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My first lathe, did I buy a piece of junk?

jfowler75

Plastic
Joined
Oct 9, 2019
Bought this Logan 2557 V sight unseen in an online auction. Paid $720.00 I still have to pick it up. Once I get it home Ill be able to tell what shape its in. Ways look worn. Are those bolts in the way standard? (Pic3)

Please add comments, suggestions.

Online Auction Description:

Logan engine lathe, model 2557 - V, serial number 21558, 6 inch three jaw chuck, thread dial, power crossfeed, power longitudinal feed, 12 inch swing, 36 inch center to center, quick change gears, mounted on base, variable speed drive, steady rest, chalk collet chuck closure tube, condition is unknown.

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Screws in the bed hold on a gear rack below. A good price will depend on what is missing or broken.
 
Wonder why there is a second compound in the chip tray? From what I can see in pics it does not look like a bad deal, if everything works great, if not either repair, or part it out and you should break even or make a few $.
 
This is your first lathe. You don't know shit. It's an old machine that you paid scrap price for. No matter what, you cannot loose a penny. Use it, learn with it. Make your mistakes with it. Then sell it for at least what you paid for it. The bonus is that you can save your money and gain knowledge all at the same time. This will prepare you to make an intelligent choice in the future for a really good machine.

I bought my first lathe at the age of 20 and it was an 11" Logan. They are decent machines that do punch outside their class. Good luck. This hobby is worse than drugs, Once you start, you will never stop.
 
Cross slide/compound appear to be off the lathe in the background. That lathe has threaded spindle and 3 phase unless someone repowered it. The vari speed drive on these are a bit noisy especialy when the counter shaft bushings are worn. bushings are a standard item from MCM-C just re bushed a counter shaft for a friend of mine.
 
1928 wow. This will be good.
Seriously, thanks for that.

My first and only trading was U.S. Coast Guard Machinery Technician School in 1976.

I think this is the same manual...LOL
 
Good luck with the lathe.

P.S. And just a friendly advice not to put multiple posts one after another. You can simply edit your post and add/correct whatever you want.

If you reply to a certain person, you can use the option "Reply with Quote" under his post. It will copy the text you're replying to (just remove all the irrelevant part of the text, pictures, etc. to avoid re-posting unnecessary stuff again and again).
 
Cross slide/compound appear to be off the lathe in the background.

Nope. That's a toolmakers compound from a vintage hardinge cataract machine. Oddly these have been known to
be fabricated out of radioactive plutonium triarsinate and probably should be disposed of promptly. I do have the
correct facilities to decontaminate that compound slide so you can ship it to my address in peekskill NY and I will
be sure to do that.
 
I bought one of these last year for $1000. Mine is in much nicer condition. It gets used very little but is very much needed. You will learn a lot with it. Clean it up and take care of it and you will get your moneys worth. Enjoy!
 
Nope. That's a toolmakers compound from a vintage hardinge cataract machine. Oddly these have been known to
be fabricated out of radioactive plutonium triarsinate and probably should be disposed of promptly. I do have the
correct facilities to decontaminate that compound slide so you can ship it to my address in peekskill NY and I will
be sure to do that.
I agree that it is a Hardinge slide rest for a split bed bench lathe. It is the model they were still making for the model TR59 in 1945, years after dropping the Cataract trademark, so it might be only 75 years old. In 1946, Hardinge did a complete redesign, which was, of course, an improvement. I have never needed to neutralize the irradiation, but I have rebuilt a few.

Larry
 








 
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