Automatic Lathes in Australia

I don`t know about Brownies,but I have a Traub A15 and a A25.Very good machines and quick to set.The slides have gibs,only the endworking tool slides on the bars.They do not have a turret like a normal auto.The cams are only segments and quite easy to make for most jobs.There are also a lot of attachments available for them.If you can find them they should be cheap as nobody seems to want them anymore. Mark.

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mark
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=============== Thanks for the follow-up

From a variety of sources I have been given to understand that the ground guide bars in place of hand scraped ways, and segmented cams, among several other innovations, were developed prior to and during WW2 by Traub (possibly this was an industy wide government research effort) to increase the numbers of machine tools available by speeding up machine manufacture (and reducing cost) by minimizing the need for highly skilled labor [scrapers], critical machines [large planers] and strategic materials/processes [large precision iron/steel castings].

The comparable iconic workhorse in the United States was/is the single spindle Brown and Sharpe. In its basic form, this machine was developed late in the 19th and early in the 20th century, at least 30 years before work on the A series Traubs began. The basic design of the "Brownie" shows that it from that era, in that it is based on very heavy and complex iron castings, meticulously hand finished/scraped dovetail ways, and elaborate drive/transmission mechanisms designed for over-head belt drive. I am sure it was "state of the art" when it was designed/developed, given the processes, machines and materials then available.

I am hoping for some feed back from the shop that run both machines about their set-up, operating [level of bar pushed/operator expertise required, length of time to train] and maintenance experiences.

FWIW - Traub went bankrupt in the German machine tool industry massacre in the 1970s and was acquired by Index. Two foreign firms had been licensed by Traub just before bankruptcy to make the A series machines (and possibly others) for the Asian and South American markets, and are continuing manufacture. It appears that 300-400 new A series of Traubs are being sold by each company. See:

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Does anyone know if the any model Brownies are still being manufactured?

Unka George (George McDuffee) ..................................................................... The arbitrary rule of a just and enlightened prince is always bad. His virtues are the most dangerous and the surest form of seduction: they lull a people imperceptibly into the habit of loving, respecting, and serving his successor, whoever that successor may be, no matter how wicked or stupid.

Denis Diderot (1713-84), French philosopher. Refutation of Helvétius (written 1773-76; first published 1875; repr. in Selected Writings, ed. by Lester G. Crocker, 1966).

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F. George McDuffee

F. George McDuffee wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Nope. They are long dead now. But you can buy fresh rebuilds and servo cam retrofits. Parts are widely available.

To use an automotive analogy; the traub is a VW Beetle and the B&S is a Ford F150. The Traub was an inexpensive and somewhat limited capability wise. The Brownie, while not the greatest machine to ever come along, is a very useful and capable work horse.

Reply to
D Murphy

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