Have you been following the journey of the MADE lathe and now find yourself wondering, “Will I ever see one of these in person?” “How is this MADE?” “I’d like to try my hand at one of these…” Well…. Now is your chance!
We are excited to announce, MADE collaborator, David Lindow will be opening up his workshop for Obscura Day on May 6th. Currently, David is in the process of building the first batch of MADE lathes. Spend an afternoon at Lindow Machine Works where David will take guests through the workshop. You’ll have the opportunity to try some engine turning, learn about clockmaking, and see the lathes in production. Sign up here.
The slide rest is a distinguishing feature of the MADE lathe. While made in the tradition of its great Victorian predecessors it incorporates some modern features as well. First, the lead screw is set into ball races in order to increase smoothness and minimize backlash. They are, however, hidden in the end cap housings. Another improvement is that the lead screws have an Acme profile rather than being a “square thread,” which increases the life of the lead screw nut. The beds are ground and lapped in, and the mating brass surface is “frosted” to carry oil so that the traditional high finishes can be retained. Each slide is hand scraped and finished, sporting black lines and numbers contrasted with brushed and lacquered brass, and accented with polished, blued steel set off by rope knurled knobs. The most careful attention to detail was given to every aspect of the slide as you will see below.
With a classic font, the numbers are engraved with a single lip cutter on a Pantograph engraver and then filled with black wax in the traditional manner.
The tool box is made in the traditional manner accepting 9/16″ square shank tools so that either new or traditional ornamental turning cutting frames can be used. The lead screw in front is used for moving the top slide in and out, but can be quickly released by removing the blued screw. The slide can then be used in the curvilinear mode, which requires free movement of the top slide. The screw in the rear is a stop which can be locked and reset easily.
The brass adjustment knob allows one to set the curvilinear follower deeper into the pattern. It is incrementally adjustable on a fine thread. The follower assembly also functions as one of the lock downs for the tool box, with the lever handle pivot serving as the other.
Al Collins – busy as ever in his workshop, sets up the slide in these videos below.
MADE Ornamental Rose Engine 