David Wilkinson (machinist) - Wilkinson Lathe

Wilkinson Lathe

Textile machinery manufacturer and scientific writer Zachariah Allen had the following to say about Wilkinson's lathe in 1861:

“It has to this day proved the most effective tool placed within the control of mankind for shaping refractory metals and for accomplishing the triumph of mind over matter. The slide engine is employed in the great machine shops of America and Europe.”

Ross Tompson (2009) on the importance of Wilkinson's lathe:

'In his "Reminiscences", Wilkinson claimed his lathe was:

"worth all the other tools in use, in any workshop in the world, for finishing brass and iron"

On the versatility of his lathe Wilkinson said:

"The weighted side, the joint made by gravity, applies to planing, turning, and boring of metals of every kind, and in every way."

An 1848 report from the Committee on Military Affairs to the U.S. Senate highlighted the importance of Wilkinson's invention, for which the patent had expired in 1812:

"Being left open to general use, an invention so vastly important in its character could not fail to be sought after, not only in the public at large, but also by agents of the government engaged in the fabrication of arms of various descriptions; and hence we find the gauge and sliding lathe was early introduced and made use of by all the arsenals and armories of the United States."

The report went on to say 'Wilkinson was the "true and undisputed author" of the lathe, and that it was "indispensable" for making firearms, and that public armories used 200 lathes based on the invention. The report recommended a $10,000 reward, which he was given.

Wilkinson failed to generate much income from his lathe. Records exist for the sale of one lathe and a few parts.

David Wilkinson's lathe is often compared to Henry Maudslay's which was invented a few years before Wilkinson's. Maudslay's lathe used change gears which allowed it to cut threads of various pitches, without which Wilkinson's could only cut a fixed pitch. Wilkinson's lathe could handle heavier work.