I hope you still have your little Ad*pt safe and sound somewhere ( for when you are tempted to play with her again).

I've had another look through "Lathes" this morning and the best overall 'design' resemblance I can find to this baby lathe is in the 'Gamages' range – although their lathes were generally larger in size and normally had their brand cast into the body. The headstock is quite similar to an Adept but there the resemblance ends I think. It's not a cantilever design for instance and the tailstock seems a little more 'elegant' (?).

She's not high on my list of priorities but I think I will put her somewhere within sight and you never know, maybe the odd thing will get added here and there over time.

Thank you for your thoughts everyone.

Regards,

IanT

PS Can you have too many lathes? This one takes me up to four (or possibly three and a half?) – plus another one on permanent loan to a friend and various other beds and pieces lurking on shelves.

So many lonely old machines – so few good homes!

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I think it's an adept headstock, I also note that the slot along the bed doesn't appear to have been machined into a T-slot.

I wonder if he had an old adept and chopped off the headstock grafted it onto a pattern and had his own casting made. Indeed it could almost be a whole Adept bed with a block (presumably for adding change gears) and a longer bed grafted on and used as a pattern

Neil

[Steven GreenhoughParticipant @stevengreenhough56335]

Ian.

Yes, still have it, it’s not going anywhere

[Author]

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