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On Nov 27, 2020, at 1:18 PM, Dennis Turk <dennis.turk2@...> wrote:

Hi Herb

The little blue lathe is an Ames company.? Not BC Ames they were founded much later.? Ames company was founded in the late 1700 in Chipotle Ma.? They were suppliers of swords sabers bayonets and small arms component parts doing the war of 1812.? I have done a bit of research on them and found that there swords and dueling sabers are very highly prized by collectors of such things.? They were masters at casting and metallurgy.? There swords and sabers are very ornate and were noted for there toughness and durability.? Ames started making machine tools in around 1840 I read and the little lathe I have is one of the first machines they built.? Later they were noted for shapers and planers as well as larger lathes.? They were heavy into casting and foundry work during the Civil war I understand.? Noted for casting cannon barrels and supplying rifle musket parts (mostly castings like lock plates hammers and such) for Springfield and Colt during the Civil war.? It looks like they went out of business sometime after the civil war but have not found any history on them closing there factory.

Quite a number of the parts on the little lathe are a testament to there casting expertise.? Many of the parts that look like machined parts are actually castings but so well done they look like machined parts.? Just look at the parts on the tail stock as well as the back gears bull gear and such.? Just wonderful craftsmanship.? I read that about 1847 or sometime before 1850 the bevel gears were changed to straight cut gears and also changed to a round tail stock barrel.? Oh and the bull gear and back gear the teeth are cast not machined.? I? have to wonder if they had not perfected lost wax casting techniques as that is what they look like. The lathe is done other than having the red pin striping put back on it.? The colors are correct as I was able to color match the original paint Herb.? The original paint had been protected by a heavy layer of black paint that was on the lathe when I got it.? I have to wonder just what this lathe cost back in them days as its so finely crafted it had to be expensive and would have been used by clock makers and makers of very fine small items.? Herb if you and any of you other guys what to learn a bit more about this brand of lathe go on Tony Griffiths Lathes UK site in England there is also some photos of component parts to this lathe I sent to Tony.? I have not sent him all the final pictures yet as he is going to do a special section on this lathe on? his site.? As I understand the lathe I have is the fourth or fifth one of the that still exist.? i found this one in a antique shop in Boise Idaho were it had been sitting for over 10 years.? It came to the antique shop by the family of the person that owned it and was told that the old boy was 91 when he passed on in around 2000 and had used the lathe for most of his life.? Here are a couple more interesting pictures of the lathe parts.? Notice the tool post. The only other company I know of that used a tool post that was height adjustable was W. F. & J Barns.? Also what came with the lathe was a full set of 26 forged cutting tools all of differently configurations.? The cutting tools were in three tin playing card boxes that also dated to the mid 1800's. The last picture is what the lathe looked like sitting in the antique shop in Boise.

Dennis

On Friday, November 27, 2020, 12:30:25 PM PST, Herb Kephart <ebtm3@...> wrote:

Hi Dennis

What make is that dark blue lathe? It has a lot of features that a belt drive lathe should have. Helical back gears, carriage slots, multiple slots on the cross slide. Not so sure about the square tailstock barrel, which looks like it has a small (#2 MT?) taper hole, but I guess that you can't have everything.

Herb Kephart

<IMG_2221.JPG><IMG_2231.JPG><IMG_2207.JPG><IMG_2133.JPG><Ames lathe 1 - Copy.jpg>