Hi all,
I'm in the process of building up some equipment for a business I'm starting and was hoping for some input.
I have a Fanuc Robodrill which serves the majority of my fabrication needs, but I wanted to have a lathe for the occasional part that requires it. A while back I got an older 40s roundhead LeBlond Regal 13 for almost nothing, but was in cosmetically rough shape. It mostly just needs to be stripped/repainted, have the motor rewired, and just have a good going over to get it into running shape.
The issue I'm struggling with is most of the parts that would be turned on the lathe are going to be smaller diameters (most 3" or less) and predominantly softer metals and materials. Given the LeBlond's RPM limitation of ~500RPM, I was planning on installing a VFD to bump up the RPM, however I'm now wondering if this is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Given the relatively light nature of the gearing, and the lack of availability for chuck backing plates without fabricating them myself, I'm thinking I may be better off with something more modern with a higher RPM. I'm somewhat space constrained so something like a tool-room lathe would seem like a good fit. On the other hand, perhaps the best lathe is the one I already have, and I should just deal with the slower RPM, especially given the lack of financial investment I have in it, and just get it running.
I'm still very much cutting my teeth on getting familiar with the available machines, so if anyone has any specific recommendations, I would appreciate the input.
I'm in the process of building up some equipment for a business I'm starting and was hoping for some input.
I have a Fanuc Robodrill which serves the majority of my fabrication needs, but I wanted to have a lathe for the occasional part that requires it. A while back I got an older 40s roundhead LeBlond Regal 13 for almost nothing, but was in cosmetically rough shape. It mostly just needs to be stripped/repainted, have the motor rewired, and just have a good going over to get it into running shape.
The issue I'm struggling with is most of the parts that would be turned on the lathe are going to be smaller diameters (most 3" or less) and predominantly softer metals and materials. Given the LeBlond's RPM limitation of ~500RPM, I was planning on installing a VFD to bump up the RPM, however I'm now wondering if this is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Given the relatively light nature of the gearing, and the lack of availability for chuck backing plates without fabricating them myself, I'm thinking I may be better off with something more modern with a higher RPM. I'm somewhat space constrained so something like a tool-room lathe would seem like a good fit. On the other hand, perhaps the best lathe is the one I already have, and I should just deal with the slower RPM, especially given the lack of financial investment I have in it, and just get it running.
I'm still very much cutting my teeth on getting familiar with the available machines, so if anyone has any specific recommendations, I would appreciate the input.