Lion-L Homge 820 Mill Drill, Anyone have One, Opinions

[dalmatiangirl61]

Has anyone here owned one, or ever used one, what did you think of it? These were made in Taiwan in the 80's, they look more robust and better thought out than the round column versions. Not finding much online, does not look like they still make them. Only thread on PM about these, with a pic, is here https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...of-a-lion-l-universal-milling-machine.369515/

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Bump. So no one has heard of, seen, or used one of these? I stole pics from the other thread to include here. Instead of a round column this machine has dovetails for the head to slide on, and I think the table is a bit larger. I've searched internet and coming up with nothing. I'll send an email to Homge and see if they can shed some light on who actually made these, maybe I need to search under another name?

 

[crrmeyer]

The overall design reminds me of a jig bore. Probably OK for light milling. What work do you intend to do with it?

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

I have a nice mill, my thoughts are just using it for coordinate drill. Yes, jig bore was my first thought too, but the complete lack of info is concerning.

 

[crrmeyer]

I have a nice mill, my thoughts are just using it for coordinate drill. Yes, jig bore was my first thought too, but the complete lack of info is concerning.

Probably a nice drill for coordinate drilling, especially if it has a long quill range. Provided it is in good condition there is probably not much to go wrong with it. So I would not be too worried about spare parts. If it does not have a DRO and you want one, make sure you can fit the scales to it.

 

[Irishcream72]

Has anyone here owned one, or ever used one, what did you think of it? These were made in Taiwan in the 80's, they look more robust and better thought out than the round column versions. Not finding much online, does not look like they still make them. Only thread on PM about these, with a pic, is here https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...of-a-lion-l-universal-milling-machine.369515/

What’s the HP on the motor?

 

[Irishcream72]

I have a nice mill, my thoughts are just using it for coordinate drill. Yes, jig bore was my first thought too, but the complete lack of info is concerning.

Does the Mill Drill itself detach from the base or is it all one?

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Why are you asking? Might have more info tomorrow.

 

[DDoug]

Why are you asking? Might have more info tomorrow.

Please ignore the spambot in post #7

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Please ignore the spambot in post #7

My guess is I'll be loading one, or more, for him this morning.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Please ignore the spambot in post #7

He is a real person, and a real dishonest cocksucker. I had a deal to load these machines for him, but he decided I was "too greedy" and went behind my back and hired a couple local dirt movers to drag these machines out of the warehouse with a tractor front loader, just banging the crap out of them the whole way.

If anyone out there is doing their research and thinking about buying one from him, these machines were not made by Homge, they are at least 30 years old, and the guy trying to sell them only paid $200 a piece for them. I'll fill in the rest of the story on the origin of these machines in a day or two.

 

[Bill D]

What taper. My Jet mill/drill is mt3 and hard to release the taper to change tools. I added an ER collet holder to get around that.
Bill D

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

What taper. My Jet mill/drill is mt3 and hard to release the taper to change tools. I added an ER collet holder to get around that.
Bill D

R8 taper, I got one of the machines, mine came with nice tapmatic tapping head .

I did consider buying them all, but they've been sitting in a closed warehouse for 20+ years and need a deep cleaning, and between the mystery pedigree and remote location buying to resell was questionable. My shop is already crammed full, and I added 3 more machines these week, and a steel rack. The final nail in the coffin for me not taking them all was the snow will be falling soon, and I'm not taking the forklift down the steep driveway in the snow, and I'm sure as hell not shoveling all that snow just to make a sale, I have to remind myself some days I'm supposed to be retired. I got to play rigger all week, it was kinda fun, 1 customer left to load tomorrow, thousand or so pounds of steel for me, and my steel rack, I'm beat tired, think I'll sleep all day friday

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Lion-L Machinery Company, Cape Girardeau Mo., the rest of the story.

I contacted Homge and sent them pictures, they say they did not make these machines. I was able to search the Homge catalogs back to the year 2000, there were no milling machines, just fixturing for mills. I searched the internet using both the Homge name and Lion-L, the only pic I could find was here on PM in the thread noted above. I searched the hobby machinist forums for mention of this machine, there was nothing. So how was it that out here in BFE Nevada I was looking at a line of 7 of these machines? Its possible that Homge does not want to admit making them, but its equally plausible there is no one left at Homge that remembers what they were selling in 1985.

So I started thinking about the owner of the building, he was a character in this town that had grand visions of turning it into an artist colony. At the time I arrived he had just laid off his artist workforce, lets just say he did not understand the artist mindset. His original plan was to cast art in bronze here, but instead he sent the molds off to china and imported the statues. He was also importing yurts from Mongolia, marble from Turkey, and reproduction antiqued furniture from some place, I got a 10ft tall mirror that was freight damaged and returned.

So I'm 99.9% positive these were imported by Lionel Hastings in about 1985, the date on the motor. Lionel's main business was named Magna-Tel and was in Cape Girardeau, Missouri , google still brings up a pic of the building with a note that it is permanently closed. If you walked out the back door of Magna-Tel, you would be looking at 802 Progress St which is an empty lot.

So how did Lionel end up in BFE? His original company, Bumpa-Tel made a product you've probably all seen, the passenger side/instructor brake pedal in drivers-ed cars. As an aftermarket mfr he was low hanging fruit for the accident/injury lawyers, so sometime in the 80's he spun the drivers-ed portion of the business off into Safety Industries and moved it to Nevada, and Bumpa-Tel became Magna-Tel. He kept the only atty in the county on retainer, and the local judge did not like city slicker lawsters, so that worked out in his favor. He did lose his building out here one year in a lawsuit, but they had to sell it on the courthouse steps, he bought it back for something like 15K and moved right back in, lol.

Most of my interactions with Lionel were just small talk, but one snowy night Pat, Lionel, and myself were the last 3 standing at the bar. Lionel purchased a bottle of whiskey and a 12 pack of coke and said 'We're going to Pat's shop for a drink, join us", so I did. We sat around the woodstove telling stories from our glory days while a blizzard raged outside, by 6am the bottle was empty, neither of our cars would start (maybe a good thing), so Lionel and I both had to trudge home thru the snow.

There were 8 of the machines that I know of, 1 was in his main building and was removed some years ago, it may be the one pictured in the post/thread above. 2 stayed here, 5 went down to Az.

If anyone has a Homge catalog from 1985 that shows this machine, please post a pic. If anyone ever finds one of these machines with another name on it, please post a pic. If anyone ever finds another Lion-L machine, please post a pic, it seems odd there would only be these mills. Advertising in 1985 would most likely be magazine adverts and mailed catalogs, if you ever find a Lion-L Machinery ad or catalog, please post a pic.

 

[mattthemuppet]

Now THAT is what I call a story! Must have been an interesting character. I'm amazed that you managed to trudge anywhere at 6am full of whiskey, let alone in the snow

 

[JimBuchanan]

Per request, more than one showed up in LA, craigslist:

Milling Machine 8”x 32” Table 220v/3phase XYZ Ax - tools - by owner...

In good working condition. Circa 1980’s when Quality mattered. Come check it out and we can negotiate a price that’s fair for both of us. 21” travel spindle to table 8” cross travel 16” longitude...

losangeles.craigslist.org

I am rebuilding a ZX square column import and this did peak my interest, having an interesting quill head arrangement. It would be a bear reaching for that spindle nut every tool change. It looks like about 5" of spindle travel which is good. And a convertible 4/8 pole motor? Would a VFD control that?

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Per request, more than one showed up in LA, craigslist:

Milling Machine 8”x 32” Table 220v/3phase XYZ Ax - tools - by owner...

In good working condition. Circa 1980’s when Quality mattered. Come check it out and we can negotiate a price that’s fair for both of us. 21” travel spindle to table 8” cross travel 16” longitude...

losangeles.craigslist.org

I am rebuilding a ZX square column import and this did peak my interest, having an interesting quill head arrangement. It would be a bear reaching for that spindle nut every tool change. It looks like about 5" of spindle travel which is good. And a convertible 4/8 pole motor? Would a VFD control that?

The 5 that I thought went to Az actually went to California, saw that ad last night. Spindle travel is 3.5". With the head lowered the drawbar is within easy reach, but if raised all the way a step stool is needed to reach it, unless you are much taller than 6'. VFD should work, but think you would only connect to the high speed windings.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Adding a little more to this story, I sold my Lion-L mill this morning, it is headed to Montana. I was actually playing with the idea last year when I purchased it of putting it and a small lathe in my living area of the building because the shop was so damn cold, then after I got the shop heater installed last winter the shop space was warmer than the living space, so that idea did not hold water anymore. What I really needed now was space for the seat & guide machine and surfacing machine purchased a few months ago, the little Logan lathe is leaving tomorrow.

A prospective buyer (not the one that purchased it) did a little sleuthing and found a couple pics of a Homge mill on the Hobby-Machinist web site, pictures below are from that site. So the final answer for now is Homge did sell these machines.

 

[neanderthal mach]

Fwiw I checked the LathesUK website as I'm sure you did as well dalmationgirl61. Zero there about those Homge mills. That brand name does ring a bell for some reason. I'd also agree about some design elements of it being borrowed from the old school & earlier jig borers.

One single post on the Model Engine Maker forum mentions the name in regards to a rotary table with speculation Homge as a company may have had or still has some links to Vertex. Another single post on HMEM again mentions the name and rotary tables. No threads at all on the Model Engineer magazine forums or on a few others I'm a member of about any Homge equipment. With the lack of information, Google images or posts anywhere, it almost seems those mills weren't produced or maybe being exported for very long.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

The guy that found the pics above also found this on the lathesUK site, its a copy of the Vernon/Sheldon machine originally made in the 1940's. No idea if the Homge units were actually made by Chin Tsan. With so few pics or discussion of these machines, it does not seem like many were imported, and at this point there are only 9, maybe 10 known. Note the Chin Tsan motor mounting is different. The original Vernon machine used a counterweight system, the Chin Tsan machine used a threaded rod, then the Homge machine went back to counterweight style.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/vernon/page...pZ_pz6zW2sj5ZxYGAblrxBrqrD47_52qIgkOeDrm-S1wI