Lathe identity

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Hi,

I recently purchased a basic metal turning lathe which has no automatic functions at all. Longitudinal and cross traverse are manual. It is very well built and modern in appearance but is flat belt drive from motor to countershaft to headstock (original). The between centres is approx 12" or 300mm and the centre height is 51/4" (130mm). The bed is twin plain flat bars and the headstock totally encloses the flat belt pulleys with a door for access to change speeds. The chuck register is 2" x 6 square thread. The motor is also enclosed, It is mounted on a single central pedestal as opposed to one at each end and has no cupboard space. It is nicely finished in mid blue (original). A nice piece of kit but the nameplate on the headstock has been removed. I cannot get the pictures to attach to this email. Any help would be a blessing. Thanks Tom.

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Basic lathe

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

HI Tom, have a read of Posting pictures etc.

Welcome to the Forum.

Regards Nick.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

The description sounds like a Raglan Loughborough

**LINK**

HTH,

Rod

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Roderick Jenkins on 14/01/2022 20:31:35:

The description sounds like a Raglan Loughborough

**LINK**

HTH,

Rod

Well done Rod!

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Hi.

Thanks to all who replied to my question for lathe identification, I now know I have a very good example of the Raglan Loughborough. Although the seller knew nothing about the lathe he had been told that it would accept the chuck from a Little John and was one of the reasons I bought it. However none of the chucks from the John will fit. The thread is 1.75" x 6 not 2" x 6 as previously quoted but those in the know will know.

It looks as if I have 2 options, 1 to purchase a used 3 or 4 jaw chuck with back plate fitted or to find a supplier of backplates. I have tried the well known suppliers without success and any help from a bespoke machinist would be appreciated. Thanks Tom Wood.

Edited By tom Wood 1 on 17/01/2022 13:50:34

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Hi.

Thanks to all who replied to my question for lathe identification, I now know I have a very good example of the Raglan Loughborough. Although the seller knew nothing about the lathe he had been told that it would accept the chuck from a Little John and was one of the reasons I bought it. However none of the chucks from the John will fit. The thread appears to be 1'75" x 6, not 2".00 x 6 as previously stated. 

It looks as if I have 2 options, 1 to purchase a 3 or 4 jaw chuck with back plate fitted or to find a supplier of backplates. I have tried the well known suppliers without success and any help with a bespoke machinist would be appreciated. Thanks Tom Wood.

Edited By tom Wood 1 on 17/01/2022 13:56:16

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

There is a well used Loughborough in the workshop at The WaterWorks Museum in Hereford.

Although a training lathe, it an excellent machine, and my tool of choice when asked to do any machining there.

Despite the lack of "bells and whistles", it is a very capable machine, and with a skilled operator capable of good work, better than I can produce on it.

Your chances of coming upon a backplate that will fit are fairly remote.

If you can find someone, it should be possible to machine a casting fully, or to modify an existing backplate to the thread and register for the Loughborough.. In the past, I have bought backplate castings from RDG

(it MIGHT be possible to modify Myford compatible backpalte , if there is enough "meat" in the central boss, to open it up from 1.125 tx 8 tpi too 1.75 x 6.

But not on the Loughborough, sadly.

Howard

 

Edited By Howard Lewis on 17/01/2022 15:50:03

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Thanks Howard.

The plot thickens, the chuck on my Raglan Loughborough is a perfect fit on my Raglan Little John but the Little John chucks will not look at the Loughborough. Both are supposedly 1.75" x 6. I think your suggestion of modifying another plate is the answer but in the meantime if anyone knows of an available 4 jaw with Loughborough backplate or anyone who can make a plate I would be more than interested. Regards.

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

The Lathes.uk site says that Loughborough feed-screws are square-thread, not the more common acme form used for the Little John machines. Could this also apply to the chuck mounting thread?

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

If you have a Little John, why not use that to modify a backplate to fit on the Loughborough?

I would be surprised if it could not cut 6 tpi.

A set of thread gauges should show the thread form.

Unless I misread the Lathes UK pages, the Mandrel thread for a Little John, with a 4MT mandrel may be square, rather than Whit form. Unfortunately, there seems to be no comment on the Mandrel of the Loughborough, that might give a clue.. In view of the comments about the bed form and Tailstock being 2MT as per the Little John, it would not be unreasonable to find that the Mandrel was similar.

Once the backplate will fit on the Loughborough, you only have to face it and turn the OD to match the register in the 4 jaw chuck of your choice.

To find the PCD and position of the mounting setscrews, you will need to make up pointed studs with which to mark a blued backplate. Once the first hole has bee made, the remaining two should be easier to position.

HTH

Howard

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Clive Brown 1 on 18/01/2022 16:59:47:

The Lathes.uk site says that Loughborough feed-screws are square-thread, not the more common acme form used for the Little John machines. Could this also apply to the chuck mounting thread?

All Raglan LJs I have seen have used square threads – both on spindle and feed screws. Only the lead screw has been ACME. Possibly not the same on the MkI LJ (I’ve not seen one of those, but I would be surprised).

From the web:

**LINK**

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Hello all.

Seems we have a hornets nest here but very interesting. After much stripping and measuring my Loughborough has a chuck register of 1.75" x 6 tpi and is square thread, that is why the chuck will screw onto the Little John but not vice-versa. I am not able to make my own backplate with the Little John as I bought it 40 years ago on special offer as a basic non screw cutting, no thread indicating, special offer machine, new for £115.00. So I am going to finish the restoration and keep my eyes open for a 4 jaw to suit or have a couple of backplates made if I can find a maker.

Thanks for the input.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Do you mean no gear train, at all, from spindle to lead screw? Ie. no power feed at all!

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

The Loughborough is a training lathe, so has no Leadscrew or geartrain facility.

Absolutely basic.

So no power feeds or screwcutting, but a good machine if you can live with manual feeds.

Surprised that it is not possible to set up a gear train on the Little John to cut a 6 tpi thread, even without a gearbox..

You just need to set up a train that runs the 8 tpi Leadscrew at 8/6 of the Chuck speed, So if you have a 40T as a driver, the gear on the Leadscrew needs to be 30T, with any gear as an Idler to fill the gap..

Having no T I D is no problem

Keep the Half Nuts engaged, withdraw the tool and return the saddle to beyond the start of cut, so that having reset the tool, with the backlash taken out you take the next cut.

My only criticism of my friend's 5 inch was that the Top Slide replaced the 4 way Toolpost, but you could not have both at the same time.

Solution?

Make a low height 4 way Toolpost to mount on the Top Slide! BINGO!

Otherwise, I think that the Raglans are splendid lathes.

Howard

[tom Wood 1Participant @tomwood1]

Hello all. Thoroughly convinced by all that my Loughborough lathe has a 1.75" x 6 tpi Acme headstock thread and being unable to turn my own, I was advised to contact Acme in the USA who could provide hexagon nuts to this thread as a standard unit which could then be welded to a back plate and the register machined Two were ordered and arrived today, excellent people to deal with and a first class product. Problem solved. Deciding to try the nuts on the head shaft before welding on the plate, surprise, surprise, a quarter of a turn and locked up solid.(I never did like that window behind the lathe anyway) So now its a case of handing over to a friend who has a precision grinding company who is going to " Shadowgraph both components and check the corresponding facets of head shaft and nut to find out why. The mind boggles. Watch this space.

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