Hardinge Cataract Quick Change Lathe Breaking news

Well we did it again. Another Hardinge Cataract lathe has been found. This morning Burton LeGeyt sent me an PM that he had spotted an add for a QC on the Delaware Craigslist Here is the link I email the person and he advised me that the number on the end of the lathe is 12006. I have initiated email with him and passed him some information. If he was a little closer I would go over and look. As it is I've advised him that I will show his lathe here and if he still has it come April I will most likely make a trip and pick it up. If somebody else on the forum living closer wants please check it out and save it from the scrapper.

Harold Mulder

Link says posting has been deleted by author. Must be sold?

smt

Yeah it looks like the ad was taken down, I am pretty interested in seeing pictures of this lathe since it has the highest serial number yet, and I want to see if any more "refinements" were made to the design.

Tyler

Another Haridnge

Here are the Craiglist pictures Received an email from the owner last night and he mentioned a few people coming to see the lathe so not sure if it sold already. He did say he would send more pictures however he does not seem to have any other components other than what is in the attached pictures.

Harold

Harold, thanks for posting the pictures!

It seems Hardinge was alway changing something on these machines, here is what I could tell from the photos:

1.The power cross feed knob is in a higher position (very close to the underside of the cross feed screw) on the apron, where as mine is in a lower position.

2. No access hole under the threading gear box for lubrication.

3. What appears to be the cross slide tail for the taper attachment is cut off, and it is offset to the headstock edge of the cross slide, I think all others I have seen are centered.

4. I'm not sure about this one cause the pictures get fuzzy when zoomed, but it looks like the oil ports for oiling the saddle/way felts are on top of the saddle insted of being on the vertical edge.



Anyway this lathe has the "big hole" in the bed under the spindle nose like mine, and I think that makes 3 lathes now that have this feature.

What has my curiosity peeked, looking at the 2nd picture, there is an object sticking up over the top of the rear spindle bearing, maybe it is just something for a motor mount, or an oddball back-gear handle, or some other thing, but that location is pretty much where a "fine feed brack A" would reside, though it doesn't quite look right. If the lathe is sold, hopefully the new owner will pop up on here.

Tyler