ornamental lathe

[Pete.]

Seriously - where....??

Eastbourne Terrace alongside Paddington Station which is now the site of the Elizabeth Line station was entirely paved with timber blocks then eventually tarmacced over. I did a load of work there cutting the Brunel footings in half (the hard direction) to make room for the piling machine forming the Crossrail box and I saw them pulling it all up. I think it was timber paved because of all the milk dreys that used to supply the city back in the day. They would have run very quiet on the timber cobbles.

I meant to grab some of those blocks but never got round to it. There were thousands.

 

[4String.]

The sign came from wadkin, I was there collecting the oak front doors to the main offices. I would of loved to stay longer but got a message saying wifey had been taken to hospital for emergency blood transfusion. Very inconsiderate of her. I missed loads of stuff like enamel lights and more signs and switches. But I managed to save a bit history. I very nearly bought the stone portico from the main entrance. I have some original photos which show my sign in the 30's.

When I look back I could cry.

In 1980 I started my apprenticeship for a used machine tool dealer in Sheffield and ended up driving their artic stepframe. We bought machine tools from literally all over the UK and on many occasions we bought complete companies that had closed down. If I'd known then, as the saying goes, I'd have filled the trailer with what was then classed as junk but would nowadays be called memorabilia and sell for a fortune, courtesy of Drew Pritchard et al...

Shipyards in Glasgow, printing works in London, steelworks in Sheffield, heavy engineering works in the West Midlands, I can honestly say we went everywhere and I loved every minute of it!

 

[Easywelder]

Nice little ornamental lathe…

 

[mark roberts]

I was making the nickel solution and forgot about it.

It seems to be working

There are a couple of these bits which were very pitted.

I have a little eagle surface grinder

The finished article after being plated.

Another pitted part

After sanding with a powerfile, polishing and plating.

I tried re cutting the square on the screw but it didnt go very well. It took a while to realise it will be hardened. I think I will try the grinder.

 

[DAPPH]

I’m still looking for a top to finish this table

View attachment 472117

The table top my Sphere lathe sits on is made of three x 6 inch wide 1 &3/4 thick Beech planks with counter sunk brass screwed on mitered edgings that hide the cross bolts .
I suggest if you go that route make the end grains run in opposite directions to keep the stresses to a minimum and use a long hidden threaded bolt rod , washers & nylock nuts at the ends & in the middle to draw the planks together & keep them there . It's a lovely golden colour with some fine resinous figuring showing .

 

[DAPPH]

The floor is pretty indistructable, because its laid end grain up like a butchers block it withstands ware and tare really well. It survived a heavy industrial machine shop for 100 years. Its only achilles heal was lots of water, whenever the roof leaked at wadkin the floor would rise up.
Stuff doesnt break as easy if its dropped on it and its nice to walk on compared to concrete. Back in the day roads used to made from timber blocks.

Wadkin at Leicester also had thick end grain wooden block floors as did a lot of engineering works .

 

[mark roberts]

Wadkin at Leicester also had thick end grain wooden block floors as did a lot of engineering works .

Thats where these blocks are from, when I heard of its demo I contacted the company doing the work and asked if I could have some of the flooring. They were very nice, gave me the formans number and I arranged to go down and get some.

 

[Dilkris]

How very sad.

 

[Colin H]

What a beautiful machine. This seems very worthy of a restoration to keep history and old
Machines alive