An Outstanding Collector Enters Service

From The American Horologist and Jeweler magazine, April, 1942

An Outstanding Collector Enters Service

Mr. Karl P. Baum, Jr., of Nashville and KnoxviIIe, well known collector of watches, clocks and horological tools, throughout Northern Kentucky and Tennessee has received a commission as Ensign in the U. S. Naval Reserve Forces, and leaves March 2nd, to take up his station at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Just be·fore leaving he was exhibiting his "latest find," a combination plate lathe and wheel cutter, together with cutters, chucks and all attachments.

Fig. 1 shows it rigged as a wheel cutter and Fig. 2 as a, plate lathe. By a half-turn of the locking nut in the front bearing it swings open (note it is open in Fig. 2) to permit removal of the head in use, and the replacing of the other head. The back bearing is a pivot upon the head. running in a cone; adjustment is effected by the "T" screw at the right.

The lathe head is heavy bronze while the bed portion is hardened steel-tail stock, three way slide rest etc. are of heavy brass and the index head takes the standard No.2 collet chuck. The calibrations upon the slide rest are in fractions of the inch rather than metric.

Mr. Baum's entering the service postpones "for the duration" his most cherished project - that of building a museum at Knoxville, to house his collection. Plans were already completed and steel for the tower and frame work had been purchased. His largest timepiece is a complete Tower clock (Stone & Marshall, 1855.) which is to be placed in operation in the tower of the proposed museum.