Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get tool plans

User Tag List

Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: World's largest lathes - photos

  1. #1
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    26,365
    Thanks
    8,085
    Thanked 40,133 Times in 11,738 Posts

    World's largest lathes - photos

    I don't know what the single largest lathe in the world is. You could rate them by different factors like total weight or overall length or diameter, and it looks like this nuance is what allows multiple claimants to the "world's largest lathe" title. I believe these are used mostly for propellor shafts for enormous vessels.

    Some contenders:

    Cockatoo Island Giant Lathe HDR
    More: The World's Largest Lathe is For Sale - Industry Tap



    1993 Waldrich Siegen 3000 x 13000 mm (118" x 512") CNC Roll Lathe
    More: 1993 Waldrich Siegen 3000 x 13000 mm CNC Roll Lathe



    Skoda 36 meter lathe


    Previously:

    WWII hand-powered lathe from Liberty Ship - photo
    Lathe whipping accident - video and image
    Leonardo da Vinci lathe build

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Jon For This Useful Post:

    Beserkleyboy (Nov 1, 2018), KustomsbyKent (Nov 1, 2018), PJs (Nov 2, 2018), Seedtick (Nov 1, 2018)

  3. #2
    Supporting Member Frank S's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Peacock TX
    Posts
    11,619
    Thanks
    2,176
    Thanked 9,112 Times in 4,361 Posts

    Frank S's Tools
    I can't imagine a lathe of those sizes spinning at 2000+ RPM . Let alone the millwright time to install and true one of these machines before they could be switches on.

    2,000+ Tool Plans
    Never try to tell me it can't be done
    When I have to paint I use KBS products

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Frank S For This Useful Post:

    PJs (Nov 2, 2018)

  5. #3
    Supporting Member Drew1966's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    457
    Thanks
    517
    Thanked 145 Times in 90 Posts
    Very nice to see Australia’s biggest large on this list. (Cockatoo Island)

  6. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Drew1966 For This Useful Post:

    Beserkleyboy (Nov 2, 2018), PJs (Nov 2, 2018)

  7. #4
    Supporting Member Tonyg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Centurion, South Africa
    Posts
    195
    Thanks
    1,710
    Thanked 74 Times in 60 Posts
    I have a client in Johannesburg that manufactures winch drums for some of the gold mines using a vertical lathe. The faceplate/chuck is level with the floor and is 8m in diameter. I watched for a while as they surfaced a 7,2m diameter, 3m wide drum which was quite fascinating. I do not remember what the RPM was but it was quite slow as at that diameter the m/minute move by very quickly.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Tonyg For This Useful Post:

    Paul Jones (Nov 9, 2018)

  9. #5
    Supporting Member Beserkleyboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Sunny South Coast NSW, Australia
    Posts
    366
    Thanks
    473
    Thanked 230 Times in 134 Posts

    Beserkleyboy's Tools
    ...ahh, Cockatoo Island...When it was decommissioned in 1991, a huge auction was held. I was new in the specialty plywood business and my partner and I took a truck across on a barge and had fun! I got a nice 3 phase 8" grinder for $40, a Vertical panel (breakdown) saw, and together we bought about 50 sheets of Coachwood Marine plywood. I still have about 10 sheets in the racks and am slowly using them, but only for heirloom projects. Cheers
    Jim
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockat...w_South_Wales)

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Beserkleyboy For This Useful Post:

    PJs (Nov 2, 2018)

  11. #6

    Join Date
    May 2017
    Posts
    13
    Thanks
    18
    Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
    NICE! Any Lathe that you get to ride on is BIG!! JR

  12. #7
    PJs
    PJs is offline
    Supporting Member PJs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Northern CA
    Posts
    1,844
    Thanks
    8,420
    Thanked 1,128 Times in 724 Posts

    PJs's Tools
    Note the hand crank on the cross slide on the Cockatoo Island Giant Lathe HDR...what gets me is the size of the tail stock that says something about 15 ton on the base for it!
    ‘‘Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.’’
    Mark Twain

  13. #8
    Supporting Member Christophe Mineau's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    France, Brittany !
    Posts
    913
    Thanks
    831
    Thanked 1,705 Times in 481 Posts

    Christophe Mineau's Tools
    In my student years in Brest, France, we had the opportunity to visit the Navy arsenal, where they had some interesting machines like a giant vertical lathe that was turning an enormous propellor. It spinned actually very very slowly, but the cut speed was quite fast because of the diameter of the workpiece.
    Another amazing machine was the computer assisted machine producing intricate pieces of tubing for submarines. Really amazing machine.

  14. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Christophe Mineau For This Useful Post:

    Paul Jones (Nov 9, 2018), PJs (Nov 2, 2018)

  15. #9
    Supporting Member madokie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Posts
    165
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 54 Times in 47 Posts
    the REALLY giant lathes have ways like over size rail road tracks,that are set in the floor ,aligned with lasers and then concrete is poured in ,,headstock is built/assembled on site .aligned to the ways,bolted to the floor, carridge is built/ assembled on the ways,as is the tailstock..

  16. #10
    Supporting Member Frank S's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Peacock TX
    Posts
    11,619
    Thanks
    2,176
    Thanked 9,112 Times in 4,361 Posts

    Frank S's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by madokie View Post
    the REALLY giant lathes have ways like over size rail road tracks,that are set in the floor ,aligned with lasers and then concrete is poured in ,,headstock is built/assembled on site .aligned to the ways,bolted to the floor, carridge is built/ assembled on the ways,as is the tailstock..
    R.G. Letourneau used to have a lathe in his Lufkin Texas manufacturing plant he built it himself. Well over 100 feet between the centers the ways were made of concrete with 2 or 3 oversized railroad rails embedded on both sides I have no idea what the swing was but 2 men had to ride the carriage to operate it
    makes my little 56" 38" over the carriage 11' between the center American look puny
    World's largest lathes - photos-20190706_110239c.jpg
    World's largest lathes - photos-20190706_123701c.jpg



    2,000+ Tool Plans
    Never try to tell me it can't be done
    When I have to paint I use KBS products

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •