hercus lathe serial numbers
Hi Guys,
If anyone is willing I would be interested in adding your machine numbers to the website database. It is not my intention to publish this document but it does help me keep track of changes that happened over the years and makes supplying the right generation of part for each individual machine much easier. Apart from this I am curious as to how many are still in circulation. The list I currently have is approaching 2000 machines both living and dead. Please reply by personal message if you don't want your number displayed on the forum.
Mal
Australian Metalworking Hobbyist
Technological development
Mal,
Thanks for that explanation.
In my limited experience (which only extends back about 5 years), I find this an intriguing subject. I am typing this at a computer in a small museum in Danmark. The museum has about 400 marine engines, made in the most part by one or other of the 140 odd Danish manufacturers of marine engines. Only 5 of these 140 odd manufacturers still operate, so 135 odd are defunct companies. Of the surviving 5 manufacturers, two are merged into one, another one now only makes propellers, the fourth has been bought by the Germans (MAN), and the fifth is still making engines as usual. To Hercus people this may sound familiar.
I am actually not inherently interested in marine engines - I am fundamentally hostile to internal combustion engines of all descriptions. Nevertheless I have found that the marine engines are interesting to me, despite myself. You can learn something from examining them, even while disliking them, and you can learn from the knowledge and experience of some visitors to the museum, and you can even learn from the questions some visitors ask, or the ignorance of many, or hubris of some, other visitors.
I appreciate that you would find it advantageous to have some way of estimating the "demographics" of Hercus lathes, and you can do this by studying the distribution of known machines and their serial numbers. From that you can hopefully figure out where to prioritise your future efforts.
I hope that one day someone creates a more public (web) photographic history of the various phases in the evolution of Hercus lathes.
Sorry, but the rest is in Swedish, to give you a taste (if you get the Swedish automatically translated) of what some retired (wealthy) European engineers get up to:
Tuxham Typ D
SEFFLE 28 BFV
Donald (a.k.a. Tiptoeturtle, Donald is my real name, Tiptoeturtle is just an alias I originally dreamt up 30 years ago in writing letters to the editor of the Samoa Observer newspaper, to disguise my identity - as foreigners like me were not supposed to openly engage in the indigenous Samoan political cut and thrust)
Serial no. from a new member
Hi all from new Kiwi member.
I have just acquired a Hercus 9" Model A. The machine no. stamped on the gearbox plate is 4782 which I believe dates it to 1954.
I am a woodworker by inclination so my Hercus will have to share workshop space with my Benchsaw, dropsaw, bandsaw, scrollsaw, planner/thicknesser & woodlathe - ooh and my bench pillar drill which has to do double duty.
I learnt the rudiments of metal turning & screw cutting at night school when needed to make the metal components required to build my plywood benchsaw.
The Hercus was auctioned on Trademe and I had it inspected by a friend who happens to be an engineer with relevant skills. After he gave it an enthusiastic nod of approval, he broke it down in to manageable parts for transport from Christchurch to Dunedin.
The purchase included, 3 jaw & 4 jaw chucks both with reverse jaw sets, drive catch plate, live centre, jakobs 3 jaw on M2 arbor, some cutting tools (4 way tool post) and hand fulls of twist drills.
I will post some photos once I have built a bench and reassembled it