TOOL

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

The basic Adept lathe had a bolt-on compound slide rest located in a slot machined down the center of the bed. The more popular "Super" Adept had a compound slide mounted to a carriage driven by a 12 TPI leadscrew. The lathe is 13.75" in length overall and weighs just 6.5 pounds. More can be learned about the history of this and other machines by going to Tony Griffith's excellent site at www.lathes.co.uk and looking in the "Archives" section by machine name.

A 1 Euro coin and a US quarter dollar coin are shown is some of the photos for size comparison.

Donated by Tom Hammond.

Mr. Matten also made the handle for the small mallet himself. The handle is made for a right-handed person. The mallet was used to gently tap a sharpened steel tool to do engraving. A carved rose handle is clamped in the vise as an example of Mr. Matten's work and to show how the vise is used.

On loan courtesy of Mr. Matten's nephew, Andy Moore, Vista, CA

BOLEY—This is a typical small watchmaker's lathe driven by an electric motor. The lathe and motor are mounted to a cast aluminum base plate, suggesting that the motor was added later. The 4-position spindle pulley has a set of indexing holes drilled in the back side...a handy feature. The sturdy 3/4-round bed was typical of the WW design. On the right end of the bed it is marked "G. Boley, 2182, Germany."

This lathe is missing it's T-rest or crosslide and has been mounted to a custom made aluminum base, replacing the standard single post support on the left side if it was a 1A or the two supports of a model 1B. A scan of a Boley lathe cataog drawing shows a similar lathe mounted on two posts. (Images: Tony Griffiths/www.lathes.co.uk)

"CATARACT BENCH LATHE" by HARDINGE USA—Originally made by the Cataract Tool and Bicycle Company in Buffalo, NY, production moved to the Hardinge Brothers sometime between 1900 and 1908. The headstock casting was of the finest grade, seasoned and heat treated alloy cast iron, hand scraped to fit the lathe bed. The headstock spindle, made from ball bearing steel, was hardened and ground both internally and externally and ran in hardened plain bearings. This arrangement was the very best that the technology of the day could provide. The spindle nose carried a patented Hardinge quick-action taper fitting although an ordinary thread was optional. The large outer pulley was fitted with a ring of 60 indexing holes. This lathe is probably from the 1920's or 1930's. It has serial number 2083 stamped into the end of the bed.

This machine has a swing of about 7" over the bed and is equipped with a 6" faceplate. It is about 14" between centers. It uses a Hardinge 5C collet and has over a 1" capacity through the bore. According to research, that would make this a model BB57 lathe, although their are no part numbers on the lathe itself. The brass label with the number "63" on it was probably a machine number applied by a factory to identify the machine at some point in its life. The 4th photo at the left shows the actual machine label located on the right side of the base.

A small, round tool post holds a 1/4" square HSS cutting tool, which is held in place with a simple threaded thumbscrew. The tailstock spindle is also locked in a similar manner. On the back of the tailstock is a third thumbscrew that locks the tailstock in place on the dovetailed ways. Using this method, alignment between headstock and tailstock centers is not able to be adjusted, and is far from what would be considered "close tolerances." All leadscrews have 1/4-20 threads, with the cross slide and main lead screws being the appropriate left-hand lead, while the tailstock is a right-hand lead, so turning the handwheel always advances the slide away from the user.

Though seemingly a somewhat crude machine, it actually is a fairly clever design considering the constraints of being completely made from sheet metal. The famous "Cincinnati" name is normally associated with the better known company from that city that makes full-size metalworking equipment. The Winkle Manufacturing Co. also happens to be located in Cincinnati, but one wonders how they were able to get away with using the name of the more famous tool company on their product, even though it obviously offered no serious competition in that market. Actually, in those days large manufacturers often let toy companies use their names free of charge, feeling it was good advertising. Once the lawyers found out they could charge money for the use of a trade name, that practice was seriously reduced.

If anyone knows more about this lathe and the company that produced it, please let us know.

CRAFTSMAN AA109/DUNLAP—Sears, Roebuck & Co. was one of the first large mail-order companies, selling all kinds of consumer products including tools in their catalogs. This 6" x 18" lathe was made for Sears by the AA Company, often called "Double A." The original name decal near the bottom of the headstock has been repainted over and no trace of it now remains. It was marketed sometime between 1941 and 1948 as catalog number 109-2062. It has #0 Morse centers, a small 1/2-20 spindle thread and ungraduated micrometer dials. These were unusually small spindle sizes for a lathe this size. Even so, it's price of $31.95 was a good bargain compared to the 6" Atlas lathe Sears sold for $67.50 at that time. It had 8 speeds from 580 to 2040 RPM and could cut threads from 8 to 96 TPI using the built-in gears. This particular model appears be the shorter bed version that was produced after WWII and may have originally been labeled with the Craftsman label rather than as Dunlap.

Though attractively designed, there were a number of shortcomings including the small tailstock taper and spindle nose thread, the lack of a proper handwheel handle on the leadscrew end, the absence of graduations on the feed screws and, on early versions, the lack of a slow speed.

This lathe is sometimes confused with the "Craftsman 6-inch" lathe later made by the Atlas Company. While the Model 80 cost as little as $48.50 at the time, the Craftsman 6" sold in the 1950's for about $160.00 and was a more substantial and better equipped machine.

CRAFTSMAN "COMPANION"—This early 6" lathe from Sears, Roebuck & Co. was made either by Atlas or by the AA (Double A) Company. Starting in 1939, they started making a simple V-bed that was reserved for the cheaper "Companion" line of Craftsman tools. This was an early version of the post-war AA "Model 109" and Craftsman Model 80. Though the headstock bearings were marginal in quality and a weak point throughout the machine's life, it did have a proper apron-mounted handle for the carriage traverse (racked against the leadscrew like a modern Myford ML10), an epicyclic backgear assembly built into the front face of the headstock pulley and graduations on the cross feed screw. This series of lathes was made up until the 1960's in a more rare "square" headstock shape.

The 7th photo shows also the handsome custom made wooden block to hold collets, flycutter and other tools that came with the machine, illustrating a great sense of detail. The last photo shows the stamped name and serial number stamped into the machine. The "017" at the end of the number indicates the 7th and final hand built machine built.

Donated by Tony Ducci.

This machine was purchased new in its original box at a swap meet and donated to the Joe Martin Foundation by Jim Clark of Clark Precision Machine, formerly of Lakeside, CA, now of Billings, MT.

DRUMMOND "TYPE A" 4" x 11.5" LATHE—Manufactured In Surrey, England  from 1908 to 1939, the round bed Drummond Type A lathe proved very popular with amateur turners, particularly in the model engineering field. The right hand thread on the leadscrew results in movement of the saddle opposite of what is normal; that is, clockwise rotation of the handwheel moves the saddle toward the tailstock rather than the headstock, no doubt resulting in a few ruined parts until an operator got used to this quirk. The tailstock leadscrew works the same way.

Drummond first started producing lathes in 1902 with the flat bed Type B 3.5 x 16" lathe. Many Drummond lathes were purchased by the military, and company records are still available that often make it possible to trace a machine to service on a particular warship. The Drummond company was purchased in 1953 by Asquiths, another English lathe company, which was in turn purchased in 1966 by Staveley Industries, and Drummond designs were produced up until about 1970.

Much more can be learned about Drummond lathes and their use at Tony Griffiths excellent web site. See www.lathes.co.uk (Machine Tool Archives) for general tool information or http://www.lathes.co.uk/drummond/index.html for information specific to Drummond lathes. This particular lathe is stamped "MCH.A. 3994" on the side of the round bed and includes a 3" 3-jaw chuck from the Cushman Chuck Co., Hartford, PA. It has an early cap type spindle dating it to pre-1919. The bronze bearings are in one piece with clearance set by a slot and pinch bolts. The table has four T-slots rather than the three shown on later machines.

DUMORE DRILL PRESS—A 25-cent coin sitting on the drill table will give you an idea how small this little drill press is. The 1/16 HP motor has a rated (no load) speed of 17,000 RPM. The motor/spindle unit can be positioned on the vertical tube with a handwheel lock. For drilling, the part on the round table is moved upwards into the drill  using the handwheel below the table. There is about 2" of travel and an adjustable stop. The original speed control was missing, so it was replaced with an control from an old Sherline AC/DC motor. Total height is about 14-1/2" and the table is 3-7/16" in diameter. The chuck is a Jacobs #0.

EDELSTAAL MACHINEX 5 LATHE—A modestly priced lathe marketed in the 1970's by American Edelstaal in Tenefly, NJ had both its headstock (1" x 16 TPI) and tailstock fabricated from aluminum extrusions. The carriage was also aluminum, while the bed was ground cast steel. Swing is 5" over the bed and 3-1/8" over the cross slide with 10" between centers. (A 14" between centers model was also offered.) This one is fitted with a 3-1/8" Edelstaal 3-jaw chuck and has an aluminum faceplate and two cast drive dogs. There is a provision on the back of the bed for the mounting of a mill/drill column. The 1/4 HP motor drives the 9/16" bore spindle through six speeds from 250 to 4000 RPM.

Purchased on an eBay auction, little information was provided with this old Swiss hand-cranked lathe. It is made almost entirely of brass with wooden handle knobs. Stamped into top of the frame is the inscription "G.Ve VAUCHER JEANNERET FLEURIER, SUISSE 1866." This would indicate the manufacturer, country (Switzerland) and patent date or date of manufacture. It has driven by hand cranking a gear drive and has a compound tool holder that can be adjusted and driven in several directions. The faceplate has a set of three spring-loaded clamps for holding parts. A pointed center can be advanced from the headstock end using a sliding lever in the spindle. Unfortunately, due to insufficient packaging, some of the handles were bent in shipping. We have straightened the brittle parts as best we can.

CLICK HERE for a description by Ian Wright of the type of work done on this and similar lathes.

GOODALL-PRATT 700 PRECISION LATHE—This small bench lathe was used by jewelers and watchmakers. It had 3.5" between centers and could swing a 5" diameter part over the bed. The bed is hand scraped and original cost was $44.00. Missing is the tool rest which supported the handheld "graver" for cutting metal. It would have been attached to the bed between the headstock and tailstock. In the foreground is a Goodall-Pratt measuring caliper.

GOODALL-PRATT 700 POLISHING LATHE—Based on the same 700 lathe, the Model 29-1/2 "polishing lathe" version had a feedscrew tailstock and a spindle with a taper at both ends. It has been fitted with a 3-jaw chuck and a compound slide, which were upgrades available for the basic model.

GOODALL-PRATT 125 BENCH LATHE—Best known for their line of hand and measuring tools, the bench lathe business was not a large part of Goodall-Pratt's business. Marketed in the 1920's as a wood turning lathe, it had a swing of 7" over the bed and 12" between centers. It is 25" long overall and 11-1/2" high. It has a twin mount base with legs at each end. Goodall-Pratt's claims for the lathe were quite modest. They said is was made from good materials and of a thoroughly serviceable design, and the owner could expect them to be only reasonably accurate. To be exact, they said, "We do not claim to make a precision tool for the selling price of these lathes; but they can, and do, practically fill all the requirements for the average owner." (If only some of today's tool manufacturers were so refreshingly honest...)

The bed and base were milled but not hand scraped and a 3-step flat belt drive headstock spindle was fitted with an adjustable cone bearing, a #1 Morse taper center and was bored through to a diameter of 3/8". The tailstock had both a lever and screw feed and a #0 Morse taper.

Because of their low cost ($40.00), most were sold to unskilled amateurs and suffered rough use throughout their life. Very few appear on the market today in good condition. This one appears to maintain the original black and red paint scheme.

GUILDER MODEL BUILDER—During the 1930s Mr. Walter C. Guilder, of Wilmington, Vermont, an engineer, former toolmaker and model-boat enthusiast designed his plain-turning (non-screwcutting) "Guilder Model Builder" miniature lathe of 3" swing and 5" between centers to be as useful as possible for the home hobbyist who required several power tools in one tiny package. The machine was therefore designed to be a compact, self-contained unit and, although available on "plain legs" for drive by the customer's own motor, in its more complete form the lathe was mounted on supports attached to a plate which held a factory-fitted double-shaft motor which drove both the 0.25" bore headstock spindle and, simultaneously from its other end, a 0.25" capacity drill press mounted at the tailstock end of the bed. An electrical switch was built neatly into the bed casting just in front of the headstock.
Included in the Guilder Model Maker's specification was the ability to mount - without the use of tools and all driven by one rear-mounted motor - various accessories, amongst which were: a drill press, a circular saw (which one owner described as, "accurate and useful"), a jig saw, disc sander and table, sanding drum, fixed steady (listed as an "extension roller rest") and a vertical-milling slide. The commercial potential of the design was recognized by W. F. Crosby, a navel architect of Pelham Manor, New York, and, with his backing, production began at some unknown date in the mid 1930s; by 1949 manufacture had been transferred to H. E. Greene & Son, also in Wilmington, where it continued until the mid 1950s. (Description courtesy of Tony Griffiths, www.lathes.co.uk)

This machine as well as a large selection of accessories along with much original product catalog literature were generously donated by Judson Smith of New York.

LEAVITT LATHE—The label on the back side says, "Leavitt Machine Co., Dexter Valve Reseating Machine, Orange, Massachusetts." The bed is 22.25" long and the headstock is fitted with a Leavitt 3" 3-jaw chuck. The tailstock is fitted with a dead center. A compound slide with tool post sits between them. (The compound handwheel was missing and has been replaced with a Sherline made handwheel.) The cast iron base is raised up on four cast iron legs.

NOTE: Leavitt-Dexter was purchased by Quabbin Inc. several years ago and still manufactures the Dexter Valve Reseaters.

MANSON 1.5" x 4" LATHE—Manufactured in Los Angeles by ManSon Small Machines in the 1940's, this small lathe causes some arguments as to whether it is a real lathe or a toy. At the time it was billed as "The World's Smallest Lathe." Overall length is only 9-3/16". The extremely tiny size limits the parts that can be made on it, but the design is substantial enough to indicate it was intended to make small metal parts to some level of accuracy. The original finish was grey paint. The spindle has a 3/16" through hole and threaded nose (7/16-20) to accept a faceplate or chuck. The swing over the bed was approximately 2" with 4" between centers. Swing over the carriage was 3/4" and collet capacity was 1/8". The carriage was driven by a rack gear by means of a handwheel on the carriage. The tool post accepts a square 3/16" cutting tool. An accessory kit was available that included a 4-jaw independent chuck, faceplate, drive togs and collets. An early advertisement shows the price for the basic lathe as $39.75, with $41.50 being the price for a lathe with a drive dog, tool bit and test rod. An adjustable tailstock was available for an additional $10.00 and a more powerful universal motor could be added for an extra $25.00. These small lathes have become highly collectible and now sell for10 to 20 times their original cost or more. The last photo shows a bottom view to show the motor.

Later models of this lathe were available under the name of Mono Lathe and Duo Lathe.

Specifications are listed as: Length: 10.5", Width: 3.75" and Height: 7.25". Shipping weight is 12 pounds.

MATTEL "POWER SHOP" wood turning lathe—This 4-way tool is essentially designed as a toy, but it can do some simple jobs. It can be set up as a lathe, disc sander, drill press or jigsaw. It has an extruded aluminum base, cast aluminum tailstock, sheet metal headstock with die cast ends and a die cast Handle and tool support that slides in a curved track on the extruded base. The spindle is a 1/8" shaft with a flat onto which a spur driver, sanding disc or simple drill holder can be pressed. The tailstock live center is simply a plastic part with a ball-shaped end that spins in a depression in the tailstock plate. The tailstock also acts as a stand when the machine is placed in the vertical position to be used as a drill press. There is an eccentric on the spindle shaft that drives the jigsaw. In the jigsaw configuration, the tailstock plate is removed and attached to the headstock to act as a table. Though quite simple in construction, it would actually be a fairly good introduction to power tools for a young craftsman. Included is an illustrated instruction book and even a simple plastic eye shield.

Donated by Peter Amis.

RIVETT 504 LATHE—This 8" x 17" lathe was made by the Rivett Lathe and Grinder Co., Brighton, Boston, Mass, USA according to the label. It is fitted with a 4-1/8" 3-jaw chuck and a live center. The 3-position flat belt drive pulley has indexing holes drilled in the back. A 6" spoked handwheel could also be used to drive the headstock. The serial number stamped into the bottom of the tailstock casting is 3709.

RIVETT No. 2 watchmaker lathe from about 1896. This small lathe was benchtop mounted on a single post and features moveable headstock and tailstocks. In the middle is a positionable T-rest upon which the watchmaker rests his handheld "graver" to remove metal much like a woodworker uses a chisel tool on a lathe. The T-rest can be swung out of the way for loading parts or other hand operations. A small handwheel on the rear of the headstock spindle allows for hand indexing. The 3-position pulley was driven by a round pulley driven by an external motor. The bed of this machine is chrome plated steel rather than the usual cast iron, and all the serial numbers match.

Donated by Rivett expert and collector Tom Hammond.

SHERLINE MODELS 1000/1100 and 4000/4100—Designed by Harold Clisby in Australia in the lathe 1960's, the Sherline lathe took advantage of the stiffness and economy of aluminum extrusions to eliminate the flexibility problems of the then-popular Unimat. Also sized at 3.5" x 8", it took aim directly at Unimat's market. It offered a good line of accessories including a thread cutting attachment with metal gears, chucks, steady rest and several tool posts. Mr. Clisby was a prolific inventor, and turned his attention to a successful air compressor design, turning over the manufacture of the lathe to Ron Sher of Sher Pty. Ltd. in Australia. Joe Martin became the first US importer of the lathe, when it was sold under the Craftsman label by Sears and also under the Sherline label. It was also sold under several other brand names such as Brookstone, Jensen and NatCam (National Camera) until the Sherline name became well known on its own. The original several hundred imports were a metallic blue color with brass bed and table and a small motor facing toward the right. The second photo shows early packaging where the box had its own carrying handle. After production moved to the USA, the finish changed to black and the AC/DC motors (now facing to the left) increased in power from 1/5 HP, to 1/4 HP, to 1/2 HP eventually to be replaced by a far superior DC motor that provides even more torque. Sherline machines are still in production and can now be purchased with all the modern features available on large machines like digital readouts and CNC controls. A longer lathe with 17" between centers is also available. The last photo shows a current production Model 4000 A lathe with chucks. The current price of $575.00 is actually less expensive in today's dollars than the original Unimat was at $99.00 in 1953, and use of CNC factory machining makes today's tools far more precise and accurate. Sherline also offers a line of three similarly sized milling machines. Though Unimat offered a milling column for the lathe, a stand-alone milling machine was not available in this size until Sherline introduced it.

Machine tool expert Tony Griffiths says, "Exported world-wide, the beautifully made classic American South Bend 9-inch "Workshop" lathe still has an enthusiastic following. Amazingly, the design, developed and refined, but still to its essentially original appearance and dimensions, is included in South Bend’s catalogues of today as a 10-inch lathe—a production run of over 69 years. During WWII many South Bend lathes of all sizes were exported to the UK under the "Lend-Lease" scheme, and thousands are still in amateur hands giving faithful service. High-quality materials were always a feature of these lathes—even the screws holding the gear guard covers were hardened so that repeated removal for cleaning and lubrication did not burr their slots and so mar the lathe’s appearance. The headstock spindle and bearings were masterpieces of precision engineering and, given just a modicum of lubrication, the hardened spindle and cast iron bearings of the 8-inch Junior and "9-inch Workshop" models, (an ideal combination of materials, incidentally) appear to last almost forever."

STARK (or similar) LATHE IN MINIATURE—This tiny lathe is similar to the popular Stark lathe design that was produced by many different companies over a long period of years. This particular one is of a treadle model of the lathe, where the rotary motion of the spindle is powered by the operator's feet, a common form or power where electricity was not available. The lathe sits on a wooden workbench that has a drawer in the rear containing miniature wrenches, a compound slide and other tools. It was hand made by Georg Hesse in Berlin, Germany in the early 1900's and passed down from father to son. In Germany, Mr. Hesse's title was "fine Mekanik," which is the equivalent of a master machinist.

STARRETT SQUARE and BROWN & SHARP ANGLE GAUGE—The small 4" L.S. Starrett machinist's square will get regular use in our shop rather than languish in the display cabinet. In addition to the standard square arm, a center finding arm is also included.

The tiny Brown & Sharp angle gauge is the smallest we have seen. The arms are only about 1" long, but it is perfectly functional. Most modelmakers would find this an extremely useful tool, although we doubt it is still offered for sale by B&S. (A quarter is used for size illustration.)

These tiny calipers and dividers were used to transfer a dimension from one part to another. The patent date on the curved set is 1870. The tiny #50 size collets are for holding very small watch shafts. Also included in the donation by Walter Yahn are a set that holds 36 sizes of balance hole jewel combinations (cock and foot) by Swartchild & Co. of Chicago. Another set from O. Aunes includes 12 small glass vials containing a selection tiny washers for adjusting watch timing. A final container has an assortment of very small watch screws.

Donated by Walter Yahn

STEWART MINIATURE TREADLE LATHE—Made by the James Stewart Company of New York, USA, the original of this lathe resides in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. Lynn Hollis took photos and dimensions from the prototype in the museum and created this 1/8 scale model. The treadle (foot powered lever to turn a flywheel) is fully functional with the headstock driven by a fine thread. The tailstock lock and other features also work.

The last two photos show the original lathe in the Ford Museum.

TAIG LATHE—One of the few other small machine tools produced in the USA, the Taig is made in Arizona. Like the Sherline, it is also based on about the same size as the old Unimat. The tailstock uses a quill feed for rapid drilling (but without micrometer control) and the headstock has T-slots in the extrusion for mounting fixtures or indicators. To keep costs down, the basic lathe is available with or without a motor. Taig also makes a milling machine.

TOYO LATHE—For many years the Toyo Lathe was Japan's answer to the Unimat. Sized about the same and of similar layout it was recognizable by its bright green color. Our example has both a 3-jaw and 4-jaw chuck. Inside the swing-out pulley cover are two pairs of 3-position pulleys offering six speeds using the two-position belt from the drive motor. Two separate speed charts are listed inside depending on whether you were using 50 or 60 Hz current. A separate belt could also be used to power the feed screw and a threading chart was posted inside the cover as well. For a time this lathe was marketed as the Sakai lathe, but distribution ceased when the company founder died.

UNMAT 1 LATHE SYSTEM—The last of the small machines to remain in production carrying the Unimat name is made entirely from plastic except for the extruded aluminum bed and the pot metal chuck. Though limited to cutting wax, wood and perhaps a little aluminum, the system incorporates several clever design features that allow the components to be put together in many ways to do a lot of different jobs. There are optional modules available for milling, drilling and rotary work as well. There are a number of packages at various price levels that incorporate different modules. A DVD and book of projects comes with the machine, which is sold and promoted world-wide. (The book is in six languages.) While still manufactured in Austria, the Unimat is no longer made by Emco as was the case with the older metal machines up to the Unimat 3. (The Unimat 4 was made in Taiwan.) Now made by Manfred Heindl and The CoolTool Company in Austria, the Unimat name continues in a brightly colored, fun, multi-purpose tool system that is well supported with accessories and features, but is suitable for light duty work only. According to the box cover, the machine has won several awards for design.

Photo 1 shows the cover of the box of the "Classic" 6-in-one set. The various configurations are shown in the cover photo. Photo 2 shows the components as packaged in the box. Photo 3 shows a detail of the pot metal 3-jaw chuck, which is 1-7/8" in diameter and one of the few metal parts supplied. (Even the collets are molded from plastic.) The final photo shows one of the best features of the system; that is, it is extremely well documented with manuals, project books, a video and a DVD. The Unimat line takes advantage of all the marketing tools available to a modern manufacturer, keeping in mind it will be sold alongside colorful kits and toys in the hobby market.

UNIMAT DB200/SL1000—Introduced in 1954 and selling for $99.00 in the wooden box, this small tabletop lathe was an instant hit that revolutionized the home lathe market. This Austrian-made tool offered a huge line of accessories and many thousands were sold. It's weakness was its flexibility due to the use of a bed made from two round rods. It is still popular with tool collectors today, although for your money you can buy a modern lathe that is in current production that will make more accurate parts. This is the one that started it all, though, and its 3.5" x 8" size was the basis of the design of many of the lathes still sold today. Sitting in the top of the box is an optional saw table attachment, one of many options available for the machine.

UNIMAT 3 LATHE—The last Unimat to be produced in Austria, it solved the bed flex problem by going to a cast, dovetailed bed. The light duty motor limits its usability, but the large line of Unimat accessories kept it popular for a long time. Manufactured in Austria by EMCO, it was eventually replaced by the Unimat 4 which was manufactured in Taiwan, and the drop in quality turned off many former customers. It is no longer distributed in the USA.

WADE CAV LATHE #2—The Wade CAV was manufactured by C.A.V. Small Tools Ltd., in Sussex England from 1922 to the lathe 1930's. It is made using polished pressure die cast copper-aluminum alloy components. Keep in mind that aluminum was considered almost a precious metal in the 1920's, so this was a pretty radical choice of materials for the time. It also has a back gear for screw cutting and a steel bed instead of the usual cast iron used at the time. This example has a 3" 3-jaw chuck. The bed itself is a large tube, which is in itself unusual.

Donated by Gary Twemlow, Scotland.

UNKNOWN BRAND JEWELER'S LATHE—There is no manufacturer information anywhere on this donated lathe, although it is a very attractive design with the polished brass parts and black-painted bed. The brass legs give this tiny machine (the bed is 12-5/8" long) the look of a larger lathe. The roughly cast bed has two triangular pointed ground ways that register in grooves in the bottom of the headstock, tailstock and slide. Each is positioned by loosening a large brass thumbscrew under the bed, although one thumbscrew has been lost and replaced by a bolt on this particular machine. The capacity is a swing of 1-5/8" (3-1/4" diameter) by about 6" between centers. The headstock does not actually have a center or an internal taper for one, but rather a threaded end on the spindle shaft is used to accept the chuck which can hold a center. A white celluloid plastic handwheel with brass spokes operates the tailstock and is marked, "Celluloid, PAT. May 14, '78." which presumably indicates 1878. If anyone has any information on the manufacturer of this lathe, please contact mecm@craftsmanshipmuseum.com.