Ever seen a lathe like this?

[slider16]

This is an old lathe my dad took in trade for some work years ago. Pretty interesting piece, no info or tags on it...Thought ya'll might like to see it.

 

[KRB52]

Looking at the jaws and the vice, is that used for metal turning? W.A.G.(wild *** guess) on my part.

 

[slider16]

That'd be my guess, too.

 

[joecon]

It may have been used to cut armatures for generators.

 

[Packard V8]

Not like any armature lathe I ever saw.

I'm thinking a back-of-Mechanic's-Illustrated general purpose home shop metal lathe.

jack vines

 

[lilredex]

I would agree with that assessment. You could probably order those castings in "rough" or "finished" condition depending what facilities you had. And, then adapt it to your made up flat bed. The cross slide looks like and adaptation of a DP vise.

Probably something Gingery saw when he wrote his book.

http://gingerybookstore.com/MetalLathe.html

 

[gorilla]

I think that the thing that looks like a vise is really a rather crude cross feed, the slot is for the old style lantern type tool holder. Can't tell from the picture if cross feed pivots but even if it dose not you could do some facing and straight turning with it.

 

[slider16]

Up close it does look like a slotted tool holder on a cross feed that doesn't pivot, just like you surmised. No graduations on the feed handle. The bearings feel pretty good, I may have to set it up and see what it'll do.

 

[kwoswalt99]

I've seen lathes just like that, that were treadle driven. The brand might be Barnes. It probably had flat belt pulleys originally.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

It does look similar to a Barnes http://www.lathes.co.uk/barnes/index.html

 

[Fretters]

Up close it does look like a slotted tool holder on a cross feed that doesn't pivot, just like you surmised. No graduations on the feed handle. The bearings feel pretty good, I may have to set it up and see what it'll do.

That top slide must swivel somehow. It's not unknown for some older lathes to not have a cross slide. One of mine is the same.

 

[slider16]

Here's a view of the slide from the back, there is a capscrew underneath that would allow it to swivel.

 

[Fretters]

Here's a view of the slide from the back, there is a capscrew underneath that would allow it to swivel.

Sounds like you're sorted then. I assume that topslide must be on a post which drops into a hole in the saddle? A way you can give the machine a bit more functionality, if you can drop across one thin enough, is to keep an eye out for a compound slide. That way you could have a cross slide and top slide arrangement. The awkward part is generally finding one which won't put the tool above centre height.

 

[GETRIDAONE]

I think you all are on the right track with a Barnes lathe. I have got this one to the point of figuring out a flat belt drive system.

 

[slider16]

Here's a pic of the backside of the headstock, not sure it ever had flat belts, but there's a groove under the small sheave that makes it look like it may have been on a treadle...