Above is a 24 inch Pittler C3 dating from 1895 and complete with universal joint for the powering of several interesting accessories, two of which are detailed on other pages. The lathe is shown here fitted with the drill spindle attachment and is cutting a spiral utilising the tailstock drive from the overhead countershaft. Both the machines on this page were made at Pittlers first factory in Gohlis called "Invention". However, It changed it's name in 1895 to "Leipziger Wekzeug-maschinenfabrik Atkiengesellschaft vorm W.von Pittler" when the business went public. In 1899 the factory was relocated to a large purpose built factory at Wahren taking 500 works employees, 50 staff and 10 apprentices. Parts of the building still stand today whereas the Invention factory was demolished in the 1930's to make way for roadworks.
There is no evidence that Pittler lathes were ever manufactured or assembled in the UK either by Pittlers agent GEORGE ADAMS or even more unlikely by HENRY MILNES. The latter claim based on a crude uneven hand punchmarked name on a B2 lathe headstock. Pittler and other foreign makes of lathes are often found with various tool dealers trade plates such as Buck & Ryan, did they make them or assemble? most definitely not!
Lathes with various differences such as in how the tailstock locks on and with a horizontal leadscrew activation lever are typical of those plated in the UK as "George Adams Pittler Co". These are identical to those found in other parts of Europe but are plated Leipzig-Wahren thus showing that it was made at the new factory in Wahren from 1900 onwards. This is clear evidence that in the UK "THE PITTLER COMPANY" under ownership of George Adams, replaced the German plates with GEORGE ADAMS PITTLER Co plates. George Adams also replated other German machines such as an Ehrlich lathe made in Chemnitz, Germany See the page showing nameplates
Image left above: A section of a translated German Pittler catalogue dated 1894 where it mentions that the large engineering lathes were produced at the former Sondermann and Stier factory at Chemnitz but were seemingly not exported outside of Germany, however I have contact with a current owner in the UK with a model AHH Pittler see the page on Heavy engineering lathes
Lathes were definitely assembled in Brussels under Martin H. Rumpf and in Berlin by Johannes Schulz as shown in the photo on the left which actually bears the name Pittler although the lathe pictured is not a Pittler, view a rare Schulz long bed B2, here. The English translation is Berlin Mechanical Engineering Company Johannes Schulz & Co. Berlin-Weissensee Precision lead screw lathes and Pittler universal metalworking machines. Catalog free and postage paid upon request.
