Part 1

THE LATHE & ITS USES;

OR,

INSTRUCTION IN THE ART OF TURNING WOOD AND METAL.

INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST MODERN APPLIANCES FOR THE ORNAMENTATION OF PLANE AND CURVED SURFACES.

With an Appendix,

IN WHICH IS DESCRIBED AN

ENTIRELY NOVEL FORM OF LATHE FOR ECCENTRIC AND ROSE ENGINE TURNING; A LATHE AND PLANING MACHINE COMBINED;

_And other Valuable Matter relating to the Art_.

COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATED.

NEW YORK: JOHN WILEY & SON, PUBLISHERS, NO. 2, CLINTON PLACE. 1868.

PREFACE

Although the title of this work is sufficient to declare its contents, a few prefatory remarks may not be superfluous as to its design and the manner in which that design has been carried out.

It has ever been to the writer a matter of surprise and regret, that although the art of turning has been so long and so successfully pursued in this country, both by artisans and amateurs, no work has appeared in the English language treating upon the subject, except one or two sketches and imperfect treatises.

Some years since Mr. Holtzapffel advertised a forthcoming series of seven volumes, intended to supply this manifest deficiency in our scientific and mechanical literature, and the subject would have been handled by him in a thoroughly exhaustive and masterly manner.

The untimely death of that gentleman occurred after the publication of the first three volumes, which are indeed complete in themselves, and of immeasurable value to the mechanic and amateur; but which are unfortunately only introductory, "simple turning by hand-tools" being the special subject of the proposed fourth volume. The present proprietors of the firm of Holtzapffel & Co. having, in their catalogue even up to the time of the most recent edition, continued to advertise the seven volumes, amateurs especially have anxiously hoped for the publication of some part at least of the remainder of the series. That expectation is, it is to be feared, little likely to be rewarded; and, not until that fact had been ascertained with something bordering upon certainty, did the author of the present work venture to take up the pen and endeavour to set forth the principles and practice of an art which, like so many others, he has found so absorbing and attractive, and withal so delightful a source of recreation to mind and body. Several things, however, contributed to make the writer hesitate to undertake such a work. In the first place he was aware that a number of _possible_ readers would probably be more competent than himself for such a task, especially those whose means might have enabled them to procure a large amount of the most modern and approved apparatus connected with the Lathe, and whose occupations might allow of more leisure for their extensive use than falls to the lot of the writer.

In the next place the risk of publication was such as he felt himself hardly justified in encountering. Just at this time, however, chance placed in his hand two or three numbers of the "English Mechanic," in which some one else had begun, but speedily resigned, a series of papers "On the Lathe and its Uses," compiled from American journals.

The author of the present work at once put himself in communication with the editor and proprietor of the above periodical with a result now well known to the readers.

The following pages are not, strictly speaking, a mere reprint from the "English Mechanic." The papers have been carefully revised and re-arranged; some statements, the correctness of which appeared doubtful, modified or wholly withdrawn; while, in one or two instances, whole chapters have been re-written, and the suggestions and inventions relating to the Lathe, furnished by other correspondents, embodied (when they appeared of real value) in the work.

But, in addition, a valuable Appendix is now published, containing matter of great importance, contributed by one or two gentlemen, who most kindly placed their papers at the service of the author. Foremost among them stands a paper on the angles of tools, by Dodsworth Haydon, Esq., of Guildford. A clever arrangement of Lathe for Rose Engine Work, by the aid of the Eccentric Chuck without Rosettes, is also added from the pen of Mr. Elias Taylor, of Brighton; and one or two matters, which did not appear so fully treated as they deserved in the body of the work, have been resumed and more fully discussed in the Appendix.

The author gratefully acknowledges the suggestions of various correspondents, amateurs and working men, from whom, as a rule, he has not failed to obtain any required assistance.

That the work, in its present form, is entirely satisfactory or complete, the writer cannot pretend; that many errors have crept in is highly probable; but, if it is acknowledged to be the best work _yet_ produced on the Lathe, and should prove in any degree serviceable to amateur or artisan in the pursuit of this most delightful art--aye, if it should stir up some abler pen to write a better and more complete series, it will afford real pleasure and lasting gratification to

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS

PREFACE.

Introduction.

Chucks.

Hand Turning of Wood.

Hollowed Work.

Cutting Screws.

Hollowing Out Soft Wood.

American Scroll Chuck.

Metal Turning by Hand Tools.

Overhead Apparatus.

Self-acting and Screw-cutting Lathes.

Wheel Cutting in the Lathe.

Fret Saws to Mount upon the Lathe Bed.

Turning Spheres.

Hoblyn's Compound Slide-Rest.

Chucks with Slides and Compound Movements.

Turning Ovals, etc., by Means of a Template.

Eccentric Chuck.

Curiosities.

Grooving and Mortising Small Work.

Ornamental Turning.

The Eccentric Cutter Frame.

Segment Engine.

Holtzapffel's Rose Cutter Frame.

Universal Cutter Frame.

Rose Engine.

Rectilineal Chuck.

Epicycloidal Chuck.

The Spiral Chuck.

APPENDIX.

Professor Willis's Tool Holder for the Slide Rest.

Munro's Planing Machine to be attached to the Lathe, and worked with the foot.

Hicks' Expanding Mandrel.

Turning Spheres by means of Templates.

Plant's Geometric Chuck.

A Paper on the Principles which Govern the Formation and Application of Acute Edges, with special reference to Fixed Turning-tools, contributed by Mr. Dodsworth Haydon.

Detached-cutter Holders.

New form of Rose Engine by E. Taylor.

Oval Turning and Rose Cutting with Templates with my Apparatus.

THE LATHE AND ITS USES.

The Lathe has now for many years been steadily making its way from the workshops of our leading artisans to those of the amateur and lesser stars of the mechanical world. This is but the natural result of the various additions and improvements which have been introduced into its construction from time to time. The unworkmanlike and clumsy tool of olden days has long since been superseded by one of admirable finish and perfect aptitude for its designed uses; and now that its construction is no longer dependent upon the skill of the workman alone, but upon machinery moving with the precision of clockwork, the fitting of the various parts is accomplished with the greatest ease and certainty. The sale being thus extended, the price has considerably diminished--the monopoly enjoyed by one or two makers no longer exists; and there are few of a mechanical turn of mind who cannot now provide themselves with a lathe suited to their requirements.

Nevertheless, the adepts in the art of turning are by no means so numerous as might be expected, and, among amateurs especially, it is rare to find work executed in first-rate style by simple hand tools requiring skill and practice in their use, so that it not unfrequently happens that a workman who can turn out exquisite specimens of ivory carving and ornamental lathe work, is but a fourth-rate hand with the gouge and chisel.

But however beautifully executed such ornamental work may be, the _credit_ is rather due to the tool than the workman, and a well turned box with accurately fitting cover may bespeak more skill in handiwork than the above elaborately designed specimen.

Moreover the one requires lathe fittings, which are not always to be had unless the purse is well filled, whereas the general mechanic (amateur or professional) can provide the tools needed for the other; hence we propose first of all to give some practical hints on plain hand turning of wood and metal. The ordinary form of foot lathe is well known and requires no special description, it is represented in the frontispiece of this volume. There are, however, certain points of detail in its construction, to which it is necessary to direct the reader's attention.

First and foremost comes the mandrel, of which there are several patterns, according to the special purpose for which the lathe may be intended.

Now of whatever form it may be made this is the essential part of the lathe, and must run with the utmost truth in its bearings. Imperfection here will be imparted to all work executed upon it, and accuracy in this part alone will make up for any slight defects that may occur in less important parts of the machine.

For ordinary work in wood alone or in brass the best form is represented in Fig. 1.

The part _a, b_, should be cylindrical, with a feather let in to fit a slot in the pulley shown in Fig. 2. This pulley, whether of hard wood or metal, is thus slipped on the mandrel as far as the collar _d, d_, and a nut _e_, screwed up tightly at the back of it, fixes it securely in its place, from which it may be moved if requisite and replaced without fear of being out of truth. This cannot be done if the mandrel is squared at _a, b_, and the pulley driven on with a hammer, as commonly done by inferior workmen. The part _c_, is made conical, to fit a hardened steel collar of similar shape. The angle of this conical part is of some importance, as if it is too small the mandrel is apt to jam and stick tight in its bearings. 35° will be found to work well. With regard to the length of this conical part, opinions differ considerably, but it must be remembered that friction is independent of the _extent_ of the bearing surfaces and depends on the force with which they are pressed together (in the present case it depends on the tension of the lathe cord and the weight of the material to be turned), so that a tolerably wide margin may be allowed in this matter. Practically the question is decided by the thickness of the casting of the poppet head, _which_ is regulated by the required strength and size of the lathe. The collar is sometimes of hardened steel, sometimes of brass. The latter would theoretically cause less friction than the former, but practically nothing can beat a well finished collar of hard steel. Collars of this material made by the original Holtzapffel two generations back are now as good as ever, perhaps even better. The centre, which screws up against the left-hand end of the mandrel, should be of the form shown in Fig. 3--a plain cylinder with a screw cut at each end to receive clamping nuts. The central part is rather larger than the screwed parts, and passes truly through the poppet head. This form is much better than a simple screw with points, as the latter is not likely to keep the line of centres in being screwed up into its place.

It will be found of great convenience to have the screw on the nose of the mandrel (and indeed _all_ screws about the lathe) of standard Whit worth pitch, as taps for the chucks are thus readily obtained, and nuts and screws of the various sizes may be also procured to remedy breakages and losses. Upon this subject, however, we shall have occasion to treat more fully when we pass from the description of the lathe itself to the work that is to be accomplished by its aid.

The only form of back poppet that need be particularised is that made with cylinder and leading screw. The simple pointed screw passing through the lathe head tapped to receive it, not only requires no special description, but it is only calculated for lathes of the commonest design, as it is seldom that the line of centres is accurately maintained by the point at every part of the revolution of the screw. Moreover, the latter soon works loose in the poppet, and for anything like accurate work becomes speedily useless. The cylinder and _pushing_ screw is indeed far superior to the form just alluded to, and where cheapness is an object it has its advantages over the first-named and best form. It is represented in Fig. 4. The cylindrical part is shown at B, and may have at one end the usual point, and at the other a small conical hole or hollow centre. It may then be reversed in its bearings at pleasure, or other cylinders with different shaped ends can be substituted, as may be found convenient. Of course the pushing screw A is for the purpose of advancing the cylinder, which is clamped by the small screw at C. The cylinder and leading screw are shown in detail in Fig. 5, which is the poppet head bored throughout to receive the spindle or cylinder A. At the right hand this bore is enlarged to form a recess, B, to receive the head of the leading screw, C. This screw is generally made with a left-handed thread, so as to withdraw the back centre when turned from right to left. The spindle A, A is bored, and a left-handed female thread is cut from end to end--this however is turned off at the place destined to receive the movable point or centre, and a hole slightly tapering is cut, or if preferred a cylindrical hole is made and tapped for the same purpose. The spindle has also a slot cut from end to end, into which a screw enters from the poppet, preventing the spindle from turning round while the internal screw is revolving by means of the small wheel and handle fixed to its right hand end. The spindle is now put in its place, the screw inserted and turned till the head or flange, C, rests in the recess before mentioned--a flat plate, F, is then attached to the back of the poppet by three or four screws, the head of the leading screw passing through its centre; the small wheel is then attached and the whole is complete.

It is evident that by turning the wheel the internal screw is put in revolution, and as it is prevented by its flange from assuming any motion in the direction of its length, the movable cylinder will instead be withdrawn or thrust forward.

This form of poppet is the best that can be adopted and is of general use in all first-class lathes. In addition to the movable point _g_, a flange similar to H should be fitted. This will be found of great use when the lathe is used for drilling, the piece of work resting against it, while the pressure is regulated by the leading screw.

There are, in addition to the flange and pointed centre, other pieces of apparatus that can be substituted, as occasion may require, and these will be hereafter described in this series. With regard to the common rest for hand turning a lengthened description is unnecessary. The T or tee should for wood turning be of the form shown in Fig. 6 at A. It is often made as B, which is a very inconvenient pattern, as the cross piece on which the tool rests cannot be advanced sufficiently close to the work if the latter exceeds a diameter of two or three inches. For metal turning the top of the rest should be flat, and about one inch broad, as the heel of the hook tools used for turning iron must be able to take a firm bearing upon its surface. Sometimes a plate of brass is riveted on the flat top, as the tool takes a firmer hold on this metal, and when the latter becomes defaced and channelled it can be renewed without the cost of a new casting in iron. The turner should be provided with two or three tees for metal and for wood,--one may be long enough to have two legs and require two sockets, as shown at C. This is convenient in turning long pieces of wood,--a very short tee, not more than an inch in length, should also be provided, and if one tee is specially kept with a very level and smooth edge, it will be found of great advantage in chasing screws--indeed the latter work can hardly be managed at all if the top of the rest is damaged and uneven. The next part requiring description is the boring collar, without which even a hand turning lathe can hardly be considered complete. This boring collar is intended so to support one end of the work, instead of its being held by the back centre, as to enable the workman to get at the end of it for the purpose of drilling it. Suppose for instance the work in hand is a tool handle, and that it is so far finished as only to require the hole for the reception of the tang of the tool. If this is bored by hand with a gimlet, it is seldom that the hole will be truly in the axis of the piece, but when this is done in the lathe by the help of the boring collar the bore will be truly central, and the tool when in place will fall in the same line with the handle. This will conduce to the correctness of the work in hand more than the amateur or other workman might suppose, and a row of tools thus truly handled and in good condition generally bespeaks an efficient and careful artisan. There are several plans for boring collar of nearly equal efficiency, and we shall describe one or two of the most common, and also one invented by the author, and which, if carefully made, is of great service. Fig. 7 represents a poppet head, B, which is but half the height of the other poppets of the lathe--a side view of this is shown at B, Fig. 8. Near the top of this poppet is a hole through which passes a bolt C, by which and its nut the circular plate A can be securely clamped in any desired position, as it revolves freely on the bolt as a centre pin. This plate is bored with a series of conical holes, which are so arranged that their respective centres will be in a line with the centres of the mandrel when any one of them is brought into a position corresponding with the line _c, c_. The hole thus brought into position for use (having been selected according to the size of the work to be bored), takes the place of the back centre; the end of the work rests in the cone, which is greased or soaped to reduce friction, and the rest being fixed at the other side of the boring collar, the drill can be readily used, and the bore afterwards enlarged if necessary with any convenient tool. This boring collar is generally made of iron, but a substitute of hard wood will frequently serve the purpose, and can be made by the amateur, who may be unable to obtain one of more durable material. If made of wood the best unguent will be soap or black lead, such as is used for grates, or a mixture of the two. This black lead or plumbago (it has no lead in its composition) will always be found serviceable where wood works upon wood, and also to give a smooth surface to wooden patterns for casting.

Where cost is an object, a simple substitute for the boring collar is frequently made by the ordinary workman by a piece of board one inch thick, shaped like Fig. 9, with a single hole of the size most generally required; and the work is then fitted to the boring collar, instead of the latter to the work. In turning tool handles, for instance, where a few dozen are required all of the same size, or nearly so, a device of this kind, which can be made in a few minutes, is sufficiently effective. This form has been modified in two ways, and either will be found convenient. In the first, the conical hole is made of the largest size likely to be required, a set of boxwood plugs are then turned to fit this hole and are themselves bored in a similar way to suit various sizes of work. The form of these plugs is shown in Fig. 10, which is a side sectional view, and at B, where the same is shown in perspective. Two small screws or pins _b, c_, Fig. 10, fitting into the holes _a, a_, Fig. 9, prevent these flange-shaped plugs from turning round in the board as the work revolves. The pattern of A, Fig. 9, may be varied, and is better made of hard wood, and of a form which will afford a good bearing upon the lathe bed.

The second modification is more difficult to make, but equally effective. It is shown complete in Fig. 11. This form, arranged by the writer, has many advantages over the two last-named, and is very serviceable. A is the poppet, of the full height of the ordinary lathe heads, or a couple of inches higher. B, the slide forming the support of the piece to be bored. The form of the poppet without this attachment is shown in Fig. 12. If for nice work it should be made of metal and the face of it planed, but for general purposes hard wood will suffice. _b, b_, Fig. 11, are two pieces of brass forming a groove or guide in which a slide B, with dovetailed edges is fitted to work. This slide is bored, like the ordinary collar, with conical holes of different sizes, and should be made of metal and planed on back and edges. Over each hole is a mark, and this is to be brought to a similar mark on the face of the poppet. The plate is then clamped in position by a screw at the back of the poppet. One or more of such slides may be fitted at pleasure, and in case of wear or damage these are the only parts requiring to be renewed.

It is a good plan to arrange a socket and tee of a rest as _b, c_, Fig. 13, at the back of this boring collar, especially as the position of the tool will be always the same, so that the rest may be a permanent part of the poppet. There is sometimes a difficulty with the ordinary form of boring collar in advancing the rest T sufficiently near the work (the foot of the poppet, and that of the rest preventing it, by coming in contact.) There is another modification of boring collar, forming at the same time a guide for the drill, which in slender work, where the tool is long and fine, becomes almost a matter of necessity.

This consists in making such a guide cone as mentioned and shown in Fig. 10, B, but with a continuation containing a smaller hole for the drill, as Fig. 14. Both this and the other shorter cones above-mentioned may be made to screw into the poppet A, Fig. 9, instead of being kept in place by the pins at _a, a_, of that figure. In that case however the hole in the poppet must be cylindrical and only used as a support for the cones themselves. In addition to the use of these boring collars already alluded to, they serve for the purpose of turning up the points of screws like those of lathe centres. These are first formed between centres with carrier chuck, the back poppet is then removed and the extreme point fitted through one of the holes of the boring collar and the marks of the centre turned off.

Another useful adjunct to the lathe is the back rest for supporting long and slender articles, which would otherwise bend under the pressure of the tool. The ordinary and simplest form is shown in Fig. 15, and this is of general use with brush handle makers and others whose work is confined to a few sizes and shapes only. A better form is shown in Fig. 16. A support of wood or metal shaped like A is clamped to the lathe bed. Through the upper part the slide B passes and is wedged up so as to support the work--or the socket of a lathe rest may be arranged to take the upright part A, which must then be rounded, as shown at C.