Holbrook G15

[Milkybars]

You know how it is go looking for a bit of tooling and come away with a lathe….

Turn up on site and find this lovely old lathe looking rather unloved but all intact.
Make some furtive calls whilst on site to someone who knows all about these beautiful stable of lathes @pressbrake1, for some reassurance and thoughts on how deep to dig in the pocket.

No power on site so can't progress down that road, make an offer it's accepted.

Go and sit in that car and think long and hard how I am going to explain the purchase to the good lady . How to counter the obvious statements like "you already have a (expletive) lathe"
and yet "another bloody project"

Go back a few days later armed with how much it weighs circa 1.2T and get it prepared for moving.
Scotch the idea of trailer, bite the bullet and ring the haulier with a big wagon.

Meanwhile after another call for advice splash out on 6m of 100 x 100 x 10 steel angle to be strapped to the undersides of the feet (other options where put forward, but I chose this route).
This is to create a sled and make manoeuvring it about easier !

Spend the next few days trying to make room and suss out where it is going to fit

Hope that on collection day the weather stays dry and we don't have any mishaps..

 

[Milkybars]

Happy to report, the weather was good

 

[daleyd]

Wow that’s an impressive lump! (Not what you want to hear from your GP but a compliment in this case )

 

[zx9]

Beautiful looking lathe, I am sure you will make room for that without too many problems.

 

[Ton-up]

Is that Pete doing the lift?

 

[Milkybars]

@Ton-up aye it is Mr G told him it was any easy friday afternoon job !!

To be honest I was very pleased to see him, great bloke and knows what he's doing with that rig

 

[Ton-up]

Petes great if you can get him to stop talking!

I was with Gary this afternoon!

Just realised he did those stairs for you a while back .

 

[Milkybars]

@Ton-up yep did a great job then as well. I owe you a pint for the recommendation at some point

 

[Hopefuldave]

Welcome to the world of Unobtainium spares

Useful if you haven't already found it - https://groups.io/g/holbrook - friendly bunch and well-informed!

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[Seadog]

Beautiful lathe. I'll have to pop over and have a look when you've got it up and running.

 

[Milkybars]

Well today's weather was a stroke of luck, cleaned as much of the pan and other loose debris as possible.
I had to take the motor off to enable the steel angle to get under the foot.

Not sure if it's the original, but I think a trip to the rewinders for a full clean / service will be in order. The attached wiring was very brittle indeed..
Much fun once the lathe was on the "sled" moving it round on the bars with a 6 foot pry bar, still mission accomplished and now in the dry.
Still a load of work to get it in postition

 

[Hopefuldave]

Probably the original, my mid-50s model C has a big BTH motor (I call it "dustbin sized" but I'm prone to hyperbole) - they certainly don't build 'em like that any more

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[Pete.]

Beauty of a lathe under that grime. What's the plan for it?

I would have put it at way over 24cwt if I had to guess.

 

[Brad93]

Well today's weather was a stroke of luck, cleaned as much of the pan and other loose debris as possible.
I had to take the motor off to enable the steel angle to get under the foot.

Not sure if it's the original, but I think a trip to the rewinders for a full clean / service will be in order. The attached wiring was very brittle indeed..
Much fun once the lathe was on the "sled" moving it round on the bars with a 6 foot pry bar, still mission accomplished and now in the dry.
Still a load of work to get it in postition

Guy in collier row for the motor. Can put you in touch. Old is his specialty.

 

[Milkybars]

@Hopefuldave I think it maybe, thanks for the nod to the forum. I had already signed up and chatted on email to Nick in the background.

 

[Milkybars]

@Brad93 That is who I use, got to know David quite well. He's done quite few for me and even let me have a play in the workshop (pre-covid)
He's having to move units to the one further round the corner ...which has been a complete pain in the **** when you have is set up as he did.

 

[Milkybars]

@Pete. Is to service it and get it up an running. How quick that will be, I am not sure as I have too many things on.
It came with a think all the original kit: faceplate, fixed steady, plus a (according to the holbrook group guy) rare as hens teeth oversized collet chuck and collets
It's a pretty rare survivor, most of the lathes pre-ww2 got thrashed in ww2 production and then hastily replaced after the war.

I am taking the weight from this (although it does say approx !!)
(kindly provided by @pressbrake1)

 

[Milkybars]

It's quoted as 3mt on the tailstock, but it's either been bored out to 4mt or came with it, I found out today.

 

[Brad93]

I’ll ask a friend if he has any literature from that era

 

[Milkybars]

The rough guess by holbrook group guru, based on production number is circa 1920 (I knew it was old but bloody hell 100 years !!)