For those that have ambitions to become a modern day Hephaestus but have not had the advantage(?) of a five year Toolmaker Apprenticeship + two years as an “improver” I can recommend obtaining a copy of a little book (8″ x 5″ & 128 pages) called “How to Run a Lathe”. It was first published by the South Bend Lathe Co. back in 1907 and went to at least 56 editions. I believe it is now available in facimile form but I do not have an ISBN number for it.
While it concentrates naturally enough on working with Southbend lathes the processes/operations described apply just as well to almost any lathe and I can recommend it as a reference and guide for operators of any level of expertise.
The only omission I have found is in not providing a conversion chart for cutting metric threads on an imperial lathe with a Q/C gearbox (the model A) but I have one such and can supply a copy if anyone needs one. Please note that this particular chart only applies to a lathe with a Q/C box, for lathes with a standard change gear set there is a chart in the book. I rather suspect that the information would apply directly to Boxford machines but for other makes, even if they have the same leadscrew pitch, exercise caution.
