What Is This?

davearmstrong

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Jun 7, 2016
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Hi Everyone,

Sorry, I'm very new to all this so my questions will likely be daft. Spent a lot of time as a kid watching my dad using a lathe but I've yet to turn anything myself. Old man passed away over a decade ago now and his big lathe was gifted to a friend, but I've always wanted to set up a home machine shop. Anyways, rummaging around in his old boxes I found a little lathe... and that I can smuggle into the house and set up without riling up she who must be obeyed.

Unfortunately after cleaning it up, I'm having a little trouble figuring out exactly what I'm dealing with here. I'm looking for any advice. I'd like to get it set-up with a small (80mm) three jaw chuck and able to spin small jobs. Plenty of other improvements come to mind, but baby steps.

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So this is the lathe, plaque reads Harris Scarfe Limited Adelaide. Researching them, they are a department store in Adelaide Australia. Nowadays they sell clothing and pans etc, but there are a few flyers from their early days showing they sold machinery etc. Cant find any mention of a lathe from them though.
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The only other hint, BIRMAL. Research tells me that is the Birmingham Aluminium Castings company, and they made parts for hundreds of other suppliers, bit of a dead end also.
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Where I come unstuck is that the spindle is unlike other small lathes I can find. Watchmakers have a hollow spindle a collet can mount into, mini lathes have male threads you can spin an backing plate/adaptor on to.
In this one, the spindle is part of the pulley casting and it's located by a taper that feeds into the pipe held in the rear mount, and another taper on the front of the pulley/spindle shaft locates it in the front mount. The steps of the pulley are also reversed to most small pulleys I see. An 8 by 1.5 (I think) thread is cut into the spindle and the dead centre looking jobby screws into that.

Have plenty more pictures and measurements of various other bits I can supply, but appreciate this post is long as is.

Can anyone advise what I should be looking for when searching for compatible parts on this lathe? Is it a Jewelers Lathe, Watchmaking Lathe, 8mm lathe, Hobby metal lathe, Mini lathe, Micro lathe etc etc etc. Stepping through them all none of them seem to be setup like this one.
 
I was down at Harris Scarfe on Monday picking up some new underwear, I can't imagine ever buying a lathe from them, it's all clothing and homemaker stuff now. Maybe worth restoring the lathe and selling it back to them as a window display piece
 
Best I could find. They did sell machine tools.
 

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A better picture of the cross slide and compound might help. You best bet is going to be find some one close by that could make an adaptor for one of the small screw on chucks.
 
Thanks everyone, a lot of leads there.

Have been reading up on armature lathes, did not even know such a thing existed, but it would be the kind of thing that would appeal to my old man as he was an electrical engineer/amateur car restorer.

I was really quite surprised when I found out Harris & Scarfe used to be a hardware store myself, although that flier whyemier linked to is brilliant, looks like they used to sell atlas lathes. Do wonder when they started to transition from machinery into homewares, may help date the lathe. Bit of a shocker to think it may be from the 1800's... turns very smoothly and with no discernible play.

I've noticed that in my attempts to write it up I forgot to include one of the most noticeable features, the kinky bed. rather than the bed running all the way to the headstock, it has a channel cut out of it.
so photos below:
The kinky bed
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And a better picture of the cross-slide
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And the tailstock
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it's kind of funny seeing a gap bed on such a tiny lathe
 
I like it. The gap bed would have me believe it best used for pocket watches or clocks. Possibly making eye glasses frame and lenses?
Jack

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