What lathe is this?

It may be shopmade, but it's not really a metalworking lathe, anyway. That's a woodworking lathe with a cross slide. In other words, it's the same thing as a patternmaker's lathe, with big risers at the headstock and tailstock, as if it's set up for turning bowls or big disks.

FrankenShopSmith

I think I have a good idea. Used to live and work in Arlington.

About 35-40 years ago there was a period of time that engraved black copper prints were being turned out and sold on corners and shopping centers...

A business man bought such a lathe and put a young man to work running it.

It was a copy lathe of sorts - the sheet of painted copper / brass was put over a cylinder. The cutter is really a solenoid that drives a cutter into the black surface and cut out a small divit. The machine turned another cylinder - keeping sync - and upon it was the picture (film) and a photomultiplier tube that measured the light from the film and drove the solenoid.

It was a simple setup and run. Boring job. I was called in to fix the electronic package after a fix was put in by the owner. He might have electrical knowledge but electronics was a bit wild.

So I think this is it - likely bought a cheap speed control (belts) lathe with high center line and adapt it then sell it to businessmen...

Martin

Could be that was what it was once used for, but those are wood centers stuck in headstock and tail stock. I'm with Ed on this one, it's a wood lathe in its current incarnation. There's no evidence of a power feed anywhere for that cross slide carriage.

Stan