Model Engineers’ Workshop – July 2019

24 http://www.model-engineer.co.uk Model Engineers’ Workshop

Denford lathes don’t

seem as well known these

days, and certainly don’t

command the same prices

in the second-hand market

as a comparable Boxford,

which means that bargains

can be had!

was fitted to them, enabled the
attachment to act as a copying device.
This attachment appealed to me, and
again, a search of the forum came up
with most of the drawings. I failed to find
the drawings for the springs and spring
housings, but use of a materials list, and
a sectional view on the GA of the device
enabled me to get pretty close, photo
15. Again, pattern making was required
for the main brackets, but all the rest was
from readily available steel bar stock,
bought mainly from College Engineering
Supply, because they had the required
imperial sizes, and would cut what I
wanted to length. It’s just about finished
now, photo 16, all I have to do is to roll
the lathe away from the wall (it is on
casters, remember?), take the splashback
off and line the attachment up at the
right level, before drilling and tapping
for the four 8mm fixing screws. There are
machined pads on the back of the bed for
this attachment (painted over), but no

screw holes. The factory fitters must have

done these on an as and when required

basis when erecting a lathe ordered with

the attachment.

Summary

I’m very pleased with my Denford

280 Synchro, and to date it has done

everything I’ve asked of it. Whilst it

can’t be compared with a Colchester

or Harrison, it is robust, accurate and

capable of removing a lot of metal in

a short space of time. My next engine

project is a half size Robinson Hot Air

Engine from an unmolested set of

Alyn Foundry castings, which, from the

paperwork with them were made in the

early 1990s. Most of the castings are cast

iron, my favourite material, and I don’t see

The complete taper turning and copying attachment awaiting fi tting to the lathe.

14 15

16

Alternative Thread Dial Indicator fi tted with
28T gear cut by myself.

Spring housings and stylus for taper turning and copying attachment.

that the Denford will have any difficulty

machining them.

Despite their popularity in the

educational and training market in

the 1950s and 60s, alongside Boxford,

Denford lathes don’t seem as well known

these days, and certainly don’t command

the same prices in the second-hand

market as a comparable Boxford, which

means that bargains can be had! Just

be careful to check on the condition of

those plastic gears in the headstock, and

that the screw cutting gearbox works as

it should, the two areas where clumsy

handling in the past may have left its

mark. ■