Pittler C3 lathe

A Pittler C3, 5/1⁄8" X 24" centres and fitted with back-gear and universal joint

The Pittler C3 was first introduced in 1894 and was designed so thoroughly that it was produced and sold for the next 20 years and won many awards. It included a full set of 20 gears and 3 worms, fixed & travelling stays, milling head, dividing spindle, hand rest etc. The earlier lathes also included power cross feed and a powered circular/ball feed which ran off a universal joint. It connected via the headstock gearing and down through the reversing gearbox, it could also connect to several other attachments including a powered T slot table, a cam cutting attachment and automatic gear cutting attachments. Later models sold under the George Adams franchise greatly reduced the included accessories although they were still available at extra cost.

The C3 was originally offered in four sizes, 18 inch, 24 inch, 28 inch and 32 inches but after the move to the new factory at Leipzig-Wahren the two largest size were seemingly discontinued in favour of the smaller engineering lathes of similar lengths. All were with options for back-gear whilst further options were either electric power or treadle operation. Most likely most C3 lathes would require neither as they would run off an overhead line shafting along the full length of the factory they were installed in.

NOTE: Early Lathes without back-gear are 5" height, and with back-gear are 5 1⁄8" The reason is unknown but this must have presented a problem as it involved different height tailstocks as well. Modifications introduced at the new Wahren factory from 1900 onwards probably have the height set at 5" on both versions

Above: A 24" Pittler C3 with overhead drive running a milling spindle to cut a spiral, the leadscrew is being driven from the tailstock end using another belt from the overhead drive. ( see C3 video page) This lathe has a universal joint (shown on the left) which powers several accessories inc the circular ball cutting feed and also cross feed featured on other pages of this website.

First introduced in 1894 the C3 is the mid range of Pittler lathes although the large engineering A , D and E pattern lathes are probably very rare to find, these would not have been suitable for amateur use so likely scrapped when new models appeared. In many ways they all follow a similar design using the same trapezoidal bed and swiveling cross-slide. This website is for information on B and C lathes of which large numbers were imported to the UK from Germany from 1889 to around 1912, the latter years with the Pittler company under the ownership of tool dealer George Adams.

Above: A photo from the 1909 Johannes Schulz catalogue showing the production line of their lathes, most interesting is the Pittler C3 at the forefront which is fitted with a T slot table powered by the universal joint. Schulz also made Pittlers under licence

Both B2 and C3 lathes with minor differences such as how the the tailstock locks on to the bed and the design of the leadscrew and back gear activation levers etc are typical of those sold in the UK and plated as GEORGE ADAMS PITTLER. Lathes with those same design variations but with owners in other parts of Europe and the rest of the world are plated LEIPZIG-WAHREN, This shows that they were made at the new factory at WAHREN in the years following on from c.1900. The evidence is clear that George Adams added his own makers plate to the lathes imported from the new factory at Wahren. A common practice with many tool dealers in the UK.

Pittler, C3, production line in wahren around 1900

18 inch C3 lathes on the production line at the newly opened factory in Wahren, the photo is dated 1900. No headstock or tailstock fitted yet but the leadscrew and round saddle are already fitted in. Note the temporary wooden support for the tailstock end of the bed, this is to allow the saddle casting to be fitted on and then the tailstock support can be bolted on . The lathes still have the same vertical design of the leadscrew activation lever originating from the Invention factory, this will shortly have been modified to a horizontal one with the new design for the remaining years of production.