| usapro | -- 11-08-2010 @ 7:53 PM |
|
Looking for input - small lathe and- milling machines. We have bridgeport - Okuma, etc at the shop however would like to have toys at home for develpment work. Space is a challenge, basically, would run nothing over 1.00 dia, brass or AL small amount of 304 stainless. Tolerance within 0.001 would be fine.
|
|
| 37 Coupe | -- 11-09-2010 @ 5:52 AM |
|
A good used South Bend lathe would be and is my choice. You can study them up on Ebay as there are always some listed.The Model A 9 inch and 10 inch. These are the ones manufactured mainly for hobbyist in the thirties through the seventies. One thing I like in a small lathe that SouthBend provided was V ways not flat like the cheaper ones and now the China ones. The V ways are what you want for accuracy especially turning lengths and tailstock lock down while drilling.Not hard to find and lots of guys took care of them. South Bends are a whole other hobby like old Fords,guys restore them and there are couple websites and forums like this one for help. I even found the correct color gray paint for my year on South Bend forum. If you want to cut metric threads though and want cheap you will have to go China man. Also if you really want to save space South Bends from small up optioned a tool post milling atachment, in the Navy I served on a WWII era diesel submarine and later a nuclear FBM,this is what we used South Bend lathe and milling atachment for emergency repair. I was apprentice machinist interupted by Viet Nam deal,at New London Ct machine tool school all class had was row after row of South Bends as on subs,no other machine. I return to finish apprenticeship at home,spend last 41 years on every type machinery, from Cincinnati to China but no South Bend,retired got my own. This message was edited by 37 Coupe on 11-9-10 @ 6:10 AM
|
|
| Stroker | -- 11-09-2010 @ 9:05 AM |
|
37's spot-on regarding old South Bends. I have a 60's vintage Clausing that I would recommend as well. I served on a WW-II era tin-can during the Viet Nam unpleasantries, and we had an even older Clausing as a repair lathe. Clausing still has a service center in Michigan, so some replacement parts are still available.
|
|
| supereal | -- 11-09-2010 @ 9:34 AM |
|
We have been buying selling machine tools for several years. Last week, alone, we bid and won on both a mill and a Sunnen hone, among other acquisitions. As older machinists retire, and the recession deepens, more of this equipment is being sold for "iron" price. On the "flip side", parts are becoming scarce and pricey. Last year we bought a very nic big lathe that looked almost new, only to find that one of the gears in the head was missing some teeth, with no source of replacement. In most cases, and all auctions, it isn't possible to actually run these machines to see if they are functional. If not, you bought an expensive lawn ornament. We passed on an enormous lathe than was rescued from a battleship. For the hobbyist, the foreign made machines are adequate, and generally priced within reach. The Chinese mill in our shop gets more use than our Bridgeport, as it is easier to set up and operate.
|
|
| EFV-8 Club Forum : | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum |
| Topic: | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=18&Topic=2152 |