[78-L] Nordskog's lathe

Martin Fisher wmfisher at mtsu.edu
Fri Nov 20 08:54:10 PST 2009


So I'm stuck in the past and just can't get out.

A few observations and questions regarding Arne Nordskog's disc lathe.  The 
references I've found so far state that the lathe was "driven by hand" which 
would seem to indicate that the TURNTABLE PLATTER was turned manually by 
crank as the cutting was done.  The two pictures I've located only give a 
top view from the front and right side.  These are the low resolution 
picture on the First Cask website 
http://firstcask.blogspot.com/search?q=nordskog and the picture on page 18 
of Floyd Levin's "Classic Jazz" book, available on Google Books.

These photos lead me to believe that the only "hand driven" portion of the 
lathe is the feed screw.  There is clearly a front wound spring motor 
present which probably drives the turntable.  A rudimentary crank is cobbled 
up on the right side which is most likely a manulal drive for the feed 
screw.  Without bottom photos it's a guess as to the linkage but it's 
relatively easy to figure the possibilities.

Are there any other clear photos of the lathe that would offer other clues 
or allow one to see fine details.  Looks to me like the reproducer/recorder 
is a Cheney vertical that was fitted for lateral cutting at an almost or 
perfect 90 degree angle to the surface.  And check out the tracking angle! 
Must be at least a three inch overhang.  Was this common??

Martin Fisher 




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