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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    ACT
    Posts
    667

    Default Early Taylor Hobson Pantograph c1890

    I recently came across this old pantograph and thought worthy of posting here for interest sake. Not sure if anyone here saw it for sale?
    benchtop pantograph.jpg IMG_2773.jpg

    I later discovered when picking it up that it came from the estate of and was owned by Sir Lionel Hooke (the property later inherited by the family who appear not to have cleaned out the original shed for quite some time til just recently). The family apparently had no interest. I missed out on the lathe, small shaper, mill and other things that the 'Picker' had for sale. However there was still lots of old electrical equipment (as you might expect if you look up Lionel's background) and tools and various things (including the 1940s stuart 10h engine which i did get), but much of what remains from the 'picker' i bought the machine from intends to hold a sale of the remaining treasures.

    I liked the look of the pantograph, and that it fit on a bench top. Couldn't find anything like on the net that looked remotely like it apart from this one on the lathes uk web site under Taylor Hobson pages.

    Taylor & hobson engraver c1887 .jpg
    Other more modern taylor hobson machines had a few similar components, but the rest of my machine was quite different to everything else around.
    Amazingly I stumbled across a web site that had this image which is almost my exact machine, couldn't believe it - but the age .

    taylor hobson 890x1916.png

    The quote from where the image came from for reference identified the source as originating from The Telegraphic Journal and Electrical Review. Vol. 28, Whole No. 700, April 24, 1891. (London: H. Alabaster, Gatehouse & Co., 1891): 530. Digitized by Google from the NY Public Library copy and available via the Hathi Trust (Hathi ID: nyp.33433062756634)

    Would be good to find some more images of machines of similar vintage, though it appears that by 1895 this design was already outdated.The Pantograph itself is in amazing condition despite its age with everything it very good order.

    will post some images of the old drive mechanism later

    cheers

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    ACT
    Posts
    667

    Default

    the rotary work table measures right on 6 inches in diameter with the step down to the rack an additional 1/8" each side, and is graduated with 24 markings around the edge, 12 'dots' and 12 'dashes'. The Rotary table itself locates centrally on a somewhat steeply tapered shaft fitting inside the main support.
    IMG_2794.jpg

    The rotary table has a small gun metal bracket and hand wheel that can pivot in and out of engagement (not pictured on the 1891 trade journal engraving). The hand wheel only looks to have the one zero marking.

    I put a dial indicator on it right on the circumference (not quite in location when i took the image, but you get the idea). One rotation with the hand wheel engaged turned the rotary table pretty close to 0.060" (looked about 0.0595") which is about 1.51mm. So thats a lot of turns to get the table around once (about 314 turns). might have to measure the wormwheel a bit better thinking maybe its more like 1/8+1/8 minus a bit, so maybe 6.1875 (6-3/16) giving closer to a round number of turns at 324.
    IMG_2791.jpg

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Port Sorell, Tasmania
    Posts
    74

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Zsteve View Post

    So thats a lot of turns to get the table around once (about 314 turns). might have to measure the wormwheel a bit better thinking maybe its more like 1/8+1/8 minus a bit, so maybe 6.1875 (6-3/16) giving closer to a round number of turns at 324.
    318 and 324 are weird numbers for a rotary table. 360 would make a lot more sense.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    ACT
    Posts
    667

    Default

    would agree, might be my inaccurate attempts to measure it, or maybe threads not properly clean or a combination of those.

    A few more tries and I was getting closer to 0.054 which based on 6-3/16 diameter would give I think 360 turns.

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