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  1. #1
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    Mar 2012
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    Default Schaublin 65. / Australian made AWA Lathe

    A recent addition to the workshop an Australian made Schaublin 65 knockoff, it appears to have been made in 1943 by Amalgamated Wireless Australasia and has a Commonwealth Munitions tag

    has any one seen one of these before ? Or knows if the Commonwealth Munitions tags can deciphered as to what plant the equipment was in ?

    The lathe has the Schaublin patented wedge type lock for the head stock and tail stock in the bed it also takes W10 collets in the head stock and the turret tail stock, the turret tailstock is nothing like a Schaublin 65 that I can find photos of

  2. #2
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    Dec 2005
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    South Australia
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    1,656

    Default

    Can't help although I will be interested to see what transpires I was not aware of AWA producing anything remotely like a lathe.

  3. #3
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    Oct 2015
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    melbourne
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    Default

    Could awa have used it on munitions work?

  4. #4
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    Jan 2004
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    Mackay North Qld
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by russ57 View Post
    Could awa have used it on munitions work?
    From AWA's history page

    Given that munitions in the broader sense could include
    plural noun
    Munitions are military equipment and supplies, especially bombs, shells, and guns.
    From the Collins Dictionary - where else would I go?

    So it follows- (from AWA history page)

    " During World War II AWV produced a range of defense electronics materiel, including klystrons and magnetrons for radar equipment."



    Grahame

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    blackburn vic
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    297

    Default Strange numbers

    I think those markings are an AWA asset number.

    Roger

  6. #6
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    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
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    238

    Default

    AWA may not have made it, but instead used it to make other things. The asset number suggestion makes sense to me...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    adelaide
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    Default

    AWA No 18 is not a tag, its engraved on a boss cast into the bed of the lathe, the other tag is "This equipment is the property of Ministry of Munitions etc" is the asset tag, years ago my place of work had a planer with the same tag ( can't remember the brand) and about 5 years ago a Monarch lathe i went to look at had one as well ,over the years i have seen a few of these tags on various machines

    I don't know until i see another one if "AWA No 18" is the 18th machine made or the AWA designation for its 18th product or design and if 1943 is the year of manufacture or the serial number, i am inclined to believe its the year of manufacture, the bed has a tiny number 2 stamped on the end of the bed

    I purchased this lathe from Victoria late last year ,but here in Adelaide Ministry of Munitions had several plants , Salisbury, Finsbury, Hendon a mates late mother worked for them in a metrology lab at Islington plant


    From Wikipedia
    "The Department of Munitions was an Australian government department that existed between 11 June 1940 and April 1948. Reporting to it was the Factory Board, which was in charge of the six Small Arms Ammunition Factories, along with a number of ammunition and explosives factories across Australia."

  8. #8
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    Nov 2017
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    Geelong, Australia
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    57
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    Default

    Looking online at a few images of them, that boss appears to be part of the original Schaublin casting.
    Entirely possible that AWA just ground off whatever was on there and put on their own ID.

    Steve

  9. #9
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    Dec 2005
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    South Australia
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    Default

    As said before I am open to be enlightened, AWA made many items however I do not believe any of those many items were Lathes, none of their workshops I have seen had any machinery suitable.
    My belief is as as as said above it is a inhouse asset identification. This lathe may have been made by one of many companies, who during the war diversified and many times did not apply any branding to the items.

  10. #10
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    Mar 2012
    Location
    adelaide
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by OxxAndBert View Post
    Looking online at a few images of them, that boss appears to be part of the original Schaublin casting.
    Entirely possible that AWA just ground off whatever was on there and put on their own ID.

    Steve
    The pad on a Schaublin is on the front on the right hand side on the "AWA" lathe the pad is on the rear right hand side, and interestingly the pad has machining marks that look like the were made with a planer , as you you can see from the photos most of the scraping is intact on the bed

  11. #11
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    Nov 2017
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    Geelong, Australia
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    Default

    Thanks, I hadn’t picked up that the AWA one had the boss on the headstock end.

    Steve

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Dural NSW
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    82
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    1,203

    Default Shaublin Lathe

    Quote Originally Posted by twopintsplease View Post
    A recent addition to the workshop an Australian made Schaublin 65 knockoff, it appears to have been made in 1943 by Amalgamated Wireless Australasia and has a Commonwealth Munitions tag

    has any one seen one of these before ? Or knows if the Commonwealth Munitions tags can deciphered as to what plant the equipment was in ?

    The lathe has the Schaublin patented wedge type lock for the head stock and tail stock in the bed it also takes W10 collets in the head stock and the turret tail stock, the turret tailstock is nothing like a Schaublin 65 that I can find photos of
    I worked at AWA during my Toolmaking Apprentice years from 1957 to 1964 & can be certain that no lathes like this were built at AWA Ashfield NSW
    There were a few of these lathes with "Ministry of Munitions" marked on them as were a number of other machines, provided by the government at the time, around the era of WW2.
    There was one similiar Schaublin in the Toolroom & it was very handy for turning up small die punches from silver steel.
    The machine shown in your photo has a capstan instead of a tailstock, no doubt used for short run repetitive work.
    I was fortunate to salvage one of these capstan heads out of the scrap bin, & machined up a base with a vee to suit a Hercus Lathe.
    Then used that capstan head to produce brass hand spear heads on a repetitive basis on weekends, which I sold to Dick Devesons Sports Store at Merrylands., NSW
    Good Old Days !
    Bruce

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