Wilkinson & Co., Boston

A cast iron treadle lathe by A.J. Wilkinson & Co., Boston.

The 22" flywheel has a two stepped pulley. The lathe has an 8" swing, 6 1/2" over the tool rest base, and 17 1/2" between centers. The headstock has 2 1/4" and 5" pulleys, bronze bearings, 3/4" 10 tpi outside thread on the hollow spindle and a tapered bore for accessories. The taper is slightly larger than mt-1 in both the head and tail stock. The fork center and dead center both appear to have had their points damaged and reground. A small 3 jaw keyless concentric chuck threads onto the spindle. The chuck uses a flat scroll and opens to 15/16". It is marked "A.F. Cushman, Maker, Hartford, Conn., Pat Dec 24th, 1872". The tailstock ram has 2 3/4" travel, operated by a screw. The tool rest has a 4" blade, fully adjustable. It's post is locked with a set screw. The base is locked with a large wing nut identical to that on the tailstock. The hardwood (walnut?) table is 38" x 11". The lathe bed is 36" high, the footprint is 35" x 23 1/2".

The lathe, fitted with a new 1 1/4" leather belt, works extremely smoothly and with little effort. The lathe always stops in the same position - just beyond dead center and ready to start without having to turn the flywheel by hand. The dead center remedy is a very old one - a large weight on the flywheel. Surprisingly, this doesn't affect the flywheel's balance when in use, perhaps because it is counteracted by the force of the treadle.

Source American Artefacts.