Can anyone identify this lathe?

RobCol · Oct 2, 2011

I bought this about 8 years ago on auction. It had no Make or identification plates on it. It was a silver-grey when I bought it and was driven by an overhead belt system.
Gearbox. Original gears with selection of independent wheels that provide a range of screw-cutting sizes and speeds. (Gears not included in photograph) Main shaft of gearbox (11/2 diameter) is threaded to take chuck and/or face plate.
The chuck is a standard 3 jaw reversible 6 1/4” diameter.
Face plate is 5 3/4” diameter predrilled.
Cast iron tailstock machined to take morse taper for live or dead centres.
Motor - 1Hp single phase. (not on original lathe.) Both motor and layshaft at back of gearbox, each provided with stepped pulleys to provide adjustable speed range.
Lathe bed - Machined cast iron with 36” between centres. (Face of chuck to tail stock centre)
Swing - Distance between centre of main shaft of gearbox and surface of the bed is 6”.

inchpincher · Oct 2, 2011

Any clues on the chart riveted to the leg?

Nice old beast though, 1920s/30s if I had to guess...

Simon- · Oct 2, 2011

Ive no idea tbh. Its pretty awesome to see such an old machine in good condition. Maybe have a look around this site and you may find something.I never realised that there were so many different manufacturers of lathes out there......lol

http://www.lathes.co.uk/page21.html

Hope its of some help!

scott0031 · Oct 2, 2011

I have a feeling i know what this is. One question, when you turn the apron hand wheel Clockwise what way does the saddle move, is it right to left or left to right. The apron hand wheel is the one that makes the saddle move along the machine bed. Those with a lathe will think this is a bizarre question and you would be right, but could well give away the lathes identity.

Kind regards,

Scott

Engineer · Oct 2, 2011

It looks like an old Southbend lathe, that was made in the US. Google Southbend, or have a look on Lathesuk to confirm.

scott0031 · Oct 2, 2011

All the southbends i have seen and on lathes.co have the apron hand wheel on the left. The pic shows it on the right hence my question

Kind regards,

Scott

stormin · Oct 2, 2011

I think we can rule out South Bend and copies and almost anything of US origin due to the flat top of the ways. "Most" US lathes tend to favour the inverted V ways. Flat top ways tend to be a British trait.

Also not aware of any Southbend models with anything other than a straight bed top and bottom, no gap bed types.

The bed casting is reminiscent of Early Myford Drummond and Portass types. Those were the ones that sprung to mind when I saw it.
Nearest I could find that looked similar was the IXL. Given the age of course it could be a bit of a witches brew with parts accumulated from othe rmachines over the years.

Delta · Oct 2, 2011

Could even be a converted wood turning lathe...

aametalmaster · Oct 2, 2011

scott0031 said:
All the southbends i have seen and on lathes.co have the apron hand wheel on the left. The pic shows it on the right hence my question

Kind regards,

Scott

99% of the right side handwheels are with a gap bed lathe like the one pictured. I have an old 1919 SBL and its not one of them...Bob

aametalmaster · Oct 2, 2011

stormin said:
Also not aware of any Southbend models with anything other than a straight bed top and bottom, no gap bed types.

SBL made lots of gap bed lathes. The most recent was early 1980's 10K 10"...Bob

Pete. · Oct 2, 2011

Post your pictures in the antique section of Practicalmachinist and you'll have your answer probably.

jugs · Oct 2, 2011

Hi rob & welcome :hug:

Post those pics on -> http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/

Someone on there will know

Also you can spend many happy hrs on Tony's site -> http://www.lathes.co.uk/page21.html
trawling though 100s

Edit - Pete beat me to it (on pulling up the ref, I spent 1/2 hr trawling :ashamed:

)

Wedg1e · Oct 2, 2011

It's reminiscent of lots of bits of other lathes but the clue is that whoever made it didn't see fit to cast their name into the bed somewhere - there's enough room for it.
I'd say the biggest clues to ID it are the distinctive tailstock, the particular 'groove' in the headstock below the pulleys and that wiiiiide T-slotted top on the saddle, but it may well be one of any number of imported lathes distributed by various garage and engineering suppliers as was apparently popular pre-WW2.
I too had a quick scan through Lathes.co.uk and one thing that suggests itself (although I can't see enough detail in the pics above) is that it may have originally been a treadle lathe. One of my first thoughts was that the head and tailstocks were reminscent of my old Mellor - but maybe not

You rather get the impression that a lot of lathes were created by people taking an existing casting, adding or removing a bit and recasting it...

GeorgiePorgie · Oct 3, 2011

This is a later version of the Rossia Lathe,1895 to 1910,I supsect 1910?.

Tsk! ruddy amatuers. :whistle:

stormin · Oct 3, 2011

GeorgiePorgie said:
This is a later version of the Rossia Lathe,1895 to 1910,I supsect 1910?.

Tsk! ruddy amatuers.

The only one known of this later type then.

Bet it would have been worth a fortune before it got re-painted, :whistle:

jugs · Oct 3, 2011

GeorgiePorgie said:
This is a later version of the Rossia Lathe,1895 to 1910,I supsect 1910?.

Tsk! ruddy amatuers.

Similar, but I don't think it's a Rossia Georgie,

Head, bed, apron, tailstock & leg castings are all different, as is tumbler gear position

Date, it could be anywhere between 1880 - 1930 (some manufacturers didn't like change)

Large numbers of un-named lathes were produced in WW1 from earlier/superseded pattens.

GeorgiePorgie · Oct 3, 2011

Similar, but I don't think it's a Rossia Georgie

Are you a betting man?

http://www.lathes.co.uk/rossia/

roofman · Oct 3, 2011

has traits of a very early Henry Milnes

Wedg1e · Oct 4, 2011

GeorgiePorgie said:
Are you a betting man?

http://www.lathes.co.uk/rossia/

That's one of the ones I was referring to when I said it resembled others. Certainly the wide T-slotted carriage top is there but not much else... which is not to say it couldn't be but again, the maker didn't see fit to cast-in their name?

One thing that I was struggling to find on any lathe other than this one and the Mellor was the pair of 'feet' below the chuck, bolted-through to hold the headstock to the bed.

GeorgiePorgie · Oct 4, 2011

That's one of the ones I was referring to when I said it resembled others. Certainly the wide T-slotted carriage top is there but not much else...

I'd stake a good bet on the Rossia or even an updated version clone,clone being another maker but could not use the Rossia name due to trademark rights?

I've had a look through all the Lathes on Lathe UK and cannot find a similair or mill type bed on any other lathe.
There is no information about the Rossia Lathe and its maker on the web so we don't know how long this maker lasted in production?

Can anyone identify this lathe?

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