W&S Identification

This has probably been posted before, but is there a way of finding out the age of my lathes?

We are currently using 3 #3's and 2 #4's. I'm sure they are from the 40's but I am definitely interested. I have run many turret lathes over the past 20 years (most of them swasey's)

Thanks

Post the serial numbers and we may be able to get close.

Here is the ones that I ran.

NO.3 Lot# 268 Ser# 672988
NO.3 Lot# 259 Ser# 666763
NO.3 Lot# 398 Ser# 1312868
NO.4 Lot# 105 Ser# 605593

These are 4 of the 5 lathes we still have in service, the last one is a NO 4. But the plates are so worn you can't make out the numbers. Thanks. We used to have a lot more, but with the years they have been replaced with CNC's. We'll always have some turret lathes, there are just somethings they can still do better.

The data I have is not exact but has dates for certain serial numbers. We have to interpolate a bit to get an approximate date.
605593 was 1st. quarter of 1942
666763 and 672988 were 4th quarter 1942.
1312868 4th quarter 1952.
Serial numbers were order numbers. Every possible serial number is not a machine made. Repair parts orders also had order numbers.

W/S lot numbers were originally the number of batches of that model of machine that had been made. A lot 2 machine of one model could be newer than a lot 10 machine of a different model. In the early 70's the lot number system was changed. The lot number became the manufacturing week the carcass was set on the erection floor to begin construction. The manufacturing week dated from some starting point in the past. I don't know when week one was but the new system started about week 570 +/-. With the new system the age of different model machines could be compared because the lot number was essentially a date.

Thank you!!!!