Originally sold in two centres heights as the SV90 and SV102, the latter was to become the best known and most widely used of the company's precision plain-turning (non-screwcutting) lathes. Although the SV90 had disappeared from the maker's lists by 1946, the 102 was constantly modernised (though in reality this was just rectangular styling of the main castings and accessories and the option of anti-friction headstock bearings) and is still being made today (2015). All models of Schaublin precision plain lathe were designed so that a customer could order one or more types of bed and then mount on each, or subsequently interchange, a variety of different headstocks, tailstocks and slide rests. In order for this to happen it was necessary, of course, for all components to be made to such a high standard of accuracy that each was absolutely interchangeable, aligned perfectly and would allow, for example, a precision plain-turning "toolmaker's" lathe to be instantly converted into a production machine by simply removing the compound slide rest and bolting in its place a rotating capstan toolholder. This ease of conversion was achieved not by building complete machines in batches and then dismantling - but by concentrating on the accurate gauging of the sub-assemblies where limits of 0.001 mm were the norm. Even if the factory received an order for a lathe built to a particular specification the required elements were just drawn from the stores, assembled, checked to limits in excess of those proposed by Schlesinger, packed and dispatched; the company claiming that no "fitters" were needed to scrape or otherwise modify parts. A disadvantage of this system was the need to carry in stock, at some expense, a cushion of built-up sub-assemblies ready for dispatch - and if you were one of the world-wide network of Schaublin agents you too were required to hold a certain number of the more common parts for instant delivery. As confirmation of this accuracy, in 2006 a used faceplate was brought over from Switzerland for a 102. When fitted it had a run-out better than 0.0001", yet the part and the lathe had been manufactured 20 years apart. For the popular 90 and 102 lathes every year of manufactures (until recently) has seen Schaublin list beds in short ("Type 1a" 600 mm long) and standard ("Type 1" 900 mm long) versions, with feet at both ends, and another short-bed version ("Type 1b" 650 mm long) with a single foot and cantilever construction. As lathes bolted to cast-iron chip trays - or mounted on self-contained underdrive stands - became more popular Schaublin widened the range to include models with beds specifically adapted for these purposes, the earliest version for an underdrive model being designated bed "Type 1c" at 900 mm long. Until the 1980s, when the length was increased to 1000 mm, the standard "Type 1" bed remained faithful to the 900 mm figure - a specification that gave between-centres capacities of 300 to 425 mm depending upon the particular combination of headstock and tailstock fitted.
Model descriptions and definitions used by Schaublin varied over the years but included (for all plain-turning types, not just the 90 and 102):
"Toolmakers'" when fitted with a headstock having a screw-operated draw-in collet attachment, a screw-action tailstock and a screw-feed compound slide rest - on imperial (inch) machines the latter offered with two types of cross-feed screw, one with a 10 t.p.i  and the other with a 20 t.p.i. pitch - the micrometer dials being marked to shown one-turn giving a reduction in workpiece diameter of 0.2" and 0.1" respectively. This version of the 102 is sometimes found equipped with a beautifully made screwcutting and power feed attachment where a bracket, carrying changewheels, was bolted into the T-slot that ran down the front face of the bed. A universally-joined shaft took the drive to the long-travel top slide.
"Repetition" and "Second-operation" were interchangeable descriptions applied when a machine was assembled with quick-action lever controls for movements of collet closer, cross slide, top slide and tailstock.
"Turret" was used if the lathe mounted a 6-station rotating capstan head on its bed and "Lead-screw" when fitted with a combination of screwcutting by changewheels, a proper leadscrew and a backgeared headstock..
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While the SV90 and SV102 looked superficially similar they were, in nearly every respect, entirely different and although each had an accessory range tailored to its exact requirements items could often be interchanged and also transferred from the smaller SV65 and SV70 models - though in the latter case the use of raiser blocks or other adaptors was often required. However, although the rest of the lathe might have been different, the standard SV90 and SV102 headstocks of early years were (apart from their centre height) identical - with an open, un-braced front and a 20 mm bore spindle, hardened and ground, running in adjustable bronze bearings. At the front the spindle bearing was formed with a long, shallow 3-degree taper and short 45-degree taper (in the manner first adopted in 1865 by Stark in the USA) with a plain parallel bearing at the other end. The cones of the 3-step pulley were 30 mm wide, with the largest carrying three rings of division holes (100, 60 and 48) in its flange and a single circle of 12 in its smallest. The bore of the largest collet that could be fitted was 14.5 mm. For the 102 model only the makers offered what they referred to as a "Reinforced" headstock; this had larger diameter bearings, wider (35 mm cone pulleys) and a 25 mm bore spindle that could accept collets with a maximum through bore of 17.5 mm. The W20-type collets (also used on the VM-102 screwcutting version) were 19.7 mm in diameter, 73 mm long with an unusual buttress-form thread of  0.780" x  1.666 mm pitch, a type also found on some Jones and Shipman grinding machines. Confusion can arise because not all collets marked W20 are identical - with some made to fit Mikron lathes, for example, being 19.75 mm in diameter, 80 mm long and with either a 2.0 mm or 1.25 mm pitch thread.
Two backgeared headstocks with a reduction ration of 1 : 5.15 were also available, both with a stiffening, half-height front wall: one, a standard-duty type with a 20 mm bore spindle fitted both the SV90 and SV102 whilst the other, a heavy-duty version for the 102 only had (like the "reinforced" version) larger diameter bearings, wider (35 mm cone pulleys) and the same 25 mm bore spindle that could accept collets with a maximum through bore of 17.5 mm.
Various drive systems were available from simple non-adjustable bench, wall and ceiling-mounted countershafts with fast-and-loose pulleys to more complex arrangements involving foot-operated pedals for engaging countershaft clutches to give instant changes of speed. The beautifully made bench countershafts units usually incorporated a socket into which a separate overhead drive system could be plugged - this long-used system providing a simple and reliable means of driving high-speed grinding and milling attachments held in the toolpost. In later years an effort was made to provide countershafts which were not only neater but also allowed the belt tension to be quickly and effectively adjusted with one particularly effective example, the Type 102.95.400, using a tall flange on the end of the electric motor to carry the drive shaft in an eccentric housing with the input and output pulleys arranged on each side of a large central bearing.
Copying the established American precision bench lathe makers Schaublin offered a huge range of accessories designed to convert a simple lathe into a multi-use machine-tool: in addition to previously-mentioned slide rests, production equipment and collets amongst the many items listed over the years were: vertical slides of early and later (stronger) types all with high-speed milling and grinding heads, swivelling T-slotted tables and vices - together with several different designs of the required "overhead" round-rope drive system; external and internal grinding spindles to fit in the toolpost; screwcutting attachments of four types: early sliding spindle, late sliding spindle; simple chase and chase combined with changewheels and "changewheel-direct-to-top-slide"; an attachment to provide power feed to the cross slide (this was combined with the screwcutting attachment); tailstocks with screw, lever and capstan-handle operation (the latter with and without a large micrometer dial), headstock, slide-rest and tailstock raiser blocks; headstock-mounted dividing units with indexing plates; adaptors to fit headstocks and tailstocks to the tables of  Schaublin milling machines; several different kinds of single and multi (rotating) micrometer stop for the carriage and both cross and top slides; T-rests of various sizes for hand work; fixed steadies with closed and open bodies and a choice of bronze-tipped or roller fingers; faceplates with T-slots, tapped holes or a combination of both together with a selection of adjustable "finger" clamps to convert them for holding delicate parts; special "quill" holders to replace the tailstock that allowed high-accuracy spindles to be carried holding collets, faceplates and other fittings (the quills could also be fitted with pulleys and driven); saw tables and the necessary between-centres cutter arbors; a cam-turning attachment; roller filing rests with either single and double rollers; a number of different machine vices; a cross-slide mounted horizontal indexing and milling attachment; an unusual horizontally 4-way toolpost; an eccentric "chuck" (complete with adjustable counter-weight) that accepted both collets, faceplates and a conventional 3-jaw chuck (Schaublin's term for this unit was Universal offset and co-ordinate head); a centring microscope and stands with locking drawers, seats, footrests and electrical controls operated conventionally or by a knee hoop or foot pedals..
Tailstocks on early versions of the lathe can be something of a problem, being fitted with barrels having a 2° taper - hence not able to accept the more usual Morse fitting. The barrels are very hard and so extremely difficult to bore out -  grinding usually being necessary to complete the job (it's usually far easier to make a complete new barrel in a more easily turned steel. The first versions, both pre and post WW",  had a 25 mm diameter barrel, with the crudest of locking methods - a long slot in the casting closed down by a pinch bolts. This arrangement was fine when new but dangerous when worn, the extra force necessary to obtain a secure lock often being enough to snap the casting.  By the 1950s the tailstock had been considerably strengthened (with a larger barrel and a proper split clamp to lock it) and by the 1960s improved further with the fitting of a No. 2 Morse taper socket - though unfortunately it was cheapened by the use of a plastic handwheel. For many years the tailstock incorporated a small reservoir and dipper rod, this originally being intended to hold white lead for application to the centre - and ideal substance for the task, but horribly poisonous. Final tailstocks were styled, like the rest of the lathe, in a more angular fashion , and finally, at some point during the 1980s, were provided with adjustment in two planes..

Toolmakers' Lathe Model TO-102 for overhead or rear drive, draw-tube collet closer for W20 or W25 collets and screw-feeds to both compound slide and tailstock

Second-operation Lathe TL-102 for overhead or rear drive with lever-action collet closer for collet types W20 and W25 and a lever-action tailstock

Turret lathe TR-102 for overhead or rear drive with lever collet closer for (collet type F27), spindle nose retaining nut and nose cap, 6-position bed-mounted capstan unit and lever-action cut-off slide with front and rear toolposts

Early unguarded Type 102-96 countershaft unit termed an "Individual Drive" by Schaublin. This could be mounted behind the lathe, underneath it, on the wall, ceiling or even the floor. The drive ratios from motor to countershaft were arranged at 1:1, 2:1 and 3.5:1 and the head could be had with either the normal 3-step cone pulley or, for heavy-duty production work, a 2-step. Another option was a 2-step V-belt drive on the motor to countershaft section. In the early 1950s the unit was available with 4 motor options, all supplied complete with switch:
102-96 with a 1-speed 1-h.p. 1500 r.p.m. motor
102-96-100 2-speed, 0.5/0.7-h.p. 750/1500 r.p.m. motor
102-96-150 2-speed 0.7/1-h.p. 750/1500 r.p.m. motor
102-96-200 2-speed 0.5/1.25-h.p. 750/3000 r.p.m. motor
Whilst the standard motor could tolerate a reversal rate of up to 240 per hours for rates in excess of this (but no more than 720 per hour) a special 2-speed 0.5/1.25-h.p. 750/3000 r.p.m. motor, No. 102.80.046, could be supplied. For a reversing rate in excess of this a mechanical reversing unit (No. 102-80.043) had to be used and was normally mounted inside the cabinet stand.
In later years the same countershaft was used but with the option of braked motors (and ones off slightly different rating) introduced.
For another picture of this lathe, equipped with the top-slide power-feed and screwcutting attachment, click here.