lathe

bill m · #1 06-04-12, 12:29

Nice lathe Mike and one with a little bit of history.
cheers
Bill.

Mike K · #2 06-04-12, 14:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill m

Nice lathe Mike and one with a little bit of history.
cheers
Bill.

hi Bill

Yes I've since discovered it was made in June 1940 . The Hendey historian in the USA is looking up the sales records for me .It is still a mystery how it ended up here in Australia . The sales agent was in Paris, FRANCE.

I had a horrible time removing the heavy chuck backing plate . It is a 2 and 3/4" X 5 TPI thread , it was stuck solid . I had to remove it piece by piece , with a big cut off wheel .

The lathe is top shelf . Each spindle bearing ( timken tapered roller O class ) has its own bath of oil . It has a clutch , auto reversing carriage , and its built like a battleship .

Mike K · #3 06-04-12, 14:29

the removal process . I damaged the thread slightly , a shame, but I had no other options left .

As I opened the electrical relay box , a circuit paper fell out , with this on the back : an inspectors signature maybe.

Mike K · #4 06-04-12, 14:33

oops mising pic

bill m · #5 07-04-12, 02:37

A lucky find Mike,
the fact it is 1940's and in very good condition is outstanding. These machine tools are collectible in their own right. I like the 1940 inspection slip!
I am planning on a lathe purchase in the not too distant future. Nothing like the smell of machine shop coolant

I currently work at Redline Engineering near Moorabbin airport managing and building aircraft components for local concerns.
The workshop is all CNC machines with just one turret milling machine and a Colchester lathe.
The CNC's are fascinating but are not with the character of the older manual machines.
cheers
Bill.

Mike K · #6 07-04-12, 02:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by bill m

A lucky find Mike,
the fact it is 1940's and in very good condition is outstanding. These machine tools are collectible in their own right. I like the 1940 inspection slip!
I am planning on a lathe purchase in the not too distant future. Nothing like the smell of machine shop coolant

I currently work at Redline Engineering near Moorabbin airport managing and building aircraft components for local concerns.
The workshop is all CNC machines with just one turret milling machine and a Colchester lathe.
The CNC's are fascinating but are not with the character of the older manual machines.
cheers
Bill.

OK Bill

Colchesters are excellent lathes , but spares cost a small fortune , they used special bearings in the headstock and these are thousands of $ to replace .

Many people buy the new Chinese machines , they have improved greatly in the past ten years , but I still don't like them .

At the moment, there is a glut of older used lathes on the market , manufacturing has mostly died here and many companies get rid of their machinery .

You can pick up beautiful quality old lathes for around 2000$ . These days cheap phase converters ( called VFD's ) are available on EBAY ..you can run 3 phase motors from single phase with ease

A good first lathe is a Hercus 260 , made in Adelaide . Hercus still supplies spares for them

Big tip , try to find a lathe with heaps of accessories , these cost more than the lathe itself does

Go to this site and clik on HERCUS http://www.lathes.co.uk/page21.html

Mike

bill m · #7 14-04-12, 22:38

Thanks Mike,
I am already familiar with Lathes.uk, it is a fantastic resource for those interested in machine tool history. You seem to be well placed when these jewels come up for new ownership title!
You mentioned a Paris based sales order? In 1940 Australia was desperate for machine tools and with this lathe possibly bound for France it may have been diverted to a destination more able to use it other than the foreign regime on French soil at that time!
Speculation can run wild!
cheers
Bill.