Worlds oldest CNC lathe?

[Ron Ginger]

As best we can tell this lathe was built in Maine about 1892. We use it at the Boothbay Railway Village shop to turn railroad wheels. We recently did a 're-tread' job on 2 wheel sets for the Conway Senic RR.

The wheels are held between centers- remember these things are 34-36" diameter, 4ft 8 1/2" between flanges, over 5 1/3 ft long. weigh over a ton.

The wheel profile is a complicated set of tapers and fillets, so I set up 2 old cross slide on top of each other and powered them with 900 oz-in steppers. I did a Mach wizard to do the tread profile.

The two guys operating it have never see a CNC machine before, in fact, they are both stuck somewhere back about 1890 in their interests. Note the intense concentration on the screen while running it with the Shuttle Pro.

In the background is a boiler we are building, the first locomotive boiler built in Maine since 1905.

[Chaoticone]

Thats great stuff Ron. Wouldn't the original builders of the lathe be proud? I bet they would.

Brett

[hutchison]

fantastic,   imagine the original turners turning the cast profiles back then at that diameter with circa 1900 steels, yikes!. i have a job enough with modern cerametals.  great show really love the old machines, that lathe looks like its got some grunt when upto speed..

[Monty]

Exceeeeeleeenttttt!

I can feel those guys concentrating. 

Looks like a shop tour would be quite an experience.

Monty