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Wood Lathes - Arundel

Made in Newark, England, by D. Arundel & Co. (founded 1947) Arundel lathes were noted for their fine finish and smooth, vibration free running. A variety of models was made over the years,  some were of very simple construction like the E5 with its split-bearing headstock assembly whilst others, like the J4 and M300, were rather more robustly built with cast-iron headstocks and a choice of plain or roller-bearing spindle assemblies. Their best machine was their last, the twin-bar K series. The largest in the K range, the 600, featured 7 spindle speeds, an unusually generous number for any type of wood lathe. The bowl turning assembly was a separate unit, illustrated alongside the lathe, and designed to be bolted to the bench. The K lathes were built to order and it was possible to specify one of five metallic colours, the bed length and the type and size of thread on the headstock spindle. Elements of this design are recognisable in today's popular and very successful range of  "Coronet" wood lathes machines manufactured in Sheffield, England by the Record Tool Company.

Twin bed rail Arundel Model K450, K450HD, K600 4.5" x 18"/22"/36"

The Arundel Type E5  (5.25" x 29.5") was a very well made but essentially simple machine. The bed was constructed from plain steel rails of rectangular section and the cast iron headstock featured plain bronze bearings (with wick-feed oil cups) and a single ball bearing-type thrust arrangement of type last seen in late Victorian times. Drive was by an A section belt  and offered 4 speeds of 470, 920, 1640 and 3000 r.p.m. when driven by the recommended 0.75 h.p. 1420 r.p.m motor. Centres were No. 1 morse taper and all locking movements were provided with self-contained handles, no spanners being needed to operate the lathe.
The E5 Headstock (left) was also offered as a stand-alone bench unit for large diameter faceplate work.
The special E5 headstock below, with outboard bowl-turning, was offered on the E5R lathe and featured a modified thrust bearing allowing a clear bore through the spindle and the fitment of a left-hand faceplate with a 19" diameter turning capacity.
The standard lathe cross slide could be fitted to the bench-mounted  swivelling  bracket. This combination of  a sliding  and swivelling slide action on a swivelling base provided the tool rest with a very useful range of  movements.
A floor-mounted tripod support was also listed for the tool rest and, given a suitably slow speed, allowed very large diameters indeed to be turned.

Arundel J4 Mk. 2 9" Swing Junior Lathe circa 1975. An unusual feature of the J4 was the arrangement of the bed rails - standard drawn square-section steel bar arranged with an edge (rather than a face) upwards to give what Arundel called a "prismatic-guiding edge". A three-speed V belt or four Poly-V belt drive was available and the standard bed length was 31" - but any length could, in fact, be ordered. Bowl turning was an option, using the separate bench-mounted unit also specified for the K series machine.