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20" Heavy Greaves Klusman

johnoder

Diamond
Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Location
Houston, TX USA
Tin Lynn was nearby and took these - many thanks Lynn.

Another Cincinnati make. As of mid thirties, they were at 2009 Eastern Avenue and called themselves the Greaves Machine Tool Company.

This is unusual enough to do something about, so it is coming home to Houston.:)

Been out too long, but that is okay.

That's a 16" chuck and the outside width of the ways are 19 1/4". It swings a little over 22 1/2" and has ten speeds, forward or reverse, from 8.5 to 300. It is close to 14 feet overall and the catalog says close to 7000 lbs with the extra length. Look close at the photo that shows some of the INSIDE of the front vee way and you'll see GK used two angles there.

The headstock cover swings open like a huge hinge.

Here are Lynn's photos.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v337/johnoder/20 Heavy Greaves Klusman/

John Oder
 
Nice find, John. I expect to see a full "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essay on your cleaning and restoration work once she makes it to Houston. :-) Looks like you'll be busy for a little while - although perhaps it's not been out all that long based on how clean it is under the access cover.

I take it you also were able to make a little 'extra' room in the shop; what had to move to make room?

-Carl
 
How do you plan on resurrecting those ways ?
Actually, they are very nice. The rust pushes right off with a scraper, and there is no pitting visible in the ways like there is in this chuck:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/johnoder/20%20Heavy%20Greaves%20Klusman/100_1978.jpg

There is a reason for this. There was more steel scrap used in the iron mix for the chuck, plus the chuck does not have the surface density the chilled ways have.

As to the scoring visible on inside rear vee way near chuck, it won't be a problem.

I also have to consider that this lathe is for having and studying an unusual design. Its not like it had to do any work.:) They come here for a laid back retirement.

John Oder
 
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John:

"Its not like it had to do any work. They come here for a laid back retirement."

Oh, yeah, sure ! Mr. Modesty wants us to conveniently forget that a few months back, he found a way to make money with a lathe that wasn't even completely reassembled !

The chuck is very interesting in that it has both jaws and tee-slots.

This is one of the class of "super lathes", isn't it? The ones designed to take full advantage of carbide tooling and REALLY peel off metal. If so, will this be the first "super lathe" in your shop?

Best of luck to you - you have a proven track record of resurections, therefore this machine now has a bright future.

John Ruth
 
The ones designed to take full advantage of carbide tooling and REALLY peel off metal

Pre carbide tooling John Ruth. Looks identical to the ones in the catalog I have dated 1926, may be a little older or a little newer but not much.

Let's say it could take full advantage of high speed steel tooling.:)

But it has short comings. No ball bearings in primary shafting in head stock - too small tail stock spindle - splash lube system - chilled ways but not "hard" in the modern sense - no oil pump in apron - and so on - I.E., typical good but not high end twenties machine tool.

What attracts me is its being different. Not a me too maker.

I already have two HSS "fairly-super" lathes with larger swings in the pair of 24" Lodge & Shipleys from the late teens to very early 1920s.

John Oder
 
Turns out to have a "sore foot" in that the lower head stock cabinet leg has subtantial breakage. Maybe it will do as is for sliding down tilt bed truck and maybe it will need some help like blocking under pan and between pan and bed. Meanwhile it is at Lynn's place of work under a tarp, waiting for LTL load to materialize headed to Houston.

John Oder
 

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Be here Wednesday the 30th LTL. Rollback/Tiltbed folks and I will get together and see if it needs any "crutches" before being slid down a steel deck.

John Oder
 
Nice find. The lathe should be glad that you are to be its owner. It may be an optical illusion, but the travel length of the taper attachment seems to be quite long.
 
Thanks locoguy. The T/A does look long. I see its also "boxed". It took those folks over on Colerain Ave (L&S) awhile to figure out that this was the way it needed to be. When L&S first made them that way in the mid twenties, they were called the Oil Country T/A.

The older L&S ones were just open with a plate on top that had no outer support:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/johnoder/24 X 168 LS/Taper Attachment/LS07sm.jpg

John Oder
 
Hi John, it is amazing to see that sometimes things survive relatively complete. Who made that chuck with the dual keys for the jaws to slide in? Dave
 
Nearly home.:)

Have to do some rubbing on chuck to read name. T/A with end skirting is 51" long on this 20" catalog size machine.

Naegeli unimpressed with leg breakage, said they will just take it easy sliding it down the tiltbed/rollback.

All missing levers/parts in pan - along with a SR much too heavy for me by my lonesome to put in truck.

More compact than I thought, but the pan is still 13 1/2 feet long.

Not a mark on compound or cover over cross slide screw.

Many thanks to Tin Lynn for being the make it happen rescue angel on this one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/johnoder/20 Heavy Greaves Klusman/DCP_1282.jpg

John Oder
 
John,

That is one heck of a quick change gear box on that lathe! Reminds me of the one on the Springfield we had years back.

Iron disease hit again!!!

BTW- I enjoyed our short visit we had yesterday,:cheers:

Ken S
 
Thanks Ken - it is a big QC.

Came home today and here are a few photos:

DCP_1286.jpg


DCP_1287.jpg


DCP_1288.jpg


DCP_1289.jpg


Here is a link to all of them from today:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v337/johnoder/20 Heavy Greaves Klusman/Coming Home/

John Oder
 
John,

Looks like Joey has this rutine down pack!:D Third time is a charm. I wonder if he pulled this job out of the pile just to do for you?:)

You going to hang a line shaft up in the rafters to drive this beast?

Again good luck on restoring her,

Ken
 
Thanks Ken - Joey is a go getter, isn't he.

You going to hang a line shaft up in the rafters to drive this beast?

Other two (both 24") also have single pulley and internal clutch (the GK has forward and reverse clutches:)) and have motor sitting on top headstock. Maybe I will do something different, but no line shaft.

John Oder
 
Got headstock cover off. It is a hinged design, looks dangerous - like a big croc ready to snap at you, so I knocked out the hinge pins and took if off for better access.

Tony has a pretty good description of how the headstock works, but I had to move things around and eyeball it to understand.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/greavesklusman/

Needs cleaning out so all guts will come out.

Here are some photos:

DCP_1290.jpg


DCP_1291.jpg


DCP_1292.jpg


DCP_1293.jpg


John Oder
 








 
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