Barnes lathe.

[Eoin]

I recently bought a 4 1/2 Barnes lathe, originally treadle powered it has been converted to electric drive, fortunately without any alterations to the original machine. (for $200 Aust).

What intrigued me is that it has a 4 jaw self entering chuck, which appears original (that is, old and well used)

I'm now 85 and have been involved in engineering for at least 60 years and this is the first chuck of this type that I've seen.
A quick Google reveals that they appear to be fairly common but, as I sid, I'd never seen one or even heard of one.

 

[goldstar31]

Have a look at Lathes.co.Uk for a very good wright up on your and other Barnes lathes in the USA.

As for 4 jaw self centring chucks, I bought a couple in the last year or so. One was for my brace of Myfords and the other for a far more modern Sieg C.4.

I'm a tad older than you, young man at almost 90 now. I still have a pair of baby independent 3 and 4 chucks from an Enox lathe which few will have heard of.

I suspect that your Barnes lathe comes from a generation of lathes which took their inspiration from the earlier small Maudlsley and Holzapffel lathes.

I suspect that the Discovery Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne has a Holzapffel tucked away as things like the Turbinia have far more appeal. One of the curators is in my lodge but we get onto 'other things' and nothing gets done.
One thing that I can tell you that the Holzapffels cost a street of houses. Jacob Holzapffel did write 4 books on turning. I have 3 of them and I suspect that the re is a 4th tucked away unloved in the Literary and Philosophical Library in Newcastle.

Meantime my best regards

Norman

 

[Eoin]

Thank you, Norman, nice to hear from an old bloke!

I intend to equip the Barnes with treadle gear, just to see how it was done.

There have been a few come up that have all the original gear but they were out of the curiosity price range.