Matt's Desk

H.W.Ward Milling Machine (1910s)

Mill as purchased with can for scale. Note the Austin 7 steering wheel boss repurposed as a handwheel.

Made by H.W.Ward in Birmingham, this mill is deceptively heavy for its size. Information is scarce and no other examples exist on the internet. However, using information from the excellent Grace’s Guide and Lathes.co.uk about the manufacturer, along with the plate on the side of the machine, some information of its history can be assumed.

According to both of the above sources, H.W.Ward produced a variety of machine tools and then streamlined to lathes in 1912. This would date the milling machine as pre-1912.

A plate on the side of the mill reads ‘Geo Kent, Luton’. A search on the history of George Kent shows this company produced a variety of items in the 19th and 20th centuries, with the Luton factory opened in 1908.

Local history sites note that the Luton George Kent factory produced shell fuses for the First World War, with The Culture Trust’s site featuring articles about the factory. One particular image shows workers in the background working on what appear to be small milling machines:

Could this be the same machine, or is confirmation bias at play?

In addition to an interesting history, the mill has plenty of interesting features. All axis can be lever-operated via various gear racks hidden on the underside of various sections of the table and knee. The mill currently has lever feeds on the vertical and X axis and a screw feed on the Y axis.

The spindle is of the hollow type with an internal taper. The taper is not a morse profile, resembling an R8 profile with different dimensions.

Given the mill is likely well over 100 years old, there appear to be a few modifications from previous owners:

  • In the absence of the original handwheel, the previous owner used the central control disc from an Austin 7 as a feed wheel as it was the right bore (On an unrelated topic, please use the contact form if you are interested in an Austin 7 control disc!)
  • The previous owner confirmed he converted the mill from flat belt to vee, and added the motor and pulleys.

The intention is to clean the mill and get it working. Come back to this page for further updates!