Just take a look at this 'little' beauty

[gregmcateer]

This must be someone's pride and joy;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ward-Lath...-extras-/111376967230?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276

 

[Jonzjob]

That looks like a greasy, oily thingy? How on earth can you turn wood on it without getting it all oily :shock: :shock:

 

[adidat]

just have to be careful, i used to turn loads of bits of wood on a myford super 7 it was great, a nice uniform finish. Especially boxwood!

adidat

 

[RossJarvis]

Crumbs, doesn't he realise you should never leave the key in the chuck :shock: Where's his H&S officer?

 

[Alex H]

"It has been used often in building precision engine parts and created fantastic working steam engines."

Does it really do that on it's own? Incredible! :shock:

 

[Jonzjob]

Copy jobbie, or one of those confusion controlled thingies. Sorry if that is a bit technical :? :?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Capstan lathes are the 'production' equivalents of centre lathes, used for making repitition parts as a rule. They need quite a lot of expensive specialist tooling, and are slow to set up, but once set a semi-skilled (and very bored) operator can stand there all day wangling handles in the same sequence and churning out lots of the same thing.

Ward were very well regarded makers - good solid reliable machines.

Nobody wants them these days (hence the low price), because computer-controlled machines can do it all without tying up an operator all day, and in general don't need a huge range of specialist tooling either. Programme it, press the button, walk away.

 

[woodfarmer]

I used to work in the factory in mid 1960's where that small capstan lathe probably came from. Although at the time I was mostly on Ward 7 and 8's turret lathes.. MUCH bigger

 

[Boatfixer]

I showed that to a machinery dealer friend who does a lot of Ward turret lathe refurbishment. He reckons he used to sell the chucks for those lathes for £1500 a pop but nowdays its worth f all. In fact as it's down in Cornwall its worth less than that....

 

[SammyQ]

If y'all wanna see REALLY big machines....try OWWM.....Yanks have to be bigger, brasher, brag more about their 'rat holes' full of "x000lb" machines. Some of the stuff they rescue and renovate is truely marvellous, but you must appreciate, the posters there seem to have a football pitch as a standard back yard and a JCB-lookalike as a machine mover/runabout....They also have a barn each for wood and metal work.....don't y'all just lurve hyperbole?

Sam

 

[woodfarmer]

If y'all wanna see REALLY big machines....try OWWM.....Yanks have to be bigger, brasher, brag more about their 'rat holes' full of "x000lb" machines. Some of the stuff they rescue and renovate is truely marvellous, but you must appreciate, the posters there seem to have a football pitch as a standard back yard and a JCB-lookalike as a machine mover/runabout....They also have a barn each for wood and metal work.....don't y'all just lurve hyperbole?

Sam

Sounds like Norm

 

[SammyQ]

Believe me, Nawm is just a puddy tat compared to some of the OWWM crowd when it come to heavy metal....

Sam

 

[Eric The Viking]

once set a semi-skilled (and very bored) operator can stand there all day wangling handles in the same sequence and churning out lots of the same thing.

Too bloomin' right.

But it paid for my first motorbike!