Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
TheDevelopment ofthe Lathe
200 - 1850
Copyright Peter H. Kunz. CH-8200 Schaffhausen
Ca. 300 before Christ: Egyptian LatheIn this Figure the earliest representationwe have of a lathe is shown. It wascarved in low relief on one of the wallsof an Egyptian grave of the thirdcentury B.C., the grave of Petosiris.
The frame of the lathe appears to haveconsisted of two longitudinal bars, ofwhich one is probably hidden behindthe assistant. At right angles to thisprimitive lathe bed are two other barswhich act as head and tail stocks. Oneor both of these must have beenmovable along the lathe bed, to permitthe turner to do work on pieces ofdifferent lengths, for both stocks seemto have been secured to collars whichcould slide along the front bed bar.
Relief of the Grave of Petosiris, Egypt
Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1250: The Pole Lathe
Here the turner is seated at his workto prevent the motion of his left legon the treadle from interfering withhis control of the tool. The cuttingtool already has a long handle heldin the position. There is no evidenceof a tool rest, although in turning thebottom of a bowl it would be moreconvenient to rest the tool on the tailstock, as he appears to be doing.The head and tail stocks, the treadle,the spring pole, and the drive cordwrapped around the workpiece, areall clearly shown.
Manuscript miniature of the 13th. Century Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1350: Rocker Lathe
The rocker on the top acts as a springand pulls the rope, which is woundaround the lathe spindle, and the pulldown pedal upwards. The result is acouple of revolutions of the lathe spindlein one direction. By pushing down thepedal a rotation is obtained in the otherdirection.
The turner has either to turn his turningtool around or get the machining done inonly one direction of rotation.
French Moral Bible, ca. 1400
Ca. 1390: Fiddle Lathe
With his right hand a monk moveshis fiddle bow back and forth toapply a rotation to th lathe spindle
In his left hand he pushes aturning tool against the turnedpart.
Mendelsches Hausbuch der 12-Brüder-Stiftung, 1397
Ca. 1395: Pole Lathe
The turner is shown Standing at his work,but in a position such that coordinationbetween the pole drive and the operation ofthe tool would not be obtained by rockinghis weight from one foot to the other. Thecutting tools have short handles and aremerely held in the hands, without any toolrest.
Mendelsches Hausbuch der 12-Brüder-Stiftung, 1397
Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1490: Lathe with Spindle Drive, Leonardo da Vinci
We find in the Codice Atlantico thefirst sketch of another important driveof the lathe - a treadle acting on acrankshaft, with a flywheel.
The lathe itself is shown only schemati-cally.
Although the tail stock is fixed, a tail-stock spindle adjustable by a handcrank is clearly shown.
This is the first evidence we have forthe use of this method of adjustment inholding work pieces of differentlengths between centers.
Leonardo da Vinci, Il Codice atlantico, um 1490 Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1578: Ornamental Turning Lathe, Besson
In this figure we see the use of bothcams and templets to get intricate forms.Here an elliptical cross section of thework is obtained by circular camsmounted on an extension of the lathespindle so as to permit being set at anydesired angle and to bear on a toolguide bar to give the tool the necessaryoscillation. Non-circular cams could beused to produce more intricate crosssections. The tool guide bar had cut init a templet slot to give the desiredprofile to the workpiece, and could slideup and down between guides. Theforked hand tools used for this work areshown on the wall.
J. Besson, Theatrum Instrumentarium etMachinarum, Lugduni, 1578
Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1570: Lathe Driven by Wheel and Cord
Although the lathe itself is also shownhere as largely schematic, we do see thelong handled tool braced under thearmpit and surely with a tool rest hiddenbehind the work.
There can be no doubt of the method ofdriving the workpiece.
Jost Amman, Stände und Handwerker, Frankfurt, 1568
Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1615: Eccentric Lathe of De Claus
In 1615 the court engineer Salomon deCaus depicted an eccentric turning lathevery similar to Besson’s third lathe, inwhich for the first time the workpiece andthe spindle are pushed against a guide byweighted cords. De Caus preferred theweights to springs and noted theadvantages of continuous drive for thiswork. The construction of this lathe is especiallyheavy for the work to be performed on it,but was probably required because heused very heavy weights. Although we seean adjustable tool rest, the tool isotherwise controlled by band.
S. De Caus, Maschinenbuch, Frankfurt am Main, 1615
Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1670: Lathe with CrankThe powering of this lathe is done bypushing down the foot pedal.
By a crank behind the flywheel the up-and-down movement is being trans-formed into a more or less constantrotation.
The small driving wheel on the lathegives a large increase of the rotationalspeed of the lathe spindle.
P. Cherubin, La Dioptrique oculaire, Paris, 1671
Ca. 1675: Lathe with Variable Speed Drive and Gibbed Slide
Cherubin d’Orleans, writing in 1671 describesin some detail an interesting combination ofthe bow drive and the crank flywheel.
But the most important feature of this drive isthe use of several pulleys of different sizesmounted on the overhead shaft so thatdifferent speeds of revolution can be obtained,a great advance in flexibility and convenience,even though there is no corresponding steppulley on the lathe spindle and different cordswould therefore be required for each speed.
P. Cherubin, La Dioptrique oculaire, Paris, 1671
Robert S. Woodbury, History of the Lathe
Ca. 1700: Lathe with Hand Operated Crank
A rope with a handle is attached to thecrank on the flywheel above the lathe.
The flywheel could be brought to rotationby pulling down the rope.
With several pulley the speed of rotationcould be changed.
J. M. Plumier, L’Art de tourneur en perfection, Alyon, 1701
Ca 1705: Small Lathe with Fiddle Bow Drive
The lathe in the background has a pedal-fiddle drive.
The support for the turning tool is of aspecial design for the turning of balls.
A number of different turning tools arehanging on the wall.
The lathe in the foreground is being held ina vice.
The support for the turning tool can be seenunderneath the ball.
J. Moxon, Mechnick Exercises, London, 1703
Ca. 1740: Small Lathe with Gear Wheel Transmission
This lathe represents a veryadvance design with a geartransmission and a slide restadjustable in two directions.
The steal arbor and also theface plane are of an advanceddesign.
Thiouts, Traité d’Horlogerie Mechanisme et Pratique, Paris, 1741
Ca. 1740: Contouring Lathe
The feed of the turning tool iscontrolled by a template behind thespindle.
This represents an interestingmachine for mass production.
Thiouts, Traité d’Horlogerie Mechanisme et Pratique, Paris, 1741
Ca. 1745: Watch Maker’s Lathe
This very small lathe can beattached to a vice.
The lengthwise feed of theturning tool is obtained by athreaded spindle driven by toothwheels.
Thiouts, Traité d’Horlogerie Mechanisme et Pratique, Paris, 1741
Ca. 1750: Universal Lathe
The twisted drive rope gives anincreased friction on the pulleysresulting in more powerful use.
The foot pedal serves the poweringof the lathe.
J. M. Teuber, Vollständiger Unterricht von der gemeinen und höheren Drehkunst, Wien, 1756
Um 1750: Lathe for “Quillochier Work”
By “Quillochieren” we understandthe cutting of a decoration consistingof several overlapping lines forminga ornament.
These lines are engraved in arotating templet plate.
A tracer transmits this ornament to acutter. The cutter engraves thedecoration to the work piece.
D. Diderot & J. L. D’Alembert, Encyclopédie ou Dictionaire,Paris, 1751
Ca. 1755: Turning Tools
Depending on the shape of the partto be turned a variety of turningtools with differently shaped cuttingedges where in use.
All these tools with the woodenhandle where held by the turner inhis hand.
On the bottom three different gagesare shown.
J. M. Teuber, Vollständiger Unterricht..., Wien, 1756
Ca. 1760: Small Universal Lathe
This small lathe is being operated by apedal combined with a rope and aspring bow.
Different revs of the main spindle canbe obtained with the gear box on theleft side.
J. M. Teuber, Vollständiger Untericht von der gemeinen und höheren Drehkunst, Wien, 1756
Ca. 1770: Turner’s Work Shop
In the pewter-maker’s workshop,two of his men turn a vessel on thelathe.
An other shapes a handle.
The furnace is near the window,where a hot soldering iron is beingwithdrawn from the fire.
In the foreground the molder poursa ladle full of molten pewter.
D. Diderot & J. L. D’Alembert, Encyclopédie ou Dictionaire,Paris, 1751
Ca. 1790: Lathe for the Machining of Winding Pillars
Winding pillars on cabinets have beenmachined on slowly rotating lathesusing a cylindrical templet.
The cylindrical templet is shown on theleft side of the lathe.
A spiraled groove in this cylinder gavethe feet to the work piece.
The turning tool was held by a fixedsupport.
J. G. Geissler, Der Drechsler, Leipzig 1792
Ca. 1790: Oval Lathe
On the top left side two oval shapedtemplets are shown.
On the right side two pillars machined onthis equipment can be seen.
On the oval-lathe shown on the bottomthe oval templet can be seen on the leftend of the spindle.
The feed of the part to be turned isgenerated in the housing with a numberof levers.
J. G. Geissler, Der Drechsler, Leipzig 1792
Ca. 1790: Profile Lathe
The profile lathe has been used tomachine Parts with a not circularcross section.
These contours have ben sweepedoff a template with the same crosssection.
On the top right three typicaltemplets are shown.
J. G. Geissler, Der Drechsler, Leipzig 1792
Ca. 1800: Wooden Lathe
This log-built lathe was used by a lock smith.
It was hand driven by an assistentusing the crank on the large flywheel.
Technical Museum, Wien
Ca. 1800: Simple Wainwright Lathe
Still to 1900 simple and clumsyturning lathes were often used bywainwrights and black smiths.
On the outside of the crank twoheavy counterweights serve asflywheel.
Gear and frame are made inwood.
German National Museum, Munich
Ca. 1850: Professional Lathe
Already in 1850 most of the latheshad a gearbox.
The lathe guide ways consisted oftwo iron bars.
The heavy carriage itself is of brassand carries a cross slide on whichthe tool holder is mounted.
The cross slide has a screw topermit accurate feed of the tool intothe work.
There are no divisions to makepossible accurate readings of theactual amount of cross feed.
Unknown Artist, um 1850
End
