BoleynWorkshop

Yet More Readers Machines

First up in Yet More Readers Machines are some more of Edmund from Blackpool's work. What we have here are three rescued and refurbished Consorts and a Capitol planer that has come back into his possession having been around Lancashire. Sterling work as ever, thanks Edmund.

Next up and not before time is another Coronet Elf and this one is from Chris Curwen of Cheshire. His is now fitted with the 36" bed bar having replaced the 48" it came with. Note the bowl turning rest attachment. These pics are also up on the official Elf page. Many thanks for the pictures Chris and hopefully some more Elf owners will send in their own.

This is a Coronet Homemaker in dire need of some restoration sent in by Steve Thompson.

Although this machine is in dire condition the good news is that these machines are eminently restorable due to the quality of the build.

Thanks for the photos Steve and hope to see some more photos soon.

Next up we have a Coronet Major sent in by Geoff Newman from Falmouth. Interestingly Geoff was trained on one of these machines in the 1980s and now looking for a hobby in retirement has acquired one to call his own.

Thanks for sending in the photos Geoff and good luck with the restoration.

Next up is a blue (Mk3) Major from Boleyn regular Edmund of Blackpool. This machine was rescued from storage in Lancashire and after restoration is heading down the M6/M5 to Padstow in Cornwall where it's new owner will surely be delighted. Thanks Edmund sterling work as ever.

Kevan Davison from Northumberland sent in pictures of his machines which he has restored to a very high standard himself. He worked with woodworking machinery both professionally and as an amateur for over forty years and likes the Coronet brand very much. First up is his Coronet Minor.

Next up is his Coronet Imp. Tech problems are not allowing me to post the other photos the correct way up but I am working on it in between fits of sulking and beating my fists against my head.

Here is his Coronet Major which is waiting for restoration but only really needs attention to the paintwork. The planer is attached bolted to the workbench rather than being mounted on an extension bar. See pic underneath.

More pictures of both the Imp and the Major to follow plus some of a Capitol planer. Thanks for sending these in Kevan they're a great addition to the site.

Niall Mason from Southampton owns a Coronet Imp and also a Coronet Capitol planer which I was given by Tim from Devon and which I duly passed on to him in exchange for some Minorette parts after storing it for several years. Hopefully we will see it here when he has it up and running. While I was dropping it off I got the chance to visit his workshop and check out his Imp which is in good working condition. Thanks for the opportunity Niall and especially for the spares which shall be put to good use keeping another machine in working order.

I bought some spares from John who is a boatbuilder in the New Forest. He did not use the saw table on his Major as it was not convenient where it was situated but did use the lathe as you can see below. I was struck by the great condition of the factory stand which has retained it's colour well, is undamaged and would be very interested if it ever came up for sale. Hint hint. Thanks John for the opportunity to photo your machine.

Tim Brotherhood sent me these pics of his very tidy Coronet Minor and attachments. He has recently started refurbishing it after purchasing it approx ten years ago from a friend of his in Derby (real Coronet country that). It looks great Tim and thanks for sending them in.

Pat Brindley sent in pictures of his Coronet Major which has an interesting history. He bought it in approx 1985 at a London woodworking show and it was supplied by Taylor Bros of Liverpool. It was sold as a stand alone lathe with the Coronet headstock badge painted over and the spindle missing it's saw table end. It does however have the five speed polyvee pulleys and a beltguard with the Coronet Major logo. Pat is wondering whether there are any more of these around.

Iain Locke formerly of Fontmell Magna in Dorset, sent in pictures of his newly acquired Coronet Major from where he now resides in Devon. He has plans to restore and use the machine himself and it already looks at home in his workshop. Just to prove that it is sometimes a very small world I'll just mention that my parents bought an oak coffee table from the carpentry and joinery works at Shillingstone Station where Iain worked in the mid 20th century. Good luck with the machine Iain and I look forward to pictures of the finished job. Thanks for contributing.

Richard Cruickshank residing in Verese,Italy sent in these pictures of this Coronet Minor along with some history of the machine. His father originally purchased the machine in the late 1950s for amateur/hobby work and when he got married and emigrated to Italy, he took the machine with him. Richard and his father have been the only two owners of this Minor and collection of attachments that include an outboard tool rest and the rarely found flexible drive shaft. The outboard tool rest is unusual with this model as it has the triangulated feet that allow the attaching of the onboard tool rest. The machine is set up in Richard's joinery shop and is primarily used for woodturning as shown by the table or stool legs in the phot gallery. Thanks for the great contribution Richard.

Next up is a Coronet Major belonging to Peter from Thurrock in Essex. He had started turning whilst in school and had dreamt of owning one of these classic machines since the 1970s after seeing one in the shop window of Marshall and Parsons in Leigh on Sea. His chance finally arrived when one turned up on an online auction site and just happened to be in nearby Billericay. The 1968 machine belonged to a 92 year old gentleman who had actually been an exhibition demonstrator back in Coronet's heyday and now felt the time was right to let his machine and extensive collection of tools go to a new owner. Thanks for sending in the photos and some history of the machine Peter.

Below we have a gallery of photos from Norman who acquired his Coronet Major in a somewhat grimy state as you can see from the first photo of the morticer. The centre photo shows the same attachment post cleaning and you can see just how well it has cleaned up. Thanks Norman and do keep us updated of your progress.

Following on we have a Coronet Imp bought by James Cole for his guitar making workshop and it seems like it has been there forever. Note the bespoke fence fabricated and fitted for or by a previous owner.

And yet another Imp rears it's pretty head. This time it's another special from Edmund Hill of Blackpool and this one is up for sale on that well known auction site. Sterling work as ever Edmund and thanks for sending in the pictures.

Another Majorette at long last, I have a real soft spot for this model and would have kept mine if space permitted. This one is from Andy who acquired it recently and intends to restore it for use once more. I have no idea why the photo is so small here. Thanks Andy and I look forward to seeing progress in the future.