Pickles Ransome Lathe, Wadkin forerunner ??

[Dangermouse 2nd]

Just come accross this lathe, made by Pickles Ransome ltd. Looks exacly the same as my Wadkin RS. Wonder did they copy the Wadkin or did Wadkin buy the design or company and then make the lathes as the RS ??

 

[Vann]

Interesting!

It certainly has a lot of similarities to Wadkin's RS, and some differences.

Companies frequently copied other manufacturers. Who's to say who copied who.

I believe the Wadkin-Bursgreen BRA radial arm saw is a copy of a De Walt ras.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Vann]

A bit of research doesn't help much!

It appears John Pickle & Son took over A Ransome & Co. in 1930/31 to form Pickles Ransome - so the lathe is post-1930.

I don't know when the first Wadkin RS was made, but by 1936 (when Wadkin & Co. became Wadkin Ltd.) they had already made ~140 RS lathes. Extrapolating that back would suggest the RS was born in the early 1930s.

If I had to guess, I'd say Wadkin took the Pickles design and prettied it up a little, adding the tool "post" (banjo) and tailstock from their KH lathe (which later became the RT) to make their RS woodlathe.

Wadkin KH woodlathe - note the "RS" banjo and almost "RS" tailstock.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Chisteve]

I saw that it’s been Re listed and will sell looks a good bit of kit could cut metal also but very heavy !