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Hardinge Cataract lathe, s/n 111

jamundson

Plastic
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
I joined this forum at the suggestion of a current member. I am helping my elderly uncle clean up his workshop. We cleaned this lathe enough to get some pictures. I'm interested to know more about it.

From what little I've read, I think this might be a rare example with its belt shifting mechanism. I'm interested to know what its value might be, should my uncle decide to sell it. Is its value in being used as a lathe or as a show-piece?

Thanks for your help.

Jeff
 

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That is an early one, maybe about 1904-5. What size collet does it use? It might be 3C or 4C.

The lathes are not terribly hard to find, but the original bench with drive is extremely rare. Not valuable, just rare. There was a countershaft and three pedals in Massachusetts on eBay recently. He tried to sell it to me and I told him I did not want to pay the shipping, even if the thing was free. I have passed up several of the countershafts over the years without even asking a price. I have also bought a few lathes and left the owner to dispose of the bed and/or home made bench. Shipping charges can be more than the value (to me) of some of this stuff.

So you are looking at a few hundred bucks, if you can find someone willing to come pick it up. The small portable parts are where the value is, if they are in nice condition. Examples are the slide rest, T-rest, chucks, headstock, tailstock and collets.

Some old catalog pictures and other info here: http://www.lathes.co.uk/cataract/page3.html
http://www.lathes.co.uk/cataract/index.html

That countershaft got a pretty good price. Rare Wall Mounted Countershaft Drive Shaft 4 Hardinge, Cataract, Ames, Elgin, Wa

Larry
 
A close-up of the cast bronze plate on the front right hand size of the bed will show if it was made in
Chicago, or Elmira.

The machine has a fairly late design tailstock and also a later design toolmakers compound, with the
cylindrical dials rather than the conical dials. These things making it more desireable. Where is it
in wisconsin?
 
A close-up of the cast bronze plate on the front right hand size of the bed will show if it was made in
Chicago, or Elmira.

The machine has a fairly late design tailstock and also a later design toolmakers compound, with the
cylindrical dials rather than the conical dials. These things making it more desireable. Where is it
in wisconsin?

It is obviously a Chicago machine, and says so on the headstock above the serial number. The tailstock is the typical Chicago 7" type. The slide rest is the early Chicago 7" style, which has a beveled stationary index plate and cylindrical dial. The serial number and the brass plate at the left of the bed (instead of the later tool tray) indicate a build date soon after start of production in 1903.

The pictures are from the 1907 Cataract catalog.

Larry

DSC00896.jpgDSC00899.jpgDSC01159.jpg
 
It is obviously a Chicago machine, and says so on the headstock above the serial number. The tailstock is the typical Chicago 7" type.

Then what's with this cataract tailstock? SN on that machine, 106.
I thought the earlier machines all had a tailstock with a cut-out like this one:

cat_tail_1.jpg
 








 
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