Antique Lathe -- thoughts?

[PWR]

found this very cool antique lathe in my Father's stuff...he and his father ran a large watch repair shop in Phila since 1929.....wondering what I should do with it...ideas?

[clockboy]

My first thought is that it is a wheel cutter but I do not see a indexing plate. A antique for sure and eBay will be best for selling it. 

[Marc]

It is, as CB said a wheel cutter, and appears to be in very nice condition.

[oldhippy]

That is a wheel cutting lathe.

See here.

 

[Geo]

 

My first thought is that it is a wheel cutter but I do not see a indexing plate. A antique for sure and eBay will be best for selling it. 

This is a Topping Tool.

The cutters are split and shaped in such a way that they self index to the next tooth by screw action.  The initial cutting of the teeth are usually made on on a lathe fitted with an index plate.  Once all the teeth are cut, the wheel is transferred to this "Topping Tool" for shaping the tops of the teeth.

PWR if I was you I'd sell it in a specialist auction or on eBay.  Going by the condition of the tool, you should get upwards of £1000.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Geo

[oldhippy]

Well done Geo. I see now that is what all those little blades are. I put my mistake down to a senior moment.

[Geo]

 

 I put my mistake down to a senior moment.

 

You've still got a couple of years to catch up on me..............now what were we talking about???

[jdm]

I'm no expert or lover of vintage tools but this one stands apart and I would rather not let it go!

[oldhippy]

If you don't want to sell it then keep it. Things like this can only increases in value.

 

You've still got a couple of years to catch up on me..............now what were we talking about???

The stroke I had didn't help. Geo I thought I was the oldest on here.

[dadistic]

I think you should sell it to me, happy to give you $100 US for it. 

[vinn3]

IT'S A KEEPER !  good show.  vin

[PWR]

 

That is a wheel cutting lathe.

See here.

 

nice photos of this lathe -- wishing there was a video demonstration of making a gear with it!!!!

 

[Geo]

Here's a close up.  The cutter both indexes the wheel and shapes the top profile of the gear teeth.

 

[Lambchop]

Never really known any watchmaker to actually use these things... they usually end up sat in a cabinet -bought by non-watchmakers- as an ornament because they are shiny or look 'interesting'..

 

 

[oldhippy]

Here is another one. It might be best to turn the so called music off.

 

[PWR]

 

Never really known any watchmaker to actually use these things... they usually end up sat in a cabinet -bought by non-watchmakers- as an ornament because they are shiny or look 'interesting'..

 

 

Actually my grandfather did use this!!!!   Of course that was 1930s into the 1950's......but there is no rust and little dust so perhaps my Dad did use it when I wasn't looking!

[jdm]

 

Actually my grandfather did use this!!!!   Of course that was 1930s into the 1950's......but there is no rust and little dust so perhaps my Dad did use it when I wasn't looking!

In the past, making new parts was quite normal and taught in schools. Now even watchmakers with an high reputation when confronted with the need of turning an cutting a wheel won't do it. 

[oldhippy]

Under my apprenticeship, I was trained how to make parts, such as balance staffs, stems and making bushings out of brass. It was quite easy to go from that to making parts for clocks.

[david]

That looks like a ROUNDING UP TOOL.  Before modern motorized  high precision machinery was available to small shops, gear teeth would be cut and would not be concentric with the center hole of the gear. I suspect that watch repair shops did not even have electricity in those days, let alone machinery powered by motors. The cutters are actually rotary files with an offset guide to force the gear teeth into the cutter. The process is  similar to the way gear hobs cut gears  today. The gear hob cutter has the teeth positioned on a helix and the cutter forces its way through the gear blank with a threading action. Due to the way a hob cuts, indexing the gear blank to cut each tooth individually is not necessary.  

The cutters on a Rounding Up Tool  work the same way. A watch gear could actually have the teeth rough cut by hand with a saw and hand file  and then formed to the final shape with a  Rounding Up Tool. 

Here is a video of the tool in action:

https://youtu.be/Pej-FQBR1ss

david