Atw Lathe - Question About Transmission / Gearbox

LeakyCanoe

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hi there,

I had occasion to buy a vintage ATW lathe last year that was a steady runner in a home basement shop until the machinist who owned it passed away. It came with lots of tooling and was plug & play. I had to dismantle it a tad to remove it from the shop and I have it stored currently while I get my own new shop space organized so as to get it placed in and functional again.

Below are some photos I took as I was preparing to remove the lathe. I have secured some reference manuals and stuff online but if anyone else has anything to link me to that would be appreciated also. This machine is around 100 years old already.

ATW 3.jpg ATW 4.jpg ATW 5.jpg ATW.jpg ATW 2.jpg

My question relates to the gearbox arrangement utilized here. I have seen similar set-ups on old machines and some of them were transmissions from old automobiles or farm equipment..I suspect that is what I have here. Can anyone give me a positive ID from the pics provided ?

Also, can anyone give me some pointers on using this rig effectively ? While I don't have access to view it again right at the moment I believe it is a simple 3 speed forward and one reverse, all in a "H" pattern tranny.

Practically, what would I be looking at doing with it in tandem with the 4 speed cone pulley at the headstock and the quick-change gearbox so as to be using it properly and effectively ?

Thanks in advance !
 
Practically, what would I be looking at doing with it in tandem with the 4 speed cone pulley at the headstock and the quick-change gearbox so as to be using it properly and effectively ?
Lovely machine.

You can't use the step pulley in combination with the transmission as far as I can see: there's no obvious way to shift the motor/transmission assembly over. The electric motor conversion does not look shop-made. Perhaps a conversion kit from the manufacturer? The motor looks old enough. Does the machine have back gears (looks like it)? If so you may not need the flat-belt step pulley to get adequate speed range. You could also add step pulleys to the motor and transmission.

The machine looks so pretty as-is that I'd hate to make any changes.
 
thanks John, yes - I recall that it has back gears. I also agree that machine likely was designed for a flat belt application run off a line shaft and that later on this was converted to an electric motor...I'd think the large cast arm and motor base could well be an accessory offered by ATW at some point and it seems made for the machine, although I suppose it could be arranged to mount on many other large lathes from that era too.

I saw that there's no practical way to change belt alignment in the configuration as is and therefore the belt stays on the one largest step of the cone...I guess you just shift gears using the tranny instead of changing the belt over...I will need to play with it I suppose to get used to the overall rig.

I was pretty smitten with the machine and it comes with lots of extra goodies like multiple faceplates and dogs, both rests, taper attachment, and tooling galore. I'm indeed reluctant to play around with it much unless absolutely needed. It's tagged as coming from Windsor, Ontario originally so perhaps was somehow connected to the auto industry as that was in it's infancy. It was found up along Georgian Bay in a town that once had a significant ship-building presence servicing the Great Lakes and I know the prior owner worked in that industry as a machinist. I suspect he acquired the lathe using his connections as that industry went into decline. I was lucky enough to also get a large amount of large brass turning stock that he had squirrelled away so will have some good fun ahead of me when I get this set-up and figured out properly once again.
 
Congrats on your new lathe! That looks like a High Duty, very similar to mine, but a bit newer since the lead screw isn't on the inside.
 
Nice Lathe!
Won't say for sure but that transmition doesn't look automotive to me. The lugs that the motor plate mount to look like part of the casting and the point where the belt tensioner are mounted wouldn't be on an automotive one. Hard to tell from the photo but the input and output shafts don't appear to be in alignment, they always are on any transmission I've ever seen. Also automotive transmitions I've seen are either top or side load to get the gears in and out. This one must come apart from the ends. Oh another point that just came to mind, automotive transmitions aren't designed to take any side load, this one must have internal bearings to carry the belt tension, hence the staggered input and output shafts.
Neat find.
Greg
 
Another thing I just noticed. If its single phase, its probably an repulsive/induction motor. Neat old design, they used brushes and a comutator to short sections of the armature to create a high torque on start up. Once up to speed a centrifugal system shorted all the armature and lifted the brushes. They draw very little current on startup and create far more starting torque than a capacitor start motor. Apparently they were developed for and used on elevators. I have one on my shaper. They have a distinctive sound on startup with the brushes, then go silent once they lift.

Greg
 
Thanks guys for the feedback. I'm inclined to agree Greg that the transmission is likely made for that application and wasn't re-purposed from something else as I first thought. That's a pretty cool thought.

Now I'm wondering if the entire bracket arm, etc. was made specifically for ATW or if it was a more generic piece that was was sold for all makes of big lathes back in the day. The green paint on this rig is not original...it has been re-painted for sure. The original colour was a dark shade from what I could see when we moved the lathe...I wasn't able to examine the cast bracket for the vertical arm then and see if it matches the body of the lathe or not.
 
It may have been a kit. Probably not uncommon in the day for people putting line shaft equipment into solo service.
 
That is obviously a factory made conversion for lineshaft machines; I have seen several makes of them, such as Drive All and Lima Drive and others that I do not know the name of; Years ago, I had a gear drive version of the 14"high Duty American lathe, and later bought a 30" High Duty, both with Bronze bearing spindles, which dated from 1916 and 1919 respectively. I was pleasantly surprised that 40 year or so, ago, I was able to buy spare parts for the 14" (half nuts) and later replaced most of the gearing in the headstock; made patterns, had casting made and machined all the parts in my shop; both machines are still in use in the area. A friend imported the 30" from Pennsylvania back in the 1950s, said the dealer had 20 of them alike and also nearly 20 in 36" swing, apparently from a railroad locomotive shop that was converting to diesels. Nicest thing about the high Duty was the all vee ways, very long wearing and adapted to heavy cuts; the style was continued for many years until they came out with the Pacemaker series, which also had all vee ways, but with an improved transmission with one joystick and one lever to change speeds and also rapid travel and direct measuring for length via a graduated dial on the carriage handwheel. The larger sizes had rapid travel on the cross feed as well, which saved a lot of time. They were very smooth running; the ones that I ran in my apprenticeship were 16 and 26" swing, and had hardened replaceable bed ways for the carriage. They dated from the mid 1950s.
 
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