S. C. Wright lathe

Nice looking lathe that is not all butchered up but $400 is more realistic.

Much akin to Nathan Lang's old page, now mirrored on oocities.

http://www.oocities.org/flatbeltmachines/index.htm



Joe in NH

That shade of green is quite pleasant to look at
John

enginebill said:

Nice looking lathe that is not all butchered up but $400 is more realistic.

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Exactly my thought Bill!

This lathe came up for Sale again on ebay this time WOW L@@k antique and vintage lathe S.C. wright & CO. Makers Fitchburg MA | eBay

The "free local pickup" is a deal.

Where can you get anything for free these days?

Joe in NH

Also now showing on Craigslist for $600

Antique belt variable speed lathe with cast iron legs - antiques - by owner - collectibles sale

Free Local Pickup also more commonly termed "cash & carry."

I hope this one gets saved.

Joe in NH

Hi Folks - I just registered as I was looking for info on this exact lathe - I'm in MI and am looking to get started with my first lathe and have no idea where to start. I love historical pieces and thought this would be amazing.... But, what do I need to know? Should a lathe beginner such as myself avoid a historical piece like this?

Can you direct me to more details on this model in particular?

Sorry for the barrage of questions - I just got excited when I saw this on the forum... been considering registering for years.

Edit to add: By the way - I've been doing restorations of all sorts for several years - I refurbed my drill/mill a few years back... but I'm definitely no expert so any advise would be great. I'll also gladly stay out of the way of a true collector if a pro wants this piece.

- Chris

Sounds like a match made in Heaven. And it would be amazing, I'm sure.

SC Wright is written up in several places on the 'net, including the Vintage Machinery site Fitchburg Machine Works, S. C. Wright & Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org, Fitchburg, MA, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Past and Present - William Andrew Emerson - Google Books

IIRC Wright himself was an interesting cat in that he had several "familial" problems which were the talk of Fitchburg for some time. He died in 1880.

As SC Wright morphed into Fitchburg Machine Works in 1867, you can definitely say this lathe was made before then.

As to the lathe - remember first that your "shortly to be lathe" has survived VERY well without you. And any modifications you make to this machine are likely difficult to undo, and in their doing/undoing you're "overwriting" history. Think twice about what you do and how you do it.

They're only original once.

Not to say this lathe should be put on a shelf and observed. That is what the Smithsonian does and it is to their detriment as a preservation organization - they have only cursory volunteers (interested parties who like to get their hands oily/greasy) and this affects them in their preservation mission, no doubt. ( I will grant their location does not help.)

Rather this lathe SHOULD be used - but gently. And thoughtfully. It is what it was made for - not to be a charm on some museum's keepsake charm bracelet.

As to the lathe itself - keep in mind the slow nature of machining done in 1865. Carbon steel being turned with high carbon steel tooling. Cutting speeds are much lower than common practice today. High speed tooling can be used, but its more a "less labor intensive" solution than hand forging, hardening, and tempering tooling as was done in 1865.

And of course you have no dial gauges on the apron. Turning to a diameter is done by "feel," possibly as was done in 1865 using calipers. But I find a digital readout vernier caliper to be faster and more convenient. I have better control of the process thereby.

I could say a lot more as to the utility of a "rise & fall" tool rest, or use of the lathe in threading by "backing off" the entire lathe without detaching from the lead screw, or moving the lantern post around on a three point suspension cross-slide (does this have that?) all techniques particular to a lathe of this period. But read around here on the board where you'll find these discussed.

Anyway, welcome to the club - there are too few "custodians" for even the small number of historic machine tools available. We're glad you're one of us.

Joe in NH

Joe - Thanks for the detailed reply!

Just to be clear - I don't have it *yet*... I'm about to contact the seller.. I have an issue in that I'm leaving on vacation Friday and am not sure I can arrange removal by then (if we can work out a deal that is)... I'll keep you updated though!!

Regarding restoration - I heard you loud and clear on that... The ad says it is in functional condition - so as such, I would assume I'm only going to be doing cleaning and mild rust removal / lubricating to get it back to its original condition. Definitely not planning on any "bubba" mods..

Why does this type of project always seem to happen just before you leave on a trip?

Bummer - The seller has it cross-posted on ebay... currently 1 bid on it at $500 and ends in thursday night. Seller told me they want to wait until the auction closes before dealing with craigslist - why list it then??

I'll keep an eye on it and may bid - hopefully it doesn't get bid up..

Functional does not mean ready to run. I saw that the motor is 480 volts, a very industrial sort of juice. The motor and all that stuff attached above the headstock is modern, so there is no historical value there. Still, there is no need to remove it all and restore the lathe to steam engine and overhead belting. Visit Greenfield Village if you want to see how that was done back in the day. But you for sure want to ditch the 480 V motor. Remove it before moving the machine to make it all a bit less top heavy. Please do not let that beauty fall over and end up in a scrap yard.

I suggest you install a modern 240 V 1 HP 3 phase motor and a VFD that has 120 V single phase input. Plug it in the wall outlet and start making chips.

Larry

Larry - I've been following the "Old Steam powered Machine shop" on youtube for some time..

David Richards
- YouTube

I had no idea this would have been one of those period machines... you guys are killing me - every time I try to find a reason not to try and get this... too cool that this was originally a steam shop type tool..

Question guys...

I assume if I buy or rent an engine hoist I should be fine loading and unloading this, right? I'll likely take the machine off the base and the motor cage off as well..

Too heavy for the wife's minivan?

I'm way out in the deep water..

Escher said:

I had no idea this would have been one of those period machines... you guys are killing me - every time I try to find a reason not to try and get this... too cool that this was originally a steam shop type tool..

Click to expand...

First a lathe - then a drill press - then (crowd gasps!) a PLANER.

Old Iron Disease - there is no cure.

Heh...


Joe in NH

Escher said:

Question guys...

I assume if I buy or rent an engine hoist I should be fine loading and unloading this, right? I'll likely take the machine off the base and the motor cage off as well..

Too heavy for the wife's minivan?

I'm way out in the deep water..

Click to expand...

Best would be to remove anything removable from the bed. This includes overhead drive, headstock, tailstock, carriage/saddle, banjos (LH side where the thread gears are mounted), feed rod and lead screw. Most of these parts can be removed by a single man but the headstock and carriage may need further disassembly. Especially the carriage.

Then with lathe bed standing on its legs, jack up one end on suitable dunnage and remove the leg. Then the other. Then jacking carefully, remove the dunnage alternately, and carefully. 4x4s cut to 2' lengths work well as dunnage.

With the bed lowered down on rollers, its a simple matter to do as the Egyptians do and use the simple machines of inclined plane, come-alongs, and brute manpower to wrestle it into a van or truck.

A bed alone can travel easily in a mini-van. Probably under 1000 lbs. or four adults. Add a few heavy parts and see how it sits - it may be fine. Or come back later for more.

Broken down (which is a task mostly easily done) this lathe is manageable.

Remember - this is a machine which was originally delivered by a horse and wagon - and strong willed teamsters who had a job to do and insufficient tools to do it.

Joe in NH

Edit: When I removed the 20" x 8' Flather lathe from Amherst, NH, I removed the headstock in two pieces (pulley, base) and the tailstock as one piece. The carriage would not disassemble (one bolt buggered in place on the apron) so I removed the handles and let it stay.

I did the dunnage game - the lathe was long enough such that a single end of dunnage would bring THAT end to the floor - and then I did the other end.

On 4" pipe rollers the lathe bed rolled easily across the seller's irregular self-poured garage floor. Most lathes of this ilk have a carriage apron which does not extend below the lower surface of the bed just for this purpose. A friend had a 4 wheel trailer of a size to transport automobiles which had an attached winch which we used to pull the lathe bed up a pair of planks. And then the rollers removed. And then set it down at my barn by reversing the process.

Machine total weight possibly 2500 lbs. A nice addition to my shop.

Be aware in driving/travel with extreme heavy objects in the vehicle of their tendency to "shift" while starting or (more particularly) in stopping. Even turning a curve at normal speed may make centrifugal force a dominant force overriding friction. So go slowly and carefully. And look ahead.

Well - after some discussion - She Who Must Be Obeyed put the Kibosh on this endeavor - in the nicest way possible mind you... So back to watching AvE vids for the time being..

Sorry for taking up the bandwidth with my premature enthusiasm.. Best of luck to whoever ends up with the beast - its pretty freaking cool.

I have been watching this lathe before it was posted here.
I told collector Tom Stockton about it. He is the bidder.

Nathan Lang, that Joe posted in post #3, is my nephew.

Pictures of ebay lathe.

Rob

Robert Lang said:

I have been watching this lathe before it was posted here.
I told collector Tom Stockton about it. He is the bidder.

Nathan Lang, that Joe posted in post #3, is my nephew.

Rob

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Back in the 1980's, I went to an Early Engine Club meeting at the Stockton home near Ann Arbor. Fantastic collection. I will not worry about this lathe getting a good home.

Larry