Whitworth Lathe No. 4

Lathe, made by J. Whitworth & Co., Manchester, 1841

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Lathe, made by J. Whitworth & Co., Manchester, 1841
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Lathe, made by J. Whitworth & Co., Manchester, 1841.

Lathe no. 4 was made in 1841. It has a lathe bed supported on two cast iron pedestals. This machine does not have a mechanism for screw-cutting, which was a common use for this type of lathe. It does have ‘back gears’ which allow the operator to change the speed at which the workpiece rotates. A slow speed would be used for heavy turning, and a high speed would be used for light turning. In 1839 Whitworth patented a lathe mechanism that allowed the saddle and tail-stock to move, varying the gap between it and the fixed head-stock. This lathe was presented to the Museum in 1994 by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Manchester.

Details

Category:
Hand and Machine Tools
Object Number:
Y1994.145.3
Materials:
metal (unknown)
Measurements:
1250 mm x 840 mm x 1550 mm,
type:
lathe
credit:
Gift of University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology

Parts

Whitworth Lathe No. 4

Whitworth Lathe No. 4

Lathe, made by J. Whitworth & Co., Manchester, 1841.

More

Lathe no. 4 was made in 1841. It has a lathe bed supported on two cast iron pedestals. This machine does not have a mechanism for screw-cutting, which was a common use for this type of lathe. It does have ‘back gears’ which allow the operator to change the speed at which the workpiece rotates. A slow speed would be used for heavy turning, and a high speed would be used for light turning. In 1839 Whitworth patented a lathe mechanism that allowed the saddle and tail-stock to move, varying the gap between it and the fixed head-stock. This lathe was presented to the Museum in 1994 by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Manchester.

Object Number:
Y1994.145.3.1
type:
lathe
Drive Belt for Whitworth Lathe No. 4

Drive Belt for Whitworth Lathe No. 4

Drive belt for Lathe, made by J. Whitworth & Co., Manchester, 1841.

More

Lathe no. 4 was made in 1841. It has a lathe bed supported on two cast iron pedestals. This machine does not have a mechanism for screw-cutting, which was a common use for this type of lathe. It does have ‘back gears’ which allow the operator to change the speed at which the workpiece rotates. A slow speed would be used for heavy turning, and a high speed would be used for light turning. In 1839 Whitworth patented a lathe mechanism that allowed the saddle and tail-stock to move, varying the gap between it and the fixed head-stock. This lathe was presented to the Museum in 1994 by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Manchester.

Object Number:
Y1994.145.3.2
type:
lathe