Rose Engine Lathe
Overview
A rose engine lathe is a specialized kind of geometric lathe. What sets it apart from the "standard" lathe are:
- The headstock can rock back and forth along the spindle axis in a manner defined by a rosette or cam-like pattern mounted on the spindle, while the lathe spindle rotates.
- The spindle can be pumped back and forth, again controlled by a rosette or cam-like pattern mounted on the spindle, while the lathe spindle rotates.
- Finally, the rose engine lathe differs from the "standard" lathe is in the tooling. The user of a rose engine lathe has the ability to used fixed tools like the other lathes, but he can also use tools which have rotating cutters (as with routers or milling machines). These cutting tools can be positioned in a myriad of ways to enable the artist to achieve quite unique outcomes.
Rose engine work can make flower patterns, as well as convoluted, symmetrical, multi-lobed geometric patterns.
The patterns it produces are similar to that of a Spirograph, and no other ornamental lathe can produce these rose patterns.
One type of decoration produced by a rose engine lathe is called guilloché. Guilloché sometimes confused with "jewel finishes" or engine turning, a much cheaper process of making swirly marks in metal by a rotating abrasive peg or pad, which is repeatedly applied to the surface to make a pattern of overlapping circles. Jewel finishes used to be common on stereo faceplates and automobile interiors.
Beautiful wooden objects are also made with a rose engine lathe, and that seems to be the primary purpose for most hobbyists these days.
At a simplistic level, a rose engine lathe makes three sets of movement happen at the same time.
- An object, held in a chuck, is rotated very slowly around the Z axis (typically <10 RPM),
- The headstock is rocked back and forth (basically in the X axis) with movements which are based on the shape of a rosettes, and
- A spinning cutter (held in cutting frame) is engaged to make the cutting.
But what makes a rose engine lathe really fun is that there are so many variables that can be brought into play.
- There are a whole host of chucks which can present the object in different ways to the cutter,
- The headstock can:
- Rock back and forth,
- Pump to the left and right,
- Be held fixed, or
- Be indexed using an indexing wheel.
- The cutter can:
- Rotate horizontally, vertically, or somewhere in between,
- Rotate elliptically,
- Spin like a drill, or
- Simply be a fixed scraper.
There are other approaches that can be taken, but this gives the general idea.
The videos below show these activities working in harmony to produce a nice design. Watching the shape emerge from the wood is truly magical.
To me, another excellent part is the way it can work relatively unattended. This means:
- I can walk to the other end of my shop and get a cup of coffee whilst it is running, and
- Someone who has less muscular control (e.g., an arthritic) can make great pieces whilst sitting in front of the machine, making small adjustments as needed. This hobby really accommodates those of us who aren't in the prime of our life any more (or maybe never were).
And, my wife loves what I make on the machine! (She chooses what to keep, and what to give away.)
So, how do you get started? This site is intended to help you do just that. But if you get hung up along the way, do send me an email via the address shown below. I will do what I can to get you past your stopping point.
Examples of a Rose Engine in use
- In this YouTube video, Steve White shows us the rose engine and how to turn post finials in this hands-on lesson provided by Lindow White and Roseengine1.com.
- "Rose Engine Turning Lesson" or
- "Rose Engine Woodworking Lesson"
- This is a YouTube video of the Mandala rose engine lathe.
- This YouTube video shows a rose engine lathe with pumping
- And for a fun video, this YouTube video shows a spirograph used on an MDF rose engine lathe.
More Information
Published Articles
- Al Collins Remodels His Rose Engine by (unknown). Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 9, No. 2 - Summer, 2002, pg. 1
- The Birmingham Museum Collection of Patterning Machines by John Edwards. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 136, Summer, 2017, pg. 16
- A Brief Overview of the Rose Engine Development in the Northwest by John Moe. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 22, No. 1 - May, 2015, pg. 10
- Alan Bugbee and his Lawler Ornamental Mill by Alan Bugbee.
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 20, No. 2 - Summer, 2013, pg. 11
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 20, No. 3 - Fall-Winter, 2013, pg. 36
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 21, No. 1 - Spring, 2014, pg. 29
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 22, No. 1 - May, 2015, pg. 36
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 22, No. 2 - November, 2015, pg. 19
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 24, No. 2 - Fall, 2017, pg. 21
- Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 25, No. 1 - Summer, 2018, pg. 23
- Alan Bugbee Supplements His Lawler with a Powerhouse Ornamental Mill by (unknown). Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 9, No. 1 - Winter, 2011, pg. 5
- A Computerized Ornamental Lathe by Bill Ooms. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 18, No. 2 - June, 2011, pg. 2
- The Birmingham Museum Collection of Patterning Machines by John Edwards. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 136, Summer, 2017, pg. 16
- Deep Cutting Into metal On the Straight Line Machine and the Rose Engine by John Moorhouse. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 144, Spring 2021, pg. 14
- Double Spindle Modification by Steve White. Rose Engine News, Volume 6, No. 2, Fall-Winter, 2015-16, pg, 6.
- The Birmingham Museum Collection of Patterning Machines by John Edwards. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 136, Summer, 2017, pg. 16
- Deep Cutting into Metal on the Straight Line Machine and the Rose Engine by John Moorhouse. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 144, Spring, 2021, pg. 14
- Evans No. 1292 and Holtzapffel Eccentric Rosework Apparatus by Nicholas Edwards. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 141, Autumn, 2019, pg. 23
- Holtzapffel's Register of Lathes-correction of scanned version by Richard Boughton. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 147, Autumn, 2022, pg. 20
- Holtzapffel's Threads by Mike Windsor. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 136, Summer, 2017, pg. 31
- The Little Engine That Could: Adaptation of the Engine-Turning Lathe in the Pottery Industry by Jonathan Rickard and Donald Carpentier. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 22, No. 1 - May, 2015, pg. 16
- Matching the Finish of a Holtzapffel Lathe Mahogany Stand by Rob Lichty. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 21, No. 2 - Summer, 2014, pg. 8
- The Manning Combination Lathe by Arthur Manning. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 10, No. 2 - June, 2003, pg. 2
- The MDF Stepping Up by (unknown). Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 27, Newsletter Supplement - February, 2020, pg. 8
- Newcomer's Lathe by Denis Marcus. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 11, No. 1 - February, 2004, pg. 2
- New Drives for an 1851 Rose Engine Lathe by Frank Dorion. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 24, No. 2 - Fall, 2017, pg. 13
- The Ornamental Lathe by Olga Baird. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 12, No. 1 - March, 2005, pg. 2
- The Ornamental Lathe, and How to Make It - XII, by J.H. Evans. Published in "English Mechanic and World of Science" #1517, 20 April 1894
- The Ornamental Lathe of Louis XVI from the Birmingham Collection of Science and Industry by G. Phil Poirier. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 28, Special Edition 3 - August, 2021, pg. 3
- Ornamental Turning Machine Design by Steve White. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 17, No. 2 - Summer, 2010, pg. 7
- The Parts and Processes of a Rose Engine in the Modern Shop by G. Phil Poirier. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 27, Special Edition - July, 2020, pg. 3
- Precise Rose Engine Patterns by Bill Ooms. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 17, No. 3 - Fall, 2010, pg. 10
- Reframing of H&D 1213 by Richard Boughton. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 141, Autumn, 2019, pg. 28
- Richard L. Ketchen's Rose Engine Restoration by (unknown). Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 5, No. 2 - December, 1998, pg. 1
- Rose Engine Modifications - Second Spindle, Geometric Chuck, Amplitude Pointer, and 8 Bump Cross by Steve White. Rose Engine News, Volume 6, No. 1, Spring-Summer, 2015, pg, 11.
- Rose-Engine Turning by Jon Magill. Ornamental Turners International Newsletter, Volume 14, No. 2 - September, 2007, pg. 3
- A Standard High-Class Ornamental Lathe - I, by J.H. Evans. Published in "English Mechanic and World of Science" #1496, 24 November 1893
- The Tyntesfield Lathe by John Edwards. The Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin 136, Summer, 2017, pg. 2
- Useful Lindow Rose Engine Facts and Constants by Roy Lindley with additions by David Lindow & Brian Clarry. Rose Engine News, Volume 5, No. 2, Fall-Winter, 2014-15, pg, 20.
Books and Papers
- Engine Turning 1680-1980 (2017), by Martin Richard Matthews.
- John Jacob Holtzapffel's 1884 book, is a great source of information.
Presentations
- Alan Bugbee discusses modications to the Lawler lathe. by Alan Bugbee. 1997 OTI Symposium (Portsmouth, NH)
- Bob Baker's restoration of the wooden parts of a rose engine by Bob Baker. 1992 OTI Symposium (Rochester, NY)
- Bonnie Klein uses a Cler OT lathe with a rose engine attachment her husband made. by Bonnie Klein. 1999 OTI Symposium (Tacoma, WA)
- Fred Armbruster discusses Birch lathes by Fred Armbruster. 1997 OTI Symposium (Portsmouth, NH)
- Fred Armbruster discussing how he came to decide to build a rose engine beginning in 1989 by Fred Armbruster. 1996 OTI Symposium (Kansas City, MO)
- Hawk Computerized Ornamental Lathe by (unknown). 1992 OTI Symposium (Rochester, NY)
- Jon Sauer and his Holtzapffel lathe #2237 made in 1868, showing how he received it, restored it, and uses it by Jon Sauer. 1995 OTI Symposium (Penn Valley, CA)
- Richard Ketchum describes restoration of a straightline and a rose engine and how to design pattern bars for a straightline by Richard Ketchum. 2000 OTI Symposium (Kennebunkport, ME)
Disclaimer: eMail comments to me at OTBookOfKnowledge @ Gmail.com. The process of woodturning involves the use of tools, machinery and materials which could cause injury or be a health hazard unless proper precautions are taken, including the wearing of appropriate protective equipment. |