What's new
What's new

Flather lathe in MD cheap

no, kinda.. from the rules


"If the opening post of a thread contains a link to item(s) on craigslist, ebay or similar, the post should also contain relevant images or discussion, and the item(s) in question should be appropriate in the Antique Machinery forum."
 
Meh. You did well.

This one would appear to be one late in Flather's game when William was doing his thing.

Flather 7-inch Lathe

Well regarded in the decades spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, the Flather Company was founded in 1875 by Edward W. Flather and his brothers William J. and Mark Jr. In its original form and based in Nashua, New Hampshire, the firm specialised in lathes, only later introducing planers and shapers - in which form, after incorporation in 1900, it continued as a going concern until the late 1920s. However, there was more than one Flather Company and one separate concern, the Flather Mfg. Co. (also of Nashua) was established by William's son - William himself leaving Flather & Co. in 1900 to join his offspring. As the main Company was already involved with larger lathes (their most famous being the unusual "circular gearbox" model an industrial-class engine lathe machine patented by Mr. Flather in April, 1895) the Flather Mfg. Co. must have decided to tackle the smaller end of the market. Their only known product to date was thus a little 7-inch swing (in reality with a 4-inch centre height) by 15 inches between-centres model - a machine now very rare indeed with just three so far discovered in the United States. Incorporating a number advanced features the lathe was featured in trade journals during 1919 (see at the bottom page) - though, of course, it may well have been in production for more than a year or two before that. No lightweight special for the amateur, this was a lathe that weighed, in bench form, 300 lbs, and with a specification and design details carefully thought out and every major component massively built. Looking remarkably like a scaled-down larger lathe, for its size and time this was indeed a good, solid job intended for serious professional use in a busy workshop.

More at the reference.

Note that a Joseph Flather parent company existed (Flather & Co. - Makers) and pre-dated the Flather Manufacturing Company

Joe in NH
 
Cool to see a regular tool room lathe with integrated feed disengagement. You don't often see that outside of turret and other production lathes.

That's a great price IMO. Won't take up much room....
 
Am I understanding this right??? So, the one for sale is one of only four known to exist?

Well, THAT (four known) a big statement.

Understand that the comment is more like four EXTANT - meaning four identified and called forth.

There are probably still dozens out there waiting for discovery.

My first Flather No. 715 (the 1907 design with the SB type quick change gearbox) I have seen at least four since selling mine. And perhaps half a dozen more in graduated longer lengths. And all with "Hill Clarke & Co." brass nameplates as HC&Co. was Flather & Co. big retailer in the early 20th century.

Flather appears to have "restarted" the serial number for each particular size of lathe, so one assumes at least 714 lathes in that pattern were made before mine. One imagines Flather Mfg. Co. was similar.

Joe in NH
 
So can we post wtb's in this section? I mean the for sale/wanted is generally for newer production machinery, no?
 
Posting machines like this to buy/sell is ok on this forum. OTOH members here take a dim view of buying a machine, taking the legs for tables or similar, and scrapping the rest. If the machine is hopeless for some reason, then its not so bad but this one looks pretty good.

Mod
 








 
Back
Top