Scope Engineering bar bed Lathe

[Keith 66]

I popped in my local scrappy's yard this morning as you do to see what has turned up. He says "I just picked something up you might like".
Now bearing in mind the last time he said this i ended up with a very battered Boley 4LE that is a still ongoing project......
Anyway I had a look & took some photos. Its a strange looking beast, Marketed by Scope Engineering Ltd of Rugby but according to Tony Griffiths site built by Kneller Instrument & Tools ltd. Unusually its multi function & can be used as Lathe, Mill & has shaping & slotting ability too.
Its come out of a leaky old shed & is covered in surface rust, but it isnt seized & rust appears to be surface only.
Tailstock can be traversed with a big lever as a hand shaper & its got a built in dividing head too.
Crosslide can also be traversed this way & has vertical adjustment over quite a range.
It appears to be all complete & there are some accessories in a box with it.
It looks like a very high quality machine.
Im minded to have a punt at it though lord knows when i will get the time to do owt with it, What do you lot reckon? Is it worth wasting some time on?

 

[pressbrake1]

Worthy of saving even if you find someone for it
Bar lathe so no loss replacing bars if too bad

 

[Keith 66]

Thats what im thinking, Leadscrew is housed inside the front Bar, actually a heavy walled tube which is slotted on the underside to accept the feed drive.
Be a shame if it just gets weighed in.

 

[Keith 66]

Well I went & had a second look & as i suspected would happen i have been suckered again.
Downside it only has the 4 jaw chuck tailstock chuck & a few other bits plus a couple of changewheels.
Rust looks a lot worse than it is & the bed bars clean up fine with a light schotchbrite & wd40, likewise the other exposed surfaces on the slides. Looks like it was pretty oiled up when the old boy left it. Bar & head for the slotting/planing head is missing but shouldnt be too difficult for someone to make.
Drive is all complete & headstock spindle turns smoothly. Motor is there & its single phase.
It also comes with its dirty great bedplate. I have two spare 3 jaw chucks one of which can be made to fit
So I will give it a quick clean, spray it with oily unguents & leave it for now.
Work out what im going to do with it later.

 

[RichardM]

So is what you really mean to say "I've bought it and now have another project" ?

 

[God mode restorations]

They are a unusual little machine. I think barker made a bar lathe with an adjustable headstock.

 

[Keith 66]

So is what you really mean to say "I've bought it and now have another project" ?

I cant help it. Better to say I have "rescued" a fine piece of British engineering from the scrap, it comes with a small fly press thrown in.
Actually a friend is looking for just such a machine just hope its not too big for where its got to go, otherwise yes i have another project!
But i am a rank amateur when it comes to acquiring iron!

 

[6ply]

Good luck with the restoration. Not being able to say "no" is one reason I have to stay away.

Scope Multi-function Lathe

Scope lathe - pictures and description/<br>Multi-function lathe explained

www.lathes.co.uk

 

[RichardM]

I cant help it. Better to say I have "rescued" a fine piece of British engineering from the scrap, it comes with a small fly press thrown in.
Actually a friend is looking for just such a machine just hope its not too big for where its got to go, otherwise yes i have another project!
But i am a rank amateur when it comes to acquiring iron!

Don't blame you at all. I'd love it as a project, but I just haven't got the space at the moment.

 

[Keith 66]

The scrappy arrived this moring & we unladed it from his van, right heavy little beast. Just spent half an hour with a tin of wd40 & a scotchbrite.
Well to say i am pleased is an understatement, in two minutes the bed bars were bright & shiny & within half an hour it looks a lot better.
Thought shall i plug it in? power cord is in a terrible state but thought give it a go. Runs sweet & smooth as you like.
Tailstock moved with little effort & crossslide too, compound slide is stuck so soaking with release oil.
Its a belter. Take some pics later.

 

[Keith 66]

Heres a pic, two hours & a bit of elbow grease. Got the central toolpost free & wound it up, the big aluminium wheel slung underneath is the rise & fall. Tailstock is stuck to the right but should work free. The lathe has slotting or shaping capability, If you lock the saddle the tailstock can slide to & fro on the bed, lock the tailstock & disengage the drive the saddle can do the same all using the large lever slung underneath.
Im sure the last owner oiled it up before he left it as it would have been a mooring sinker otherwise.
In the top left of the photo is a large sheet of rust leaning against the doors, that is the lathes bedplate / mounting tray. It weighs about 1 1/2cwt on its own.
Need to find a little toolpost for it, may be one in my scrap box.
Like the Boley standing near it it is a very well built little machine

 

[RichardM]

Looks good, glad you got the base with it.

 

[Keith 66]

Tailstock freed up this evening, now runs smooth as silk on the lever, quite ingenious design, doesnt appear to be much wear on any of it. The cross slide milling table has a chunk out of a section of its table one end where the t slots cross & have broken but thats probably fixable. Before i do much else i will stick a bar in it & see how it turns. Its such a useful & compact machine i have a feeling its going to be a keeper.

 

[Keith 66]

Just been in touch with a gentleman in New Zealand, he has restored one & his email was on TonyGriffiths lathes site, A few weeks later came back to me & we have compared notes. Main thing missing from mine is the shaper head & mounting bar, fortunately the bar mount on the tailstock is still there.
Anyway he has sent me a dimensioned sketch of the missing bits so i can make them. Amazing what the internet is capable off!

 

[minimutly]

On its own buggerall, but with helpful engineers almost anything. Well done, good result.

 

[GraemeVW]

There is one for sale on lathes.co.uk, for spares, £200.
Might be worth it?

 

[Keith 66]

Theres too much missing, chucks, tailstock, dividing gear, crossslide, compound slide, toolpost, covers. Going to be hard to find parts for that, I fear that one is a lost cause, Plus i got nowhere left to put it!

 

[GraemeVW]

Theres too much missing, chucks, tailstock, dividing gear, crossslide, compound slide, toolpost, covers. Going to be hard to find parts for that, I fear that one is a lost cause, Plus i got nowhere left to put it!

I figured you had probably seen it, but thought id make sure.
I didn't know if it may have had any hard to find pieces left, but apparently not.

 

[Roger Williams]

What a lovely project !.

 

[drummond]

Keith

Hope you don't mind me posting in. The bitsa Scope lathe mentioned in the thread is mine - an impulse buy and now price reduced to more realistic level in the hope that someone more skilled than myself will take it on. Very envious of your scrapyard find - the Scope is an amazing machine. I bought mine sight unseen in the hope that the missing parts were with it, but no luck. Having saved it from the skip, too good to scrap I think, but it is rather cluttering up the garage and I do have another vintage lathe and too many projects.

Would be very interested to see more photos of yours (as would Tony at lathes.co.uk, I'm sure).

Best regards,
Phil