I live 20 minutes from where this lathe was built. After Reed assumed majority control, the Prentice Brothers company became Reed Prentice. I own a lathe made by Vernon manufacturing of Worcester, Massachusetts. The company was formed in 1916 by Vernon Prentice. The leg castings look just like the one on this lathe.
I had one like it in the 1980's. Mine lacked the three accessory castings that you pointed out as likely non-original. It had been painted with aluminum paint that was used on many metal items here in farm country and therefore was aesthetically less pleasing than yours but was also in very good mechanical condition. I traded for a smaller machine when we moved to town in 1991.
What a great machine and a fine addition to the museum. The provenance is fantastic. I agree, the additional castings are neat! Thanks for another good video.
These older machines are beautiful.I've got a few old south bends and a nice 7 inch southbend shaper and an old Burke mill with with about two hundred cutters with a one inch bore ,a kelner hack saw and thats it.I wish I had room for more,I'd rescue more machines
When I was a kid there was a machinist in Huron, SD that still had a line shaft powered machine shop. Flipping belts on and off the line shaft was pretty cool.
Thanks for the video Keith. I used to run "engine lathes" in the 70s for oil filed production. Nice to see that "really" there hasn't been much change to the overall design in over 100 years with the exceptions of gear box's and now CNC.
The 1886 book series "History of Chicago", by A. T. Andreas, volume 3, pg.487 gives the history of the A. J. Kirkwood Co. as a dealer of machinery in Chicago and the West. After various owners the company became A. J. Kirkwood in January 1885. Cheers, -- Joe
Thanks to that wonderful holder for the change gears, the gears stayed with the lathe. Many lathes get sold at estate sales by family members that are unaware of the purpose of the gears.
Beautiful machine and knowing the history is awesome. Would love to see it running and cutting metal! Hopefully, one of these days I will visit the museum.
It's now 2022 and I just bought a lathe just like this one I pick it up tomorrow , I can't weight to look at the brass plates and I hope find out what it is , I'm excited
Gear storage is some beautiful work there. Seems it would be an optional accessory. No doubt a "museum" piece. Maybe the video will bring in some more information about those oddities. It would be interesting to know that's for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Kieth, sweet find, I believe i have the exact same lathe in my garage. Mine came in multiple boxes, if you actuality see this post i would love to get a lot of pictures. Especially gears behind the apron. I am missing some parts and would like to remake them.
the most useful part of this whole thing is the tool height adjustment. I have a lathe I use a lot (my only one) that is about the vintage of this one and it would be absolutely wonderful to have that crank height adjustment. unlike this one, mine is all worn out but it does what I need it to do.
Keith, Great video on the basics of this lathe! I wish my 10-inch 1911 South Bend lathe had been taken care of as well as this Prentice Brothers lathe. Many of my change gears are missing and Rose (at LeBlond after they bought South Bend) told me that there is something different about the old gears that would make it quite difficult to find replacements. I wish I knew what is different about the gears so I could start obtaining tooling, etc., to make the replacements.
Could be the pressure angle of the gears. I've run into problems before where the manufacturer changed this and while new and old gears will mesh they rapidly spall and wear out
WOW, AWESOME machine.. EPIC FIND! It is almost hard to believe the achieved precision. I really did not know what to expect. Run it of a High Pressure, Fire Tube Steam Boiler :) Wonder when the electric motor drive counterpart became the standard..Probably 1920’s.. The decade when the USA 🇺🇸 became a truly “modern society.” THANK YOU for sharing, enjoyed the video show.
Greetings from England Mr Rucker Sometimes these gems turn up... I recently picked up a small English lathe with a gap bed...around 1890-1910 A little bit of damage but that can easily be repaired... Like you've pointed out here...its all about how complete they are and this one I've just bought is all there... Change gears Countershaft Gap block It's all there and that's a major headache out of the way right from the start... They do turn up from time to time but good stuff like this is getting thin on the ground now... P. S. change them Phillips screws on the change gear plate to slot heads won't you...😉
What would be neat for me is more about the chuck. Whether they once had Several chucks at the company and how they attached. Probably screw threads but you never know how they changed them back then. And how they cut those gears and what the unit looked like for gear spacing and circumference. I bet totally different.
I have a Sheldon lathe of around the same vintage. It is a 10” and it is very similar in design. It needs to find a museum also! I’m not sure if it was treadle powered originally or lineshaft driven I think it may have been lineshaft driven since I see no attachment place on the legs for a treadle. I have turned stuff with the lathe buth the cross slide lead screw has a very course thread.
Is it possible that A.J. Kirkwood were the folks that added the accessories? Maybe sort of like dealer options? That would make more sense than owner made parts unless the owner was really obsessive about making things look just right. I think it would require them being more than a one-off to justify that much work on the patterns. It's different now with CAD and 3D printing, back then it was a pretty big time investment.
Assuming the righthand lever on the apron is only for threading, does it have a power cross feed? I assume the center lever is a clutch for engaging the lead screw. Very nice condition!
I have a quick change tool post with a boring bar tool post that is one inch. I would like to make a split bushing to use a1/2 in boring bar. I have machined several of these sleeves but the last two times I try to split the sleeve length wise I fail any ideas on how to split this sleeve in two equal parts lengthwise?
Nice informative video. Loved that you included the previous owners history. On a side note, I watched a video series by Sandrammer where he cast a replacement hand wheel for you. Did you make any videos relating to that hand wheel?
I recently bought a Prentice lathe similar to this. I am having a trouble understanding the gear charts though. I'm not sure what they mean by cut, stud and screw? Any help would be appreciated.
it's an old british Triumph lathe 1700, Rely 18000 stem powers lath son I once own one my self Not as in good condition as that it is wearing a new rebranded name that ok but it is a copy or rebranded The original modal being an [ English Colchester triumph lathe]. 1700/1800 modal you will see one on lathe fills les Thompson .
Is the number 28 a serial number or a batch machine number? I often see the same number stamped on various parts of an old machine. It’s always a low number. I’ve always thought these were numbers identifying each part as belonging to that particular machine during assembly of a batch of machines.
6 ปีที่แล้ว +4
Just goes to show how advanced they were in the 1840's as it has the features a modern lathe would have for the hobbyist. The serial number may not be low, it may be high as how many would they make of these lathes in those days? 28 could be high as I bet they were very expensive and only a few companies could buy them.
mass production from henry ford was still the far future, factories were relatively small and made few variations, 28 might be 6 months worth, which they would never make many without an actual order to fill , stock was another thing they never had. then castings used to sit for months to equalise too.
In the five years since you made the video; has there been any progress on the belt-driven machine shop at the museum? Also, did you move the planer/matcher into the wood shop?
I found a old lathe that looks similer to this i cant find any information on it tho it says frank toomy on the legs and i cant find any information on it
Great video, Keith! You seem to have a knack of finding used but not abused machines. Question: what kind of taper is in the tailstock quill? Thanks! Have a good one! Dave
![1940s Metal Lathe [Restoration]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9s2iZ7HrQX8/mqdefault.jpg)
It is amazing that all the parts stayed together for over a century.
I live 20 minutes from where this lathe was built. After Reed assumed majority control, the Prentice Brothers company became Reed Prentice. I own a lathe made by Vernon manufacturing of Worcester, Massachusetts. The company was formed in 1916 by Vernon Prentice. The leg castings look just like the one on this lathe.
those cast additions are incredibly well done. Never would suspect they weren't original just looking at them.
I'm in vintage tool heaven. Antique machines are my favorite.
I had one like it in the 1980's. Mine lacked the three accessory castings that you pointed out as likely non-original. It had been painted with aluminum paint that was used on many metal items here in farm country and therefore was aesthetically less pleasing than yours but was also in very good mechanical condition. I traded for a smaller machine when we moved to town in 1991.
Beautiful and classic, back when things were produced not only as practical tools, but also with a touch of beauty. Wish to see doing some work.
Wow, that lathe is absolutely gorgeous. The condition is just amazing and those modifications really enhance it.
That lathe has a charm and character all it's own. It will be a great addition to the museum. Thanks for sharing it with us.
What a great machine and a fine addition to the museum.
The provenance is fantastic.
I agree, the additional castings are neat!
Thanks for another good video.
These older machines are beautiful.I've got a few old south bends and a nice 7 inch southbend shaper and an old Burke mill with with about two hundred cutters with a one inch bore ,a kelner hack saw and thats it.I wish I had room for more,I'd rescue more machines
When I was a kid there was a machinist in Huron, SD that still had a line shaft powered machine shop. Flipping belts on and off the line shaft was pretty cool.
Keith, Absolutely Amazing find Awesome condition too thanks for sharing, would love to see videos on this lathe.!.!.!.
Great vid, i have a late 1880s prentice bros that's quite similar to this one, very cool old machine
Wonderful find! Years ago I saw a Pratt & Whitney lathe with a center adjustment very similar to that. Good to see such a well preserved machine.
Thanks Keith, nice.
Nice tour Keith. Very nice condition.
David Richards would love to get his hands on lathe I bet!! It's all about the Steam with him and great vids..
That oil can holder is cute!
As always, a pleasure to learn about the past, thanks, Keith. The ratio of likes to dislikes says it all!
Thanks for the video Keith. I used to run "engine lathes" in the 70s for oil filed production. Nice to see that "really" there hasn't been much change to the overall design in over 100 years with the exceptions of gear box's and now CNC.
What a beautyful maschine! I like the oil can holder and the oiler on the headstock!
Keith, I'm so excited about you having this machine. It will be great to see it come together !! Your friend here in southwest Michigan, Cliff
Very nice Keith. It will be a very nice addition to your museum.
Very nice. It is so cool that you found this. And it is in excellent shape. That is amazing.
The 1886 book series "History of Chicago", by A. T. Andreas, volume 3, pg.487 gives the history of the A. J. Kirkwood Co. as a dealer of machinery in Chicago and the West. After various owners the company became A. J. Kirkwood in January 1885.
Cheers,
-- Joe
I have the lathe made in england and america (SELSON 1871).
Such good condition, beautiful thing I would love that. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks to that wonderful holder for the change gears, the gears stayed with the lathe. Many lathes get sold at estate sales by family members that are unaware of the purpose of the gears.
Beautiful machine and knowing the history is awesome. Would love to see it running and cutting metal! Hopefully, one of these days I will visit the museum.
Great find! The tool turret and micrometer carriage stop look very similar to the ones on my 1948 10" South Bend lathe.
EPIC AWESOME .. That is in great shape for it's age .. !
I have an earlier version of this lathe when it was A.F Prentice. I think mine dates to the 1860s.
Sweet lathe you got there. There are very few pieces of machinery which have been well taken care of and this is a fine example. Enjoy ..
This is a jewel. To think it survived over 130 years without being messed up!
Wow, that is a nice find. Such good condition and the change gear hanger plus the fact the gears are there... Plus the line shaft pulley.
Gorgeous shape! Amazing how little lathes have changed since then.
It's now 2022 and I just bought a lathe just like this one I pick it up tomorrow , I can't weight to look at the brass plates and I hope find out what it is , I'm excited
What a fantastic find! It's immaculate! I'd love to see it in a line shaft setting. Thanks for the video.
Gear storage is some beautiful work there. Seems it would be an optional accessory. No doubt a "museum" piece. Maybe the video will bring in some more information about those oddities. It would be interesting to know that's for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Very cool piece of equipment. Amazing in that condition.
Beautiful. Thanks Keith.
THANK YOU...for sharing. Nice lathe.
WOW! Beautiful lathe Keith.....SWEET!!!
Great find
good looking machine thanks for shearing
WOW! What a neat piece of history. Thank you for sharing 👍🏻
What a great lathe, thanks for sharing.
I’ve literally been in machine shops with new/basically new lathes that weren’t that well maintained. That thing is beautiful.
That's great find!
Very cool. I like it.
Sweet piece.
Thanks,
John
thanks for sharing. operable machine. you did 10 points Keith
Very nice lathe. Thanks for sharing.
Kieth, sweet find, I believe i have the exact same lathe in my garage. Mine came in multiple boxes, if you actuality see this post i would love to get a lot of pictures. Especially gears behind the apron. I am missing some parts and would like to remake them.
Really nice old machine, would love to see how they manufactured precision machines like this back then
Very nice lathe and very well cared for!
Very nice piece, can’t wait to see you demo it!
the most useful part of this whole thing is the tool height adjustment. I have a lathe I use a lot (my only one) that is about the vintage of this one and it would be absolutely wonderful to have that crank height adjustment.
unlike this one, mine is all worn out but it does what I need it to do.
The oil can on the leg is pretty cool. When I first saw it. I thought it was a southbend lathe. Looks like a very well kept lathe.
Through roses colored glasses ! Thanks.
That is in insanely good shape!
Ahhhh not even a skim cut to see it running..... beauty of a lathe.
Nice piece of history.
The Vee belt drive looks like a recent addition.
Thanks for showing us a fine old lathe.
Keith, Great video on the basics of this lathe! I wish my 10-inch 1911 South Bend lathe had been taken care of as well as this Prentice Brothers lathe. Many of my change gears are missing and Rose (at LeBlond after they bought South Bend) told me that there is something different about the old gears that would make it quite difficult to find replacements. I wish I knew what is different about the gears so I could start obtaining tooling, etc., to make the replacements.
Could be the pressure angle of the gears. I've run into problems before where the manufacturer changed this and while new and old gears will mesh they rapidly spall and wear out
WOW,
AWESOME machine.. EPIC FIND!
It is almost hard to believe the achieved precision.
I really did not know what to expect.
Run it of a High Pressure, Fire Tube Steam Boiler :)
Wonder when the electric motor drive counterpart became the standard..Probably 1920’s.. The decade when the USA 🇺🇸 became a truly “modern society.”
THANK YOU for sharing, enjoyed the video show.
Greetings from England Mr Rucker
Sometimes these gems turn up...
I recently picked up a small English lathe with a gap bed...around 1890-1910
A little bit of damage but that can easily be repaired...
Like you've pointed out here...its all about how complete they are and this one I've just bought is all there...
Change gears
Countershaft
Gap block
It's all there and that's a major headache out of the way right from the start...
They do turn up from time to time but good stuff like this is getting thin on the ground now...
P. S. change them Phillips screws on the change gear plate to slot heads won't you...😉
Beautiful machine. Would love to play with it for a while.
Great to see nearly 125 yr old iron in such wonderful condition.
a century and a half old,and still arguably better than anything you can buy today.
I used to have one of those. It was left at the farm when we sold it. it's probably still there, just west of Champion Alberta.
Museum piece for sure!
What would be neat for me is more about the chuck. Whether they once had Several chucks at the company and how they attached. Probably screw threads but you never know how they changed them back then. And how they cut those gears and what the unit looked like for gear spacing and circumference. I bet totally different.
I have a Sheldon lathe of around the same vintage. It is a 10” and it is very similar in design. It needs to find a museum also! I’m not sure if it was treadle powered originally or lineshaft driven I think it may have been lineshaft driven since I see no attachment place on the legs for a treadle. I have turned stuff with the lathe buth the cross slide lead screw has a very course thread.
A nice example of the evolution of machine laths.
Ese torno es un tesoro
Pensar q con esas maquinas se hizo el mundo moderno
Is it possible that A.J. Kirkwood were the folks that added the accessories? Maybe sort of like dealer options? That would make more sense than owner made parts unless the owner was really obsessive about making things look just right. I think it would require them being more than a one-off to justify that much work on the patterns. It's different now with CAD and 3D printing, back then it was a pretty big time investment.
That is in wonderful condition. It looked like there'd be nothing to stop you from actually using it to make parts on.
Wow!
Sweet lathe
Was wondering if the casting on the left isn't for the T Handle chuck wrench?
Too cool.
When I saw that adjustable height cross slide, I immediately said " Why didn't I think of that??"
Assuming the righthand lever on the apron is only for threading, does it have a power cross feed? I assume the center lever is a clutch for engaging the lead screw. Very nice condition!
Very nice video much better than my 1944 Atlas.
Hermosa maquina yo creo q esta hecha con los planos de withworth q era el padre d todos los tornos saludos desde Uruguay
I have a quick change tool post with a boring bar tool post that is one inch. I would like to make a split bushing to use a1/2 in boring bar. I have machined several of these sleeves but the last two times I try to split the sleeve length wise I fail any ideas on how to split this sleeve in two equal parts lengthwise?
Nice informative video. Loved that you included the previous owners history. On a side note, I watched a video series by Sandrammer where he cast a replacement hand wheel for you. Did you make any videos relating to that hand wheel?
I haven't finished that project yet. One of the many that still needs to be done.
TOOO COOOL !!!
that thing was designed to run on steam... mind blowed :)
I recently bought a Prentice lathe similar to this. I am having a trouble understanding the gear charts though. I'm not sure what they mean by cut, stud and screw? Any help would be appreciated.
it's an old british Triumph lathe 1700, Rely 18000 stem powers lath son I once own one my self Not as in good condition as that it is wearing a new rebranded name that ok but it is a copy or rebranded The original modal being an [ English Colchester triumph lathe]. 1700/1800 modal you will see one on lathe fills les Thompson .
Does anyone know of a video where this lathe or one similar is in operation?
That’s in perfect condition 😮
Is the number 28 a serial number or a batch machine number? I often see the same number stamped on various parts of an old machine. It’s always a low number. I’ve always thought these were numbers identifying each part as belonging to that particular machine during assembly of a batch of machines.
Just goes to show how advanced they were in the 1840's as it has the features a modern lathe would have for the hobbyist. The serial number may not be low, it may be high as how many would they make of these lathes in those days? 28 could be high as I bet they were very expensive and only a few companies could buy them.
mass production from henry ford was still the far future, factories were relatively small and made few variations, 28 might be 6 months worth, which they would never make many without an actual order to fill , stock was another thing they never had. then castings used to sit for months to equalise too.
In the five years since you made the video; has there been any progress on the belt-driven machine shop at the museum? Also, did you move the planer/matcher into the wood shop?
Sweet
Somewhere along the way an early version of Keith Rucker either owned this machine or took care of it.
I found a old lathe that looks similer to this i cant find any information on it tho it says frank toomy on the legs and i cant find any information on it
Great video, Keith! You seem to have a knack of finding used but not abused machines. Question: what kind of taper is in the tailstock quill? Thanks!
Have a good one!
Dave