What was it (is it?) about Keighly regarding lathes

[Peter.]

It is about 12 miles from Keighley to Halifax, which had plenty of famous machine tool builders. Asquith, Butler etc etc.

I was watching a Butler planer at work today. Impressively powerful and almost silent. The site I'm working at as four of them in use that I can see.

[hermetic]

You are talking about the Cleckhuddersfax triangle. (Cleckheaton, Huddersfield, Halifax) as an engineer friend of mine calls it. In and around the valleys of west Yorkshire were literally hundreds of companies making machine tools. Harrisons of Heckmondwike, still going in the same place since 1890, now part of the 600 group, is yet another example. As has been said above, textile machinery requires machine tools to build it as did the steam engines that drove the textile machines, if you could build one, you could build the other. One of my lathes, a 13" geared head Covmac (Coventry Machine tools) was actually built by P&C Garnett (Textile machines) in Cleckheaton as war work in WW2

Phil
East Yorkshire. (originally from Pudsey, West Yorks, very close to Cleckhuddersfax)

[hermetic]

You are talking about the Cleckhuddersfax triangle. (Cleckheaton, Huddersfield, Halifax) as an engineer friend of mine calls it. In and around the valleys of west Yorkshire were literally hundreds of companies making machine tools. Harrisons of Heckmondwike, still going in the same place since 1890, now part of the 600 group, is yet another example. As has been said above, textile machinery requires machine tools to build it as did the steam engines that drove the textile machines, if you could build one, you could build the other. One of my lathes, a 13" geared head Covmac (Coventry Machine tools) was actually built by P&C Garnett (Textile machines) in Cleckheaton as war work in WW2

Phil
East Yorkshire. (originally from Pudsey, West Yorks, very close to Cleckhuddersfax)

[willmac]

It is about 12 miles from Keighley to Halifax, which had plenty of famous machine tool builders. Asquith, Butler etc etc.

[Spin Doctor]

Think of it as the Silicon Valley of its time and place. Individuals leaving one company to strike out on their own. All that knowledge spreading in a network.

[Timleech]

And not too far from Keighley you were at different times:

18 miles to Tom Senior’s works atLiversedge
15 miles to Denford’s original works at Brighouse
11 miles to Box Tree Mills in Wheatley Boxford’s works
10 miles to Holmesworks in Bradford

Woodhouse & Mitchell were also in Brighouse

Tim

[_Paul_]

And not too far from Keighley you were at different times:

18 miles to Tom Senior’s works atLiversedge
15 miles to Denford’s original works at Brighouse
11 miles to Box Tree Mills in Wheatley Boxford’s works
10 miles to Holmesworks in Bradford

[boslab]

I suppose there was a demand for turned parts from the weaving industry there, the DSG site stated that they started in the 1860s which was a suprise, i can honestly say that even though its a big machine its quite happy to make tiny parts, without doubt the best machine i have used, im biased as i had one in my workshop for years (at work!), most agree as i dont have a lot of expirience of US made stuff, except mills, i wouldent change from cincinati.
I think the weaving industry was the cause along with a supply of iron ore, coal, water and limestone to fuel the foundries, most of the machine tool makers seem to have started as foundries and diverged into the machine manufacture buisness out of nessecity.
Mark

[RussZHC]

What was it about Keighly, Yorkshire (though there maybe more than one? Keighly I mean) that gave rise to multiple rather good manufacturers of rather large lathes?

Curious more than anything...came across an ad for "Charles Dale & Co, Makers" in addition to D S & G, Mitchell of Keighly and perhaps others...