Rapson & Dutton

The lathe copped a work out this afternoon machining aluminium solid bar for work.

As always the 5min machine job turned into an hour.

Anyways i was lucky to score this old lathe off the grandmother of a guy i worked with. Right place right time and CHEAP!!! It was his grandads.

On the research i've done the lathe was imported in pieces and assembled by a company called Rapson & Dutton circa late 40's. It would have originally run off shafts in the roof that went the length of the workshop with long belts that ran down from these shafts. No such thing as hobby lathes in the 40's.

You can see the guy must have bought it, most likely second hand and bolted on an electric motor with a wood frame. Sounds bad but works o.k. for now.

He had a home made shield that covered the gears to stop stray fingers getting caught in the gears but i tossed it in the name of anyone having a finger missing must be old school.

If anyone has any info on Rapson & Dutton lathes let me know i'm keen to learn more.