This is a set of three booklets by Robert Porter about restoring old lathes, making a form tool grinding attachment, a pivot polisher, and micro drilling attachment for clock and watch makers.

The title are: Restoring This Old Lathe, How to Make a Form Tool Grinding Attachment for the Watchmakers' Lathe, and How to Make a Pivot Polisher and Micro Drilling Attachment for the Small Lathe.

Restoring This Old Lathe:

40+ pictures and several line drawings. Demonstrates the step-by-step disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, and lubrication of an old watchmakers lathe (without damaging it) as well as the making of a new lock nut for the tailstock spindle. Useful information about lathe tool bits and hand-held gravers is included.

How to Make a Form Tool Grinding Attachment for the Watchmakers' Lathe:

It is beyond the scope of this guide to get into the rather involved process of designing gears - there are several books available from horological book sellers that treat this subject in detail. This guide is about making the form tool you will use to make the gear cutter after you have the gear information you need. It is a lot of fun to see the complex geometry of a wheel or pinion emerge from a piece of steel or brass, especially when you have made your own cutter. Three types of cutters are shown in this guide.

This easy to make attachment will allow us to grind any radius and clearance angle we are likely to need on a cutter forming tool made from a 3/16" (0.1875") square high speed steel lathe tool bit. The tool bit is ground on a bench grinder to the approximate shape needed. The grinding attachment is used to finish grind the form tool only. Protect the lathe headstock, bed, and slide rest etc. from grinding grit with clear plastic clinging type food wrap, for example.

How to Make a Pivot Polisher and Micro Drilling Attachment for the Small Lathe:

This 24 page how-to guide is packed with over 30 pictures and several line drawings to show you how to make a simple, but effective, polishing and micro-drilling attachment for your lathe. You are also shown how to make the laps and small drills. Polishing pivots reduces friction.

Slide rest mounted pivot polishers are difficult to find, and are expensive when you can find them. This simple and easy to make attachment offers the watch/clock maker, model maker, and other skilled artisans a way to grind and polish pivots; as well as a means to drill work in the small lathe. Polishing pivots reduces friction and increases the efficiency of a watch or clock gear train.