J Nuttall Metal Lathe

I am looking for information on a metal lathe that is sitting in my barn. The tag on it says, J Nuttall, General Machines of All Kinds, 1744-1750 N. Fifth St Philadelphia, PA

I have attached a few pics.

Anyone know anything about this brand or this piece of machinery?

Nuttall appears to be a Philadelphia machine re-seller/retailer. He carries MANY lathe manufacturers, new and used.

Iron Age - Google Books

There is a Nuttall in England - but this ain't.

More general view of the entire lathe may bring someone to a manufacturer. Tail stocks tend to be a style point of reference.

Joe in NH

Well, that would explain why I couldn't find the brand anywhere. There is also a Nutall in Australia, but that doesn't seem to match either.

I will try and get some better pictures tomorrow and post them.

Paging JHruska !

Welcome to the forum!

Please look on the legs. Specifically, look on the crosspiece.

I think it is a Myers ( ? Meyers?) lathe made in Columbia PA. The hint is that it has its tumble-reverse gears inboard of the left spindle bearing, with the reverse handle on the outboard side of the headstock. A Myers is one of the very few lathes which has that exact arrangement.

Here's a link to a photo of the headstock of a Myers I once owned: http://www.mwdropbox.com/dropbox/JRRUnknownLathe0003.JPG

My junker Myers went unidentified for a long time because Myers put their name only on the legs and the change gear cover, both of which were missing from my battered example.

I see a difference, though. Yours has raised bosses around the lubricator holes in the headstock bearings: mine did not. This could just be a matter of yours being a different model of Myers, perhaps a larger model.

Fortunately for you, forum member JHruska is one of the world's foremost experts on Myers lathes. (That's supposed to be funny; Myers was an obscure make. JH happens to be trying to piece together a good one.)

John Ruth

Here is a better picture with the legs as well as a few close-ups of each end. Thanks for the tips on the legs. I wonder if it is behind the plates that Nutall added to the legs.

This thing seems complete, but honestly, I do woodwork not metal work so I am not really familiar with the exact terms/workings of this lathe. My dad is famous for having antique tools that still operate. I still use a Dewalt radial arm saw from the 60's. I also added a pic of that, complete with the giant mess it made just because it is a cool piece of equipment (IMHO)

Thanks for the welcome hopefully the expert will pop on here and tell me what I have.

The little chuck sticks way out there, I wonder why. I like the clutch for the power feeds, looks like you swing the handle out to engage.

MMCook776 said:

Here is a better picture with the legs as well as a few close-ups of each end. Thanks for the tips on the legs. I wonder if it is behind the plates that Nutall added to the legs.

This thing seems complete, but honestly, I do woodwork not metal work so I am not really familiar with the exact terms/workings of this lathe. My dad is famous for having antique tools that still operate. I still use a Dewalt radial arm saw from the 60's. I also added a pic of that, complete with the giant mess it made just because it is a cool piece of equipment (IMHO)

Thanks for the welcome hopefully the expert will pop on here and tell me what I have.

Click to expand...

I've edited your picture pointing where, generally, you find the maker's name cast into the cross-piece of the legs.

Paolo

I see you've got the countershaft which is fortunate. There should be a stack of change gears for threading and feed speeds--you might check around the barn for those. Without them, usefulness of the lathe will be limited and if an obsolete gear pitch, hard to replicate. Nice little lathe, though.

Tom B.

Myers? Similar tailstock, similar apron. Different cone pulley.

MMCook776:

I can see many similarities and also a few differences between you lathe and the beaten-down Myers I once owned:



Please compare the apron picture to your photo 3 in post #5. Mine was missing many parts, having been cobbled back together by a previous owner after a crash. Yours has that interesting handle to the right to control the feed, a feature which I cannot recall seeing anywhere else.

The tailstocks are similar in style.

I remember that there was a "13" casting mark on the compound top slide, which it the name of the part where the tool post is mounted. Does yours have a casting mark on the top slide?

Your lathe has a four-step cone pulley whereas mine had only three steps. Again, I think this could be because you have a different model or size.

Still, I think you will find the Myers name cast in raised letters on the crosspiece of the legs when viewed from the END, as described by Paolo.

John Ruth

Hello JR, you rang?
This is a Myers 11" lathe made in Columbia, Pa. from 1914 to about 1920 when the company changed over to a smaller 10" lathe that could be fitted with either a quick change gear box or just change gears. Most of Myers Machine Tool Company's production during the war years was exported to England. Following the Armistice the company continued in business at least till 1926 and may have closed the doors after 1929.

Distinctive among the features is the spindle nose thread. The thread is 1 1/2"-7. Chuck backplates will need to be threaded by the user. The extended sleeve is likely an adapter to fit the chuck. Regardless of the spindle nose diameter and the year of manufacture Myers held to the seven threads per inch on the spindle nose.
The rear bearing is not a split shell ( 2 piece) but rather a slit sleeve made of bearing bronze with nominal dimensions that match stock bushings sold today. Some of the designs had a 'take-up' feature whereby the spindle thrust could be adjusted by a large headed screw that would move the rear bearing to the right.
The front bearing is a split shell design.
Apron gears are generally robust and coarse pitch except for the feed engagement mechanism for switching between cross feed and carriage feed. The detent does not locate as well as it could and that could lead to partial gear engagement and damaged teeth.
The clutch mechanism is ............ different. Later years the design changed to a cone-clutch.
There is no lock out of carriage feed when threading!
The gear quadrant for the change gears has a sharp inside corner and is subject to fracture. A substitute can be easily made.
Change gears are 14 1/2 degree pressure angle. The cast iron they are made of may be porous and if of the spoke type gear subject to breakage.
The bed is ~58 inches long and substantial.
Overall a solid design with some flaws but nothing that cannot be overcome. Scarcity of these lathes is likely due to the export of mulit-year production.
The name Myers Machine Tool will be found on the legs, under the paint.

Right now I am rebuilding the apron of a 10" Myers. After that I will make new spindle bearings.
JR; I bought back gears for your old lathe and hope to have it restored this summer

Here are some excerpts from the 1916 Myers catalog. It's good to have a sister librarian that can pry resources from the Smithsonian!
John Ruth, included is the Eclipse Grinder. Myers had a range of pedestal grinders and this is just one of them.


John

John Ruth, you are exactly correct, I did find the Myers tag where Paolo said they would be along with another interesting mark. There are also two boxes of gears and other equipment to go with it along with a larger cone pulley.

Thanks for all the help figuring out what I have out there.

Now, if I only knew how to operate the thing lol.

MM,
The gear guards are in the box. That dates the lathe closer to 1918-1920.
All the holes in the apron are oil squirt holes.
Keep it together even if you do not use it. It looks fairly complete except for the follow rest.
John

John,
Thank you so much for the wealth of information. If nothing else I am having a good time learning the history of the machine and metal work in general.

I really have no idea what I will do with it, but I will keep it all together.

Thanks,
Michele

Michele,
You are very welcome!
I have four Myers lathes so someday there might be someone that may buy yours and restore it to running condition
Your lathe may only need a clean-up and a pair of oilers screwed into the top bearing caps for the headstock spindle.
There is a modification on the apron, non-factory. The long handle mounted horizontally and attached at a pivot point
is also attached to the feed direction selector. The selector has three positions(detent positions). Out, In, and in between is neutral.
This controls the motion of the apron-carriage assembly towards the headstock or the motion of the top slide perpendicular to the bed ways.
That handle gizmo looks like a neat idea to position the feed engagement selector. The end of the selector knob that is on the other side of the apron wall has milled gear teeth. When engaged this knob will rotate.
John

Hey John,

Since you seem to be the resident expert on these things I have some more questions. I spent the morning laying out all of the pieces, parts, and do-dads in the boxes (see pictures). I know a lot of them are gears and I know what the file is, but I would love to know what some of the other parts are. Other than wiping off the sawdust and cobwebs, is there a way I should be cleaning this stuff?

I also spent some time playing with all the nobs and handles and everything still moves but I am sure it could probably use some oil, but I was tickled to see everything moving.

Some more pictures

the resource on here is fantastic, it's nothing less than amazing really, and the hard part of IDing the make is done (in a flash!). the rest of the parts there are somewhat generic. it's wonderful they are still with the machine after all these years, but they are simple, elemental really, in function.

gears, guards, lathe dogs, centers, drifts, cutting tools, lantern tool post,(incomplete it appears, missing dished washer), Jacobs type chucks, chuck keys, non original pillow block (that is the swiveling bearing and cradle with two mounting holes)for the countershaft (presumably), and a drive center for turning wood (looks like this was used for woodwork at some point in its history).

if you google these things, you can get an idea of the use of them, also find some videos on line of antique lathes being used, and of wood turning also, that should really help put the picture together.

I say go for it, get it running! cheers, and happy turning

P.S. as to cleaning old parts, it looks like you are in luck and things aren't too mucked up, but do take a well oiled rag and wipe any surfaces that "rub" together, and do it a few times until you just get a little dirt up on a clean rag, especially the "ways" where the carriage goes back and forth, so as not to grind any grit in.

Light oil or even motor oil on a paper towel and wiped on all metal surfaces is recommended.
Thanks for posting the details about your lathe and the nice photos. It's been a delight to see another Myers lathe.
Your pictures will save me a thousand words

John

Thank you again for your wealth of knowledge and taking the time to label all of the parts in the layout. I am excited to see it all seems mostly complete. Even though I have never done a bit of metal work I am tempted to see if I can do anything with it. Seems to nice a piece of equipment to just sit out there collecting dust.

Thanks again for taking the time to help out,
Michele

Good basic reference found here:http://www.wswells.com/data/htral/19...1913_htral.pdf
How to run a lathe
and found here or on Ebay;
South Bend Lathe Works - Publication Reprints - How To Run A Lathe 55th Edition | VintageMachinery.org
Enjoy