Re: Carbide on antique lathe again

May 24, 2025 Last reply: 1 year ago 2 Replies


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I can't help you with a source , but I can say your lathe is probably a lot more rigid than my old Wards/Logan.


------------------------- I thought they were close competitors.

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flat leather belt drive Heavy 10 is a nice lathe for precision but no beast for rapid production, as SB admitted in their ads. It's a scaled down larger model rather than a scaled up 9", the Light 10. The 1914 edition of SB's "How to Run a Lathe" shows very similar designs, and my 1965 lathe would still operate from an overhead line shaft. The spindle bearings warm up at the higher speed motor pulley setting, perhaps a Logan advantage.


My lathe spent its early life in a trade school where yearly maintenance was a coat of school color paint, the rest blown on liquor. Oiling it didn't seem a priority. The localized wear prevents snugging up the gibs properly.


I put a used Multifix A tool post on it, which combines the quick change of an Aloris type with the rotation of a lantern post, in 40 steps of 9 degree, so it can position hand ground HSS at angles without losing squareness for a cutoff tool or carbide bit. As long as the point angle of an HSS bit is less than 80 degrees there will be a setting that lets it both turn and face. With carbide the Multifix may have no advantage.


Tools4cheap was near where I worked and carried Chinese clone toolholders which fit fine. I wouldn't have spent the high price of a new Swiss one.


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I can't promise the same results, but I have had very good luck with small stainless/alloy geometry DCMT inserts. Lots of hobby lathe guys use them. I think because of their small total size the chip breakers are forced to be smaller allowing them to work on lathes that have to take a smaller cut. I can't make chips that go CLANK when they hit the floor, but they are better than you might think.

I have NOT found an insert I like for parting. I am still hand sharpening and hand cutting the chip breaker in M42 HSS parting blades at reduced speed.

Some time ago (not that long) I posted here about this.

Here is a quick video of facing, rough turning, and parting with a middle weight (2000lbs) mediocre rigidity 2hp lathe.

On Instagram

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On YouTube
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After my previous post I bought a couple more tools to hold DCMT inserts including a boring bar.

On YouTube

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---------------------------- Nice.

I got a smooth, nearly mirror finish on the rock drill rod from the GTN-2 cutoff bit shaving the last few thousandths off an OD. The insert is a Chinese cheapie from Amazon.

The part is an adapter sleeve to attach an HF spreader bar to a non-HF floor jack, appearance irrelevant, but I like to practice precision and workmanship as part of learning something new. I'm on my third practice part for metric ID threading and may need a fourth.

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