The Father of All Lathes

[Historian]

<< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jy8ZXvB6tg >>

Ran across this intriguing metal artist Raymond Mendez's YouTube
making a vise starting off with a railroad track. The lathe size and use
are stunning. Some of his techniques, work holding, stippling, etc. are
scalable to small lathes and to parts making.

Seeing his project at each stage of setting up, machining, and completion
was riveting and instructive.

Hope some will also enjoy the metal artistry and pick up some
small transferrable notions.

[Capt. Link.]

I think 6 of my tiny horizontal mill would fit on the table of that magnificent machine.Only if I had the money and space for something like that.
Keep up the research-CL

[T-Rex]

I sure hope he put a protectant on that steel. If not, I'm sure it was rusting before he got the video uploaded.
Very nice job, though.

[speed6]

I laugh at this puny lathe (actually, I think it's a horizontal mill) and give you the Gray:



It has a 12 FOOT turning capacity--and yes, the operator stands in the yellow bucket lift.

[propeine]

I laugh at this puny lathe (actually, I think it's a horizontal mill) and give you the Gray:



It has a 12 FOOT turning capacity--and yes, the operator stands in the yellow bucket lift.

In the town I live in there is a lathe used for turning submarine drive shafts at a forge. It's something like 10ft throw x 100ft long. Operator rides the carriage there as well. Pretty cool place but I sadly have no pictures to share. They forge the shafts there too and anneal them in a vertical pit that supposedly takes nearly a month to cool.

[jreinke]

I saw a picture once of the lathes at Waterveliet Arsenal in New York, where they turned the barrels for the WWII 16" battleship guns. The operator rides in a "box" on top of the cutter bit!

[T-Rex]

Here's a good video of a large lathe in action.