UPDATING THE EW LATHE
WHEN I RECENTLY BOUGHT MY LATEST EW LATHE, AS HAVING PREVIOUSLY OWNED ONE I WAS WELL AWARE OF THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THIS DELIGHTFUL SMALL MACHINE AND WHAT I WOULD HAVE TO DO TO IMPROVE IT`S VERSATILITY.
HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS OF THE LATHE AS IT WAS WHEN I BOUGHT IT IN AN EBAY AUCTION. THIS IS A RARE VERSION WITH A GAP BED. IT ALSO HAS BACKGEAR AND THE SCREWCUTTING ATTACHMENT BUT AS USUAL MOST OF THE GEARS ARE MISSING..
IF YOU COMPARE THESE PHOTOS TO THE IMAGES IN THE BROCHURE YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS LATHE DID NOT HAVE THE CORRECT COUNTERSHAFT. THE COUNTERSHAFT THAT CAME WITH THE LATHE WAS HOME MADE AND DID NOT FUNCTION AS IT SHOULD TO CREATE THE TENSION IN THE DRIVEBELT.
ABOVE LEFT THE PARTLY DISMANTLED LATHE. CENTRE THE SPINDLE IS EXPOSED AND ABOVE RIGHT THE SCREWCUTTING BANJO MOUNTING PLATE. ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE LATHE ARE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH OTHER EW LATHES AS THE TOOLMAKER DESIGNER OF THE LATHE MR. STRINGER HAD MADE JIGS FOR ALL OF THE IMPORTANT PARTS TO ENSURE THIS,
HIS MARKETING STRATEGY WAS TO SELL A BASIC MACHINE AT A REASONABLE PRICE AND HAVE KITS OF PARTS AVAILABLE AS EXTRAS FOR COUNTERSHAFT, CHUCKS, LEADSCREW, BACKGEAR AND SCREWCUTTING.
HIS MARKETING STRATEGY WAS TO SELL A BASIC MACHINE AT A REASONABLE PRICE AND HAVE KITS OF PARTS AVAILABLE AS EXTRAS FOR COUNTERSHAFT, CHUCKS, LEADSCREW, BACKGEAR AND SCREWCUTTING.
IMPROVING THE VERSATILITY OF THE E W LATHE
FROM MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE OF OWNING AN EW I KNEW THAT THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT I WANTED TO MAKE WERE:
1/ TO INCORPORATE A CLUTCH FOR THE LEADSCREW
2/ TO CREATE A SLOW FEED FOR THE CARRAIGE.
3/ TO ADD A GRADUATED DIAL FOR THE LEADSCREW.
MY SELF IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE THAT NO ORIGINAL CASTINGS WERE TO BE MODIFIED AND THAT ANY CHANGES MADE TO THE RUNNING PARTS WOULD HAVE TO BE RE-INSTATEABLE.
BACK IN THE 1950`S THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE EW AND ARTICLES WERE WRITTEN BY SEVERAL AUTHORS IN THE "MODEL ENGINEER" MAGAZINE SUCH AS MARTIN CLEEVE, GEOMETER, EDGAR T WESTBURY AND OTHERS
1/ TO INCORPORATE A CLUTCH FOR THE LEADSCREW
2/ TO CREATE A SLOW FEED FOR THE CARRAIGE.
3/ TO ADD A GRADUATED DIAL FOR THE LEADSCREW.
MY SELF IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS WERE THAT NO ORIGINAL CASTINGS WERE TO BE MODIFIED AND THAT ANY CHANGES MADE TO THE RUNNING PARTS WOULD HAVE TO BE RE-INSTATEABLE.
BACK IN THE 1950`S THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE EW AND ARTICLES WERE WRITTEN BY SEVERAL AUTHORS IN THE "MODEL ENGINEER" MAGAZINE SUCH AS MARTIN CLEEVE, GEOMETER, EDGAR T WESTBURY AND OTHERS
BELOW IS THE FRONT PAGE OF THE MODEL ENGINEER MAGAZINE DATED 20 JUNE 1957
THIS HERALDED THE BEGINNING OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES BY MARTIN CLEEVE IN WHICH HE DESCRIBED THE CHANGES THAT HE MADE TO THE EW LATHE. THESE MODIFICATIONS WERE SOMEWHAT FANCIFUL IN SOME CASES INASMUCH THAT THEY WERE JUST CHANGES FOR THE SAKE OF IT AND WERE NOT REALLY PRACTICAL OR USEFUL BUT MADE GOOD READING FOR THE MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBERS, JUST THE SAME AS ONE READS IN THE MAGAZINES OF TODAY.
MARTIN WAS A PROLIFIC CONTRIBUTOR TO THE MAGAZINE AND PREVIOUS TO HIS ARTICLES ABOUT THE EW HE HAD CONTRIBUTED A SERIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT MODIFICATIONS TO THE MYFORD LATHE.
I CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORUM IN THE MODEL ENGINEER MAGAZINE IN 2013 AND ANYBODY THAT IS INTERESTED CAN READ THE POSTS THAT I AND OTHERS MADE ON THIS SUBJECT. JUST CLICK ON LINK AND YOU WILL ARRIVE AT THE HOME PAGE. CLICK ON FORUMS THEN WRITE STRINGER IN THE SEARCH BOX AND CLICK ON "GO", YOU WILL THEN SEE THE THREAD "STRINGER EW LATHE", CLICK ON THIS AND YOU`RE THERE. IT`S A LONG READ BUT DON`T WORRY, I WILL BE ADDING THE KEY POSTS TO THIS BLOG.
MARTIN WAS A PROLIFIC CONTRIBUTOR TO THE MAGAZINE AND PREVIOUS TO HIS ARTICLES ABOUT THE EW HE HAD CONTRIBUTED A SERIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT MODIFICATIONS TO THE MYFORD LATHE.
I CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORUM IN THE MODEL ENGINEER MAGAZINE IN 2013 AND ANYBODY THAT IS INTERESTED CAN READ THE POSTS THAT I AND OTHERS MADE ON THIS SUBJECT. JUST CLICK ON LINK AND YOU WILL ARRIVE AT THE HOME PAGE. CLICK ON FORUMS THEN WRITE STRINGER IN THE SEARCH BOX AND CLICK ON "GO", YOU WILL THEN SEE THE THREAD "STRINGER EW LATHE", CLICK ON THIS AND YOU`RE THERE. IT`S A LONG READ BUT DON`T WORRY, I WILL BE ADDING THE KEY POSTS TO THIS BLOG.
I`VE READ THROUGH ALL THE IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS THAT WE WENT THROUGH ON THE MODEL ENGINEER FORUM AND HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH VOLUME OF STUFF I WILL JUST PUT FORWARD THE IDEAS THAT I HAVE DEVELOPED AND ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO READ THROUGH THE WHOLE OF IT CAN GO TO THE FORUM THREAD THAT I GAVE ABOVE.
LAST YEAR I WAS RE-INSTATED TO THE FORUM AFTER HAVING BEEN KICKED OFF FOR COMING UP AGAINST AN ARROGANT INDIAN SUPPLIER OF THOSE RUBBISH CHINESE MILLING MACHINES! UNFORTUNATELY THE EDITOR HAD CHANGED AND AFTER A WHILE I WASN`T ABLE TO CONTAIN MYSELF AND POSTED MY OPINION ABOUT THE FORUM,. WHICH WAS, THAT THE FORUM HAD BECOME A REFUGE FOR WIMPS AND WAS IN DECLINE AS FAR AS CONTENT WAS CONCERNED, AS THE EDITOR WAS DELETING INTERESTING BUT CONTROVERSIAL POSTS.
I WAS THEN BANNED AGAIN THIS TIME FOREVER, BUT THE EDITOR TOOK THE UNUSUAL STEP OF DELETING ALL MY POSTS WITH THE EW INFORMATION, WHICH SURELY IS A MEASURE OF HIS SPITEFUL MENTALITY.
I WAS THEN BANNED AGAIN THIS TIME FOREVER, BUT THE EDITOR TOOK THE UNUSUAL STEP OF DELETING ALL MY POSTS WITH THE EW INFORMATION, WHICH SURELY IS A MEASURE OF HIS SPITEFUL MENTALITY.
BECAUSE THIS PAGE WITH ALL IT`S ADDITIONS HAS BECOME TOO BULKY I HAVE SPLIT IT UP INTO DEDICATED PAGES FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL UPDATE.
IN PROGRESS