Thread: Wadkin Wood Lathes

Originally Posted by wallace1973

Vann heres one of the RT's I did. I really enjoyed doing it. There nice little lathes shame about the capacity.

Mine came with a brass faceplate...

Nice do-up Mark - beautiful. Mine came with two faceplates, both cast iron, both 6 1/2" dia.

Now, if you could just get deep enough into your rat-hole to get details of your other RT lathe...

Cheers, Vann.

Here you go Vann, I did notice some subtle differences between the two lathes. One thing for definite is make sure you have the correct tail stock when you have two machines and your restoring one. I finished everything and when I came to put it all together the tail stock wouldn't fit in between the bed gap. The size difference is very small but if a wadkin part doesn't fit just doesn't. I then had to dig out the other part and make it pretty. Strange they both date from 1951, could that be change over year for tin to cast tags

Way back in post ♯30 (page 2 of this thread), Matty posted this picture of a Wadkin KH woodlathe.

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

While in post ♯80 (page 6) I posted this picture of an RT at Cowbridge Sawmill museum in UK.

RTcowbridge.jpg

This morning the fine folks at Cowbridge sent me these photos.

aKH1.jpg aKH2.jpg

Turns out it isn't an RT after all, but a KH - without the gap bed.

aKH3.jpg KH 253, test 6759 - making it pre-1937

Of further interest is that it's test number 6759, is later than that of the RT shown in post ♯50 (p4) of RTA 148 - test 5629 - meaning both RT and KH were in production at the same time - albeit both sharing the RT bed (most unseemly behaviour for the 1930s ).

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Vann

Thanks gentlemen, your thoughts are appreciated, but I already have a nut. Only it's a standard size 5/8" BSW nut, whereas Wadkin used an overlength nut (looks to be about 1" long). So I'm after a nut that is a genuine Wadkin overlength nut, or a reproduction (i.e 1.01" across flats)...

Well, after some careful research (I asked Camo and wallace about the size of their nuts - they both have two BTW ) I have concluded that the correct size of the tailstock nut is 1.10" (27.94mm) across flats.

Interesting - because 1.10” is the old, pre-WW2 standard for 5/8” BSW nuts and bolts, while 1.01” is the revised standard from WW2 on. I did wonder if Wadkin retained the larger nut for the larger flats, or if they simply had a large stock of the special nuts from before the war. However, while wallace has a 1940 lathe with that size nut (which could well be pre-WW2 stock), Camo's RS lathes date to 1953 and later - so almost certainly they retained that size for the larger flats. The nut on Henry's is also this size, but I don't know the age of his lathe.

Camo put the length (height?) at 1.014"

I asked my machinist mate to make a couple of nuts. I had a length of rusty 1 5/16" diameter bar (the column of an old Boynton & Plummer post drill) and he machined them from that. And here they are...

RTAnut1.jpg New nut fitted - old nut at left, spare nut at right.

RTAnut2.jpg The washer is off a CK saw - a genuine Wadkin part but thicker than normal in this application.

Cost me $50 for the two. The nut was tight after an initial few turns. I suspect the bolt threads may be a bit stretched, thanks to years of abuse in the school classroom.

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Vann

snip
aRTA39.jpg

I also found an old spanner that fits well. It's now painted Wadkin grey .

So that spanner was to fit the standard post-WW2 nut (1.01" across flats) that came with the lathe.

Once I'd had a replica nut made up - to ye olde pre-WW2 standard (1.1" across flats) - I had to find another spanner. I found this ¾"w + ⅝"w one and once again painted it in Wadkin grey.

58spanner1.jpg

However I found that having the bigger ¾" BSW jaws hanging off the other end made the spanner a bit awkward in use. I hunted through some old spanners and found a ⅝"w + ½"w spanner, but the half inch jaws had been abused and were no longer parallel. So I ground off the jaws, and ground and filed the end until I had this...

58spanner2.jpg

Much easier to use, and painted matt black (not Wadkin grey) as black appears to be the colour of spanners supplied by Wadkin.

Cheers, Vann.

This is one of the Wadkins I used from 1959 till 1970. The others were RS 10 lathes. I have Wadkinitise, I think they call it. Loved using these.
image.jpg

Originally Posted by rusticraft

This is one of the Wadkins I used from 1959 till 1970. The others were RS 10 lathes. I have Wadkinitise, I think they call it. Loved using these.
image.jpg

Is that the Wadkin RU you worked on rusty ?
I have seen one of those majestic pattern lathes in a pattern shop, could not believe the size of the thing when I first saw it !!

Melbourne Matty.

Yes it's the Ru. I worked in a steelworks patter shop. We turned work nearly 8' diameter & nearly 12' long spindle work. The bed was 10' long & could be wound away from the pedestal with a rack & pinion.
this is one of the pieces we turned on that lathe. It's a liner for a steel making vessel. It is approx8' diameter x 16' tall. It was made in segments forming sections 2' deep & bolted together to form the whole. We were experimenting liquid oxygen steel making & used an old Bessemer converter for the trials this former was erected inside the vessel so the refractory lining could be rammed in place, then removed in sections. Ah, memories.
image.jpg

Love the old pictures, did you put that first one on a different forum a few years ago? It rings a bell. I very nearly bought an RU last year for £1500, I've kicked myself ever since. Any more old pics?

Originally Posted by wallace1973

...I very nearly bought an RU last year for £1500, I've kicked myself ever since...

You'd have to put every other machine out in the rain to fit that RU in your shop .

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Vann

You'd have to put every other machine out in the rain to fit that RU in your shop .

Cheers, Vann.

Only when you moved the bed out to maximum length.

I used one of these a few times as an apprentice at the local naval dockyard.
Didnt use it for the capacity, the RS6 was being used by the other apprentice.
The foreman was silly enough to give us a globe valve pattern each, so of course we were flat out.
H

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

...I have seen a few down under but they are not common, even less common are the information leaflets or catalog cuts of them.
Funny thing about putting these pic's up is that if any one feels the need to spread then all over the internet, I'll know exactly where they came from.
Not sure on the head stock threads but the tail stock sure looks like a dead ringer for a 6 inch RS ?!
Vann and Henry, please enjoy the catalog cuts !


Melbourne Matty.

Back on page 1 (12th post) Matty kindly put up 4 catalogue cuts. Unfortunately they've been photobucketted . I thought I'd copied all four, but here's the only one I can find:

RT cat2.jpg

Cheers, Vann.

I had no intention of carrying out any work on my lathe at this time, however you may recall the broken banjo handle...

Originally Posted by Vann

...I removed the make-shift handle on the tool holder camshaft - to reveal the welded and broken stump of the original lever.

aRTA33.jpg

The Wadkin RT uses the same banjo as the Wadkin RS (the castings have RS parts numbers cast into them). It seems that broken banjo handles aren't uncommon:

Rest1.jpg Sellers photo of my RTA with repaired handle.

Rest2.jpg Sellers photo of RTA 339 (same school) also with repaired handle.

Rest3.jpg An RS banjo with the same aliment.

It had been my intention to have a new handgrip portion turned up, then cut the broken portion at the collar, drill and tap both pieces - and then probably braze the two parts as well.

Imagine my delight when I spotted a Wadkin banjo in a $20 auction of old woodlathe parts.

Rest4.jpg

Cost me $72.60 by the time bidding was over . There was a toolrest there as well, so still a good price.

I was further delighted when the seller said he had another toolrest that he would throw in...

Rest5.jpg What , another banjo!

So now I have three.

Rest6.jpg My original at left.

I'm one happy chappie

Cheers, Vann.

Nice one Vann !!
Did that lot have to be posted or was it within reach by car for you ?

I just did a BRA Bursgreen handle repair sort of similar. Ill have to put a picture in a new thread.
It was all done with a welder and angle grinder and its surprising how good you can get it if you take your time .
I would have done that handle the same way.

Rob