Photo Index - American Machinery Co. (Grand Rapids) - Type B patternmakers lathe

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
American Machinery Co. (Grand Rapids)
Grand Rapids, MI

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Lathe, Wood
Machine Size:	24" swing, 8' 6" between ctrs
Submitted By:	William Thomas

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Type B patternmakers lathe
Date of Manufacturer:	ca. 1902
Serial Number:	(View SN Registry Entry)
Last Updated	11/3/2020 8:51:02 AM

Comments:

This lathe is the subject of much speculation. It is listed in the 1906 Oliver catalogue as "type-B" and is the for-runner of the model 18 Oliver lathe. It has a 24" swing, while the 18s had either a 32", 36", or 42" swing. In 1919, Oliver made a model 18 for the US navy with a 62' long bed.

The name "The Oliver" in quotes, and the American Machinery Co. are cast in the side of the headstock, not on a separate plate. Since the company name was changed to Oliver in 1902, I believe the lathe is from right around that date.

The lathe incorporates some special features, such as a swivelling headstock. This allows large workpieces to be turned to a taper while screwed to a faceplate. It has a feed drive which is powered by an internal gear train from the spindle, the clutch consisting of two large bronze discs which engage a ring flange concentric with the main cone pulley. The gear train is shafted through a universal joint to a pulley on the left end of the bed below the headstock, and a flat belt connects to the end of the feed rod. Unfortunately, the external pulleys and bearing were lost when the former owner tipped the lathe over while moving it. In the 1906 catalogue, the drawings show that this drive arrangement had been changed. It appears that the headstock cone has a small pulley for a narrow flat belt to drive the gear train. In the later Oliver catalogue in my possession, this arrangement has been re-designed yet again. The later #18s seem to have eliminated this internal gear train altogether and drive the carriage feed with a belt from an outboard pulley. The design of the gear train on my lathe backs up my theory of an early manufacturing date. The bronze clutch discs were a bad idea in that when not in use they continue to rub against their mating steel flange on the headstock spindle, and on my lathe have a large worn spot rendering them useless.

The headstock spindle is carried in two massive babbitt bearings 3" in diameter and 5 1/2"long. Each bearing is lubricated by two wick fed oilers; one on top and another on the side. I have the lathe belt driven from an overhead jackshaft which is powered through v-belts by a 7 1/2 hp motor. The double reduction belt drive is the only way I can get enough torque to overcome the friction of the spindle bearings. It usually takes about ten minutes to warm the bearings up enough to actually do some turning!

There is a curious history attached to this machine. It is said that it was used in the S.A. Woods Co. pattern shop. S. A. Woods, of course, built woodworking machinery. It was subsequently bought by a Harvard astronomy professor who intended to use it in the manufacture of a large reflecting telescope. It was housed in an old dairy barn for a number of years, and then was bought by a friend of mine. After another span of time, I bought it, and it is finally back in use.

Oliver never stinted on cast iron. The lathe weighs two tons and is over 14' long. It is so big that it is hard to photograph. The sheer massiveness of the machine is an advantage. I have used it to do offset turnings that would have most lathes hopping around the shop. Although it spends a fair ammount of time idle, about once a year, or so, it is the answer to some special turning project.

An interesting side note: Although this lathe has a cast iron bed and base, the 1906 Oliver catalogue lists the headstock, tailstock, and tool rests (all very substantial, heavy castings in their own right) as available seperately for those who wished to make their own wooden bed. Even in the dawn of the twentieth century there were those who preferred to stick with the practices of the past.

Photo 1:

Comments: a general view of the lathe
Source: Bill Thomas

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Photo 2:

Comments: Lathe headstock showing name
Source: Bill Thomas

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Photo 3:

Comments: lathe setup for special faceplate work cutting circular profile in the underside of chair crest rails
Source: Bill Thomas

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Photo 4:

Comments: Present configuration
Source: Bill Thomas

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Photo 5:

Comments: Massive Bearings
Source: Bill Thomas

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Photo 6:

Comments: Original Feed Drive mechanism
Source: Bill Thomas

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