Photo Index - Oliver Machinery Co. - 159-A

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Oliver Machinery Co.
Grand Rapids, MI

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Lathe, Wood
Machine Size:	12"x36"
Submitted By:	Tony Cruz

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	159-A
Date of Manufacturer:	1954
Serial Number:	84215 (View SN Registry Entry)
Last Updated	6/3/2006 6:10:24 PM

Comments:

The Cadillac of lathes. This was my first Oliver machine, and my favorite. I own 5 or 6 of these plus a 2159. It belonged to an uncle of one of my high school buddies. He aquired it from the Harrison, NJ school system when they built a new high school in 1964. He offered to sell it to me in 1977 for $200 too much for a high school kid at the time. He next offered it to me after he had regained an interest in woodturning and added some accessories & tools to it. The price was $1500 steep even by today`s standards, I was still in college, coming up that kind of money was just as hard as $200 would have been in high school. There wouldn`t be another chance as he was moving out of state. The $200 would have been a good investment.
I really cut my woodturning teeth on this machine. I call it my portable lathe. It is single phase. These 159`s are easily dissasembled for moving. I`ve moved this machine around a lot. Five different shop locations and many times for demonstrating. I`ve even had the honor of having David Ellisworth perform one of his demonstrations on it at my local woodturners club.
These lathes are great. The variable speed reeves drive is hard to beat. The machine is as smooth as silk. The tailstock quill flywheels in and out. I added a Delta ballbearing center. My favorite feature is that the headstock can be slid down the ways to operate the machine as a bowl lathe.
It is currently in the basement of Harrison Engine Co. 3 where I use it occasionaly.

Photo 1:

Comments: Head Side
Source: My Kodak

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Photo 2:

Comments: Tail Side
Source: My Kodak

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Photo 3:

Comments: 159-A #84215
Source: My Kodak

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