Manufacturers of OT Equipment

The Holtzapffel Family

The Holtzapffel family spanned several generations and have been placed in this section since they had such an important influence on ornamental turning during England's Victorian Era.

• John Jacob Holtzapffel I (1768-1835) – J. J. Holtzapffel, an Alsatian mechanic, moved from Strasbourg (then part of France) to London in 1784. Ten years later, he set up his lathe-making business. From 1795 to 1803, he produced and sold 385 lathes, including his first rose engine lathe in 1797. Of particular importance is the overhead drive system he developed in which a treadle-powered arrangement of pulleys and belts rotates a shaped cutter. This enabled an unending profusion of surface decorations to be made on an item while still mounted on the lathe. From 1804 to 1827, he formed a partnership with John George Deyerlein and conducted business under the name Holtzapffel & Deyerlein. (Holtzapffel lathes were not numbered until Deyerlein joined the firm.) Deyerlein left the firm when his son Charles joined the business.
• Charles Holtzapffel (1805-1847) – Charles joined his father's company at age 21. He wrote several of the multi-volume treatise Turning and Mechanical Manipulation, which were intended as a work of general reference and instruction on the lathe. Volume 1, "Materials, Their Differences, Choice, and Preparation; Various Modes of Working Them, Generally Without Cutting Tools," was published in 1843. Volume 2, "The Principles of Construction, Action and Application of Cutting Tools Used by Hand; And Also of Machines Derived from the Hand Tools," was published in 1846. Vol. 3, "Abrasives and Miscellaneous Processes, which Cannot be Accomplished with Cutting Tools," remained uncompleted when Charles died at age 41. By that time, the firm had sold approximately 1500 lathes. Charles Holtzapffel obituary
• Amelia Holtzapffel (1803-1889) – Charles' widow Amelia ran the Holtzapffel firm until 1853. She published Charles' writings for Vol. 3 in 1850.
• John Jacob Holtzapffel II (1836-1897) – John Jacob II was eleven years old when his father died. Twenty years later (in 1867), he became head of the firm, which he ran until 1896. He completed Vol. 4, "The Principles and Practice of Hand or Simple Turning," which was published in 1879. (He also made the 750 woodcut illustrations that it contains.) Vol. 5, "The Principles and Practice of Ornamental or Complex Turning," was published in 1884.The examples shown in Vol. 5 attest to his fine abilities as an ornamental turner. It would have contained more information but J. J. had planned to write a Vol. 6 detailing the rose engine and geometric chuck, which was never produced. However, J. J. did go on to publish a revised and enlarged edition of Vol. 3 in 1894. Today, Vol. IV and V of the series are often called the "Bible of Ornamental Turning" because they are such comprehensive books on all aspects of the craft. J. J. is credited with having brought the cost of an ornamental turning lathe down to a sum which a "mere gentleman" could afford. He also refined and improved lathe design resulting in a combination that was both elegant and functional. Although he married in 1862, John Jacob had no children. However, his sister, also named Amelia, married George Calkin Budd and produced five children, George William being one of them.
• George William Holtzapffel Budd (1857-1924) – John Jacob's nephew, George William Budd adopted the Holtzapffel name and became head of the firm in 1896. His son, John George succeeded him.
• John George Holtzapffel Budd (1888-1968) – In 1927, John George announced that due to increased costs of production after the war, combined with their clients' tremendous preoccupation with the automobile over ornamental turning, they would be closing their doors. The last lathe produced was Holtzapffel No. 2557, made in 1913-14 and sold in November 1928. No other business matched the Holtzapffel family in the production of ornamental lathes.
• The firm was taken over by Sharpleshall Ltd. and was known as Sharples Hall Works. From 1932-1956, an associate firm conducted business as Walkers & Holtzapffel, and was also known as "Walkers" during the period 1929-1931.

Sources for information in this section