Help Determining Proper Lathe/Turret Lathe for App

I have a chum that runs a rubber shop. He makes some reinforced rubber "springs" for stamping dies. They run the parts over length and then trim to size using a knife on a turn of the century lathe that was shot 20 yrs ago when he first started on it.

Job runs great and they cut it off ridiculously fast. Just needs newer iron.

He bought a real nice/10" South Bend lathe and wanted me to see if I thought that it would work for his app. I went and looked at it and his app and the SB engine lathe is just too small for his biggest parts, and the cross feed handle is just too small for nice control of such an app. I am sure that it is fine for turning metal, but for racing acrost the cross slide @ 100mph just wouldn't be a good fit.


A #3 W&S would work, and quite likely a #2 would be great too. Not sure I have seen a #2 before. ???

But what I would really like to find for him would be something with a lever operated cross slide. I have seen pics of (?) B&S Hand Screws that use a lever opp endslide/turret, but I don't recall how the cross slide works on those. ???

Is there such a machine that would work this way w/o being modified?

Need to have a live center in the tailstock/turret.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I have a friend here in Los Angeles with a #3 W&S, tooled to death w/ barfeed and tons of turret tooling. He wants 600.00 for all of it. Machine was rebuilt by W&S in 1966, he claims it will still hole 1/2 thou.

Was looking around, and it seems that the Hardinge turret lathes seem to be this way - or at least some models are.

???

Need to be able to swing >6" over the cross slide.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I've seen W&S's with lever action cross slides
but your gonna end up as old as the stuff he has is my guess 'cause the ones I've seen are 1930's at best
I know you said no retro but
a nice old monarch with the cross nut unhooked and an air cylinder would be pretty easy to make happen

New units made for similar apps are air controlled, but he likes the idea of the lever better just for feel and safety reasons. Not that the air is not an option, but the lever has the nod at this point if possible.

A '30's W&S is better than what he has now. It is a converted flat belt unit that the OSHA guy's eyes bugged out about. I have had a '30's #3 W&S and that was all enclosed driveline, so one of those in good shape would be a possible option if a suitable lever unit isn't identified and located.

A post war machine likely preferred tho.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

A friend of mine trims rubber on a w&s in rapid with the center in the turret.

Has an air chuck and rapid on the saddle also.

Makes a terrible mess but is fast.

How about whatever you get, leave it stock (screw/nut fed crosslide)
add a rear cut-off slide attachment, with the pull down lever.
Only make it front-to-back motion, so cross slide doesn't
need moved to keep things on center.

Much like the Hardinge's addon up top of the headstock, but make some
bracketry to mount in on back (so you can quickly and accurately slide it
for length changes)

I have (2) of these aftermarket "pull down" cut-off attachments, looks
to be easy to fab up a bracket to put it back there.

You get the lever operated fast cut-off, and retain the accurate cross slide
for turning.

Lever operated cross slides found on smaller machines are just a straightforward rack and pinion ,how about pull the screw out and fit a rack and pinion instead.

Another possibility ,some (not sure if all) Herbert lathes had a patented "Duo rate " cross slide this was a two speed gearbox between the handwheel and screw to give a hand rapid traverse ,this would be quick to operate but retain the feel of hand operation. I don't know how many Herberts there are left in your neck of the woods assuming there were any in the first place.

All the #2s I've seen photos of had single cross slides, not a full carriage like a #3. Can't remember if they were lever operated or not. i don't remember ever seeing one in the flesh.

There are quick acting slides that fit on the turret, maybe that would work?

We have a Hitachi Seiki(?sp) turret lathe we are getting rid of.

It is a nice machine that probably has a fast feed on it. I think it was meant for roughing ops. One turn on the xfeed dial is an inch IIRC.

If you would like I could go take a look at the feeds on it.

edit

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hitachi-Seiki-Turret-Lathe-/181322794854

.052 ipr seems pretty quick too me

I would stick with a #3. Tooling gets considerably harder to find for a #2, since the holder block changes....and like you said, they just aren't as common as the #3. That's going to apply to replacement parts as well....if such a thing is ever necessary. (in reality, it's probably just easier to replace the lathe)

I had an old 20" lathe that had it's cross slide screw and nut replaced with a real coarse pitch acme at some point.

It was a joke to make parts on, but it sure could move fast. Might be something to consider.

I wonder if adapting a Hardinge lever cross slide to the bed of his SB heavy 10 would be the fastest solution with what he has now?

Per your Q, a Hardinge second op (9") will swing 5" over the cutting table (LAC). (late center 4.5"; slide height, 2")

I did not measure the stroke. It might be under 3" depending how the lever is set to clear.

These lathes are simple and cheap enough you could put riser blocks under the spindle and the TS or turret.

The TS could be used with the LAC on a regular second op, he would not have to use the turret, unless having (& holding) the lever operation on the live center had value.

SB did make lever cross slides, but they are rare.

The W & S #3 sounds like better option.

smt

greggv said:

I have a friend here in Los Angeles with a #3 W&S, tooled to death w/ barfeed and tons of turret tooling. He wants 600.00 for all of it. Machine was rebuilt by W&S in 1966, he claims it will still hole 1/2 thou.

Click to expand...

@greggv Check for a PM I sent you on this.

Chumm tells me that he scored a #3 W&S ("he thinks") from HGR today.
Says that it completely buried - so he's not sure what kind'a shape it's in at this point.




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Think Snow Eh!
Ox