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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Holbrook, NSW
    Age
    73
    Posts
    490

    Default hercus lathe serial numbers

    Hi Guys,
    If anyone is willing I would be interested in adding your machine numbers to the website database. It is not my intention to publish this document but it does help me keep track of changes that happened over the years and makes supplying the right generation of part for each individual machine much easier. Apart from this I am curious as to how many are still in circulation. The list I currently have is approaching 2000 machines both living and dead. Please reply by personal message if you don't want your number displayed on the forum.
    Mal
    Australian Metalworking Hobbyist

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    257

    Default

    I've got two lathes.

    Model A #11011
    Model C #9224

    Both normal beds, run of the mill units. Imperial. The Model C is a parts lathe and there is no more life in the unit, its just missing too much stuff.

    What else do you want to know?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Holbrook, NSW
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    73
    Posts
    490

    Default class as wrecked

    Thanks for that, I will register the "C" model as wrecked on the database. I will be asking questions of selected owners as to the format of various parts groups as the list gets longer to isolate specify modifications at a later date.

  4. #4
    Tiptoeturtle Guest

    Default

    For the Hercus I have given a home to, the Hercus register developed on this forum already has its serial number 1624 (model C) included alongside the other information the register holds, and it lists about 140 different machines. Hence that leaves me wondering just what is the approximately 2000 machine website database that is being improved or enhanced ?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Holbrook, NSW
    Age
    73
    Posts
    490

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tiptoeturtle View Post
    For the Hercus I have given a home to, the Hercus register developed on this forum already has its serial number 1624 (model C) included alongside the other information the register holds, and it lists about 140 different machines. Hence that leaves me wondering just what is the approximately 2000 machine website database that is being improved or enhanced ?
    Hi Tiptoe,
    This not designed to replace or enhance the existing Hercus register on which I also listed my personal machines. This database is a secure list not accessable to the general public as some owners don't want their information shown. I can however put owners in touch with each other if both parties are agreeable.
    As you are probably aware, after having a great deal of trouble finding parts to restore my first Hercus, I set myself the task of remaking as much of the Hercus's parts as possible. In the last couple of years much has been accomplished in the general wearing parts (drive nuts and spindles, half nuts, castings, handles, gears, headstock parts,etc) in total over a hundred pieces of the machine can now be replaced with the help of like minded members of the forum who have a genuine interest in maintaining as many of these machines as possible. As we get into the super expensive area to remake i.e. beds, aprons, gearboxes, headstocks, a knowledge of numbers of machines will help in deciding which direction to take to allocate funds to the areas with the best chance of success. This is designed to see just how many of the 23000 odd machines are still alive and what is the most numeric section of that remaining population.
    The usefulness of this project is the tracking of changes that happened in the shape and style of components over the years. Having feedback from owners helps me identify which parts are correct for each generation of individual machine. Knowing who has them means I know who to ask the questions of. Substantial changes took place in the early 1950's and 1960's, with the help of owners the exact number(or as close as possible) of the machine were these changes took place is possible. An example is the enlarging of to the crosslide and compound dials which took place at machine number 10338.
    This helps me make sure that when someone orders a part they get the right one for their machine.
    Mal
    Australian Metalworking Hobbyist

  6. #6
    Tiptoeturtle Guest

    Default Technological development

    Mal,

    Thanks for that explanation.

    In my limited experience (which only extends back about 5 years), I find this an intriguing subject. I am typing this at a computer in a small museum in Danmark. The museum has about 400 marine engines, made in the most part by one or other of the 140 odd Danish manufacturers of marine engines. Only 5 of these 140 odd manufacturers still operate, so 135 odd are defunct companies. Of the surviving 5 manufacturers, two are merged into one, another one now only makes propellers, the fourth has been bought by the Germans (MAN), and the fifth is still making engines as usual. To Hercus people this may sound familiar.

    I am actually not inherently interested in marine engines - I am fundamentally hostile to internal combustion engines of all descriptions. Nevertheless I have found that the marine engines are interesting to me, despite myself. You can learn something from examining them, even while disliking them, and you can learn from the knowledge and experience of some visitors to the museum, and you can even learn from the questions some visitors ask, or the ignorance of many, or hubris of some, other visitors.

    I appreciate that you would find it advantageous to have some way of estimating the "demographics" of Hercus lathes, and you can do this by studying the distribution of known machines and their serial numbers. From that you can hopefully figure out where to prioritise your future efforts.

    I hope that one day someone creates a more public (web) photographic history of the various phases in the evolution of Hercus lathes.

    Sorry, but the rest is in Swedish, to give you a taste (if you get the Swedish automatically translated) of what some retired (wealthy) European engineers get up to:

    Tuxham Typ D

    SEFFLE 28 BFV

    Donald (a.k.a. Tiptoeturtle, Donald is my real name, Tiptoeturtle is just an alias I originally dreamt up 30 years ago in writing letters to the editor of the Samoa Observer newspaper, to disguise my identity - as foreigners like me were not supposed to openly engage in the indigenous Samoan political cut and thrust)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Holbrook, NSW
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    73
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    490

    Default engines

    Hi Donald,
    Looks like an interesting project restoring those old machines. Fortuneately the only diesel I have to worry about is the Bukh 20 on my boat, which I hope never to have to do that kind of resto on.
    Mal

  8. #8
    Tiptoeturtle Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by allterrain50 View Post
    Hi Donald,
    Looks like an interesting project restoring those old machines. Fortuneately the only diesel I have to worry about is the Bukh 20 on my boat, which I hope never to have to do that kind of resto on.
    Mal
    Bukh is one of the five (no make that four, no no make that three, no no no really just two) surviving Danish marine engine manufacturers, although Bukh has merged with Callesen Diesel, and furthermore Bukh's factory in Kalundborg was closed when Bukh moved in with Callesen in another town Aabenraa.

    That Swedish engineer restoring engines for himself has to pay someone else to make wooden patterns so that new metal parts can be cast by yet someone else. The woodworking part is the expensive aspect, compared to the foundry casting. I think it was something like 10 000 kroner for one family of patterns (Tuxham), or about $2 000. That to me is not very cost effective expenditure. The end result will be one nearly as new engine, with some absolutely new parts, which no one will ever use in a vessel again. (A problem with this type of two-stroke semi-diesel is that if you run it slowly in neutral it can change itself into reverse without warning, as the engine rotates either way and works regardless, and there is no way of telling when it does this, without looking at the flywheel or propeller shaft, so if you are in the deckhouse about to dock, engaging the clutch and putting the propeller in reverse can actually have the opposite effect if the engine has reversed behind your back and your vessel then rams the dock. I can speculate this undocumented design feature could have been a contributing factor in the demise of some of the manufacturers 50 years ago.)

    Anyway, for the time being you can still buy spares for Bukh engines, which on the whole is not the case with about 135 former Danish manufacturers' engines. As far as I know Bukh engines only spin the one way, the way they are supposed to.

    This Hercus forum is something that has no counterpart in the Danish marine engine hemisphere. The people who restore heritage engines or machinery here seem to be mostly small cliques or solo enthusiasts / fanatics. As far as I know there is no such thing as a forum for Tuxham, Hundested, Dan, Grenaa, Søby engines etc.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Holbrook, NSW
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    Posts
    490

    Default patterns

    fortuneately my patternmaker is a relative by marriage, he still charges but occasionally takes pity on me.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Dunedin New Zealand
    Posts
    7

    Smile Serial no. from a new member

    Hi all from new Kiwi member.

    I have just acquired a Hercus 9" Model A. The machine no. stamped on the gearbox plate is 4782 which I believe dates it to 1954.

    I am a woodworker by inclination so my Hercus will have to share workshop space with my Benchsaw, dropsaw, bandsaw, scrollsaw, planner/thicknesser & woodlathe - ooh and my bench pillar drill which has to do double duty.

    I learnt the rudiments of metal turning & screw cutting at night school when needed to make the metal components required to build my plywood benchsaw.

    The Hercus was auctioned on Trademe and I had it inspected by a friend who happens to be an engineer with relevant skills. After he gave it an enthusiastic nod of approval, he broke it down in to manageable parts for transport from Christchurch to Dunedin.

    The purchase included, 3 jaw & 4 jaw chucks both with reverse jaw sets, drive catch plate, live centre, jakobs 3 jaw on M2 arbor, some cutting tools (4 way tool post) and hand fulls of twist drills.

    I will post some photos once I have built a bench and reassembled it

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    adelaide
    Posts
    597

    Default

    Clive welcome to the hercus world let the fun begin
    plenty of good advice here if you need it
    john

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Eltham Victoria Australia
    Posts
    1

    Default

    owner = Richard Schurmann
    location = Eltham, Vic
    Serial number = ARL9153 F
    To the right of this is a stamp with three characters in an oval. They could be "RGE" but I am not sure. The lathe is in storage: next time I go to the storage place, I will take a magnifier and a torch.
    I am guessing that:
    A = A series (has Norton box)
    R = roller bearing headstock
    L = (I don't know)
    F = (I don't know)

    can you tell me what L and F are?
    thanks,
    Richard.

    Quote Originally Posted by allterrain50 View Post
    Hi Guys,
    If anyone is willing I would be interested in adding your machine numbers to the website database. It is not my intention to publish this document but it does help me keep track of changes that happened over the years and makes supplying the right generation of part for each individual machine much easier. Apart from this I am curious as to how many are still in circulation. The list I currently have is approaching 2000 machines both living and dead. Please reply by personal message if you don't want your number displayed on the forum.
    Mal
    Australian Metalworking Hobbyist

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Northern Beaches, NSW
    Posts
    288

    Default

    Isn't L for Long? ie the long bed version.

    Was there ver a letter designation for the high precision version, F perhaps??


    Thx
    Jon

  14. #14
    Ueee's Avatar
    Ueee is offline Blacksmith, Cabinetmaker, Machinist, Messmaker
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Canberra
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    39
    Posts
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    Default

    There is an RGE in an oval on my drill press, not near the serial number but on another machined part.
    Anyone know what what it stands for?

    Ew

    Sorry, that's wrong, its next to the serial number (B871) and in another place. It's about half the size of my little finger nail.

    This explains it http://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...476#post867476
    1915 17"x50" LeBlond heavy duty Lathe, 24" Queen city shaper, 1970's G Vernier FV.3.TO Universal Mill, 1958 Blohm HFS 6 surface grinder, 1942 Rivett 715 Lathe, 14"x40" Antrac Lathe, Startrite H225 Bandsaw, 1949 Hercus Camelback Drill press, 1947 Holbrook C10 Lathe.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    52

    Default

    This is from the Hercus register thread.

    Mine is stamped AR9708 (1965?)
    Tailstock stamped 9711
    Mostly Blue
    Virtually no accessories
    Had a hard life, probably in a school - major parts are labeled
    Has McPherson's badges and is also stamped BS

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