Lathe with the headstock on the right?

Just yesterday, I saw an advert on Craiglsit for an old turret lathe with the headstock on the right.

Occasionally, you'll come up with some sort of typically a second op machine with headstock on the right. The last factory where I worked, they had a machine or two with what amounted to basically two headstocks so the single pallet could be operated on with two toolchangers and it sure did speed thing sup, it was in the prototype area.
 
It's funny. I happened to meet the people selling that lathe--but I was looking at other stuff in the garage and the lathe was in the basement and I didn't see it, so I didn't make a connection. Gave them a heads-up about the flipped pics.
 
Now let's get serious for a moment coming down a size or 7 some watchmakers lathes are ambidextrous they are made to be mounted on the end of a finger bench so it can be worked from both sides and even from the tail stock end, the cross slide or hand graving rest can be flipped over to the opposite side.
Now this brings about another interesting point, many parts on clocks such as the pivots are hand finished with a file, when working
with the head on the right hand side it is advantageous to have a file with the teeth facing the opposite way rather than left handed as normal files are. a right handed pivot file can be used on a normal?? lathe under the work this has a advantage in that you can see what you are doing.
Pivot files are available left or right handed they normally do not have a handle but the opposite end is a smooth square and used as to burnish the final job to a high standard of finish.
Glass blowers lathes have a head stock at both ends.
Brian.
 
BRIAN said:
Now let's get serious for a moment coming down a size or 7 some watchmakers lathes are ambidextrous...
Glass blowers lathes have a head stock at both ends.
Brian.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've seen the glassblowers' lathes (at the university glass shop, making apparatus for chemistry and physics),
they're relatively lightweight and move at a welding-positioner pace.

There's yet another use for a two-headed lathe, I've seen videos... but cannot locate any on YouTube.

The manufacture of welded plastic items (fishing floats and the like) used a two-headed lathe, with an offset
for one head. The two halves of the item go into the chucks on the two heads, then are pressed together with
the offset applied, with both spindles going the same speed. That rubs the rims together, creating local heat.
When the plastic is softened, the offset is removed, and the spindles are allowed to spin down, while the heated
plastic cools. Apparently there's no need for precleaning or solvents, the weld is permanent, and you can do
holes in the halves, because the chucks are so synchronized that the holes always align at zero offset.
The benefit of the two-headed lathe is that the weakened plastic is positioned and under pressure
immediately when the offset is zeroed, with the joined parts clamped in final position, even before
the lathe spins down.

It's a lovely, elegant way to combine easily-molded shapes (same mold for both halves) with a joining technique
that can be mass-produced.
 
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The former Lehmann Lathe Co. of Saint Louis, Missouri built a hollow spindle lathe for the military that had a headstock in the middle of a long bed lathe. It had carriages on both ends so you could work both ends of the part (gun barrels) you were working on at the same time. I've seen several of these retrofitted for use in doing oilfield work over the years. I took and made a right handed tailstock to work in the left hand end of the bed of the lathe. Or was that the other way around. Don't remember exactly, been too many years ago. If I can find a picture, I'll scan and post.

Ken
 
4gsr said:
The former Lehmann Lathe Co. of Saint Louis, Missouri built a hollow spindle lathe for the military that had a headstock in the middle of a long bed lathe. It had carriages on both ends so you could work both ends of the part (gun barrels) you were working on at the same time. I've seen several of these retrofitted for use in doing oilfield work over the years. I took and made a right handed tailstock to work in the left hand end of the bed of the lathe. Or was that the other way around. Don't remember exactly, been too many years ago. If I can find a picture, I'll scan and post.

Ken
Click to expand...
Lehmann Lathe on utube is also called the big hole. Is that what you are referring to?
 
This is just a ridiculous comment John
benmychree said:
I wonder if that lathe was designed to run "down under"?
Click to expand...
If it were, you would be able to see the brackets on the bottom of the legs that are designed to hang it from the ceiling. And the oilers would be on the opposite sides also ;)

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