My new old Nardini MS350 is here

Got my new old Nardini into the workshop today.

I don't know how old this lathe is but it is not a young one. It has had relatively little use and shows no sign of any abuse or crashes. The bed is in primo condition.

The next step for me is to give it a good clean. I am going to strip down the carriage and apron. The change gears also need a good clean.

I also need to convert the machine to 1 phase. I haven't figured out how I am going to do that yet. I have a number of different options, one of which is to have 3 phase power connected.

I have not seen the lathe running but the controls are simple to figure out. The control panel has all the information on it needed to run the lathe. It seems to be robust and well build but it is not perfect. The black triangular gearshift knobs are very stiff to operate. It hardly seems likely that they left the factory like this so it justifies further investigation.

It is not fitted with a taper attachment and didn't come with a face plate or a manual. I expect two of these will be hard to find.

I am looking forward to making chips with it.

dazz:
What a beautiful lathe and you must be maxed out on the excitement you feel. You can build or buy a rotary phase converter--and I would suggest one a little larger that will run your lathe so as you add --- and you will --- other shop equipment you will have 3 phase to run more than one machine. A static phase converter is less expensive and will run one machine if that is the route you want to go.
I might check all the oil reservoirs -- run it through the different speeds and make some chips as SOON as I got power to it.
Congratulations on your purchase.

Indeed, it IS a beautiful machine! I second the recommendation that you think long and hard, then rinse, recycle and repeat, until you've successfully re-thunk the plan to convert to single phase. It is definitely a step in the wrong direction if you will permit me to express my unsolicited opinion. Lathes have three phase motors for very good reasons. If the motor is 3hp or less there is no viable reason to use anything other than a VFD, as they're a raging bargain up to that size, and some (most) will take 230V single phase input and will output true 3 phase, with no derating. If the lathe motor is bigger than 3 hp things get more complicated and expensive which might make a RPC more attractive.

Nice little lathe, I wouldn't worry too much about the taper turning attachment or the face plate. They're nice to have but not essential. A four jaw chuck and a fixed steady are essential in my opinion though. Regards Tyrone

Hello, lovely lathe, pic saved in my collection. Do you get a bit confused as to what the time is by the way. Oh, I like your sign !.

Congratulations, that's a very nice machine and I know how hard it can be to find a good one in AUS or NZ at a reasonable, affordable price.

I'll agree with others that the last thing you want to bother doing is converting to single phase. That's going backwards and not making the machine any better. This "static" phase converters aren't worth the bother. I had one for a couple of years and know. Get a VFD or RPC to power it up with true 3-phase power.

That machine is in apparently very good to excellent condition. I see no reason why tearing anything apart is warranted. Change the oils in the headstock and apron, that should be all you need to do.

And lastly, I hope you get it off that wood if that's what I'm seeing under it. It'll never stay straight if it's moving around on wood that swells and shrinks with age and humidity.

Those "triangular" knobs you are referring to are supposed to be rigid or a bit hard to turn. They are snug. When you are wanting to change them, sometimes a helpful thing to do is "jog" the saddle X and Y. This will allow them to engage. I know that may be hard to understand but it is early and my brain is sluggish today. I have a 1440 and love it. Great machine.

Nice lathe. What is the swing and bed length of the MS350.

I almost bought a Nardini 1030 lathe last fall. Seller decided to keep it.

Fell in love it. Still looking for another Nardini 1030.
Jim

If it is 3hp or less a 5hp vfd will run it with single phase input at full power. This will also give you electronic braking, variable speed etc.
Bill D.

Congratulations Dazz: Very nice catch. I quit bidding on a similar sized 1430 last year and am still kicking myself.
Best of luck.

JH

Hi

I am stoked with joy on this one.

Lathes of this vintage, quality and condition are incredibly rare here. Most machine tools are either inferior from birth, have suffered a life under the abuse of trainees, or are worn out from heavy industrial use.
It took me 2 years to find my first lathe, a Denford Viceroy, and 8 years to find the Nardini.

The Denford is a technically superior version of a Boxford/Southbend lathe, Mine was purchased and imported by a model steam enthusiast who owned it until he passed away. I brought it two years later from an engineer who rebuilt kart engines. Back in the 80's it was extremely difficult and expensive to import a lathe. You needed the foreign currency and an import license. It usually made sense to import a lathe will a full range of available factory accessories and so it was with the Denford. It has them all. This makes the Denford a small but capable lathe.


The Nardini was in the research lab of a University in South Africa and was recently imported by the person I purchased it from. It has been exposed to very light usage within a clean environment.
The Nardini has a factory original paint job which I like better that the usual olive green.. The green at the base of the plinth appears to be from when the floor was painted.
The Nardini came with the usual 3/4 jaw chucks, both steadies and a driver plate. Apart from the obvious size/power difference, without all the extra accessories, it is less capable than the Denford. One of the reasons why it has taken me so long to find a lathe like the Nardini is that the Denford is so good. My long term plan is to build up the capability of the Nardini to match the Denford.

The lathe is temporarily sitting on wood while I clean it and figure out how to power it. In it's permanent location closer to the wall, it will need to be leveled and held down with seismic restraints.

I am part way through converting the single phase Denford to a VSD/3phase setup youtube.com Denford converted to VSD.
It runs significantly smoother than the 1 phase motor so I have first hand experience with VSD.

The Nardini is fitted with a 2 speed 3ph motor so fitting the single phase 3kW(4HP) motor I have in my workshop would sacrifice that capability.
Most single phase VSDs available here are limited to 2.2kW but I can install a 4.4kW single phase supply. So the challenge I have is to find a larger than normal VSD at a reasonable price.
Running it on single phase motor is the option of last resort.

The Nardini triangular knobs spindle gear change is a two-handed operation. There is no indication of any fault. It just feels like extra friction from something like age-hardened rubber seals.

Although the Nardini has low usage, it has had years to accumulate dirt, chips and grime in places they shouldn't be. That's why I plan to strip down and clean the carriage/apron.
I dislike maintaining or using dirty machinery.

NARDINI and GRAZIANO are beautiful and accurate lathes. I wish I had one of these...

Take a closeup of the front of the lathe. Your description has me scratching my head. (Of the triangular knobs that is)

jackalope said:

Take a closeup of the front of the lathe. Your description has me scratching my head. (Of the triangular knobs that is)

Click to expand...

Both knobs are cracked.
The red/blue rpm numbers depend on which speed the motor is switched to.
The motor is 4kW 380VAC 3phase.

Hi

I thought I would post some progress photos of what I have found and what I am doing. At present, I am giving it a good clean.

The lathe has a shear pin in the upper-most change gear. A close fitting 1/8" steel pin.
All of the fits on this lathe are close and tight.


The change gears have been removed for cleaning.


The shear pin can be seen in this photo.


The pin fits into a matching hole drilled into the change gear.

Hi

There is a cover plate between the headstock and bed.

This has not done a good job at keeping out coolant and chips.

The coolant has flowed along under the headstock, and then down onto the motor and belts. Not a good combination.


I have laid a bead of silicone sealer behind the cover plate to act as a dam and in addition, sealed around the top edge of the cover plate.
This will stop the flow under the headstock.

Hi

I have a copy of the Nardini MS350 brochure, but no manual.

Hi

It is probably hard to see in the photo but the the forward/reverse switch wiring has been modified so the lever won't reverse the spindle.
I guess this is to prevent accidentally switching from forward through stop to reverse in one movement.
So at present the spindle will only rotate one way.



There is no e-stop switch on this lathe. That is something I plan to fix.

Seismic restraints ? How much ground shaking do you get?

Thanks,
Jim.

Clean looking machine , For me if the cut is good and the machine has a good feel to it its a keeper .