last revised 21/12/07
Some time ago I have been able to add to the workshop a Lorch, Schmidt & Co. WW No. 7 lathe, complete with screw-cutting attachment. It sports various larger attachments that make it more suitable for precision engineering rather than watchmaking, such as a large Lorch 4-jaw chuck/faceplate, a large Lorch 6-jaw chuck, and a large 3-jaw chuck (from Sherline), plus an original Lorch standard 3-jaw chuck. The lathe is mounted on a removable sub-board, so that it can be exchanged for the 6 mm outfit that is mounted on a similar base. They are driven by a Sherline variable speed motor through a larger-size Lorch countershaft assembly.
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| (1) Lorch, Schmidt & Co. WW No. 7 lathe from a 1937 catalogue. | (2) Twenty years on: the lathe pictured in a 1956 catalogue. | (3) Fifty years on: the lathe from the front with collet-holding tailstock mounted. Missing from my specimen is the knock-out bar for the dog-clutch. | (4) Headstock and screw-cutting attachment |
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| (5) The dog clutch in detail (disengaged) | (6) and from the back | (7) WW Lathe set-up. In the back is a more substantial countershaft than shown above. It is fitted in addition with an idler pulley that tightens the primary belt from the motor shaft. The 100 mm 4-jaw chuck is mounted on the headstock. | (8) Screw-feed tailstock. | (9) Simple tailstock | (10) Collet-holding lever-fed tailstock with shop-made micrometer depth-stop | (11) A hand crank gives more torque and feel when in the last passes for a bigger thread. |
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| (12) A rare attachment: the original fixed steady-rest. The brass pads are shop made. Note: I replaced the original slotted screws with Allen-screws that are easier to get to using a hooked hex-key. |
(13) Set-up with the milling spindle mounted on the vertical slide |
(14) Set-up with the milling table mounted on the vertical slide |
(15) Set-up with the milling vice mounted on the vertical slide |
(16) Lorch 6 mm toolpost grinder with shop-made self-contained motor drive set up on WW lathe for surface grinding |
(17) Lorch 6 mm toolpost grinder with shop-made self-contained motor drive set up on WW lathe for internal grinding |
(18) The lathe on its bench with drawser for accessories and tools |