barnbwt
Plastic
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2013
- Location
- Texas, USA
Hello everyone, I'm glad to be on the forum. Lot's of great info here, which has already helped me in my quest as an aspiring home machinist (emphasis on "aspiring" ). As per usual, I have too many questions, and probably some unrealistic expectations, but that's why I'm here
I am scoping out manual lathes for, at first, general gunsmithing work (profiling barrels and reamers, threading, boring/reaming) and then branching into more diverse needs as my skills improve. I settled on 15x36 being the size range to shoot for, since most anything gun-related will fit, the spindle bores are usually a good size, and it seems like the machines themselves begin to get sufficiently massive (they become referred to as "decent" lathes around here, rather than garbage mini-lathes ).
Initially I limited my machine budget to <5000$, but I found, as I'm sure y'all know, that my options were very limited for new machines, and the few used machines that come up down in Texas seem to be in rough shape or not sized/featured for my needs. I'm sure someone versed in machine appraisal and repair could score killer deals, but not me
So, I decided to expand my budget, using the extra time saving pennies to learn even more, and try to get a feel for what to expect. I'm now trying to stay under 10,000$, and suddenly these Okuma lathes from the '60's pop up on my radar.
They seem like exceptionally well made products, and unlike many of the machines I see from more famous brands, the features look superior. The LS lathes in particular trip my fancy, and I've found several examples for sale within 500mi that *appear* to be in decent condition, for ~$8000. The size is a bit larger than what I was looking for initially, but the footprint doesn't seem hugely different (width is more important in my garage than length). The bore diameter is over 2" which is huge for gunsmithing, and gives me plenty of room to grow. Lots of ratios, well-designed carriage and base controls (even a lever that halves feed rate). And the things are heavy; about 5800lbs.
Sounds like a winner to me, but as I said earlier, I'm a lathe/machine neophyte, who doesn't know a worn bearing journal from his own hind end . If anyone here has experience owning or using these lathes, please post your knowledge. I'm sure the machines have their quirks and problems, and hopefully I can make a better decision knowing what they are. I'm especially interested to see if their design is has been cloned by others, so that broken and unavailable parts could be adapted for a replacement.
I've read up on the major points for assessing overall quality, like condition of the ways, carriage/headstock damage, looking for signs of recent use, and avoiding gear noise/vibration (I'll definitely be buying a running lathe), so hopefully I can avoid the big pitfalls. But even if I find an Okuma with ways that appear okay, smooth and tight spindle, and no pieces missing, I assume I still have to do some work to ensure it's ready for operation. I found a site that sells what appears to be a pretty comprehensive set of bushings, wipers, seals, gaskets, and O-rings for the LS series, but would anything besides replacing the fluids and soft/wear parts likely be needed for a lathe in running condition (at least in the near future)? I am reticent to mess around with 50 year old machinery, but the lathes I've seen look in good enough shape to "tempt" me
Okuma LS lathe rebuild kit
One last question (and the most important); the LS lathes came with a 10HP 3 phase motor, which is both unnecessary for my needs and impossible to power in my current facilities (garage with 110VAC, and 220VAC available via 50ft extension cord ). So, I figure a motor-downgrade is in the cards, at least for the time being. Most of the new (Grizzly) lathes I had been eyeing were in the 2HP range, which is within the limits of the 220 connection. A high efficiency 1.5HP could probably work with the GFCI connection unless I really bog the motor down. Obviously I'd be limited in my gear-ratios and cut depths by the weaker motor, but would such a steep downgrade be harmful to the lathe/motor, or even worse, wholly impractical (could the "little" motor even start the spindle )? I suppose the upside could be that the spindle won't even notice a 1HP newbie-crash
Many thanks for sifting through my questions; I anxiously await your wisdom
TCB
I am scoping out manual lathes for, at first, general gunsmithing work (profiling barrels and reamers, threading, boring/reaming) and then branching into more diverse needs as my skills improve. I settled on 15x36 being the size range to shoot for, since most anything gun-related will fit, the spindle bores are usually a good size, and it seems like the machines themselves begin to get sufficiently massive (they become referred to as "decent" lathes around here, rather than garbage mini-lathes ).
Initially I limited my machine budget to <5000$, but I found, as I'm sure y'all know, that my options were very limited for new machines, and the few used machines that come up down in Texas seem to be in rough shape or not sized/featured for my needs. I'm sure someone versed in machine appraisal and repair could score killer deals, but not me
So, I decided to expand my budget, using the extra time saving pennies to learn even more, and try to get a feel for what to expect. I'm now trying to stay under 10,000$, and suddenly these Okuma lathes from the '60's pop up on my radar.
They seem like exceptionally well made products, and unlike many of the machines I see from more famous brands, the features look superior. The LS lathes in particular trip my fancy, and I've found several examples for sale within 500mi that *appear* to be in decent condition, for ~$8000. The size is a bit larger than what I was looking for initially, but the footprint doesn't seem hugely different (width is more important in my garage than length). The bore diameter is over 2" which is huge for gunsmithing, and gives me plenty of room to grow. Lots of ratios, well-designed carriage and base controls (even a lever that halves feed rate). And the things are heavy; about 5800lbs.
Sounds like a winner to me, but as I said earlier, I'm a lathe/machine neophyte, who doesn't know a worn bearing journal from his own hind end . If anyone here has experience owning or using these lathes, please post your knowledge. I'm sure the machines have their quirks and problems, and hopefully I can make a better decision knowing what they are. I'm especially interested to see if their design is has been cloned by others, so that broken and unavailable parts could be adapted for a replacement.
I've read up on the major points for assessing overall quality, like condition of the ways, carriage/headstock damage, looking for signs of recent use, and avoiding gear noise/vibration (I'll definitely be buying a running lathe), so hopefully I can avoid the big pitfalls. But even if I find an Okuma with ways that appear okay, smooth and tight spindle, and no pieces missing, I assume I still have to do some work to ensure it's ready for operation. I found a site that sells what appears to be a pretty comprehensive set of bushings, wipers, seals, gaskets, and O-rings for the LS series, but would anything besides replacing the fluids and soft/wear parts likely be needed for a lathe in running condition (at least in the near future)? I am reticent to mess around with 50 year old machinery, but the lathes I've seen look in good enough shape to "tempt" me
Okuma LS lathe rebuild kit
One last question (and the most important); the LS lathes came with a 10HP 3 phase motor, which is both unnecessary for my needs and impossible to power in my current facilities (garage with 110VAC, and 220VAC available via 50ft extension cord ). So, I figure a motor-downgrade is in the cards, at least for the time being. Most of the new (Grizzly) lathes I had been eyeing were in the 2HP range, which is within the limits of the 220 connection. A high efficiency 1.5HP could probably work with the GFCI connection unless I really bog the motor down. Obviously I'd be limited in my gear-ratios and cut depths by the weaker motor, but would such a steep downgrade be harmful to the lathe/motor, or even worse, wholly impractical (could the "little" motor even start the spindle )? I suppose the upside could be that the spindle won't even notice a 1HP newbie-crash
Many thanks for sifting through my questions; I anxiously await your wisdom
TCB