Types of lathes used during war

[Guest bow]

Hello

Does anyone know what kind of lathes would have been used during the war WW2(i.e make/manufacturer).Were they imported from USA or were they British built?

Thanks for any info

Ron

[hilldweller]

Hello

Does anyone know what kind of lathes would have been used during the war WW2(i.e make/manufacturer).Were they imported from USA or were they British built?

Thanks for any info

Ron

When I worked at the old Metro-Vick works on Attercliffe Common in the early 1960's, the light machine shop had a number of elderly Ward 2A capstan lathes and Herbert 7 turret lathes which certainly would have been in use during WW2 when the factory was heavily involved in producing things like aircraft magnetos and various other electro-mechanical components. I also seem to remember that a lot of the larger machine tools were made by Cincinnati but some of them may have dated from when the factory was first built around the time of WW1 by the american Westinghouse Company.

As a young trainee draughtsman I was given detail drawings of Fairey Swordfish magnetos to copy.

In the gear shop was a huge centre lathe which may have been used for gun barrel production as there was the covered-over remnants of a vertical pit gun barrel annealing furnace under part of the floor. All now disappeared under Toys-R-Us and PC World.

HD

[SteveHB]

No doubt that this would have been put to good use during the war years.

Article published 27/03/34

Work Commenced yesterday on the removal of what is probably the biggest modern lathe ever built.

It has just been completed by Messrs: 'Noble & Lund', (Felling near Gateshead)

tool and machine makers,

to the order of the English Steel Corporation, Sheffield,

and it is the largest lathe the firm has turned out in its 50 years career.

The huge headstock of the lathe commenced its journey to Sheffield yesterday by road,

the remainder of the lathe is following by rail.

When re-assembled at Sheffield the lathe will be driven by a 250 h.p. electric motor, and will admit forgings up to 60 ft in length by 80 inches in diameter, and weighing 250 tons.

This photo shows a striking view of the giant lathe prior to the commencement of its removal.

The man standing at the far end gives a good idea of its size

[Guest skeets]

<br>Hello<br><br>Does anyone know what kind of lathes would have been used during the war WW2(i.e make/manufacturer).Were they imported from USA or were they British built?<br><br>Thanks for any info<br><br>Ron<br>

&nbsp;&nbsp;Hi I worked on a flat bed capstan lathe at Hatfields it must have been the oldest machine there, l was rough turning shell fuse adapters down to a gauge then fastened a circular clamp then a smack with a hammer to loosen it &nbsp;and then, hi ho l had earned a 1/2 penny the most boring job in my life.l was 16 yrs old l endured this for 3 months , l had left the building trade for the lure of high wages. l earned 4 time as much as l had had, in the first week l got 1/2penny each. Cheers Skeets

[Guest Drumbeat62]

My late Father worked at William Turners (Kismet) Eyre Street from 1929 till it closed in th 70s, he was a Brass Finsher & Turner, all the lathes on the floor where he worked were fed by overhead belts.