Photo Index - Oliver Machinery Co. - 54/159

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:	36 inch
Submitted By:	Richard O'Connor

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	54/159
Date of Manufacturer:	unknown
Serial Number:	unknown
Last Updated	12/18/2006 12:00:00 AM

Comments:

Acquired in spring '06 from a guy who had picked it up at a school sale. He was a machinist and made a new spindle and cross slide screw, then decided he didn't want to fix it up anymore and sold it. The trip to pick it up was interesting - about fifty miles north of Binghamton, NY - guy had a line on a Powermatic 26 shaper and I wound up bringing both home. But I digress...

As Ray and others have pointed out, the bed and legs didn't look like any 159 they had seen in the wild or in the dirty paper. When I took it apart, there was a clear 54 cast into the inside of the leg just by the casting part number. I believe this to indicate it is a 54 bed and legs. As sold, Model 54 could be daisy-chained together with a common shaft running beneath the bed, eliminating the need for individual motors. The headstock overhangs the narrow parts of the bed by 1/2 inch and is supported by bolted angle iron and shims under the rest of the base. It aligns perfectly with the tail-stock.

The lathe came with an abundance of accoutrements - compound slide rest, 3-jaw chuck, 3", 6" and 12" tool rests, 3" and 6" face plates and screw chuck, two live centers and a variety of other geegaws.

I tore it apart, stripped it down including taking off all that asphaltum - talk about obnoxious (and noxious, too), then primed and repainted it with S-W DTM acrylic. I really like this paint - it dries hard after about three weeks and has held up very well on the 270 and lathe, and you can't beat water-reducing and cleanup.

The spindle fit the 3-jaw chuck perfectly, but I had to take a large pipe die to it and slowly - took an evening - take it down a bit so the other face plates would fit. I also added the board like so many others do - to hold all the accessories.

Below is a shot of the headstock and speed dial. I am especially happy with the way it came out. After painting it, i was about to paint the numbers black, but instead decided to sand off the gray paint. Then I took that fancy file I bought from Slav at ArnFest '06 and filed down the rough casting, then waxed the numbers and start/stop. Looks good to me.

Photo 1:

Comments: Lathe as purchased
Source: my non-ferrous camera

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Photo 2:

Comments: Ready to roll
Source: my non-ferrous camera

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Photo 3:

Comments: headstock with polished numbers
Source: my non-ferrous camera

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