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By the early 1950s, Weiler had two ranges of small precision lathe in production, the best known of which was the Type 260, this being offered in traditional Plain-turning Toolmaker, Second-operation and Production-capstan forms. The other lathes were not listed under a common designation - but built in three models, plain turning and screwcutting - the former being the 5-inch centre height RDT-260 that could be configured as either a toolmaker's lathe - with draw-tube collet retention, and screw feeds to the compound slide rest assembly and tailstock - or as a production lathe fitted with a bed-mounted turret and cut-off slide; the lathe would almost certainly have also been available with lever-operated slides to make it a second-operation type The other models in the series were quite different, being the high-class, backgeared 5" x 24" LDT-250/6 and 5" x 32" LTD-250/8 (both with screwcutting by changewheels), the 5.5" x 32" LZT-280N - with this version, at 5.5" x 32", fitted with backgear, a screwcutting gearbox and power cross feed. Other versions were also available including the LDS-250 and LD-250, these differing only in the stands and drive systems employed. All versions could be supplied for bench or stand mounting, the former employing a remote all-V-belt-drive countershaft mounted behind the headstock and the latter fitted to an underdrive stand with the drive system fully enclosed. Finally, in 1964, Weiler introduced the Series 220, a lathe built in several forms and with the usual rather confusing Weiler designations that allowed the company to ring the changes and produce a wide variety of models from a basic unit. The models offered varied from simple, plain-turning precision types to more highly specified types - the useful and well-built backgeared and screwcutting LD-220W and LZD-220. All 220 models had a mechanical expanding-and-contracting-pulley variable-speed drive system that gave, usually in combination with a 0.5 h.p. motor and backgear, a range of speeds that spanned 50 to 2000 r.p.m. The speed-control lever was in an unusual though convenient location and, instead of being mounted on the front face of the stand, protruded though the bed's foot immediately below the headstock All 220 Series lathes appear to have had a centre height of 110 mm and a between-centres capacity of 400 mm. Unlike the 260 range, none of which were offered with a speed-reducing backgear, the plain-turning "toolmaker's" MD-220W with a screw-feed compound slide rest and tailstock, could be had with or without - in the former case having speeds from 50 to 2000 r.p.m. and in the latter from 315 to 2000 r.p.m. The final version offered, the MF-220-W, was configured as a typical "second-operation" machine and equipped with all-lever operation to the collet closer, slide-rest assembly and tailstock. Specification details of most types can be found below with a special data pack of catalogues also available to order online. If you have one of these less-common Weiler lathes, as few were exported to the UK the writer would be interested in obtaining photographs and further technical information..
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