Watch Makers Lathe questions.

[Stepside]

Several years ago a friend gave me what he called a "Watch Makers Lathe. It needs a motor and speed control as well as a more complete set of collets. It has both the hand tool tool rest as well as a cross slide complete with a compound. I am giving it to a friend that thinks he would like it.

So the questions. 1) the collets are numbered from 1 to 50 with the #1 being the smallest. What are rhe units for the collets? 2) There are two taps that came with the lathe. One is lmarked 275-40 NS and the other is marked Spec Butress .394 x 1.0 mm. The small tap matches the collets the large one fits? 3) Some of the collets are marked G Boley Germany 2 Are these WW series collets?

If my friend decides he does not want the lathe and collets I will put it up for grabs and paying the shipping cost.

Pete

[90LX_Notch]

Pete,

If your friend passes on it I would be interested. I’ve been looking for one for some time. I just missed one last week.

-Bob

[Tundra Twin Track]

I also would be interested,if no one takes it.

[BCRider]

I've got a watchmaker's lathe here that was given to me by a good friend. I use it occasionally and hope to use it more in the future. It came with some 8mm and some 10mm collets. The 10mm collets have a buttress thread on them (angled on one side and "flat" or straight out on the other) and the major diameter measures .392 inch and have the 1mm pitch. So I think your bigger tap is for making drawbars or other fittings to accept the threading on 10mm format WW collets. And since you know the 275-40 already fits the smaller collets and drawbar obviously it's for making accessories involving the 8mm size WW collets.

The 8mm collets I have are numbered in 10th's of a millimeter. That is, the 32 size collet is 3.2mm. But be aware that there were watchmaker's lathes for many years and some of the older systems of marking the collets might be out there. If you have a number drill set though it's pretty easy to check a few and confirm if your collets are in fact numbered in metric as mm x10.

As a lathe goes they really are not that great for much other than very small parts. Although if it's one of the 10mm collet size "clockmaker's" lathes then using it would be almost on par with something like a Taig or older (and proper) Unimat. And as such perhaps useable for mini model machining projects.

[J Tiers]

They can be very useful, because they do handle fairly small to darn near microscopic parts.

I have a Boley, with a lot of collets, all metric, with a motor setup etc, tooling and various watch and clock parts. It does not get a LOT of use, but it has been used for a number of smallish to very tiny things.

The last thing I used it for, was to refurbish the float valve plunger on a Briggs that is no longer supported by Briggs. It had a ring worn in it, and did not seal. So I found a collet that would hold it, and used the side of the graver tip to recut a straight taper, which was then polished somewhat as if it were a pivot.

That went well, and the part sealed perfectly. I would not have particularly liked trying to do that on the 10" Logan, even though I probably had a suitable collet. Just too big, and not handy. It could of course have been done, but the Boley was far more "in scale" for the work.

it's likely to get used for more carburetor part work, some electrical connector work, and I have some clock stuff that needs to be done as well.

[Jerrythepilot]

Your Boley collets are WW series. Technically they may be 8 mm, but they are used interchangeably. 275-40 is the thread for WW collets.

Jerry

[JRouche]

Several years ago a friend gave me what he called a "Watch Makers Lathe. It needs a motor and speed control as well as a more complete set of collets. It has both the hand tool tool rest as well as a cross slide complete with a compound. I am giving it to a friend that thinks he would like it.

So the questions. 1) the collets are numbered from 1 to 50 with the #1 being the smallest. What are rhe units for the collets? 2) There are two taps that came with the lathe. One is lmarked 275-40 NS and the other is marked Spec Butress .394 x 1.0 mm. The small tap matches the collets the large one fits? 3) Some of the collets are marked G Boley Germany 2 Are these WW series collets?

If my friend decides he does not want the lathe and collets I will put it up for grabs and paying the shipping cost.

Pete

Very nice. Boley seems to be the go to when talking with clock and watch makers. Cream of the crop is a tearm.

I hope it goes to a watch maker, Time Smith? Chrono.... lol Nice stuff.. JR

[small.planes]

Can't beat a decent watchmaker's lathe for small...

Grain of rice for scale, 2.6mm collet.

Dave

[mattthemuppet]

man even getting a good picture of something that small is not trivial, let alone machining it!

[PS4steam]

Nice Balance staff, what watch is it for?

[Stepside]

This is the lathe from my post.

[J Tiers]

Looks like a typical Jeweler's lathe.

Nice that you have the crosslide assembly. Mine does not have one, and compatible ones I have seen were upwards of $300, so it still does not have one.

However, I DO have the cutest toolpost you ever saw, and one boring tool holder that fits it (with a bar). I guess I may have to make a crosslide someday.

[John MacArthur]

This is the lathe from my post.

That one appears to have rotary bearings instead of the more usual cone bearings. These are great for slightly heavier work. What is the brand of the lathe? The name should be etched on one end of the bed. I have one that looks identical to that one.
Johnny

[small.planes]

The staff was actually for a platform escapement in a mantle piece clock. The clock got dropped and the top pivot on the original snapped. The balance and escapement are about the same size as a typical mans pocket watch
Thread about it here: https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...-bit-of-making

Dave

[Stepside]

Johnny

The lathe is maked as Made in USA There are Some faint markings MAK or MAR with the rest unreadable. I think it has ball bearings that I replaced and then put it away for 20 years or so.