What lathe?

[R DeLawter]

He's in alaska! There's no drill presses under a grand up there. Anything worth having will cost you your first born.

It's nothing like ohio and east, where used machines are scrap rate + removal.

After things fell apart in 2007 machine tools really got cheap for a couple years but they are moving back up.

I have a South Bend Heavy 10 with 24" bed that serves me well. ( A nice size for a home shop)

Also have a 1954 Springfield 16 x 60" with hardened ways but I need to change out the 20hp motor to 5-7hp with a phase converter.

PICTURES: I have some but takes me a day to remember how to post them.

 

[sunfish]

Power feed or go home. 2nd op lathes aren't good first op lathes. Why buy a machine that's handicapped?

Power feed isn't needed for what these chainsaw nuts are doin, or really for the small stuff I do with my South Bend...

 

[Jim Timber]

Another quick fact about VFD's. . . At low RPM the AC motors will get hot -- just the nature of the beast.

Another option for variable speed motors for your small lathe is DC.

You can scavenge for a treadmill nobody wants anymore, and take off the speed control and transformer.

A 2hp DC treadmill motor will make way more torque thru the RPM ranges than AC would ever hope to make! They'll also build less heat, and are waaaay cheaper to have rebuilt!

Even if you had to offer them $150-$300 for the treadmill, small VFD's start at around $500.

:msp_smile:

VFD's aren't that expensive.

You also don't use them as a primary speed control unless the application is designed for it (cnc's use them for spindle speed sometimes). You set up the VFD to run 60hz, and use the drive controls for forward/reverse/start/stop. It's not as robust as true 3ph (softer power, due to not having a powco generator pushing it), but it acts like you're just plugged in.


On rare occasions, you can over/under speed the motor using the VFD, but I prefer to let my motor work at max efficiency, and use the gear box or reeves drive to control the speed.

 

[R DeLawter]

I don't advise anyone to use RPC's - it's like saying throw out nat gas and go back to coal.

A VFD pays for itself. Mine actually pay me to use them. The more I run them, the longer our new digital electric meter gets tickled, and the cheaper our bill gets. I think the line feedback messes with how the meter reads current, and makes it think we're feeding back more than we're drawing. I'm not about to inform the powco about that though.

RPC's have horrible power factors, even when matched to the load - you'll get soaked on your usage.

I have a (Teco FM 50 ) VFD on a Clausing drill press and another one for my Bridgeport mill but a rotary phase converter is cheap to build.

 

[Jim Timber]

Power feed isn't needed for what these chainsaw nuts are doin, or really for the small stuff I do with my South Bend...

I guess it's a perspective thing. If I'm spending a grand, I want all the usual functions on a tool room lathe. Threading is a must have in my world.

Hardinge 2nd op lathes are nice for what they are, but I personally wouldn't get one if I didn't have another lathe.

 

[R DeLawter]

Power feed isn't needed for what these chainsaw nuts are doin, or really for the small stuff I do with my South Bend...

Once you get a lathe you find all sorts of things to make or turn down.

 

[Jim Timber]

I have a (Teco FM 50 ) VFD on a Clausing drill press and another one for my Bridgeport mill but a rotary phase converter is cheap to build.

Cheap to build, and expensive to run. That's all I'm saying.

Whatever you do, don't get a "static" phase converter!

 

[Metals406]

VFD's aren't that expensive.

You also don't use them as a primary speed control unless the application is designed for it (cnc's use them for spindle speed sometimes). You set up the VFD to run 60hz, and use the drive controls for forward/reverse/start/stop. It's not as robust as true 3ph (softer power, due to not having a powco generator pushing it), but it acts like you're just plugged in.


On rare occasions, you can over/under speed the motor using the VFD, but I prefer to let my motor work at max efficiency, and use the gear box or reeves drive to control the speed.

Machine dependent fur sure! Some machines won't go slow enough for needed surface speeds, so you have to fudge with the VFD.

I agree, you want the motor working at max efficiency, but it's not always doable. Hence you fudge, build heat in the motor and the torque sucks!

Look at old wire drive units on older wire feed machines -- they're DC, and offer infinite speed control.

 

[R DeLawter]

Cheap to build, and expensive to run. That's all I'm saying.

Whatever you do, don't get a "static" phase converter!

Yes static converters are a different story.

 

[procarbine2k1]

The second after you buy a good machine, enroll in an adult ed class- or pay a machinist (as well as a teacher) to give you a good foundation. I know this sounds over kill, especially for what your needs are (and yes there are many self-taught fellas out there) but I think you would be light years ahead. It wouldnt matter how tight or how well the machine was built if you werent capable of using it. Dont mean this to come off wrong.

I just sold an Atlas 101 that ran off of 110v, power feed with all the gearing. Not a big machine, but well built. Probably would have been perfect for what you wanted, just keep your eyes peeled. $500 is all that it sold for and it was a beauty. It had a 4 jaw non-indicating chuck, which I really liked.

The guys that keep pointing you toward the older machines are 110% right. If you find a decent deal on an older machine, and find out it isnt your cup of tea- there wouldnt be anything against you selling it. That 101 I had, I sold for a song and was still twice what I paid for it.

 

[Stihl 041S]

Power feed or go home. 2nd op lathes aren't good first op lathes. Why buy a machine that's handicapped?

Why buy what you don't need?

What is he going to use power feed for on P&C?

3120 to trim apple trees.

Or a Swiss army knife to clean fish.

 

[R DeLawter]

Older American built cast iron & steel has a lot going for it.

You can take an older machine with some play in it and once you learn it's characteristics you can do some very good work.

 

[blsnelling]

I just sold an Atlas 101 that ran off of 110v, power feed with all the gearing. Not a big machine, but well built. Probably would have been perfect for what you wanted, just keep your eyes peeled. $500 is all that it sold for and it was a beauty. It had a 4 jaw non-indicating chuck, which I really like.

You trying to make me sick, lol.

 

[Jim Timber]

You have power windows in your car right? If it's even an option anymore, would you pay the same for manual crank?

Buying a lathe "just for p&c" work is idiotic (unless you have other machines). Once you have one, it opens the door for so much other work. Why cripple yourself at the starting line?

 

[R DeLawter]

Why buy what you don't need?ings

What is he going to use power feed for on P&C?

3120 to trim apple trees.

Or a Swiss army knife to clean fish.

With Brad's skills and always learning new things, I think once he gets a lathe he will find all sorts of things to use it for.

 

[Justsaws]

Since the space and budget is what is being asked about how about some actual numbers.

How much does it cost to build a phase converter and how big are they?

How much does it cost to recondition a small lathe, since they typically pull $500.00 in poor condition, damaged parts that will need replacing. Most of the small older units on CL seem to start at around $500.00 for the unit itself and any extra tooling is more $$$$. Most are in what I would call rough shape and have not seen any that were ready to use lately in Ohio for ;less than $1500.00. Bearings are soooooo cheap for lathes, right.

If the Grizzly cost more than the HF then get the HF. You will want to take the Grizzly apart as well. Just my experience with every Grizzly tool I have ever seen.

Tell him about the cost and ease of sourcing the tooling needed to deck a 390 cylinder and cut the cumbustion chamber and not the bargins that you only found once but what it costs when you need it.

Fresh paint on an old lathe is only as good as the sellers reputation since it can hide some bad issues.

While Brad is located in Ohio between Lima and Cinn next to Dayton he should be able to find 100s of these small old lathes relitively locally, kind of makes you wonder why so many experienced hobbiest in Ohio buy HF units and why the resellers have to ship so many units out of state to stay in business.

 

[blsnelling]

Now I'm really going to show my ignorance. I know next to nothing about electronics. Do I have to buy a 110 V or 220V unit? Most all of the units are 440V.

 

[blsnelling]

Ebay DV-59s look to be $1500-$2500. Very little in CL either.

 

[Metals406]

Now I'm really going to show my ignorance. I know next to nothing about electronics. Do I have to buy a 110 V or 220V unit? Most all of the units are 440V.

If you're going to replace the motor (or VFD it), what's on the machine doesn't really matter.

For the sake of "plug & play", a 120v unit will be the easiest for you.

For a little perspective, Ol Stumpy has a HF lathe too, and he's cut a lot of saw parts with it already. :msp_wink:

 

[blsnelling]

For the sake of "plug & play", a 120v unit will be the easiest for you.

Believe it or not, I can run a 220V line So, this phase converter would allow me to run a 440V motor on 220V?