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Greaves Klusman Lathe

enginebill

Stainless
Joined
Feb 17, 2005
Location
Plymouth Meeting PA
Here are some pictures of my new Greaves Klusman lathe. It has a 22" swing and 8'bed with a taper attachment. I am guessing it was built about 1902 to 1905. It sat outside for about a year but only suffered from a small amount of rust on the spindle and ways but the tailstock spindle is stuck good. I will eventually set it up in my lineshaft shop. I have not found a serial number yet.
 

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Here are some pictures of my new Greaves Klusman lathe. It has a 22" swing and 8'bed with a taper attachment. I am guessing it was built about 1902 to 1905. It sat outside for about a year but only suffered from a small amount of rust on the spindle and ways but the tailstock spindle is stuck good. I will eventually set it up in my lineshaft shop. I have not found a serial number yet.

That is the longest taper attachment I have ever seen.
 
A beauty. The serial on my somewhat later 20" Heavy gearhead is in two places - crosswise on the right end of flat way and on a pad at aft end of tailstock near the split line between top and base

Mine is something like L462-37 - I'll edit this later if I remember to look:D

Thumbnail is the long T/A after they mounted it on the carriage instead of back of bed

ON EDIT:

Make that serial L420-37. A friend in Bedford VA has L420-39 - identical except no T/A
 

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I wiped my lathe down today and unfortunately could not find any numbers on it. It does have a lot of nice original black paint on it. The taper attachment will cut a taper 30" long. It also surprisingly has very little wear on it.
 
That lathe looks to be in exceptionally good condition. I've seen an awful lot of stuff that was stored inside that was much worse the worse for it. Also, it doesn't look as if its ever been in the hands of a gorilla.
 
The ways have some dings and gouges but not much wear. I got the tailstock freed up now so everything works like it should. I needed a hydraulic jack to push the spindle out of the tailstock. There is an odd function on the lathe that I have not seen before. You can disengage the pinion gears from the rack. I found an article from 1905 and the idea behind it was to reduce the friction from the gears in the apron when threading. The oiling of the headstock is odd as well, just two little oiling points which feed down to the bearings.
 

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The belt feed rates are in turns per inch. The reciprocal of the posted numbers is the feed in inch per revolution

I.E., 105 is .0095 ipr
 
... There is an odd function on the lathe that I have not seen before. You can disengage the pinion gears from the rack. I found an article from 1905 and the idea behind it was to reduce the friction from the gears in the apron when threading...

Also Hendey and other lathes had the ability of disengaging the pinion from the rack. I suspect that, more than the friction, the main issue was the unbalanced large crank that would drag for half a turn and push for the next half.

Paolo
 
Also Hendey and other lathes had the ability of disengaging the pinion from the rack. I suspect that, more than the friction, the main issue was the unbalanced large crank that would drag for half a turn and push for the next half.

Paolo

That part was addressed same as reducing "knee buster" - by simply providing for freewheeling the crank or handwheel.

Both balanced levers and the better handwheels are generally harmless otherwise - either the ball and taper or a modestly thickened web offsetting the mass of the pin and its boss for balance.

Disconnecting at the rack/pinion goes much further toward reducing "outside influences". It also insures the operator doesn't interfere.
 
The oiling of the headstock is odd as well, just two little oiling points which feed down to the bearings.
These are what came on my Greaves Klusman lathe for oilers. Don't know if they are original or not. One picture shows it open to oil and then by rotating the sleeve cover closes the opening as shown in the next picture.

Greaves Klusman headstock oilers.jpg

Greaves Klusman headstock oilers, closed position.jpg

Next picture shows the threading nameplate on mine. Identical to yours except style of lettering. I was told my lathe was built in 1904-05, but do not know if that is accurate?

Greaves Klusman threading nameplate.jpg

The serial on my somewhat later 20" Heavy gearhead is in two places - crosswise on the right end of flat way and on a pad at aft end of tailstock near the split line between top and base
I found this number 31 stamped on the back of the tailstock. Don't know if this is the serial number, but have also found this same number stamped on the carriage.

Greaves Klusman tailstock number 31.jpg
 
Here is my tailstock, it is different than MAMaxwell's lathe and no number there. Surprisingly the chuck came off without too much trouble. If anyone has some 8DP change gears that they want to part with I need a 46, 44, 40, 36 and 24 tooth.

MAMaxwell, is your lathe the same size as mine?
 

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MAMaxwell, is your lathe the same size as mine?

My lathe is 24" swing, but came with riser blocks for the head and tailstocks, so it can swing 36" with them in place. I don't know if this was a company option, but the risers were cast from patterns.

Here is a picture of the carriage cross slide area where the number 31 is also stamped, shown by the red circle.

Greaves Klusman number 31 stamped on top of cross slide dovetail.jpg

Took a picture of the carriage apron on mine and comparing it to yours it is about the same layout of controls, except mine has the feed change lever on the lower right hand corner, whereas yours looks like the lever is on the right end of apron?

Greaves Klusman front of carriage apron.jpg
 
The feed reverse lever is on the right end of the apron. I looked on my lathe at the cross slide and no numbers there either. There is a number 1 stamped on the underside of the cross slide but I figure that is an assembly number and not a serial number.
 
I even wonder if that number I have found on my lathe is an assembly number, as it seems very low for a serial number. Other than what John has said to look for numbers, I don't know of any other place to look for numbers on these lathes.
 
I even wonder if that number I have found on my lathe is an assembly number, as it seems very low for a serial number. Other than what John has said to look for numbers, I don't know of any other place to look for numbers on these lathes.

No fear.

It is pre-CNC, and predates licensed software with expiration dates and automated sensors.

Having never had to know how to read anything but the positions of its handwheels, levers, and dials?

It will just charge ahead and make parts as best it can do, number on-file with DMV, IRS, Social Security Administration, and Homeland Security or not.

Probably a rather poor choice to try to enroll for a Concealed Carry Weapons Permit in any case.

:)
 
Serial number location

A beauty. The serial on my somewhat later 20" Heavy gearhead is in two places - crosswise on the right end of flat way and on a pad at aft end of tailstock near the split line between top and base

Mine is something like L462-37 - I'll edit this later if I remember to look:D

Thumbnail is the long T/A after they mounted it on the carriage instead of back of bed

ON EDIT:

Make that serial L420-37. A friend in Bedford VA has L420-39 - identical except no T/A

Found the serial number on mine after cleaning the lathe bed between the ways on the end. It is L254 - 31. A couple pictures where I found the number might be the location on your lathe?

Greaves Klusman serial number L254 31.jpg Greaves Klusman serial number L254 31, on end of lathe bed.jpg
 
Have either(or any) of you GK owners noticed the extra facet on the front way? I don't know if they always did this or just the later jobs

Its inboard, down next to the gullet between front and flat way

You can just make it out here
 

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