My Lathe - Old Iron

[Matt Hutchinson]

Ok, so I know some of you have seen me post about my lathe before, but I guess I never posted much on it here at the Creek. So even though I have it shown in the sticky for 'us and our lathes', here's a little more of the info.

Made by the Rollstone Machine Co., Fitchburg MA, c. 1880. There is a brief abstract on the history of this company at owwm.com (http://owwm.com/mfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=703).

It has a 2hp motor, has a 23.5" swing, and turns 6.5 feet between centers. Overall length is about 10 feet. The tailstock can be offset for making tapers, and the quill travel is 8". The headstock has a 2.125" diameter shaft, approximately 26" in length, and has bearings made of bronze (which get oiled every time it's used). Over one third of the length of the shaft is seated in bronze, so it pretty much has no weight capacity limitations. However, it is underpowered for large diameter work.

I believe it to be only 1 of 2 Rollstone lathes still in operation, the other being posted on owwm. It has noticeable wear on the bronze bearings and on the ways from years of sliding the headstock and toolholder back and forth. But this isn't too bad considering its age, plus everything can be snugged up tight using gibs.

Anywho, that's the long and the not-so-short of it.

Hutch

http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n389/hyperhutch/DSC03685.jpg?t=1273544402
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n389/hyperhutch/Drivesystem.jpg?t=1273545835
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n389/hyperhutch/InboardBearing.jpg?t=1273545702
http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n389/hyperhutch/Tailstock.jpg?t=1273547247

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hutch that is just to cool and one sweet looking outfit. Thanks for sharing.

[alex carey]

what do you estimate the weight to be?
speed range?

[Ray Bell]

Very nice, thanks for sharing. Where did you find this?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Hutch.....that is cool! I like it. Do you turn many columns and such?

[Matt Hutchinson]

The headstock's about 200 lbs., the tailstock is about 100 lbs, and each leg casting is likely 100 lbs. So I would say overall it's a good 1500 lbs.

As for speeds, it was set up by the previous owner ( a full time turner) to have low speed high torque. It's pulley ratio is actually not that well designed, cuz it loses torque bad on the faster speeds. It steps from about 25 rpms up to 1200 rpms. The highest setting, about 1500 rpms, isn't usable cuz the belt doesn't track properly, and it doesn't keep the tension on the belt either (it's gravity and friction tensioned). However, with a hydraulic car jack I can move the lathe over and change the speed range by offsetting the headstock pulley from the drive step pulley.

Hutch

P.S. I found it by chatting with a turner who was exhibiting at a very large art show in my home town. It was when I was first getting into turning, and I mentioned I was looking to buy a serious lathe. He had about 5 or 6, 3 of which were huge. He initially offered me a different one, an Oliver, but it was 440V 3 phase and was 3200 lbs!! This one was cheaper and ready to go.....and longer.

As for columns, haven't gotten into that yet. The picture shows a big piece of elm, but I haven't experimented with staved columns yet. It's only capable of handling 6.5 feet between centers, but someday I will make a bed extension for it so it can handle 8 or 10 foot columns. We'll see...... :)

[Allen Neighbors]

Man, Hutch, that's one of the best posts of the century!!..... well, for this old man, anyway! What a super lathe! I love it! Good pics of the pulley system, also. I'd spend all my time tinkering with that huge gem, and would never get much turning done!
Gotta be a way using a spring, and a swing pulley to keep that belt taught.....
Thanks for posting!!

[Mike Willeson]

Very nice Matt! Thanks for sharing...I love seeing the old tools.

[Richard Madison]

What a great old piece of iron, and outstanding that you are keeping it running! Thanks for posting Matt.

[Jeff Nicol]

Hutch, I have some old tools but nothing with that size and just plain coolness! If I had a big old barn to put my shop in I would have more old tools, just for the memories they have in them! I hope someday to build one that runs of the PTO of my 1955 Ford 640 tractor or something so I can turn some serious logs! I am having my Dad turn down the spindle for me and then I will be ready for the next step of taking it from my mind to the real world! Just dreams for now.

Great pictures of a super, old woodturning monarch!

Jeff

[John Keeton]

That sucker is HUGE!!!:eek: Neat background info, and that would be an awesome piece of machinery to keep functional for future generations.

Between you and Jeff, you all will eventually get a lathe big enough to turn a Sequoia log, hollow it, and make a round house!!!:D Kind of the birdhouse turning style, but for humans!

[Roland Martin]

That is a really neat lathe. Not much vibration on that I'll bet! What ever happened to the good old mega cast iron machinery, Ohhh, the good old days:). Thanks for the pics & info.

[Paul Douglass]

Be a little difficult to fit in my basement, but WOW what a lathe.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very impressive lathe Matt! Looks like the only limitations would be your imagination! Thanks for sharing!

[Ian Parish]

What size and spacing are the spindle threads?

I ask because I have an old lathe of about the same vintage. An Atlantic Iron Works, Philadelphia PA. (I'll post pictures, soon) The spindle threads on mine are 1 3/16' x 8 threads per inch. Not something that is part of the new American Threading standard. I have tried (not very successfully) to get an adapter made for modern chucks.

Thanks,
Ian

[Paul Atkins]

Thanks Matt. My 'big lathe' is an American Sawmill Manufacturing lathe made in the 20's I'm guessing and has bronze bushings also. Smooth. It has been added to so I can turn 9' long. The company before I had it put on a carriage with linear bearings and a compound. Doesn't weigh as much as that one of yours though. I use it almost every day.

[Matt Hutchinson]

I don't know what the original spindle thread was, but the previous owner had it remachined to 1.5" x 8 TPI. The outboard end of the shaft is 2.125"x 7 TPI. Oddball for sure.

Cool stuff Paul. It's good to hear that there may be columns in my future yet. :) I actually use my NOVA lathe more than the big one, mainly cuz of the speed limitations of the Rollstone, and the fact that I've been doing a lot of smaller spindle work. BUT.....once I get the drive system upgraded I will probably be back on the big 'un most of the time. Pretty much all my bowls are made on the Rollstone.

Actually, I may go and rough out some bowls right now..... :D

Hutch

[Matt Ranum]

That definitely is cool old iron, thing is massive!:cool:

[Steve Vaughan]

Thanks for those pics! I love the old stuff and this one reminds me of an old, similar lathe my uncle, Mr. Mac, used. He made solid mahogany furniture most all his life, and when he died back in the 90's at 95 years old, he was still 2 years behind in orders. Long as I knew him, he was that far behind. He used his lathe, about an 8' bed, to turn bedposts, table columns and legs. Those old tools are just cool to touch and look at, and use when you can! Thanks again!

[James Boster]

Very nice lathe Matt. Gotta love the old arn. I have a homemade lathe that I have used for years but always wanted something bigger even though the homemade one will do 18"x48" and 96" long with a 4' extension. Here is a pic of it without the extension:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m283/woodhick/shopbuilttools005.jpg
Just not quite heavy enough for large stuff though. So after several years of searching I came home with this:
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m283/woodhick/oliver.jpg
It's an Oliver #66. 5500#, 7 1/2 hp. The bed opens up to allow 48" diameter inboard turning and 8' between centers. With the bed closed it still has a 30" diameter capacity. It is small compared to Olivers #26 but plenty big enough for me. I am currently getting it set up and wired. Picture is from sellers location when I picked it up. That's a 6000# rated forklift we used to load it for scale.

Ian, any good machinist should be able to make you an adapter, however it is time consuming so they can get pricey. I had some made for my Oliver but it was by a friend who owed me some favors. Mine are 1 7/8" x 6 threads inside and 1 1/4" x 8 outside. Wished I had him to do a couple with 1 1/2" on the outside. I had several made and have a few to sell if they will work on someones lathe. He was using a CNC lathe so it was not so hard to make multiples after machine was programmed:
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m283/woodhick/P1010239.jpg
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m283/woodhick/P1010240.jpg

[charlie knighton]

thanks for sharing, cool :D

[Matt Hutchinson]

Hey James,

That is one cool Oliver lathe! Actually, I wish I had a little more money laying around, cuz just a week or two ago an Oliver #26 was up for auction on eBay. A mere $9500 would have gotten it (it had a buy it now option), and it had recently been refurbished and painted. I wanted it so badly.....it's my dream lathe. 15 feet between centers with a 26" swing (or something like that), or 80" between centers at a 60" swing over the gap. Just an incredible machine!!

Hutch

[Paul Atkins]

Some pen turner probably got it ----

[Matt Hutchinson]

Lol! That's hilarious......