18” Lehmann

CentexMachineShop · Jan 8, 2021

Just got done calling it a day making a run of custom cap screws for a customer.

Spent most of the day running the 18” Lehmann gear head. Have always wondered how old it is. Been around my whole life but I’m a spring chicken. Serial number is 872. Anyone know? We use it damn near every day. And it’s right on the money for what we do. Total loss oil system. Weird clutch reverser setup is finicky but doesn’t put too much hitch in the get along. Taper attachment has no reference marks so it’s always a game getting her setup for the occasional job. Which is not much. We don’t encounter many tapers in our line of work. Some API threads. Bout it

thermite · Jan 8, 2021

TexasAggie said:
Just got done calling it a day making a run of custom cap screws for a customer.

Spent most of the day running the 18” Lehmann gear head. Have always wondered how old it is. Been around my whole life but I’m a spring chicken. Serial number is 872. Anyone know? We use it damn near every day. And it’s right on the money for what we do. Total loss oil system. Weird clutch reverser setup is finicky but doesn’t put too much hitch in the get along. Taper attachment has no reference marks so it’s always a game getting her setup for the occasional job. Which is not much. We don’t encounter many tapers in our line of work. Some API threads. Bout it

All I could turn up:

Lehmann Machine Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org

Looks as if the FIRST of their geared heads started 1922.

The newer "oil country" lathes one can find advertised came after a resuscitation of the name by new owners.

johnoder · Jan 8, 2021

Older than 1926 - which had 1100 serials

TexasAggie said:
Just got done calling it a day making a run of custom cap screws for a customer.

Spent most of the day running the 18” Lehmann gear head. Have always wondered how old it is. Been around my whole life but I’m a spring chicken. Serial number is 872. Anyone know? We use it damn near every day. And it’s right on the money for what we do. Total loss oil system. Weird clutch reverser setup is finicky but doesn’t put too much hitch in the get along. Taper attachment has no reference marks so it’s always a game getting her setup for the occasional job. Which is not much. We don’t encounter many tapers in our line of work. Some API threads. Bout it

CentexMachineShop · Jan 8, 2021

Dang I’d of never guessed it was that old. Never seen another Lehmann in person this small or old looking, only a couple of the big oil country ones like thermite mentioned.

The headstock is as loud as windmill but never have been able to figure out exactly what it is. Tops out at 422 rpm. Thread QC from 2-224 tpi. Has roller bearings on everything except the spindle mains in there. Top of head stock cover has 2 rectangular steel access covers in top of main cover. Always thought it’d be neat to replace those with some plexiglass or something and be able to look in there as it’s lumbering along.

4GSR · Jan 8, 2021

Tesasaggie,

I used to own a 18" x 84" Lehmann Gearhead lathe s/n 1249, which was born in 1929. At one time I had copies of most of the drawings to the parts on that lathe. They are long gone except for a few odd ball drawings. I rebuilt my lathe pretty much from the ground up. And yes, the head stock was very noisy. I replaced the old clutch with a electric clutch/brake on the one I had. It's over in central Louisiana making repairs on dump trucks and logging trucks the last time I heard. I'm guessing yours was born around 1924.

Does your apron have lever clutches or knobs to engage the clutches?

Ken

CentexMachineShop · Jan 8, 2021

Oh ok. Very interesting. This one is a 18”x40 (give or take 4” depending on tailstock overhang) At some point either dad or grandpa did some work to it and possibly re scraped and flaked to bed. It’s flaking it’s very present and showy. The apron has the stubborn star knobs like the L&S from Mr. Oder. Been used to the whacking and the palm slap, watching to see if the nut in the center of the “star” is spinning. If it is You know you’re “hung up” few years back while changing oil one of the bronze shift collars was beat to hell. Made a new one. Found out the rocker to shift congruently with middle shifter had work out on the “detent”. Making that new shifter collar was one of the more challenging efforts I’ve stumbled upon in hobbling this old stuff along to eek a living.

4GSR · Jan 9, 2021

For grins, here's a picture or two to share. Some ot the lathe pictures posted may have the serial numbers marked on the back of the picture. I'll try to find them and post information if I can find them. Ken

4GSR · Jan 9, 2021

Here's some more pictures.....

4GSR · Jan 9, 2021

One more posting of pictures. There's two pictures here of special machines they built at one time. They were known for making speciality turning machines back in the days.

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

4GSR said:
One more posting of pictures. There's two pictures here of special machines they built at one time. They were known for making speciality turning machines back in the days.

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

18” Lehmann

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

Taper attachment

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

serial number o

serial number under crossslide , compound and bed all match. 872

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

The 1943 12CK of many colors from Alcoa Rockdale (referenced in other thread) Stays too busy to fool with painting it.

CentexMachineShop · Jan 9, 2021

4GSR said:
Here's some more pictures.....

Is that a rotary device in pic 1?

4GSR · Jan 9, 2021

Texasaggie,

Looks like someone did a very nice job rescraping your lathe. Being that old, I don't think that would be factory.... I could be wrong. I did notice in my pictures, LEhmann did spot the ways back then. I know for a fact, they quit doing that back around 1940 or so. Just leaving the surface slick. They were known for the rounded top on their ways. The saddle is flat bottom, which when fitted to the bed, had lots of unworn surface at the top of the vee on the saddle. Ken

Here's a picture of my old Lehmann lathe.

4GSR · Jan 12, 2021

TexasAggie said:
Is that a rotary device in pic 1?

The is for cutting those funny looking oil grooves on journal boxes, I assume for the old style railcars back in the day. Long before the Timken equipped bearings used today replaced them. I want to say that picture and machine was taken around 1925. Some of the pictures in the "salesman" book had dates and some did not. Just have to find those pictures.

CentexMachineShop · Jan 12, 2021

This is really neat thank you for sharing all your info and pictures. They are extremely hard to fing stuff on old Lehmann

18” Lehmann

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