Raglan Lathes

The first time I used a Little John was when I began secondary school more years ago than I care to remember. It may be that first impressions count but I really enjoyed all the time spent on the lathe and had many enjoyable arguments as to the merits of the Raglan with friends who were learning their turning skills on Myfords or Boxfords !

The Raglan Little John lathe is a 5" centre lathe which can accommodate 24" between centres. It has a variable speed drive  and has power traverse and cross-feed. The feeds are driven by a keywayed shaft and screw cutting is derived from an 8 t.p.i. leadscrew. An abbreviated specification is listed below.

The large black knob to the top left of the photo is the speed control lever. A slight turn CCW releases it from the quadrant then by moving it left and right the speed can be steplessly raised and lowered just as with a modern electronic inverter on 3-Phase motors. Once the desired speed is set a slight twist CW locks the control at the chosen speed.

Specification Height of Centres ................. 5 in. Swing over saddle ................ 6½ in. Admits between centres ...... 24 in. Headstock spindle bore ....... 1.032 in. Headstock taper ................... 4MT Leadscrew ............................. 8 T.P.I Spindle speeds ungeared ......270-1750  Spindle speeds backgeared ...36-220

My Little John Lathe after its rebuild.