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Lathe Identification ( New Zealand)

GadgetNZ

Plastic
Joined
Aug 23, 2022
Location
Manawatu, New Zealand
Hi all,
Been trawling the internet attempting to identify/date a lathe I purchased. My hesitant best guess is a Seneca Falls.
I purchased from the Grandson of original owner. Was (from what the Grandson knew) used by Austin Motors (New Zealand) and purchased from them by the owner's Grandfather possibly as early as the 1920's.
Had been kept where I bought it from since the 1950's and used lightly as a home machine.
I've attached a few pictures in hope that the fountain of knowledge here can help.
It did come with a treadle, tooling and gearing, and has a gap bed.
First Pic is it as it was at the previous owner's
Second pic is in my home workshop
Third pic is the only data plate it had (no maker's name or model anywhere on the lathe)
Many Thanks,
Mike

Edit: Consensus seems to be that it's a German origin poss. Oscar Ehrlich Lathe. Would anyone know an original colour scheme (if it had one)?
 

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Seneca Falls lathes including my 9" machine have considerable information including patent dates cast into the front of the lathe bed and should be fairly obvious. If that is absent my guess is that you have something else. Also, the S/F threading chart is in the same location as yours but is formatted differently. Mine has only a single lead screw and ball crank style controls rather than hand wheels. However, both head and tail stocks and the steady rest do bear similarities to those of S/F. I think member Jim Rosen knows much more than I about S/F lathes--perhaps he will comment.

Its an interesting gap bed lathe--do you have the filler piece for the gap?

Tom B.
 
The lathe is not made by Seneca Falls. The headstock design does have strong similarities, but the bedways and balance of the lathe lathe do not. I recall from Tony Griffith's "Machine Tool Archive" site that some British lathes used a headstock design similar to Seneca Falls. Seneca Falls used flat/vee bedways, this lathe uses flat/dovetailed bedways and has a gap bed, both of which are characteristics of British lathe designs.
 
As suggested by Joe check Tony's site
for Erlich
Fischer
IXL
Also do a forum search for these names since there are several threads where they are mentioned and there are several variant models including one or more made in Australia if I remember.
Jim
 
This is a gap bed lathe, and has metric threading capability, something that vintage SF lathes did not. The inboard reverse tumbler lever for the lead screw drive is the single item that is very similar to some later seneca falls machines, but the metric threading call-outs say definitely not. Also the obviously different bed configuration.
 
Seneca Falls lathes including my 9" machine have considerable information including patent dates cast into the front of the lathe bed and should be fairly obvious. If that is absent my guess is that you have something else. Also, the S/F threading chart is in the same location as yours but is formatted differently. Mine has only a single lead screw and ball crank style controls rather than hand wheels. However, both head and tail stocks and the steady rest do bear similarities to those of S/F. I think member Jim Rosen knows much more than I about S/F lathes--perhaps he will comment.

Its an interesting gap bed lathe--do you have the filler piece for the gap?

Tom B.
I do have the gap filler! Also came with the (assumption here) original headstock and tool post/tooling. Pulleys and belts also came with.
 
That's a nice looking lathe. Driving the spindle like that at the outboard end is not good for its long term health. Before you use it too much, try to rig up a way to use a flat belt using the original pulley between the headstock bearings.
 
That's a nice looking lathe. Driving the spindle like that at the outboard end is not good for its long term health. Before you use it too much, try to rig up a way to use a flat belt using the original pulley between the headstock bearings.

Re: Lathe Identification
Yes, its a lathe

And after you move the motor mock-up/make a cover for the gears.
A nice looking lathe
Buck
 
Mike,

I have a "mystery" file on my computer where I keep photos of un-named lathes sold on in NZ on Trade Me. There are 595 images in that folder, though some are the same lathe from different angles.

I had a quick look through the folder and found 2 other lathes I reckon are the same as yours.

The tailstock lock is quite distinctive on these machines, I don't think I have seen it elsewhere. It is on top of the tailstock. Is the locking lever removable or is it cast onto a nut?

The tee-slots I mentioned earlier, the layout of the apron and the shape of the headstock casting around the cone pulleys are all distinctive too.

Click on the thumbnail, then click again for an enlarged view. The usual Trade Me quality photos :rolleyes5:

#1 This lathe was listed in Feb 2018, location Whangarei:

721604874.jpg 721605829.jpg

#2 This lathe was listed in 2016:

507332089.jpg 507332094.jpg 507332096.jpg 507332097.jpg
 
Mike,

I have a "mystery" file on my computer where I keep photos of un-named lathes sold on in NZ on Trade Me. There are 595 images in that folder, though some are the same lathe from different angles.

I had a quick look through the folder and found 2 other lathes I reckon are the same as yours.

The tailstock lock is quite distinctive on these machines, I don't think I have seen it elsewhere. It is on top of the tailstock. Is the locking lever removable or is it cast onto a nut?

The tee-slots I mentioned earlier, the layout of the apron and the shape of the headstock casting around the cone pulleys are all distinctive too.

Click on the thumbnail, then click again for an enlarged view. The usual Trade Me quality photos :rolleyes5:

#1 This lathe was listed in Feb 2018, location Whangarei:

View attachment 372497 View attachment 372498

#2 This lathe was listed in 2016:

View attachment 372499 View attachment 372500 View attachment 372501 View attachment 372502
#2 lathe looks very similar if not the same as what I have to my eye. The tailstock lever is solid cast.
 
I would also think a German origin ,on the quirky shape of the lettering.........not much to go on,but there were lots of smaller German lathes imported both pre and after WW1.
 








 
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