Comments on: Video: The Lindow-White Rose Engine

By: Elmer

Elmer — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:37:13 +0000

CS, I just saw a Rose engine at the Natioal Clock Museum yesterday . Amazing. It was used to decorate watch cases. Elmer

By: johnmoran

johnmoran — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:56:03 +0000

Steve

I have had a very nice CNC machine for over 10 years and have made some very nice objects. However, there is no way any ‘standard’ CNC mill will ever match the purity of cut that you get from a proper ornamental lathe and/or Rose Engine.

The secret is in the cutting action that leaves a piece of ebony or boxwood glistening as though polished – no CNC cutter can come close to this.

True ornamental work never sees sandpaper or any such finishing system – its cut surfaces are straight from the tool.

I can see a CNC machine being built to replace the indexing mechanisms used in the Rose Engine and allied mechanisms but I believe the cutter will always have to be of the razor sharp ‘fly-cutter’ type – not a standard CNC end mill or anything like it.

So, yes, maybe a CNC machine to replace the complexities of the Holtzapffel Lathe, the Rose Engine and the Geometric Chucks, etc … but never the cutting action.

Hmmm … sounds like a nice project, thanks for the idea.

Kind regards – John

By: Christopher Schwarz

Christopher Schwarz — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:31:14 +0000

Fixed. Thanks!

By: chris k.

chris k. — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:04:56 +0000

You thought woodworking and Handtools are addictive, Oramental Turning (OT) is like heroin. The LW is an excellent machine. I started with an MDF that I made and then stepped up to the LW. I have upgraded its several times with all the goodies that David comes up with to offer more capabilities. But be warned its a VERY slipperly slope, but a really fun one!

David also puts on excellent demos and owners symposiums to teach techniques. They are an excellent two day experiance.

Chris K.
Lindow White Owner Serial #26

By: Steve_OH

Steve_OH — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:54:40 +0000

I’ve always been fascinated by Holtzapffel lathes and their relatives, ever since I played with a Spirograph as a kid, and looked at the engraving on dollar bills under a microscope.

But the writing is on the wall: These days, a CNC mill can do everything that a rose engine can do, and much, much more. A good CNC mill still costs quite a bit more, but the differential is decreasing steadily.

By the way, the second hyperlink in the blog post is broken (the right parenthesis shouldn’t be part of the URL).

-Steve