It counts as a big lathe if you need a set of steps to reach the toolpost.

Andrew

Jason, thank you so much for posting this. My grandfather was a turner at Harland and Wolff and worked on the Titanic, and probably her sister ships. I have very clear memories of him trying to get me as a small boy to understand the size of the pistons he worked on; he also told me of the news coming through of the sinking. No-one believed the story for some time, such was their faith in the ship. His voice was still full of emotion half a century after the tragedy. I have one or two of his tools, almost certainly from his time as H&W as he worked their all his life. I'll study the pictures in some detail – might even spot someone I know! Thanks again – very special pictures for me.

Fantastic pictures !. I think Harland and Wolff are still going, doing oil rig wotk.

.

Fantastic.

Nick

Excellent post Jason. I love this sort of pictorial engineering history. The photography is super for the period. I presume the marine engineers on the Olympic ships would have studied the drawings of the propulsion system prior to taking up their posts. They must have stood in the engine room (or should I say the engine great hall) in absolute awe when first encountering this completed and installed marvel of combined engineering skills.

Worlds largest lathe for sale

Apparently you can go up to 3 miles between centres before the curvature of the earth affects your work

No, I had to have another look. I've no idea how to machine a double herringbone gear. An ordinary herringbone gear can be machined with a double ended shaper. Sykes were the main manufacturer of herringbone gear shapers, although Sunderland built a rival machine.

It's not clear from the pictures but the apexes of the gear teeth look slightly rounded. Since the gears are part of the steering gear, and hence low speed, my supposition is that they are as cast, rather than machined.

Of course now, with rounded apexes, they could be CNC'd.

Andrew

Another site you might like.

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/William_Doxford_and_Sons

Lots of machines making marine engines.

Edited By Roger Woollett on 31/01/2017 10:08:57

What a lovely post thanks Jason it brings back so many memories for me on visiting Devonport Dockyard as an apprentice some 51 + years ago and having a ride on the planning machine as it was cutting a profile for engine beds ,

This was about 80 ft long and 30 ft wide they used to machine two beds at a time with 2 seats for the operator the tool holders were lifted in by chain blocks the travel was about one mile an hour health and safety would have had a field day I think it was made by hawthorn Leslie but I could be wrong

Thanks Jason. Loved that.

In the 80's and 90's NEI Parsons (Heaton Newcastle) and GEC large Machines (Rugby) were companies I regularly worked at (we provided the CAD system for them). They had some monster machine tools regularly working on parts of over 100 tons and bigger…

I found this video from Parsons, some epic machine tools from about 9 minutes in,though the rest is also interesting…

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/parsons-genius-of-power-reel-2-also-known-as

Link added

I know what the "elf and safety" conscious of today will be wincing a bit paternoster lifts, guys stood on the top of castings being poured, stood/sat on the toolpost of lathes and boring machines, no hi-vis…

Edited By JasonB on 31/01/2017 13:09:43