Describe the ideal and the typical jobs for a 10EE

[PackardV8]

There is a nice 10EE for sale locally. I was discussing it with an automotive machinist friend and said that's the quest lathe for a home shop.

He said, "Hummfp, looks like a toy to me. The seller claims they're $125,000 new today. Why would anyone pay even his $10k asking for a manual 12" x 20" lathe? There are so many jobs which won't fit within that envelope. And those which would fit, the 10EE would be too slow for production."

So help me here. I get the 10EEs so expensive because they're as good as a manual lathe can be made, but what types of jobs were they mostly used for then and now?

Some reading indicates the government and government contractors bought a lot of them; war production/nuclear, so first cost no object?

jack vines

 

[gustafson]

The difference between a EE and other lathes its nominal size is the ability to take a chip. Most lathes that size cannot do the work it can, and only larger lathes can. But it can also be accurate. So while a 10 inch Southbend might be the same size, they are not in the same league

In many ways I would love to have my 12CK with a 3000 rpm spindle. I love the quick action of it and it is really just about as accurate.

If you need a bigger lathe, will you need a bigger lathe.

But usually you don't

 

[TDegenhart]

If I may muddy the waters, are the CNC lathes of today as good as, equal to, better than or significantly better than an EE rebuilt to factory specs?

Tom

 

[spaeth]

PackardV8,
Any job that will fit in a Monarch 10EE it will do. From a lot of hours standing in front of a lathe over the past 50+ years in the trade, I'd say it is the most satisfying lathe to run. Very accurate, very versatile, very dependable. What else could you ask for in a manual lathe? Mine is a 1946, I've had it over 30 years. To compare it to a CNC lathe is like comparing a work horse to a race horse. What will be the value of a 76 year old CNC lathe when they get to be that mature. The EE is still selling because it has proven it's worth over and over. They have a good usable work envelop, good speed range and can take a delicate or heavy cut. I'd say they are the Packard V8 of lathes on steroids. I'll bet the Packard Company had a slew of them through the years. My 2cents.
spaeth

 

[tailstock4]

There is a nice 10EE for sale locally. I was discussing it with an automotive machinist friend and said that's the quest lathe for a home shop.

He said, "Hummfp, looks like a toy to me. The seller claims they're $125,000 new today. Why would anyone pay even his $10k asking for a manual 12" x 20" lathe? There are so many jobs which won't fit within that envelope. And those which would fit, the 10EE would be too slow for production."

So help me here. I get the 10EEs so expensive because they're as good as a manual lathe can be made, but what types of jobs were they mostly used for then and now?

Some reading indicates the government and government contractors bought a lot of them; war production/nuclear, so first cost no object?

jack vines

In my neck of the woods, a lot of them were used in R&D and a couple I know of were in colleges. I use mine a lot in finish work or when I need high accuracy. It can produce a really good surface finish on just about any material. You almost have to work at it to not get a good finish. It is the only lathe in my shop that has a DRO set up to read .0001. I have six lathes. The Monarch 10EE, American Pacemaker 16x54, Rivett 1020S, Pratt & Whitney 12C, Toolmex TUM35, and a Southbend Heavy 10. If I could only have one, the 10EE would probably be it. The real question would be if I could have only two, which would be the second.

 

[rklopp]

If a 10EE is a toy, what is a Hardinge HLVH or South Bend heavy 10? Good grief.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Don's Engine]

For some specifics of what a 10EE is good for. I use mine primarily for making or rebuilding small aircraft parts. I haven't found a motorcycle part I couldn't get onto it. Made tons of RV parts i.e.. slide rollers, stand offs, hangers etc.. Lots of shaft and hub work, and as far as Automotive parts, your buddy must be a Neanderthal tech... You won't get a big truck flywheel on it, but since the world went metric, everything else you'll need to do automotive wise can be chucked up on a 10EE. Hell, I make a lot of Formula race car parts and they all come off the Monarch. Mater of fact, I have bigger lathes to use at work, but bring a lot of stuff home, just cause the 10EE is a much nicer machine to work on. For my own stuff-projects, believe it or not, I spend most of my time on a... Gasp... Atlas 12"... Don

 

[TheOldCar]

I think my 10EEs really shine for “custom” threading, and threading emergencies. I like how up close I can see what I’m doing. Making a male thread gauge and then the female threaded part on the EE lathes is a treat.

Random emergency parts are commonly needed at my day job, and my 10EE’s are used to make those FAST.

Last of all, I do a majority of the individual pieces used in my art on them. Lots of interrupted cutting, including rebar turning. Plenty of copper, brass, stainless and mild steel, aluminum and some bronze.

The 10EEs allow for excellent finishes on all of these parts.

 

[plastikdreams]

If I may muddy the waters, are the CNC lathes of today as good as, equal to, better than or significantly better than an EE rebuilt to factory specs?

Tom

I've never used a 10ee, but I have used cnc lathes with twin spindles, twin turrets, and live tooling that could hold tenths part after part all day long in 17-4 and Ti6Al4V...all parts checked with a vision system. Each part took a few minutes to make.

 

[ezduzit]

...Fortunately, polyamory is still socially acceptable...

This.

10EE makes an excellent mate for a longer 16-18" lathe. I had paired mine up with an 18" Okuma and figured I had the best of both worlds.

 

[220swift]

Don do you have any pictures of some interesting things you make and how you set them up.

Hal

 

[rke[pler]

A lot of the turning for this was done on my 10EE:

Everything from crankshaft/gear work to itty-bitty valves.

 

[Hobby Racer]

A lot of the turning for this was done on my 10EE:

...

Everything from crankshaft/gear work to itty-bitty valves.

OMG that is impressive. What scale is it?

 

[Don's Engine]

Don do you have any pictures of some interesting things you make and how you set them up.

Hal

Jeez Hal, after Looking at RekPLer's train...heck no I don't have any interesting pictures. I'm just an MX hack trying to get into retirement so that I can do some interesting stuff like his. The crap I do goes on, comes off, gets thrown in the back of a PU and its gone. Never even thought to take any pictures. Got some Formula 4 hub pullers I made for a guy a few years ago that are sitting behind the lathe.. Kind of boring to look at. Got a Volvo clutch slave cyl going on tomorrow. The race car guys figured out that you can modify them to fit HRC set ups, so I do a lot of those. But again pretty boring. Just finished up some Ceasna gear pins.. but who hasn't seen a pin? like I said, pretty mundane stuff..

 

[Don's Engine]

This.

10EE makes an excellent mate for a longer 16-18" lathe. I had paired mine up with an 18" Okuma and figured I had the best of both worlds.

EZ... you should be my best buddy.. When I was in the UK, our two main lathes were a CVA and a Okuma LS, but it was an odd size, like a 17 X 56. I didn't know they made an 18. The CVA was almost always in use by the MOD guys, so I used that LS a lot. I think its one of my all time favorites. I even went to look at one a few weeks back that was being sold way under value. Just couldn't figure out how to squeeze it into the garage. So now I'm looking for a bigger place. But yes, when I get the space, that LS is going to find a home. You must be like a Genius or something. Don

 

[CalG]

"too slow for production", is not a valid position.

An EE could be outfitted with any assortment of specialized tooling that would bring on par with anything produced. For that single application. Heck, a EE could get an NC retrofit if one were so inclined.

Like I said, not a valid position.

But in it's size range, An EE can be leaned on to remove stock in a few passes, and still make the final pass count.

 

[ezduzit]

EZ... you should be my best buddy.. When I was in the UK, our two main lathes were a CVA and a Okuma LS, but it was an odd size, like a 17 X 56. I didn't know they made an 18. The CVA was almost always in use by the MOD guys, so I used that LS a lot. I think its one of my all time favorites. I even went to look at one a few weeks back that was being sold way under value. Just couldn't figure out how to squeeze it into the garage. So now I'm looking for a bigger place. But yes, when I get the space, that LS is going to find a home. You must be like a Genius or something. Don

Ha! An Okuma LS is precisely what I had, but lost my lease and had to downsize before ever getting it in service. Sold a bunch of other machines too.
Precision toolroom lathe Okuma LS 18" x 49"

 

[Don's Engine]

Ha! An Okuma LS is precisely what I had, but lost my lease and had to downsize before ever getting it in service. Sold a bunch of other machines too.
Precision toolroom lathe Okuma LS 18" x 49"

Wow,,, that's sad. I don't think I could part with one of those if I already had it my possession. Ide probably park it under tree with a tarp... Don

 

[rke[pler]

OMG that is impressive. What scale is it?

1/8 or 1.5" to the foot. The gauge is 7.5". Other specs: about 500 pounds dry, runs on propane at 125 psi max (usually run at a little over 100) goes about 8 hours on a 30 pound tank. Boiler is 2.5 gallons, tender is 8 gallons, normally that's good for 1-2 hours running (less if a lot of hills, a lot less if I'm running at "high" speed of 8mph, normal speed is about 4-5mph). Steam brakes on the engine, air brakes on my cars. Water supplied by axle pump, injector and hand pump, run mostly on the axle pump with a bypass. I think I'm getting close to 1000 real miles on it.

I'm working on a 2 cylinder 2.5" scale 2 truck Shay now. Should be a little longer than this and heavier.

 

[rke[pler]

"too slow for production", is not a valid position.

An EE could be outfitted with any assortment of specialized tooling that would bring on par with anything produced. For that single application. Heck, a EE could get an NC retrofit if one were so inclined.

Like I said, not a valid position.

But in it's size range, An EE can be leaned on to remove stock in a few passes, and still make the final pass count.

I have a turret I can mount on my 10EE and have done so for making small pipe fittings (oddly there are very few suppliers of scale tiny pipe fittings /s). I make my own holders that mount in a collet and when it's all set up it's got a drill to depth, face, tap. It takes more time to put in the part than to machine it (I use a split collet that clamps in a 1" 5C collet so it's loosen, pull, swap part, put back in and tighten the collet.)

As for general use - the 10EE is a toolroom lathe. It's designed to handle most all jobs in it's size range well, and the 10EE adds specific rigidity to that spec (a lot more rigid than many other toolroom lathes). So I do work from tapping 0-80 (Harry Bloom called that a no-seeum thread and suggested threading stops at 1/4-20) to turning 12" diameter smoke boxes (squaring up the ends). I've single pointed everything from 1-72 to 2 1/2-6, I've taken just a smidge from a shaft end that wouldn't fit despite mic'ing right (was lobed, I took off the .0002 lobes in a pass) and I've hogged down A2 1/2" on diameter in a single pass (that might have been a little too much and I didn't repeat it).

I think there are few lathes that would do the job range that my 10EE does, or not with such precision and smoothness.