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Neither "Hogarth" or "Accura" were the name of a machine-tool manufacturer but a brand used during the 1930s by an English import company - almost certainly Soag Machine Tools of London SE2. The lathes were then offered directly to end users, badged "Accura" or, for distribution through larger and more successful independent dealers such as Percy Martin of Leicester, as "Hogarth". It is entirely possible that other names were used as well - reflecting a situation almost as confusing as that during the later years of the 20th century when machines from the Far East arrived packed with a selection of spurious brand-name labels for the importer or wholesale dealer to affix. Of the known types, six variations on a single model of the "Hogarth" were offered: the almost identical VR-18, VRZ-21 and VRA-23 versions of 7, 8.25 and 9-inch centre height respectively and a range of lathes badged VR-21, VRZ-23 and VRA-25 that, whilst looking very similar, were of generally more massive proportions and heavier build. Soag appear to have advertised only one version of the "Accura", the Model DH-17, a machine identical to the "Hogarth" VRZ-21 in all but its 17 to 750 rpm speed range. Of amazingly clean, angular lines for their era all these lathes would, if mounted on full cabinet stands, still not have looked out of place in the late 1960s. A rather different "Hogarth", a production version, the V.L.15, with a limited number of speeds and feeds, was also listed. For both size groups quite why such differing model designations were used is a mystery for, apart from the height of the headstock and tailstock castings (and presumably the necessary alterations to saddle, cross and top slides to adjust the tool height) each machine (in the two groups) was identical to the others and shared the same bed, headstock contents, screwcutting gearbox, apron, leadscrew, powershaft and even (when fitted) size of electric motor. As a concession to size, and to allow better use to be made of the gap-turning capacity, the speed range of the VRA-23 was slightly modified from the 15 to 650 rpm of the smaller pair to 12 to 540 rpm. The VR-18, VRZ-21 and VRA-23 lathes had a V-way, chilled cast-iron bed 11.375-inches wide with heavy cross bracing and to a Brinelle hardness of approximately 200. The carriage ran on the outer pair of Vees and the tailstock on an inner V-way and flat. All equipped as standard with a detachable gap piece with the maximum diameters that could be turned being (respectively): 21.5-inches, 24-inches and 25.5-inches - and the greatest thickness that could be accommodated on a faceplate the same, at 8-inches, for all machines. Continued below:
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