Thread: WANTED: Small, usable, stout lathe

Due to my divorce and how incredibly bad, broken and biased the family court system is, my ex sold for a song and scrapped all of my shop (lathe, mill, ...).
Now I am finding that I am missing having a mill and a lathe.
I'd like to find a nice stout little lathe.

Desired attributes:
-a lathe that I could fit on the back patio of my small apartment.
-something that is rigid and beefy enough to hold decent tolerances and produce a nice surface finish (aluminum and steel and plastic).
-a lathe that may be cosmetically ugly and/or needing minor tweaks, but is sound and true and does not need an overhaul. I am fine with cleaning and putting in elbow grease and tweaking
-preference for single phase, 120V at this time, as I am not sure how I could easily get a 220V line out of my apartment.
-cheap

I know that some things are almost contradictory (rigid/beefy <--> small, nice/rigid/... <--> cheap :-), so I guess I am mostly rambling and pipe dreaming to find a nice, usable machine for cheap or free.
I'd love to get a Hardinge HLV, TFB or an HC or a Monarch 10ee, but sadly, I know I won't be able to afford one for a long time.
I am in the San Jose, CA area.

Looking for good ideas and suggestions. I have thought about going to Tech Shop, but I don't think I can afford it, long term.

Originally Posted by rpseguin

-preference for single phase, 120V at this time

On that factor alone, you want to go get a list of candidates from the hobby crowd on other forums.

Meanwhile, have a look at where your electric dryer, range, air-con or even water-heater or electric heat gets juiced.

Shouldn't be too hard to not use 'em all at the same time.

And don't ask me how I know, but there is at least one American-made, cast iron and 'ZAMAK' lathe in the wild that has used a bathtub or kitchen table as chip pan. Too hard to get swarf out of carpet.

Bill

I'd hardly call "that lathe" beefy,though!!. Sorry about your shop. That must have hurt plenty,especially to see it go for nothing.

Specify your depth of cut, desired threading system, throw and CtoC, perhaps others will have a candidate for your needs.

Originally Posted by S_W_Bausch

Specify your depth of cut, desired threading system, throw and CtoC, perhaps others will have a candidate for your needs.

And the all important price you think you want to pay.

Even though a 10EE leads your list, maybe a usable intermediate step might be one of the imported modeler's lathes with a milling head (Enco, Grizzly). Down the road, it could be sold and replaced with your preferefed equipment. It would be a cheap way to get back making chips, fairly apartment friendly, and could be moved in without needing riggers.

Originally Posted by gwilson

I'd hardly call "that lathe" beefy,though!!.

Compared to those aluminium-bed thingies in its size range it actually is... But then ... 'my REAL lathe'... is a 10EE .... and that only 'coz I couldn't figure out how to get a monster L&S or the Reed-Prentice I was looking at into the space. I'm not in an 'efficiency' flat anymore, though wot with all the Old Iron glommed the past 9 months, the flat had more free space left...

;-)

Bill

I will just point out that I have a Hardinge HSL lathe that I rebuilt. I added a 1 HP (came with 1/2 HP) 240V three phase motor and VFD that is fed with 120V single phase power. In other words, you don't need a 240V circuit and/or single phase motor when looking for a small professional quality lathe.

The Maximat lathes that used to be built in Austria sometimes had three phase motors and were used in industrial settings. I picked up just the milling column and head from one a while back. I hooked it up to one of my 120V input VFD's and it ran fine.

The Hardinge and the Maximat are not very light weight, but they can be fitted with wheels for easy mobility.

Larry

Originally Posted by L Vanice

I will just point out that I have a Hardinge HSL lathe that I rebuilt. I added a 1 HP (came with 1/2 HP) 240V three phase motor and VFD that is fed with 120V single phase power. In other words, you don't need a 240V circuit and/or single phase motor when looking for a small professional quality lathe.

The Maximat lathes that used to be built in Austria sometimes had three phase motors and were used in industrial settings. I picked up just the milling column and head from one a while back. I hooked it up to one of my 120V input VFD's and it ran fine.

The Hardinge and the Maximat are not very light weight, but they can be fitted with wheels for easy mobility.

Larry

A SB 9" 'bench' model main components aren't all that hard to move, either when broken-down. Those do a fair job with a mere 1/2 HP or 3/4 HP 120VAC motor, and their 10" siblings the same again.

I think the real issue is the OP has a 'wish list' in direct conflict with itself.

Light and decently accurate 'middleweight' plus simply adapting to the fact that it can't hog fast or silently is the way most folk in that scenario go, and it JFDI.

Plus ... in an apartment setting? Near-silent cuts MATTER, so ....softly, softly catchee removal rate...

Bill

I think that I said up front I knew some of my criteria were in contradiction to each other.
I still hold out hope that I can find a small, stout, usable machine. :-)

We have a small shop at my work and I have been urging my boss to try to get a "real" lathe at work, as for some unknown reason, they bought a junky 3 in 1 machine years ago. I would love for them to get a Victor, Graziano, Hardinge, Monarch, Mori Seiki/Webb/Whacheon/Takisawa, ... and then I would have a good, usable lathe at work. Sadly, we have no money for doing anything of the sort.

Running a VFD off of 120V single phase which produces 240V three phase? That's awesome! Not sure how it does it. Step-up transformer before rectifying to DC?

A Logan can be had for cheaper than a South Bend (not quite the "cache" of the brand name). Those were pretty stout machines.

Note that a lathe with the motor underneath in a cabinet can take up less room because it doesn't have the motor hanging off the back.

Here's pics of the 10" Logan:




Uses the same tooling (1-1/2x8 spindle) as a South Bend or Atlas, so there's lots of stuff out there.

Steve

BTW- While looking around and drooling over machines I cannot afford, I see a lot of machines with pretty bad hack paint jobs. I know that they are trying to clean up the machines to make them more salable, but pretty sloppy... including painting things that were never painted before (covering corrosion/rust?).

10'' x 20'' MONARCH Toolroom Lathe; Model #: 10EE | eBay

Interesting.
I prefer having the motor beneath the machine anyways.
I think I've seen a Logan for sale recently.

LOGAN LATHE #1875

Hard to tell if that machine would be usable or not.
I can deal with the cleanup and elbow grease necessary, ...
What worries me is the spindle bearings, heavy rust on the ways and the belts all disconnected and clearly worn in the cabinet.

Originally Posted by rpseguin

BTW- While looking around and drooling over machines I cannot afford, I see a lot of machines with pretty bad hack paint jobs. I know that they are trying to clean up the machines to make them more salable, but pretty sloppy... including painting things that were never painted before (covering corrosion/rust?).

10'' x 20'' MONARCH Toolroom Lathe; Model #: 10EE | eBay

About 1941, weight about right with no MG. Drive needs explanation. Condition no better, and perhaps worse than some as have gone for half or less that figure - my own 1942 included.

Add $1,500 to $3,000 to get it hauled and into-place. You do NOT want to go there for patio installation at a rented flat.

'bout as far as one dares push that envelope might be a small LeBlond Regal or a Clausing-Colchester Triumph, and you'd probably have to run either on reduced power.

Bill

Originally Posted by rpseguin

LOGAN LATHE #1875

Hard to tell if that machine would be usable or not.
I can deal with the cleanup and elbow grease necessary, ...
What worries me is the spindle bearings, heavy rust on the ways and the belts all disconnected and clearly worn in the cabinet.

From the lack of external lever and linkage to the belt-tensioner, it looks to be an older version of a new one I leveled and tooled-up for our HS shop circa 1960-61. Did the adjacent SB 10-K 'toolroom' with all of its pretty flaking and deja vu bronze bearings and leather belts same week, used both, grew to prefer the KISS Logan primarily 'coz of 55-minute class periods.

This one will need the spindle pulled to re-belt it, and lots of TLC. Figure the ways to be half the accuracy or less of the SB, but their Timkens HS bearings help make them low-maintenance and better 'basic' lathes than first appears - as in looks like an Atlas, but is better engineered overall.

Knob towards rear of HS is the back-gear engage, BTW. Push-pull action...and happily contributes to the odd putz-stomp. Gears can (DID) become damaged, but were not hard to replace.

Bill

Originally Posted by rpseguin

LOGAN LATHE #1875

Hard to tell if that machine would be usable or not.

Not that hard at all. I'd say not.

Rust all over the precision surfaces.

You'd be better off with one of these even though they don't have a quick change:
Logan Metal Lathe
Logan Metal Lathe
Lathes, Bandsaw, Misc Equip

Steve

Originally Posted by SteveM

Not that hard at all. I'd say not.

Rust all over the precision surfaces.

Depends. If carefully removed, the surfaces, even if pitted, CAN hold their original accuracy IF they were not unevenly worn beforehand. Rust on a machine of a type seldom used in volume production CAN indicate near-zero actual use and wear.

You'd be better off with one of these even though they don't have a quick change:
Logan Metal Lathe
Logan Metal Lathe

Seem to be less of a gamble, and threading is no big deal with loose change-gears. More often than not, one uses common fasteners or taps and dies anyway.

Lathes, Bandsaw, Misc Equip

Steve

That last listing is a bit less comforting... but a bit of patience will find plenty more over time.

Bill

Is this machine going to be ON YOUR PATIO under a tarp,or some such? Then,you likely don't want a lathe that was high dollar when new,even if you could get it cheap. A small South Bend or Logan would be decent choices. You can get some parts for Logans through "Logan Actuator Cp."(or some such name. They show up at Cabin Fever Expo every year.

Originally Posted by SteveM

A Logan can be had for cheaper than a South Bend (not quite the "cache" of the brand name). Those were pretty stout machines.

...
Uses the same tooling (1-1/2x8 spindle) as a South Bend or Atlas, so there's lots of stuff out there.

Absolutely agree on Logan. My first machine tool was a Logan 9x17 w/QC box. Nice stout, compact lathe. It has tapered or ball bearings on the spindle where the South bend rides in plain iron.
The 9" Logan is much more compact than the 10". Unfortunately, 9" Logans are also much more scarce than the 10" Logans, and SB9s seem to be in every other garage.
I currently have a very nice SB9A, but I liked the Logan 9" better. Wonder if I can find the Logan buyer and trade him for my SB?