Makers of "Bench Precision" Lathes

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- plain-turning lathes intended for toolmaking

and light production work -

Links on lathes.co.uk to some makers of plain-turning, precision bench lathes from America, England, Germany, France,
Italy, Japan and Switzerland. These lathes all lacked conventional screwcutting by a changewheel-driven leadscrew (though
some had, as an option, a screwcutting feed to the top slide)
and could be fitted up in three ways: with a screw-feed compound slide rest as a lathe for use by a toolmaker doing essentially
simple but very accurate one-off work; as a “second-operation” lathe equipped, usually, with the slide rest and tailstock fitted
with lever operation and, finally, as a full-blown production lathe in which case the usual fitting would have been a
bed-mounted indexing capstan unit and lever operation of the collet closer. However, depending upon the job in hand,
any combination of parts could be used and the so lathe’s versatility best exploited. Of course, exceptions did exist with some makers,
including Boley and Lorch, offering plain-turning versions of otherwise screwcutting
models while others, such as Schaublin, always distinguished between the types and had dedicated models for each application.
Sometimes the distinction between a genuine, high-class plain-turning precision lathe and one made less expensively
for the amateur market can be hard to determine.

Of other known US makers few details survive,
these including: Ballou (sometimes found badged as
"Waterhouse Electric & Mfg. Co.), Ballou & Whitcombe,
Engineering Appliance Co. (Jamestown, N.Y.), Sawyer Watch Tool Co.,
Fenn-Sadler. and the "Cosa Corporation of New York"

England
http://www.lathes.co.uk/benson
http://www.lathes.co.uk/BWC
http://www.lathes.co.uk/beswick (C.H. Joyce)
http://www.lathes.co.uk/claudiusash
http://www.lathes.co.uk/cromwell
http://www.lathes.co.uk/CVA/page2.html
http://www.lathes.co.uk/george-adams
http://www.lathes.co.uk/holbrook
http://www.lathes.co.uk/pultra/page9.html
http://www.lathes.co.uk/smart-and-brown-model-L
http://www.lathes.co.uk/stedall
http://www.lathes.co.uk/vidal
http://www.lathes.co.uk/woodhouse-mitchell-precision/

France
http://www.lathes.co.uk/amsa (?)
http://www.lathes.co.uk/cmd (?)
http://www.lathes.co.uk/codima/
http://www.lathes.co.uk/crouzet/page3.html
http://www.lathes.co.uk/jenny
http://www.lathes.co.uk/marf
http://www.lathes.co.uk/precis
http://www.lathes.co.uk/prudor
http://www.lathes.co.uk/sombv
http://www.lathes.co.uk/venot
JCH – no details yet…

Italy
http://www.lathes.co.uk/Ariston
http://www.lathes.co.uk/OMMP
http://www.lathes.co.uk/panerai-figli
http://www.lathes.co.uk/unitor (really a watchmaker's lathe)
http://www.lathes.co.uk/mentor-T.N.360
http://www.lathes.co.uk/cabiati-mario

Japan
http://www.lathes.co.uk/riken
http://www.lathes.co.uk/toyo

Switzerland
http://www.lathes.co.uk/agathon
http://www.lathes.co.uk/brequet
http://www.lathes.co.uk/carstens (branded "Swisten" in the UK)
http://www.lathes.co.uk/dan (Christen)
http://www.lathes.co.uk/habegger
http://www.lathes.co.uk/juvenia
http://www.lathes.co.uk/lamercier
http://www.lathes.co.uk/mikron
http://www.lathes.co.uk/schaublin
http://www.lathes.co.uk/simonet