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Hardinge DV59 Lathe...can anyone fill me in on this model?

jpolacchi

Aluminum
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Location
CA.
I don't know much about the Hardinge DV59 and I've only seen pictures.I don't know how hard they are to find,what tooling they use/have.Is it just a 5c collet system...no 3 or 4-jaw chucks?It didn't appear to have a tail stock,but maybe it was just missing or not in the pictures.I'm just looking for something smaller,exclusively for turning.I don't really need to be chasing threads and I don't expect to turn many tapers(might come up occasionally?) I don't think this lathe has the quick change gear box.I never saw one in the pictures I saw.Looked just like just a hi and low gear.I'd be interested in hearing about this model and any other smaller models.I am not familiar with all of them.
 
I'm sure Larry Vanice will be on with more detail, but to tide you over...

The DV59 is a great little machine if you have work for it. There is no carriage, per se. The "apron" manually locks to the bed. There is no taper attachment; you use the compound slide. All Z and X motion comes from the cross-slide & compound. There are no power feeds of any sort. That takes it out consideration for most folks.

A DV59 should have a tailstock, and the tailstocks aren't too hard to find. DV59's came with two choices of spindle nose, threaded 2 3/16-10 (IIRC, maybe I don't), and a Hardinge proprietary 4° external taper. Chucks, faceplates, dog drivers, etc., are still readily found for both spindle noses.

The DV59 is the same core machine as the DSM59. The DV59 is set up with a cross-slide/compound and tailstock. The DSM59 is set up with a lever-operated cross-slide and a six-position lever-operated turret. There were specialty versions of the DV59 with special cross-slide/compounds like the machines used to turn contact lenses. The HSL59 is the "speed lathe" configuration, a very short bed version with no tailstock.

The DV59/DSM59 has mechanically variable speeds, in two ranges, with mechanical brake, and can be hot-plugged directly from forward to reverse and back again, for operations like tapping and die cutting of external threads.

As production machines, individual DV59 and DSM59 lathes might have been treated with care or treated like shit for decades. When new, they were capable of accurate work. If badly abused, they aren't worth the pain of dealing with.
 
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Thank you for that.That's what I'm looking for/interested in.I'm strictly just turning.About as production as you can get with a coventional machine.I don't know what the average cost is for a good one.I'd prefer not to find one that's been beat to hell.They are 2 or 3 phase?
 
I like what I have seen(the pictures I have found)...its big though isn't it?The stand its on just make it looks bigger than it really is,a little deceiving.It is strictly 5c only or does this lathe have chucks for it?I've not seen/found a picture of one using a chuck or having a tail stock.It seems kind of the same size as the Southbend 9a or am I mistaken?It just looks bigger to me.8-9" on the swing...about 30 inches between centers?I'm guessing.What would you say is an average price the DV model sells for and(last question I promise) how would it perform on a VFD...it being 3 phase?I've never used a VFD before so I don't know.
 
DV-59 spindle is typically a hardinge taper lock type, can fit all standard hardinge tooling like chucks, backplates, faceplates, etc.
The spindle takes 5C collets directly and is much larger than a 9"SB spindle bore. The lathe can be fitted with toolmakers compound and a tailstock, OR turret and double tool cross slide. The bench is narrower front-to-back than the bench that would be required for a rear-mount drive 9"southbend.

These lathes are often sold used, stripped of any accessories so you need to be sure whatever machine you investigate has the components you will need for your application.

What is your application?
 
Mainly I plan of turning small round stock and hold with a certain amount of precision.If I can work out the tooling it will be accomplished primarily with form tools because this isn't a CNC lathe.I'll use an assortment materials.Aluminum,brass,bronze,low carbon steel,but primarily 302/303 stainless.I don't think there is too much a difference between them?I don't plan on working with anything much larger than 5/8 dia. Most will be turned of 3/32-1/4 inch but the occasional larger piece may come up.I don't intend on chasing threads not many tapers.A taper again my be something that might come up,but I think most(if any) I should be able to accomplish on the compound and I don't think off setting the tail stock will be necessary.I don't think I'll be turning long tapers,but it could come up?Mainly I'd like the tail stock of any drilling,reaming,boring or tapping needs.
 
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I like what I have seen(the pictures I have found)...its big though isn't it?The stand its on just make it looks bigger than it really is,a little deceiving.It is strictly 5c only or does this lathe have chucks for it?I've not seen/found a picture of one using a chuck or having a tail stock.It seems kind of the same size as the Southbend 9a or am I mistaken?It just looks bigger to me.8-9" on the swing...about 30 inches between centers?I'm guessing.What would you say is an average price the DV model sells for and(last question I promise) how would it perform on a VFD...it being 3 phase?I've never used a VFD before so I don't know.
With the integral cabinet base, it weighs very roughly 1200lb. It's in the 9x20 capacity class, not 30 between centers.

To repeat myself, there were two spindle noses for the DV/DSM machines, and chucks, faceplates, and dog driving plates are still reasonably available for both spindle noses. Both 3-jaw and 4-jaw chucks, plus special oversized "5C" step chuck closers for shallow diameters of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6". These step chuck closers take special collets with 5C taper shanks and oversized shallow heads, and offer much of the advantage of a set-tru chuck together with collet closer speed for production jobs. And yes, the DV59 should have a tailstock, which you can probably find on eBay if the machine doesn't come with one.

I would strongly recommend against trying to run a DV/DSM on a VFD. It really wants 3-phase power so you can hotplug directly between forward and reverse. At best, that sort of operation would really confuse a VFD, and would quite likely fry a low-end economy VFD. And because it's already got mechanically variable speeds, all you'd be using the VFD for is 1-phase to 3-phase conversion. Use a phase converter for that, not a VFD. You could throw out all the existing electrical controls, manufacture some sort of new apparatus to adapt the mechanical high/low and forward/reverse levers to control switching, and scratch-build a control set for a VFD to run the existing motor. Although, the existing motor is a two-speed motor, which most VFDs don't know how to exploit, so you'd have only one speed range rather than two, unless $$$$. But why would you do that, when buying or building a phase converter is cheaper and simpler?
 
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As a point you mentioned, the DV59 and its variants do not have an offsettable tailstock, so no taper turning this way.

For your applications mentioned (small parts, possible form tooling), the machine would probably work well. You could adapt it to VFD power if at all handy with electrics. My split-bed version of this lathe is run via a rotary converter, and while I will frequently plug-reverse my other machines on this converter, for some reason I don't often do so with the hardinge lathe, it has a mechanical spindle brake that works pretty well. I've often contemplated a VFD retrofit (which I've done to other macines in my shop) but this one just seems to work nicely as-is, and a conversion would be money and work.

1) if you go this route, suggest you pay a premium to get one that is low mileage, not all clapped-out. These were often money-makers and were run hard and put away wet. The one I lucked onto had basically zero hours on it and the the fittment on the parts is very nice.

2) be prepared to spend extra to get the tooling you need, be it a turret, a regular tailstock, a toolmakers compound or a double tool cross-slide, depending on your needs.
 
Well,a tail stock would come in handy if and when I needed to turn between centers.I'd say most parts that won't be necessary,but there may be instance when I'll need the tail stock and at least a live center on the end.I didn't know the tail stock for this model lathe couldn't off set.Knowing that now it won't(shouldn't) interfere with the work performed and the compound "should" provide enough for any need to turn a short taper.Most work could be done with enough precision using the 5c collets.If memory serves,5c collets can maintain about .002-.003.Unless I am wrong please correct me.The 4-jaw would come in handy more than a 3-jaw.Not sure I need a face plate and I can't foresee how often I would need it,but I like the old phrase,"Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".Other than that,a couple lathe dogs,the tail stock,drill chuck and a live center would be necessity I think and I'd prefer the toolmakers cross slide/compound.I am not very knowledgeable about a VFD. I know enough to know what they are and what they do,but I'm not an electrician.I do know some folks who could assist me which is always nice to have on hand.I'm not sure how difficult it would be to find DV59 set up like this and if I only got the head stock and lathe bed,how and where would I acquire the parts and tooling I am looking for and how much would that cost I don't know?
 
The only real downside I can see to this lathe is the lack of a carriage.Even though it does not have "power feed" I can't turn stock down from the looks of it.Not even if I am turning the dials manually.Other than that I do like this lathe.
 
The only real downside I can see to this lathe is the lack of a carriage.Even though it does not have "power feed" I can't turn stock down from the looks of it.Not even if I am turning the dials manually.Other than that I do like this lathe.

If you’re mostly turning down from 5/8” as previously mentioned, that is easily done with the compound slide for short parts.


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