Anyone Recognise This Lathe (and how it was used for evil!)

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

In darkest England during a mid-summer downpour, I came across this Australian story about a beastly American. Yes we are globalised,

The gent in question is the late Mr Charles Douglass, here pictured using a lathe. Does anyone recognise it?

Why beastly? It's because Mr Douglass invented the Laff Machine, much used to add canned laughter to comedy programmes. Scene: actors make a funny, followed by burst of hysterical audience appreciation, neatly timed to stop just before the next joke is launched. Ruins programmes for me, because once tuned into it, canned laughter is so obviously fake, it spoils the joke. Laff tracks insult the artistes and the audience.

On the plus side, that's a real lathe, covered in real swarf, with a real engineer driving it. Seems familiar, but I can't place it. What make and model?

Dave

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Atlas 10" I think.

The twin handle topslide feed is pretty diagnostic and the tailstock casting curves look very Atlasy although the angle from which the picture is taken distorts the appearance.

Line drawing of the 1947 version on Tonys site close to the bottom of this page :- **LINK** , http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas/ , looks about the same.

Clive

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

Posted by Clive Foster on 14/07/2021 09:36:00:

Atlas 10" I think.

+1

The top slide is reminiscent of a Raglan Little John and they used some Atlas parts (believe the half nut assemblies were 'bought in' from Atlas) – or at least cloned a lot of Atlas parts, i.e the milling slide attachment and the TTA.

Martin

Edited By Oily Rag on 14/07/2021 15:27:17

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