Steiner Horia Lathes


	email: t ony@lathes.co.uk Home Machine Tool Archive Machine-tools Sal e & Wanted Machine Tool Manuals Catalogues Belts Books Accessories Steiner-Horia Lathes Other Lathes for Watchmakers Steiner was the brand name used by the Swiss company Thiebaud, a long-established maker of high-class horological equipment based in Bôle. They were taken over in 1992 by Horia SA, a Tramelan-based firm that had originally traded as Eric Houriet Cie (their products being marketed as "Horia") - with this organisation itself bought in 1990 by two newly qualified engineers, Jean-Claud Beuchat and Phillippe Maitre. Having moved into a new factory in 2004, production of Swiss-quality horological equipment continues today (2018) with "Horia" used as the brand name. Although the Steiner was not unusual in its class for having a bed of round section (a "Geneva" type), it was unique in that the flat section was underneath and pierced by a long slot to accept a though-bolt - by which means the slide-rest, hand T-rest and other accessories could be secured in place. Like most European manufacturers, Steiner offered their lathe in several versions, with beds of different lengths as well as fully or partially-equipped variants in fitted wooden boxes. Some versions resembled large "turns" that could, with the addition of a conventional headstock and tailstock, be converted into a traditional watchmaker's lathe. Today the same selection of parts is offered together with a now somewhat more limited range of general accessories. Number types have varied from 1 to 4 with all appearing to be of 41 mm centre height. If you own a Steiner or Horia lathe and can help to expand this section by providing photographs of machines and accessories, or copies of sales or instructional literature, the author would be pleased to hear from you..

	Steiner beds: at the top the heavy No. 4 lathe bed that was 10.25 inches (260 mm) long; in the middle the No. 4a bed 91/2 inches (241 mm) in length and 1 lb in weight and at the bottom the No. 4b bed (85/8 inches (219 mm) long and weighing 12 ozs.

	The basic Steiner Headstock , the No. 5, contained a hardened steel spindle running in hardened double-cone bearings and able to accept 8 mm collets. Surprisingly, the number of holes in the indexing ring was limited to 12 although, as a small compensation, the locating pin ran through the body of the headstock and so provided a superior location to that afforded by the pivoting spring-steel strip fitted by many other makers.

	Numerous tailstock were available including this example, the No. 7, fitted out for very fine turning and drilling work. The barrel accepted draw-in collets, of which three were provided with the unit.

	No. 6 tailstock with a simple push-barrel but one equipped with a draw-in facility for holding chucks and runners.

	The Steiner No. 8 tailstock fitted with a barrel holding a slide runner (a cross slide which could, by rotating the barrel, be made eccentric in all directions) a useful facility for pivoting and hand-turning work. Two pulley were included of 12 and 22 mm diameter.

	The simple tailstock No. 9 with a plain push barrel

Steiner Boxed Set Style "M" from the 1950s with a compound slide rest, 3 and 6-jaw chucks, quick-action collet draw bar, tip-over T rest, self-centring drilling attachment, Jacot drum, slide runner and a wide selection of inside and outside chucks (collets) as well as varieties of wax chucks, box chucks, ring step chucks, a carrier chuck - etc.


	Current (2018) Horia TH60 boxed lathe set consisting of: Lathe bed 220 mm ref. TH 4a. Headstock ref. TH 5. Tailstock ref. TH 6, Headstock with sliding tool, ref. TH 8, Tip-over T rest, ref. TH 10, Extra-strong T rest, ref. TH 10a, Roller T rest for filling, ref. TH 10, 25 chucks body Ø 8 mm, ref. TH 15a, Centred chuck holder, ref TH 24, Eccentric chuck holder, ref. TH 24a, 18 arbors body Ø 2 mm, ref. TH 25, Simple device for drilling and fitting pivots, ref. TH 27, Disc with 18 notches, ref. TH 29, 15 pivot chucks, ref. TH 37, coffer N° 2


	Horia TH40 Watchmaker's lathe with motor, baseboard, upper tool tray and 4 drawers for the tools. Also included is a 220-380 0.09 kW, 50 Hz, motor in an IP54 enclosure driven by a frequency inverter to give infinitely variable speeds

Desirable extras: the compound slide rest assembly and high-precision drill chucks


	Above, left and below--the current (2018) Horia headstock and tailstocks


	Horia even offer a hand-crank unit that holds the lathe while the assembly is clamped into a bench vice


	Horia Collet Set and Accessories Set No. TB40B consisting of: 60 chucks Ø B 8 mm from 0.40 to 7.00 mm ref. TH 15D, 5 hollow chucks, capacity Ø 8 - 12 mm, ref. TH 16, 4 step collets, capacity Ø 5.5 Ø 23 mm, ref. TH 17a, 12 special funnel-collets, capacity 5.5 - 22.5 mm, ref. TH 18, 6 steel carriers ref. TH 20, 6 steel carriers ref. TH 20a, 4 wax chucks ref. TH 21, 16 chucks and arbors Ø 5 mm ref. TH 22 and 1 Chuck holder ref. TH 22a


	Other Lathes for Watchmakers Steiner-Horia Lathes email: t ony@lathes.co.uk Home Machine Tool Archive Machine-tools Sal e & Wanted Machine Tool Manuals Catalogues Belts Books Accessories