In the mid-1870s Francis S. Babbitt designed a combination lathe, scrollsaw and tablesaw. His design was manufactured by S. K. Baldwin and possibly by A. J. Wilkinson.

Information Sources

• The EAIA Directory of American Toolmakers says that "Babbitt made and/or patented a pedal powered combination lathe, scroll saw, and circular saw." This information apparently came from an 1880 primary source - probably an ad or catalog.
• The November 1876 issue of Manufacturer & Builder, in an article about the Centennial Exhibition, says,

  Mr. F. S. Babbitt, of Taunton, Mass., displays his combination lathe for turning, scroll and circular sawing, boring, drilling, grooving, polishing, and for the use of amateurs.

  It has an iron saw table perfectly adjustable, planed true on top, with grooves planed at right angles so that the guide and slide may be moved back and forth readily and be always true with the saw. Through the middle of the table is fitted a wooden strip, which may be removed to admit a groover or polishing wheel. It also prevents the saw from coming in contact with the iron. The saws run on an arbor, one end of which is screwed to the live spindle and the other held in place by the center of the foot spindle. The slide may be set at any angle and perfect work produced.

• A patent search revealed only one patent: an 1868 patent for hose nozzle.
• According to Kenneth Cope's American Foot Power and Hand Power Machinery, S. K. Baldwin manufactured Babbitt's lathe, and A. J. Wilkinson sold Babbit's lathe from about 1875 to 1889. In 1901 a firm called Montgomery & Co. offered an improved Babbitt Lathe.