Need Help Identifying old benchtop lathe

[JoeSixPack74]

While out at a garage sale they had this little lathe. The guy offered it to me for $10 and I brought it home. It is an older lathe, possibly from the late 1880-1930's. There are no identifying marks or name plates on any part of it. It has a 8" swing and has about 16" between centers. The bed casting is 32" long. Little bit smaller than my Jet BD920n. The spindle looks to be able to take a collet but measuring it I cannot figure out what kind. Spindle has a thread of 1.3123 x 10 TPI. Just want to try to find out what it is before I tear it apart. It needs to have the grease fittings removed and replaced with oilers. Needs a step pulley. Also would like to know the color of typical lathes of this time period. It has black, grey and green paint on it from over the years.







The tailstock has a #1 MT. Live center is marked The Ready Tool Company Bridgeport CT. I have dated it around 1930.

I have always wanted to build a turret attachment for my metal lathe and figure this would be a good lathe to play around with. I will probably build the one from Popular Science June 1924 pages 99-101 by Joe V. Romig just for fun.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[JoeSixPack74]

I have been researching this lathe with Google Lens and no matches come up. On FB some have said it may be a Stark lathe. I am in the US and the feet don't match a typical Stark from pictures I have seen.

 

[Eddyde]

Here's a link to the issue of Popular Science:

Popular Science

Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.

books.google.com

 

[Bone Head]

No motor with it? Any drive components with it?

 

[ShagDog]

Great find, whatever it is.

 

[JoeSixPack74]

No motor with it? Any drive components with it?

No motor or the pulleys that go with it. Just the bed, headstock, cross slide, tailstock and live center.

 

[cross thread]

Nice ! I will be fowling your restoration . I like how ornate the dials and handles are . You could E-Mail pictures to Tony@lathesco.uk. I'm sure he could identify it for you . Check out the turret on this B.C.Ames http://www.lathes.co.uk/ames/index.html
Mark .

 

[WesPete66]

Very interesting!
I'm trying to picture how one would use that machine. Would you align the lower "saddle feed screw" to be parallel to the spindle to get longitudinal travel?

 

[Dabbler]

judging by the flatways and the casting patterns, there is a higher probability it is US made. So a very early example of domestic production. The British lathes had larger radii and avoided the squarish corners on the headstock near the ways. This is all conjecture, of course.

It shares a detail or 2 of early Hardinge lathes, but this seems too early for it to be one.

Fantastic find, and a dream price - well done!

 

[Bone Head]

Way out in left field here, but 1880-1930...could it have come out of a building where the power shafts were overhead and most/all the machine tools were driven by a belt?