1870 Baldwin/Shultz Lathe restoration

[rivett608]

The restoration or cleaning of the 1870 Baldwin/Shultz Lathe is mostly done, it just needs belts replaced and the tooling that goes with it cleaned. I call this an 1870 Baldwin/Shultz Lathe because it was made by Nathan H. Baldwin of Laconia, NH. about 1870. It was owned by Charles S. Shultz (1839-1924) a bank President living in Montclair, NJ. since new and stayed in the family and in his attic workshop until 2021. Simply put this was one of the highest quality, most complex and highly decorated American metal lathes produced in the years following the Civil War. I am basically the only the second owner, however it did pass through two antique dealers/pickers on its way to me. I am certain this machine was hardly used and is almost certainly in the best state of preservation of any known examples. It retains 98% of its original paint and decoration.

I started the restoration with the help of a number of professional museum conservators with the goal to keep and preserve the lathes original finish instead of redoing it like so many early machines. At this point I should just call it a cleaning as that is really about the extent of all I did. Over a 100 hours with solvents and small brushes. It was amazingly complete, I think I only had to make 2 replacement screws, a tribute to the guys that took this apart and down 3 flights of steps. They did an amazing job of keeping it all together. Thank you.

Its current home is in my living behind my desk, some people may question this but our home has been called "The most elegant technical man cave", there are lathes on all 3 floors.

If you have not been following this on my IG or FB you can go back through the past weeks posts for lots of details. Also thank you to the thousands of people following this project and your comments.

 

[rivett608]

 

[rivett608]

This is the house and shop this came from, the shop had sat undisturbed for a 125 years. Both photos are last year, there are none known from Shultz's lifetime.

 

[rivett608]

Here is a pair of his calipers with notes on use he signed and dated in 1883.

 

[Robert Lang]

Very Nice.
I take it that the disk handwheel on the apron is not original?
I don't know what number your lathe is, but here is the No.3 lathe from the Baldwin catalog.

Rob

 

[Lester Bowman]

There is only one thing wrong with this lathe. It makes everything I own look like crap !

 

[rivett608]

We don’t know if it is or not, we do know it has been. There a very long time. Also most Baldwin lathes like the #3 you show have the lead screw on the back of the bed. Mine has it on the front. Maybe this handwheel was supplied with the front mounted screw?

Is your catalog dated? Does it have any other pages about the lathe or accessories? Is there a gear chart in it? Anyway I can get a copy or photos of the pages? It is the first copy I have heard of. Thanks

 

[jim rozen]

Inspect the first attic photo closely: there's open knob and tube wiring on the dormer wall, going to an open, slate body double-pole knife switch!

 

[jim rozen]

Also, how did you manage to aquire this machine? Was it a random yard sale you stumbled on? (honestly I've only been to *one* sale that netted something even close to this).

"shop had sat undisturbed for a 125 years"

There's a story there. You can NOT post this up and not give the story behind the untouched shop!

 

[Robert Lang]

We don’t know if it is or not, we do know it has been. There a very long time. Also most Baldwin lathes like the #3 you show have the lead screw on the back of the bed. Mine has it on the front. Maybe this handwheel was supplied with the front mounted screw?

Is your catalog dated? Does it have any other pages about the lathe or accessories? Is there a gear chart in it? Anyway I can get a copy or photos of the pages? It is the first copy I have heard of. Thanks

I suspect it is a replacement. The original would probably be one just like the tail stock one and the same size.

The catalog is not mine. It was on ebay back in 2019. It went for more than I wanted to pay.
It was not dated in the sale. Here are a few more scans from it.

Rob

 

[jim rozen]

Holy Cow.

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There was more than one lathe in there.

Also some cool radios....

Hint: click on the "3D tour" button.

 

[enginebill]

Here is another one that may be available in ME.

 

[rivett608]

Jim, it was right here on the PM in Oct. of last year.

Need help identifying a foot pedal lathe ,Maybe Ornamental

I was wondering if anyone had any info on this lathe before I find a home for it. I only found two with some similar traits in the ornate castings but they were much smaller and only had a single solid beam for a bed and of course there was no name attributed to them. I received the lathe in...

www.practicalmachinist.com

When I was working on the restoration of Thomas Edison’s Lab shops back in the 1990s I was taken to see this shop and was amazed. When I saw the photo of the shop I instantly recognized it and contacted the poster and we quickly came to an agreement. A few weeks later we drove east to pick it up. Had I known about the sale I might have tried to buy the whole shop.

 

[rivett608]

Inspect the first attic photo closely: there's open knob and tube wiring on the dormer wall, going to an open, slate body double-pole knife switch!

At some point, possibly in when Shultz built his new house in 1896 a floor mounted motor driven line shaft was added behind the lathe with a split wood pulley attached to the flywheel shaft. Luckily none of the original drive was removed as is so often the case. This motor also may have been done by his son at a later date.

This photo was taken as the lathe was being disassembled in 2021, you can see the drive very well. It also powered a drill grinder that was mounted on the shelf behind the tailstock. Someday I’ll have to clean and post it. It was patented in the 1890s as I recall.

 

[jim rozen]

So the knife switch ran the large motor nearby, to power the countershaft? That house evidently had a rope-operated elevator, it seems.

The walk-through did not include the basement, unfortunately. =(

 

[Robert Lang]

That house evidently had a rope-operated elevator, it seems.

In the 3D tour, it is still there. You can see it on the first floor.
Up towards the third floor you can see the counterweights.

Rob

 

[Robert Lang]

It also powered a drill grinder that was mounted on the shelf behind the tailstock. Someday I’ll have to clean and post it. It was patented in the 1890s as I recall.

I was going to ask what happened to the grinder.
Pictures of it would be nice. You don't have to wait until you clean it.

Rob

 

[Robert Lang]

An original picture of a Baldwin lathe from Baldwin.
They would send these out when requesting a picture.
Also an original, 28 page undated pamphlet from Baldwin showing some of their users.
I figure this is between 1870 to 1876. It is no earlier than 1868 based on the printers name.
Before that it was Davis & Farmer. Check out page 4.
Rob

 

[rivett608]

WOW, THANK YOU. That is amazing and yes that is the same Charles S. Shultz, he lived in Hoboken before moving to Montclair in 1896.

 

[jim rozen]

Quite a few sales from that area - hoboken, stevens, fishkill ny, elizabeth nj.

Wonder what happened to the machine that went to Stevens Institute.