Need Info On Using A Lathe

I have been offered a free lathe, all I have to do is haul it away. It is the one we have at our marina, and it is humungous. It came off of a battleship, and they had to use a big forklift to even get it into our building. Our guys want to use that room for tool storage, and want it gone.

I know this thing is a really expensive unit, and also that it weighs a couple of tons (it's all cast iron) and comes with lots of attachments. I also have access to a big trailer to haul it, and a fork lift to move it. But the problem is, I have never used one, and although I sort of understand the concept, frankly don't know if I NEED one.

So, let me ask you lathe users out there..........is this something I need to do fabrication? What all can you do on these things?


Don

lol, you need it!!! After you use it a few times you will wonder how the heck you ever got along without it. Lots of good books on the fundamentals and advanced operations.

A lathe is a very useful tool,generally speaking though you don't usually need a very large one.From the sound of it this is huge.Fortunately machining was once my trade so I use the one at work a lot for my rod projects.I find that between a lathe and a Mill I can pretty much make most things for my truck.Depending on your interest level I would advise a course at a community college as they can also be quite dangerous for those unaccustomed to using one.If I was able to get a cheap or free one I personally would probably take it depending on its size though.:3dSMILE:

Our old Service Manager told me one time this is not the kind of lathe you turn on and walk away from. He said if the piece ever came loose it would go through the concrete block wall next to it. The power is 220V single phase,and it is about 7 or 8 feet long.

Another concern I have is that someone posted on here one time about a guy they knew who died because his clothing got caught in a lathe and it snapped his neck. My kid would be using this too, and I'm not sure I want to expose him to more danger than he faces with all the other tools he uses at the shop.

It is so tempting though, because of the possibilities with one of this quality. And,,,,,,,,,,,,IT"S FREE.:D :D :D

Don

Heck, walking across the street is dangerous...........

I'd get it before they decide to sell it or just throw it away.

Don
If you don't get it you'll be sorry later. When I was building my 38 I bought a small lathe and a small mill. I still have themmm and you can make most any brackets with them. I made my custom air cleaner for the 38 using both of them. GO FOR IT

well i did know a guy that did get killed useing a lathe. part came loose. my lathe is a 14 swing that is how big of a piec it will turn round the bed is about 4 feet i have run much bigger lathe but it will do many things and with a face plate you can use it like a mill. i have a mill and a lathe and you can make many things find some old machine books. i never run mine at full speed no need to if you have the rigth tool steel or carbide send a photo i like old lathe this is my second one. i have had .had a hendley the one i have now is a carroll jamson yes you can get hurt or killed . but you can get killed driving a car you need to respect the tool

I'll snap a picture of it Monday at work. It's really much bigger than I would ever need, but the price is right, and I would never outgrow it.

Thanks for all the input, guys.

Don

I'm in the same boat as you we just got a huge lathe too
and would like to find some one close to get us started.
I got some books that were recommended here coming from eBay-
basic info
search eBay How to run a lathe books we paid <$20
.
We have ours bolted to the frame in a moving van (temperary I hope)
I think our lathe will be a good tool to have once we figure it out

I like that saying Pat Mc "respect the tool"

have fun with yours
hank

Be a nice addition to your garage, one thing you can do to stop unsupervised or unauthorised people from using it is to put a keylock into the electrical circuit. That is a cheap piece of mind solution. Do as the others suggest take some time to go to community colledge to learn some turning skills,as they will teach you spindle speeds, set up and working centers, tool centers and counterbalancing. There are quite a few machining operations you can do on a lathe. Then there are all the accesories like 3 and 4 jaw chucks ceters and steadys. They get to be good fun to operate after a while. Oh and the big thing on the turning or any other engineering coarse for that matter is that they teach SAFETY.

I will tell you to get it, sell it, and use that money to buy yourself something nice. The problem you'll have is the size. It's really too big to be useful for turning anything under a couple of inches in diameter and you'll find it just taking up space in the shop.
I have a 9x14 Smithy and I have turned everything from 3/32 to 6" in diameter on it. I run production with it on diameters from 1/8th to 1 1/2" every day and, even when fabbing parts for the cars, I find I very rarely go over 2".
If you think you have a real need for a lathe or mill use this one to step down to something manageable.
Mark

There are outfits that will move machinery.

It could be very much worth the money.

Not to mention you could sell the lathe and buy a smaller one with the $$.

Many home shop machinists are looking for larger lathes and many of them have the space for it.

Be sure you get all the accessories that go with it.
Many times the accessory costs will exceed the cost of the lathe.

You have hit my real concern, that this thing is just too big for anything I would ever do on it. I forgot my camera today, but I just measured it. The length is 7 and 1/2 feet, and I think you could turn driveshafts with it. Seriously, this was on a WWII Battleship, and is built like one.

I hate to pass up something free, but sometimes these things can complicate your life, and I try to keep my life as simple as possible. I would have to load, haul, and unload it, and it would take up space I don't have to spare in the shop.

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I appreciate all the comebacks.

Don

I know that the thought of getting a lathe for nothing is very enticing, but
from experience I know tht having to big a lathe is almost as bad a not having one at all. I have two small lathes a 14x48 and a 12x36 and I have been able to make everything I have needed over the years. My brother was given an a big old Leblond that weighed in a 5300#. Let me tell you that moving that sucker was life threatening as well as expensive. It was great for doing a driveshaft, but it was also quite cumbersome for doing all of the little pieces we constantly need in our hobby, besides the fact it took up alot of room.
Pesonally, I would probably pass on it because you will quickly find that the hassle is much bigger than the reward. Harbor Freight has a great deal on a small 12x 36 for $1800.

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by C9x

There are outfits that will move machinery.

It could be very much worth the money.

Not to mention you could sell the lathe and buy a smaller one with the $$.

Many home shop machinists are looking for larger lathes and many of them have the space for it.

Be sure you get all the accessories that go with it.
Many times the accessory costs will exceed the cost of the lathe.

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I'm thinking the same here! If it's truly for free, just get it...you can always try to sell it again...if no real investment is needed to get the thing working (I think it IS in working order??)...maybe you can find an users-manual online, or from the factory...not just for you, but it also sells easier that way. And indeed, get all the accessories you can get!

I think it should be off limits for your kid, at least untill you yourself get the hang of it! And only then under supervision! Industrial machinery isn't made for home-users, so they usually need some degree of understanding and skill to handle...

If all fails, you still have plenty of weight in iron and even that should bring some dough!:LOL:

I just went out an cleaned the name tag off. It reads " 14.5 to 16 inch South Bend Quick Change Lathe."

I don't know what all that means, but this thing has levers and wheels that you turn to adjust it all over the place.

I gotta pass, I think. I can just see the headaches coming if I take it and have to deal with it. I think I'll move it into the other room here at work, and used it here if I ever need one.

Being the packrat I am, I love free stuff, but.............................


Don

South Bend is certainly a good brand.

Look at the ways to see if they are worn. Move the carriage away from the headstock and look at the ways in the area near the chuck....they are usually worn the most in this area. If they are worn to the touch, the lathe wont hold tolerances worth a darn.

Is there a three jaw chuck and a four jaw chuck? Without these, the lathe isnt worth a darn....good chucks are expensive. There is cheap crap but it isnt worth hauling home. A Jacobs drill chuck for the tailstock is a nice plus also.

Make sure the motor is single phase. Most of these were three phase originally. Look at the tag on the motor. If it is a five wire plug, it is three phase for sure. If it is a four wire plug, it could be either three phase or single phase.

If the lathe is a big swing 14" by a long bed, it isnt worth much.....the oil guys like big lathes but there is a glut of them now.....dont spend money on it until you determine its value.....could be less than the moving cost.
Think about what you would use it for....and how often. A lathe taking up floor space isnt worth much if you only use it twice a year!!!

mike in tucson

Itoldyouso,

If you don't end up taking the unit at least take the tooling & attachments & call me & I buy them from you!!!

PACO

IMHO I would pass on this elephant. It's really too big for most automotive projects (how many driveshafts will you need to shorten). Even if it runs, how good are the drive end bearings? Does it have a 3 or 4 jaw chuck? Does it have a tailstock? With live or dead center? Does it have tool holders? A set of tools? Is the bed straight? Is it a turret lathe, and does it index correctly? Metal working tools are expensive and the bigger the machine is, the more expensive the cutting tools tend to get. They are dangerous - two people that I worked with years ago at GE lost fingers though no major injuries or deaths. (Except for the guy who had too much lunchtime Xmas party and fell into his large boring mill while it was running) And we had dozens of lathes from tool room size at less than an 8" swing to one that had a 144"(12 FOOT) swing and a 100 foot long bed. These guys could cut to an unbelievable < .0005" dimensional tolerance. :eek:

If you really want a lathe, there are lots of good used smaller units available. A lathe and a mill are fantastic workshop additions for automotive work - but you do have to consider the size of material you will be working with.:HMMM:

Look in the yellow pages for machinery movers.

You may be able to get it moved for $500. or so.
That's provided you don't have to go too far.

A 14" - 16" lathe isn't that big.

A friend of mine had a very large private machine shop.
Along with a 5' x 9' pink granite surface plate and the 8' tall radial arm drill, he had three Monarch lathes.
The smallest of which is about the size of the South Bend you quoted.
A sweet and smooth running lathe which saw a lot of use for small car related stuff.

Far as safety goes, my 12" x 36" will chew you pretty good if you screw up.
The 6" x 18" isn't far behind.

If you pass on what sounds like a very desirable - free - lathe, you'll regret it later....

If you dont want it i do, ill drive 2 hours for a lathe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I have been offered a free lathe, all I have to do is haul it away. It is the one we have at our marina, and it is humungous. It came off of a battleship, and they had to use a big forklift to even get it into our building. Our guys want to use that room for tool storage, and want it gone.

I know this thing is a really expensive unit, and also that it weighs a couple of tons (it's all cast iron) and comes with lots of attachments. I also have access to a big trailer to haul it, and a fork lift to move it. But the problem is, I have never used one, and although I sort of understand the concept, frankly don't know if I NEED one.

So, let me ask you lathe users out there..........is this something I need to do fabrication? What all can you do on these things?


Don

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custom bushings:D

well i will make a list i polish cranks with mine made many bushing turned down bolts made weld in bungs cut down fitting just to day made a dowel pin for a world block .make tools . faced axle. faced dampers faced pulleys. tap tubing for rod ends ,bore .make knobs and knurl and have made tools to use on the lathe face plate boring bar holder and much more .

Look at the power it takes to run it. If it's off a ship it will be 480 volts, if its 3 phase you'll have to get commercial power to run it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

well i will make a list i polish cranks with mine made many bushing turned down bolts made weld in bungs cut down fitting just to day made a dowel pin for a world block .make tools . faced axle. faced dampers faced pulleys. tap tubing for rod ends ,bore .make knobs and knurl and have made tools to use on the lathe face plate boring bar holder and much more .

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Thats one hell of a lathe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.:whacked:Bushings and bungs can be bought real cheap.Whats a faced axle?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Thats one hell of a lathe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.:whacked:Bushings and bungs can be bought real cheap.Whats a faced axle?

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not if you can not buy a bung for the hole size:eek: i have plug and re faced the axle flange for a new bolt patterns oh you think bushing are cheap?:) shipping running down getting them find out they do not work . someone at the store give you the wrong one :LOL: you pay for the shipping and wait for the bungs . i will have made them and be done. still be waiting and you hope you get the rigth one .most thing are not open when i work:3dSMILE:

If that lathe is off of a WWII era ship, the 220v is probably 220v DC. It's rare to see a lathe of that size in anything but 440 3 phase which also makes me think the 220v is DC. It's still worth it if you can get it. Swap out the motor. Any made in USA lathe is MONEY!!!

No, evidently someone has converted it somewhere along the line, it runs on regular 220 v single phase. One of our Techs owned his own electric installation business at one time, and I checked it out with him. I know this can be a problem, because I have this huge 15 hp electric motor that I would love to use to run a compressor, but it is 3 phase, and our shop is only single phase.

I think it has become moot, because I told them to move it into the other room, and that I am going to pass on it. It would simply complicate my life right now, and I really have too many projects going already. The other thing was that I really didn't feel good just taking this away without the new owners of the marina knowing or okaying it. We have pretty much always done what we wanted, but with new people it might be viewed as stealing.

If I ever get that urge to learn to turn things, I will do what you guys have suggested and buy a normal sized unit. Again, I really thank all of you for helping me make a decision.


Don

The best hobbiest/maintenance lathe ever made:

http://cgi.ebay.com/9-Model-A-SOUTH-...ayphotohosting