Photo Index - Oliver Machinery Co. - model 54

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:	5ft. bed 12" lathe
Submitted By:	John Hildebrandt

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	model 54
Date of Manufacturer:	no ID tag
Serial Number:
Last Updated	8/27/2006 11:56:11 PM

Comments:

I bought this Oliver #54 lathe in Oakland, CA 03-15-05 from a recent Berkeley graduate who had it for only three months. He was moving to Hawaii and needed to sell it. The lathe worked well upon initial inspection and evidenced no vibration. The headstock, with bronze bearings, appeared clean and tight without any looseness felt when moved by hand. This is my first old machine and my first attempt to restore an old machine. I had to take it apart (450 pounds) to move it to my residence near Mountain Ranch, CA. (East of Stockton in the Sierra foothills at the 2700ft. elevation.
Further research has revealed that the Oliver #54 was a lathe that could be installed in series or singly via a drive shaft mounted between the leg cross members. A cone and clutch drive was used to transmit power via a 1 1/2 belt to the headstock (my lathe has a 2" belt in use). A motor secured to the floor (external to the lathe) and coupled to the end of the shaft provided power for one or a series of lathes. My lathe had the original legs under the headstock removed and replaced with another model leg that allowed for a cast iron pan to be attached via a shaft between the front legs allowing for an onboard motor and pulleys to pivot up and down. This change in configuration removed the long drive shaft and allowed for more mobility of the lathe. However, the motor (see photo 3) and attached pulleys were slipped into a single Babbitt bearing and upon inspection I determined that the bearing appeared worn so I took it to a machinist who would pour another for $125.00 an hour. I subsequently decided to use the Babbitt bearing as is. After stripping off the old lead based paint (best to use a liquid stripper you dont want to breath lead particles). I used a bronze wire wheel to clean off the remaining paint while wearing a respirator (bronze wont scratch the iron). This was a real dirty job with fine black particles settling everywhere in the shop. This was due to a black tar like substance used by the manufacturer to fill in and smooth out the casting irregularities. I left most of the black tar stuff on the cast iron and will use a primer over the entire machine before painting.

Photo 1:

Comments: Oliver 54 lathe
Source: john hildebrandt

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Photo 2:

Comments: Oliver 54 tailstock
Source: john hildebrandt

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Photo 3:

Comments: Oliver 54 headstock
Source: John Hildebrandt

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