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I went and looked at an old time machinist shop a few months ago. The guy was selling his tools, so I got the tour. One big lathe - 18" or 20" diameter maybe was sitting in the middle of the small shop. He had cut a 4" hole in the side of his shop to slide 20' long shafting into the shop. He bolted a round cast iron pipe flange and backing plate on the inside and outside of the hole in the wall, then attached an 1/8" swiveling plate to the inside of the flange to block off the hole when not in use. The hole was lined up with the headstock so he could insert 20' long round stock into the building thence through his headstock for turning parts. Way cool use of space!
Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum
Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge
Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
Glenn Brooks wrote:I went and looked at an old time machinist shop a few months ago. The guy was selling his tools, so I got the tour. One big lathe - 18" or 20" diameter maybe was sitting in the middle of the small shop. He had cut a 4" hole in the side of his shop to slide 20' long shafting into the shop. He bolted a round cast iron pipe flange and backing plate on the inside and outside of the hole in the wall, then attached an 1/8" swiveling plate to the inside of the flange to block off the hole when not in use. The hole was lined up with the headstock so he could insert 20' long round stock into the building thence through his headstock for turning parts. Way cool use of space!
Glenn
Interesting. I suspect that may have been common practice in the past. A few years ago I was in one of our larger local shops and they had four or five lathes ranging in size from probably 17" up to about 36" all lined up parallel with each other, oriented about 45 degrees to the wall with each ones headstock about four feet from the wall. There was a "trap door" about 12" square cut into the wall at each lathe that was aligned with the spindle for the same purpose as you've said. Unfortunately, that shop has gone the way of most machine shops in this area.....belly up!
Ted
Some people raise the IQ of the room when they enter.........others when they leave.
I cut a 3" hole in a metal shelving unit beside the headstock of my lathe to put longer pieces through. Space was tight and it was easier to clear off the end of the shelf rather than try to move the lathe or shelving unit for clearance. Same reasons, as above, only on a smaller scale.
Could the reason have been for staggering the lathes was to keep the guy in front of you being showered by your chips and cutting oil?
