Lodge and Shipley Lathe Identification: Serial Plate Location

Overview

The Lodge and Shipley Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, produced heavy-duty engine lathes from the late 19th century through the early 20th century. Identification of surviving machines in shop environments relies on a small set of physical features: bed length, swing diameter, headstock configuration, gear-box style, and the data stamped on the manufacturer's plate. Because production overlapped and catalog descriptions were generalized, plates and serial numbers remain the only authoritative source for dating individual machines.

For an unknown lathe, the practical identification task has three parts: locate the serial number, read the patent dates on the plate, and correlate these with the catalog patterns documented for the era. For machines that have been re-engined (a common practice on this brand), the plate data remains on the bed even after the original motor, contactor, and gear box have been replaced.

Catalog Context

Reference catalog imagery is the primary means of comparing an unknown lathe against known configurations. The 1916 Lodge and Shipley catalog documents the 3-step double back geared engine lathe pattern that reappears on many surviving machines. The 3-step headstock with two back-gears (high/low range) was a standard offering for both 16 inch and 18 inch swing machines through the 1920s. Catalog matches are useful but not definitive: a number of optional features (taper attachment, compound rest, power cross feed) could be added or omitted at order time.

Operators' manuals and parts lists for pre-1930 machines from this manufacturer are scarce. The 1916 catalog is the most commonly referenced historical document, but it is descriptive rather than procedural. Detailed service procedures (bearing adjustments, back-gear shimming, leadscrew alignment) are typically recovered from period machinery handbooks rather than from manufacturer literature.

Serial Number Location

On Lodge and Shipley lathes of the 1916-1930 catalog era, the serial number is stamped on the bed, between the ways, on the back side of the tailstock end. Stamped characters are approximately 3/8 inch tall and are typically arranged in a single horizontal line.

Procedure to read the serial:

1. Slide the tailstock toward the headstock to expose the tailstock-end section of the bed.
2. Inspect the flat surface between the V-ways and the flat way on the back of the bed casting.
3. Look for stamped digits. Old cast iron surfaces hold stamp marks well; light rust or oil staining is normal.
4. Clean the area with a non-abrasive solvent if necessary. Do not grind or file the surface; the stamps are shallow.
5. If the bed has been painted, use a flashlight at a low angle to cast shadows in the stamped recesses. This often reveals digits not visible under direct illumination.

Plate Data Interpretation

The maker's plate is typically riveted to the headstock face, the gear-box cover, or the box leg. Plate fields include:

The latest patent date on the plate is the most reliable indicator of manufacture era. A plate carrying patent dates through April 1916 cannot represent a machine built before that date; the latest patent establishes the floor. To establish a ceiling, the serial number must be cross-referenced against surviving production records.

Serial Number Dating

Surviving production records are incomplete. Where ranges are known:

Identifying Common Configurations

3-Step Double Back Geared Engine Lathe

The 3-step double back geared pattern refers to a headstock with three V-belt pulley diameters (stepped) on the spindle input, paired with a back-gear pair providing a low-ratio reduction. The configuration gives six discrete spindle speeds when combined with the back gear engaged vs. disengaged.

Identifying features:

• Three distinct pulley diameters on the spindle nose or input shaft.
• Back-gear lever on the headstock face, typically left side.
• Bull gear with sliding pinion engaging the spindle's internal gear teeth.
• Source-machine bed length of 9 ft 6 in is consistent with the 16 inch / 18 inch swing offerings.

Hi/Lo Drive-All Gear Box Retrofit

The Drive-All gear box is a two-speed (high/low) reduction unit installed between the motor and the headstock pulley. On factory retrofit installations the assembly was mounted to the box leg of the lathe, with the original countershaft location retained or eliminated depending on the kit.

Identification markers for the Drive-All retrofit:

• Heavy cast iron gear-box housing bolted to the lathe's box leg casting.
• High/low shift lever on the gear box.
• Countershaft eliminated; the gear box output shaft drives the headstock pulley directly via V-belts.
• Motor mounted on a swinging or sliding base for belt tensioning.

The Drive-All was supplied as a factory retrofit kit for owners of older flat-belt machines converting to individual motor drive. The castings are substantial (gray iron, often 80-150 lb for the housing alone), and the installation looks integral to the lathe rather than improvised.

V-Belt Pulley Modifications

It is common to find a smaller V-belt pulley shrunk onto one of the original flat-belt pulley steps. This conversion allows the original three-step flat-belt pulley to drive a modern V-belt drive directly. The shrunk-on pulley is typically a standard commodity V-belt sheave (e.g., a bushed sheave from common industrial suppliers) press-fit onto the original flat-belt diameter.

Implications for identification:

• Confirms a post-factory motor conversion was performed.
• The flat-belt pulley diameter is still the relevant datum for catalog cross-reference; the V-belt sheave is a field addition.

Motor Retrofit History

Two configurations appear commonly on surviving machines:

Original 3-Phase Installation

The original three-phase installation reflects the typical industrial shop supply of the 1916-1930 era: a single motor with a forward / reverse / off drum switch feeding a magnetic contactor that reverses two of the three phases to reverse the motor. The drum switch handles direction logic; the contactor handles breaking and overload duty.

Common Single-Phase Conversion

Single-phase conversion is the most common field retrofit. On the source machine the current configuration is:

Converting from 3 HP three-phase to 5 HP single-phase typically involves:

1. Replacement of the motor with a single-phase equivalent.
2. Elimination of the forward / reverse drum switch and contactor panel (unless mechanical reverse at the spindle is retained).
3. Replacement of the motor starter with a magnetic on/off switch sized to the new motor FLA.
4. Adding a run capacitor and start capacitor circuit (typical of capacitor-start, capacitor-run single-phase designs).

5 HP single-phase is a substantial motor for hobby shop supply; many jurisdictions require a 50 A or larger 240 V single-phase circuit to feed a motor of this size without nuisance trips.

Original Electrical Control Components

The factory electrical package on this style of machine was integrated with the Drive-All retrofit and typically included:

The contactor panel mounting on the box leg is characteristic of this manufacturer and the Drive-All retrofit era. The box leg itself is less common than open-leg (channel or column) construction and historically was associated with heavier machines and motor-mount retrofit installations.

Documentation Availability

Operator's manuals and parts lists for pre-1930 machines from this manufacturer are scarce. For a serious restoration or repair, the practical documentation chain is:

1. Catalog imagery for configuration identification.
2. Plate data for year and serial constraints.
3. Period machinery handbooks for general procedural guidance.
4. Surviving production records held by historical societies and collector archives for serial number binding.

Field Identification Procedure

Use the following sequence when identifying an unknown lathe of this make:

1. Measure bed length between centers (with tailstock slid off the bed) and total bed length. The reference machine measures 9 ft 6 in total bed length.
2. Measure swing diameter over the ways and over the cross slide.
3. Inspect the headstock: count pulley steps, identify back-gear lever, check for power cross feed.
4. Locate the maker's plate on the headstock, gear-box cover, or box leg. Record all text, especially patent dates.
5. Locate the stamped serial number between the ways on the tailstock end of the bed. Record the full number.
6. Photograph the plate, the stamped serial, and the overall lathe (headstock, gear box, apron, tailstock).
7. Compare the configuration against catalog imagery to identify the model pattern (e.g., 3-step double back geared, 16 / 18 / 20 inch swing).
8. Cross-reference the serial number against any surviving production records for year attribution.
9. Document any field modifications: motor swaps, contactor changes, V-belt pulley shrink-ons, drive conversions.

Special Note: The Box Leg

Many machines of this era used open legs (channels or cast columns) supporting the bed. The box leg, a fully enclosed box-section leg, is less common and historically associated with the heavier machines and with retrofit installations where the motor and contactor were mounted to the leg. If the source lathe has the box leg, that configuration is documented as rarer than the open-leg pattern and is worth flagging in any identification record.

Common Pitfalls

• Assuming the motor date equals the lathe date. A replacement Baldor single-phase motor reflects the field conversion, not the original manufacture.
• Confusing the back-gear lever with a power-feed lever. The back-gear lever is on the headstock face; power-feed selectors are at the apron.
• Reading patent dates as manufacture dates. Patents establish a not-earlier-than bound, not the actual build date.
• Skipping the serial location between the ways. The plate serial and the bed serial can occasionally differ if a plate has been replaced; cross-check both.
• Removing paint aggressively to find stamps. Use solvent and angled light first; abrasive methods risk destroying the serial.
• Ignoring the V-belt shrink-on pulley. The pressed-on sheave is a modification, not original equipment; catalog cross-reference should use the underlying flat-belt diameter.

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