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Info wanted on old Hardinge (cataract) lathe

mrcorrao

Plastic
Joined
Jan 9, 2020
I picked this up last week - I think it is a 7" Cataract Lathe, but it has a few differences. The end of the bed has Hardinge Bros. No. 2154. No other markings have been found on anything else. The tailstock is held on by a single screw through the bottom of the bed (not MT1 or MT2). The carriage has very small dials and does not rotate. Also the headstock casting (no stamps or markings)has two bulges (above the missing tray screws)and oilers on top that I have not been able to match up with other images. Obviously the brass countershaft and wood flat pulleys are homemade. Any help is appreciated. Thank you
 

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The bed is a normal Hardinge Chicago Cataract with the chasing attachment T-slot on the back. The headstock, slide rest and tailstock do not look like Hardinge components. Remove the chuck and see what the spindle nose looks like and measure to see what the collet body diameter would be. Knowing the collet body might help identify the headstock.

Larry
 
Thank you Larry - I removed the chuck and the spindle appears to be 1" x 12tpi with a MT2 taper.
 
The lathe came out of Indiana - I received it with a 100 year old tool box filled with bits, taps, dies, cutters and some indicators. The toolbox was lined with an Indiana newspaper from 1962.
 
Thank you Larry - I removed the chuck and the spindle appears to be 1" x 12tpi with a MT2 taper.
Most lathes that look like that had spindles that take collets directly, without an adapter. The cataract lathes took 3C, 4C, 5C, 6C and 7C, for instance. The C was a 1930's addition to the type designation that stood for Cataract.

I think some circa 1950 6" engine lathes had spindles with 1"-8 and 1"-10 threads and 2MT bores. I cannot recall hearing of a 1"-12 spindle. But 1"-12 is a common thread and taps are readily available if you want to make a chuck adapter.

Larry
 
It came with 2 chucks a 3" and 4" - spindle pic attached.
 

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This is probably not a hardinge headstock, the top-off is that the largest cone on the pulley is at the front, whereas
the hardinge machines of that vintage have the largest pulley at the left side of the headstock.

Example:
 

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Looking at that last picture - Any chance its a Cataract headstock, but facing backwards? This is the backside of mine (looks very close the to the front side of the last pic. Wondering if its mounted facing the wrong way.
 

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