Lathe question

That is a very nice lathe. Your poor finish is NOT due to either speed or carbide. Something is loose, worn out or mis-adjusted. No Chinese lathe will come close to the performance of the LaBlonde. Fix it. Steve

3 phase power. Maximum RPM is 500. Would like to

to my goal. Additionally I want to build a jack

with manual lube of the quick change mechanism.

than anything else. Simpler would be to buy one of

slow) tooling. It would also be nice to be able to

Cringe..you may..may be able to double your output RPMs from the VFD..which will get you up to 1000 rpm..but you didnt mention if it has plain bearings or ball bearings. Frankly Ivan..Id sell it to another beginner and find yourself a REAL lathe more to your needs. There are a shitload of Real lathes available these days all over the place for less than a grand.

Want me to find you one? Shipping would be from California.

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

What sort of lathe would you think of as a real lathe?

I am also beginning to look around for something that is not worn.

i

You simply cannot beat the Monarch 10EE if the 12"x20" is large enough to meet your needs. Ones that need a new drive go for a song right now. A three phase motor and a VFD puts you back in bidness.

For larger lathes, I'm partial to the Leblond servo shift. I'm watching for a cherry one with taper,DRO and a full set of chucks.

Karl

What is the maxium size you would forsee yourself needing, now and in the future? And how much room do you have, along with how much power do you have available?

Answer those..and Ill give you some ideas

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

On some reflection..Ill give you a quick heads up on MY lathes and what Ive found to be useful.

Ive got a Hardinge HLV-H...the Hardinge toolroom lathe

"The HLV-H has been copied by several Taiwan firms including Feeler, Sharp, ProMach, Barer (model CTL-618EVS and others) and Cyclematic. In addition some of these makers have supplied machines with "alternate" branding for distribution by dealers world-wide. Feeler was the brand name used by the "Fair Friend Company Limited", originally of 11/F No.

665, Tun-Hwa South Road, Taipei, Taiwan with a factory at No. 805, Chung-Shan Road, Shen-Kang Shiang, Taichung-Hsien, Taiwan. Sharp's copy was beautifully-made and sold as standard with a hardened bed and 5 h.p. Japanese Yaskawa drive; however, they also offered the "Acra", a less well finished model with a soft bed and minor changes to cut production costs. "

Its a 11x18 lathe. Fully capable of nearly any/everything you will likely ever do. Threads standard AND metric to 11 tpi. Other threads if you get external gears. As I recall..they cut 27 threads with stock gearing.

Hardinge TFB

This is basically the same as the HLV-H..but does NOT do threading. I have an older unit with the narrow 5" way. Its probably the most accurate lathe Ive ever used.

Clausing 1500 (1501)

Its a big heavy duty lathe, but nowhere near as heavy as a Monarch etc etc. It does good duty for me. I dont use it very much. Shrug..but when I need it..its handy as hell. 14 1/2" x 52", turns up to 2000 rpm. 7hp motor. I use a 8hp VFD to run it, because my 5hp rotary phase converter barely starts it up in High Range (direct drive).

Ill be using it this afternoon to make up some adapters to convert Chevy Luv hubs to hold Porsch wheels, out of 3/4" plate.

The Hardinge HLV-H, up until the last year or two, would sell used for between $7-15,000. Today..they are running between $3k and 6k.\ Hardinge still sells them new....$60,000

The TFB until this year, sold for between $3-7k. Now you can find em for $2-4k.

The Clausing 1500...was a $7k lathe until recently (new was $18,000) but now you can find em, for $3-5k

Now you and I both know you can find em cheaper. We are both scroungers of the first squad.

But the Hardinges are the cream of the crop if in good condition. The Clausing is middle of the road quality but for the money..its really hard to beat.

Ive found that most..99% of my turning is very doable on the Hardinges. I seldom do anything longer than 18" that cant to into the spindle bore.

They both are set up to do 5C chuck work, so if you find one..make sure you get the collet closer. Lots of accessories are available as well. They used to cost an arm, a leg, and your first born child..but are getting much cheaper and are often tossed in when you find the lathe.

If you find a taper attachment...give me a shout! They are much harder to find..and are worth their weight in gold.

Shrug...hope that helps a little

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

An excellent lathe. And putting in a new motor and VFD is the ticket. Id love to have one if I could find one here on the West coast..but they seem far far more available in the East and Midwest.

The LeBlond Dual Drive is one of my favorites.

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

13-16 by 30-40 inches would be my range of size.

Power wise, anything up to 7.5 HP is fine as well.

I want a lathe with little wear.

i

I have once had a Hardinge HC (bought and sold), it is the same size lathe, and I would say it is too small for me.

i

Not the same size at all. It only looks the same based on what you are remembering.

But I read your requirements and Ill see what I can find for you.

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

Gunner, I drive to Northern Calif. (S.F. east Bay) at least 3-4 times a year (from Oregon). I believe you are only another 5-6 hours away so this would be doable.

Ivan Vegvary

Tell me how much you want to spend maximum and Ill find you something.

13-15" swing? 48" length of work?

Hummm..that Clausing 1500 I have would be a good machine type to look for.

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

Sheldon R15-6 lathes come up from time to time. They are built incredibly well, and have a 2.25" spindle through hole. The later ones (something newer than about 1968) have an 80-speed QC box and separate feed shaft and leadscrew. Totally awesome at 3000 - 3500 Lbs. The standard model will do 45 - 1250 RPM, the high-speed option (basically a

2-speed motor) will do 45 - 2500 RPM. The idea of an 8" chuck spinning at 2500 RPM makes me cringe. The listed length between centers is 42" but the tailstock is so huge that it should be able to do 48" easily with the tailstock hanging a couple inches over the edge.

Wear is not instantly obvious, as the carriage wipes over the entire bed way, so it doesn't leave a detectable ridge.

Jon

Yes, I agree that those Sheldons are good. I did lose a bid on a Republic Lagun recently.

i

A good lathe indeed. However..that way wear can be/is an issue.

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."