Hazemeyer HH Page 2 Hazemeyer Geneva Lathe
Other lathes for watchmakers
Manufactured in Holland by a Company better known for its electrical products, the Hazemeyer Company appear to have manufactured - from around 1945 to 1950 - just two lathes for watchmakers, a heavy, 50 mm centre height by 200 mm between centres watchmakers' WW type and a lighter Geneva-pattern model. lathe was current from around 1945 to 1950. Heavily constructed from cast iron and steel - and very well finished - the Model HH was built along conventional WW lines (Webster Whitcomb) with an unusually massive, flat-topped, bevelled-edge bed. The screw-feed compound slide rest fitted was equipped with much larger micrometer dials than normally found on this class of machine, these being in bronze (or possibly brass) and able to be zeroed. Supplied in a fitted wooden box, the lathe took 8 mm collets in its headstock spindle and was delivered complete with a good set of essential accessories including wire collets, four stepped collets, collets for the tailstock, wax chucks, arbors (chucks) to take grinding wheels and slitting saws, etc., a flip-up hand toolrest , drive dogs, a set of tailstock runners and a self-centring drilling attachment. Complete, boxed Hazemeyer lathes appear to be rare, most now being discovered bereft of all but the basic accessories.
The Hazemeyer Type HH was up against stiff opposition, especially from the German Lorch Company with their slightly larger 65 mm centre height MSeries LL lathes and later - though probably not contemporary with the hazemeyer, the superb 50 mm centre height KD50
The Hazemeyer Company became Holec in 1963 and, after a further acquisition in 200s, was re-branded as Eaton.
The other Hazemeyer lathe, a simple Geneva-pattern model with the usual round bed machined with a flat across the front face, also took the same 8 mm collets as the Model HH but appears, from the few surviving examples, not have been available with a screw-feed compound slide rest assembly.
If you have another type of Hazemeyer lathe, the writer would be interested to hear about it..