One of the tools I use a lot for my work is a metal lathe. For many years I have owned a beautiful behemoth from 1959 made by Cincinnati You can do a lot of work with a big lathe, but it is not as convenient for smaller pieces. I have had my eye on a smaller machine to complement my big Cincinnati for the last year. I finally was able to purchase one- where? of course, eBay!

The lathe was located in Worcester Massachusetts. It had been owned by the recently closed United Screw Machine Products Inc. The son of the original owner was on hand and said their business had been primarily with Stanley in Connecticut. As Stanley has moved more and more manufacturing overseas, their business slowly shrank. The building was a beautiful classic brick factory.

The Loading was done by a professional rigger who was on hand to load the rest of the machines which had been sold as a lot. I actually bought my lathe from the dealer who had bought the entire inventory of machines. Here the rigger backs down a steep ramp to get to my truck.

My truck is loaded! Aside from the lathe, a drill press, maple work bench and a few other grimy goodies make it on the load. It actually turns out to be quite a load!

The trip back to the shop is easy and I quickly offload it with my much smaller forklift. Here it is on the ground.

…..And moved into place in the metal shop. You can just see the end of my bigger lathe in the lower left of this photo. The size of the Hardinge Lathe is just one thing. The real advantage is that it is set-up to do small runs of production parts. It features a rotating turret that allows you to rapidly move through numerous tools and perform different operations without changing tooling. It is going to be perfect to make the rod ends for pieces like my Callisto Table. I can’t wait to use it!

My studio is filled with many machines for Woodworking and Metalworking. Most were made between the 1940’s and 1950’s, a golden age of American manufacturing. Industrial machines from this era were built to last and are widely available in these modern times.

I recently got a phone call from a friend and fellow furniture maker Douglas Thayer about a Cincinnati Horizontal Mill which was at an auction he was attending. I was keen on owning a horizontal mill for a while and with the new shop I actually had the space to house it. I authorized a bid and he bought it for the princely sum of $400- not bad considering it weighs nearly 4000 lbs. It turns out the machine, a Cincinnati MH, was built it 1939, making it nearly 70 years old. Quite amazing.

He brought it back to his shop and sent me a picture.

An absolutely beautiful machine! Look at that rump!

I quickly made plans to travel to Douglas’s shop and pick up the beast. I rented a trailer and set off on the three hour drive from Saratoga Springs to Westhampton Mass.

I showed up in the early evening and after a tasty dinner we set out to prep and load the mill.

By ten o’clock we have it skidded and tarped and ready to load on the trailer.

Some fancy forklift driving leaves great tire tracks.

The massive skid we built does not allow douglas’s forklift to get close enough to the center of gravity, so we need to pivot the mill of a central point to gain the needed height to reach the trailer.

We get the mill on the trailer and push it forward with a 4×4. The forklift turns out to be more powerful than the 4×4!

The next morning things look so much nicer, the rain has stopped and we strap and bind down the mill. Here I am ready to hit the road.

After a very safe and easy drive I arrive at my studio and back the trailer up to unload the mill. I am working alone and don’t have a forklift as strong as Douglas, so unloading is a process I like to call “Egyptianing”

Using rollers, a pry bar and a device called a pallet jack I am single handedly able to ease the mill of the trailer.

I get the mill of the trailer.

Only one problem, the skid is a tad too long. Fortunately a solution presents itself.

The remedy is quick and effective.

Ready to move into place

And lastly, the difference between my horizontal mill and my vertical mill (aside from the way they cut). The tool holder on the bottom fits my horizontal mill, the tapered section is what gives it is rigidity, contrast it to the toolholder on the top the amount of taper is not even comparable. This mill is a beast!