email: tony@lathes.co.uk
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Britannia Lathes
Ornamental Turning Attachments

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Britannia Shapers, Planers & Milling Machines   

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Ornamental Turning Attachments

A Britannia publication is available - a wonderful 225 page technical book detailing the lathes and how to use them - with an emphasis on ornamental turning of which the author, J. Lukion B.A., was an acknowledged expert. The back of the book has an additional and well-illustrated 194-page advertising section.


A very well made and specified slide rest designed by Britannia specially for ornamental turning. Although this item has all the appearance of an ordinary compound slide rest, with screw-operated feeds, it differs in almost every other detail. A special base was provided, in gun metal or bronze, that fitted very closely between the ways of the lathe bed so that the unit would be mounted exactly at right angles. The base was slotted so that, once fitted, the compound slide element could be moved forwards and backwards across the bed and both it, and the foot, locked into position with a single twist of one lever. The height of the tool could be finely adjusted by a large screwed ring (with a milled edge) that lifted the entire slide assembly up and down; concentric to this was pivot on which the slide could be turned 50 degrees either side of central. The long slide - with a travel of 12 inches - was graduated on its face with 1/10th inch divisions and fitted with a 10 t.p.i screw provided with adjustable thrust cones at each end, and a bronze nut that could be adjusted to take out backlash due to wear. The graduated handwheel was typical of the time, and formed with a round groove between the raised and milled edges so that a round-rope drive could be used to drive it from an "overhead" pulley system - thought at 10 t.p.i its travel would have been rather rapid.


Above and below - the Dome or "Spherical" chuck; the latter name was a mistake, it could not cut a true sphere and was intended to generate and decorate domes. This was a simple, hand-operated device (it was not designed to be spun at speed on the lathe spindle) which held the workpiece in a vertical rather than a horizontal plane; it was a tedious device to use, and required considerable practice to get the best out of it.

A special device used to hold turning tools and, by manipulating the setting of the two scales at 90 degrees to each other, sharpen the tool edge to a precise angle.


Beddow's Epicycloidal, Rose-cutting, Eccentric-cutting, drilling, fluting, and vertical-cutting appliance. Patent Application 23,743 of 1893.

Free sliding chuck for cutting ovals and ellipses and (below) the holder which restrained its movement.


The retaining plate for the Oval Chuck

Above - Ornamental drill and (below) its special drill bits.


Eccentric cutter holder.

Vertical Cutter Frame - Form 1.

Vertical Cutter Frame - Form 2.


Britannia Home Page   

Britannia Shapers, Planers & Milling Machines   

Britannia Lathe Photographs

Ornamental Turning Attachments

A Britannia publication is available - a wonderful 225 page technical book detailing the lathes and how to use them - with an emphasis on ornamental turning of which the
author, J. Lukion B.A., was an acknowledged expert. The back of the book has an additional and well-illustrated 194-page advertising section.


Britannia Lathes
Ornamental Turning Attachments

email: tony@lathes.co.uk
Home   Machine Tool Archive   Machine-tools Sale & Wanted
Machine Tool Manuals   Catalogues   Belts   Books  Accessories