Oliver Pattern lathe 20-d /20-b

[Brian Weick]

I was looking at some woodworking equipment on Machinery exchange this morning and this came up under lathes. If there are any serious turners that would like to move up to a larger professional pattern lathe there are 2 Oliver pattern lathes , one is a 20D , and the other is a 20B ,they are listed on Machinery exchange. 8' span c-t-c on the Oliver 20D and I believe a 30" swing-some serious column turning! the other is listed as a large cast iron with no mention of an Oliver name what so ever. To me it looks like a 20-B with a common 72"span c-t-c and a standard 24" swing . The owner of the lathe either cant find the stamping on the 20-B or there is no identification which puzzles me somewhat because it is so characteristic of an oliver lathe, the legs for one, the carriage and the headstock and tail stock look absolutely like an Oliver lathe, but -check it out and tell me what you think. If it is a 20-B , and it is in good shape, the price ??? _ I have seen them go for as much as $12,000.00 and as little as $1,000.00 - it all depends on the care that was given during all the various owners. Speaking of care, I just got the call I was waiting for yesterday ;the parts to my Oliver 20-C pattern lathe are finished - all new bearings, new 5 degree locking index plate ,thrust bearings, and re honing of the #4 Morris tapper spindle and tail shaft. I will be showing the pictures by the end of the week- it has been worked on for over 9 months off and on - it's an obsession- LOL, but you turners out there will definitely appreciate the craftsmanship on the renovation. You have to check the machinery exchange listings on the Oliver lathe's - that 20-B listing is under " large cast iron lathe" this has got me stumped ; honestly?
Happy turning :)
Brian