Photo Index - Oliver Machinery Co. - Model 54C

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Oliver Machinery Co.
Grand Rapids, MI

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Lathe, Wood
Machine Size:	12"
Submitted By:	Greg Caldicott

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Model 54C
Date of Manufacturer:	1912
Serial Number:	8561 (View SN Registry Entry)
Last Updated	10/23/2013 1:13:34 PM

Comments:

I picked this lathe up from a craigslist seller when I traveled from Massachusetts to Indiana to take my daughter back to Purdue. It is a model 54C (spoke with Eagle Machinery-Repair who determined that it was a 54C from May 1912) . It is Shop Number 8561 which I think dates it back to 1911 or 1912. The son in law of the owner inherited it and didn't know anything about it. Judging by how short all the turning tools were, I'd say the lathe got a lot of use over the years. I turned it on and it ran. There was a 3/4 HP motor mounted on a shelf below the headstock. The shelf was fabricated by the previous owner and the motor was connected to the Cone Pulley using a flexible coupler. Obviously not the way it was originally mounted. All the parts seem to be Oliver parts except the tailstock. The tailstock had an aluminum adapter that between it and the bed.

This old flat belt was a learning curve for me. I had a heck of a time to get the ring oiled bearings to stop leaking oil. I completely restored it and replaced the tailstock with one from an Oliver 159. I put a 1.5HP DC motor on it so that I could more easily control the speed. The bottom cone pulley that it came with does not match the headstock cone pulley. There are two belt configurations that produce the same length belt, so I just use those two in combination with the DC variable speed motor to achieve the full range of speeds up to 3,000 RPM.

Photo 1:

Comments: Oliver Restored
Source: My Camera

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Photo 2:

Comments: Restored 2
Source: My Camera

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Photo 3:

Comments: As Acquired
Source: Craigslist

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Photo 4:

Comments: Tailstock
Source: Previous Owner

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