Another 10" Logan Project + A Question

[Nogoingback]

Greetings,

I recently acquired a Logan 200 to replace the 6" Atlas that I've been using for the last few years and
wanted to start a thread on the "rebuild" I plan on doing before I get it up and running.
Despite it's age, it seems
to be in pretty good condition, though of course it has a few issues. My plan is to clean and lubricate everything, make repairs and get it running. I may also add a VFD.

From the S/N, it seems
that this lathe was built during WWII, so I'm assuming it was sold to the Army. This is one of the early
200's, with the separate post that supports the countershaft assembly. It's painted a sort of OD green,
which was sprayed over the original gray.

I started the project by picking up a cast countershaft support off eBay: for some reason one didn't come
with the lathe. Then I decided to fabricate a welded machinery base for the lathe. I did this for several reasons.
Unlike the later 200's, the support post doesn't "attach" to the lathe itself: it has to be bolted down in the
correct position so that the aft part of the c'shaft assembly rests on it. I think the intent was that these lathes
would be bolted down to a floor. Logan changed the design later: I assume because there's no way to leave
the lathe free standing with the unsupported post. So, the machinery base will allow everything to be bolted
down in their correct locations. The base weighs about 75-80 lbs, which will add some rigidity and mass,
and will sit on 5 leveling mounts. The other advantage is that it raises the lathe up to a more
comfortable working height, which will help with my less than perfect back.


I've already purchased a few small parts from Logan, and got the parts list and manual while I was at it and
begun taking apart sub assemblies and cleaning things up. Which leads, inevitably, to the first problem that needs to be solved. Last night I started taking apart the headstock: the bearings seem pretty
smooth but sound dry to me so I want to take a closer look and get things cleaned up. After removing
the take up nut, spindle gear, key and spacer, removing the set screws and the bearing cap screws, I tried
to tap the spindle out with a rubber mallet. It's moving, but it's stubborn, and it seems that the aft (smaller) bearing is frozen to the spindle, so that it's moving with it. This has resulted in the bull gear
pushing up agains the headstock casting. I stopped at that point, and have the inner race soaking in Kroil.
Has anyone experienced this, or does anyone have a suggestion on how I might resolve this. It seems as
though the inner retaining collar is also "stuck" to the spindle. Thanks!

 

[Nogoingback]

Well, I took a closer look at the bearing and it appears that it isn't the correct part number. The bearing in the lathe is a New Departure 3206 which is listed as an angular
contact double row bearing. The original part is a New Departure 77506 (I believe), which is a deep grove single row ball bearing. They are, naturally, different widths.
This doesn't answer the question of why the bearing won't come off the shaft since they both have the same ID and OD, but it may provide a clue to what's going on. Since
the bearings are a different thickness, the inner spacer may have been made up to adjust for that. Hopefully, it wasn't pressed on.

 

[LucknowKen]

Hello Nogoingback: Welcome to THM forums.
I wish i could help you with your spindle issue but i am not one of the resident Logan experts.

Good luck!
lk

 

[Nogoingback]

Thanks LucknowKen. I appreciate it.

 

[Nogoingback]

As can be seen, the spindle came out. I was using a compothane (plastic) dead blow hammer on it but was still concerned about damaging the threads, so I turned a "button" with a shoulder on it that fitted
into the end of the spindle. That gave me something to strike with the hammer without endangering the threads. I used some aluminum bars between the bull gear and the headstock
casting to protect the teeth, and was able to get things moving.

It appears that both bearings need replacing. If I understand correctly, the double row bearing at the tailstock end is somewhat special in that it has preload "built in", and that it's
available from Logan at huge expense. Is there an alternative? I don't mind paying for a quality bearing, but I'd like to know what my options are. Also, does anyone have any advice
on changing them out? I've looked at some older posts on this subject, but it's still a little
unclear to me whether a suitable bearing is available except from Logan.

Here are some pics of the lathe with the base that was fab'ed up:

 

[Transformer]

I have pretty well the same lathe you have. Fortunatly a lot of reconditioning work had been done on it before I got it. I don't think I have the nerve or knowledge to dive into things the way you have. I like the stand you made, presumably you will be reinserting the pan, more heavy lifting. About the only thing I have done with mine is to make new UHMW bushings to replace the rubber bushings of the pulley cover. I also got a new 3 jaw chuck as the jaws on the original one were quite worn and I could not come up with a good way of truing them up. The Shars 3 jaw is much larger than the original 3 jaw. Thanks for sharing, I look forward to following your progress.

 

[Chuck K]

I'm not sure that I'm following you on this. Are you concerned that it has the wrong bearings or do you know that the bearings are bad?

 

[wa5cab]

Nogoingback,

I have no experience with Logans but my understanding just from reading the mail in this forum for the past few years is that at least the spindle head bearing (the double-row one) was made specifically for Logan. In other words, a special order.

 

[Chuck K]

If you have a double row New Departure bearing in front, I would try cleaning and lubing it before I went to the expense of replacing it. Once you have had the spindle out it's not a big deal to take it out again if you find that the bearing is in fact bad. The rear bearing isn't anything special. I have had some bearings that I thought were junk that ran silky smooth after servicing them. On the flipside I currently have an 820 that the bearings were just wasted on. It sounded rough at high speed and left a rough finish on everything I cut. That was after I cleaned and lubed them. Those I had to replace.

 

[Nogoingback]

After thinking about my options (cleaning, bearing supply house, etc.) I just called Logan and ordered the bearings. The rear was 30 bucks and the double row was $211.00, which isn't cheap,
but OK with me. Part of the reason I bought a Logan is that after 73 years, I can still get parts for this thing. (Try that with a Grizzly!) Of course, that situation will only continue if people actually buy parts from them, so I feel
there is value in supporting Logan. I didn't pay much for this lathe, so I figure I'm still ahead and I'll know it has good bearings in it for as long as I'm likely to use it.

They also still sell carriage stops, so I bought one of those (feeling flush this morning!), a new belt and some small bits that I needed. Unless I run into a surprise that's everything I need
for now, (except for a new chuck).

Thanks Transformer. How do you like the Shars chuck? I'll be thinking about all the usual suspects like Gator and Bison, but I'd like to hear what people think about what they have.

Chuck and wa5cab, thanks for the input. I decided not to go through the cleaning routine partly because I really don't want to take it apart more than once, and because even
if it runs smoothly, it still has to have a fair amount of wear on it after all these years. Since these bearings can't be adjusted, I just decided I wanted to put in a new one.