Advice on lathe for home shop

GSweldmech said:
Well I just heard back from the owner of the Cincinnati, he’s told me it runs on 480 3 ph but the DRO runs on 220. He has no idea what’s needed to operate on the 230 3 ph that I have here. Does anyone know how involved the change over might be? I’m pretty capable but id be a lot more comfortable with a schematic from the OEM. he’s also told me the lathe is 10-12 feet long. I’m hoping he’s over estimating the length but if it really is that long I’m going to have to pass, I couldn’t devote that much footprint to a lathe I simply don’t have the amount of work to justify that footprint. I’ve asked the seller to please confirm the length and get back to me . Internet manuals show a 24” lathe as 84” long. If that’s true the lathe is 60” longer that the length between centers so a 60“ lathe would be 10 feet long, could the lathe in the picture I posted be a 60 inch lathe? I’ve wrong a couple times in the past but I was guessing maybe a 48” what do you fine gentlemen think.
Click to expand...

It looks like they were available with up to 60" between centers. A modern 14x40 is about 6-1/2 feet, and a 16x60 nearly 9 feet. The head on that Cincinnati looks pretty massive so I could believe 9-10 feet if it is in fact 48-60" between centers.
 
So I just went and looked at the Harrison, it’s an M300 English made unit the serial number points towards a ‘91 or ‘92 build date according to what I can Find on the inter webs. It runs quiet through ll the speeds the feeds all shift nicely The ways look great the cross slide has about .040 of backlash in it, the compound has almost none. It has a three jaw on it, a knock off aloris piston type tool post with one tool holder and a no name jacobs chuck in the tail stock. I did a quick couple of cuts on a piece of 1” mild steel and it cut pretty nicely.
I’ve read an on line manual and there’s a way to tighten the cross slide nut to take up some of that backlash but there’s no way to make the bed longer than the 25“ between centers or remove the scars on the compound where it was driven repeatedly into the chuck by students( this lathe and the longer one behind it came out of a school). The one shot oiler in the apron seemed to only discharge to the far way of the lathe so I think there’s a little work needed under the saddle . He’s also got a 40” for the same 2k asking price same visual condition but this one I did not run through the speeds And feeds. The longer has no chuck no tool post and nothing in the tail stock.
all in all I came away kind of impressed with the machine, my biggest concern would be the short bed, does anyone have a similar short lathe have any input on the pluses and minuses? im not doing rifle barrels or anything like that, and other than a pump shaft I made years ago I don’t think I’ve ever made a part longer than the 25” that the Harrison would handle. What am I missing
 
Last edited:
Well, your post is rather fortuitous. I just got off the phone with Precision Matthews. Had a little discussion about a bigger lathe.

I have a Precision Matthews 1022. It is an "ok" lathe for what it is, but very shortly after purchasing it, I realized that it was too short. If I was going to do it again (which I am, once I figure out what I want/can afford) I will not buy anything less than 36". 40 inches between centers for me would be a sweet spot. It all depends on what you are doing though. I don't do gunsmithing and have no idea what it entails.
I would not worry about no tool post. You could buy an Aloris or Dorian which is $$$, or do like many of us and get a decent knock off. Lots of choices. Chucks aren't that big of deal either.
 
I remember way back 25 years ago when I was in your shoes. I spent 4 years trying to find a used lathe in good condition at a reasonable price. I finally gave up and bought a new 13x40 lathe. It was only $500 more than the used ones I was finding and I did not have to worry about what was worn or broken. And most of the used ones I saw were rode hard and put away wet.

One thing I would consider is to get a lathe that does not have a screw on chuck, there are times it is nice to be able to run it backwards and not have to worry about the chuck unscrewing in the middle of a cut.
 
well I went back to the machine tool dealer and the 40” Harrison is pretty beat. There’s definite wear in the ways and the thread dial is missing, brake assembly is making noise on the drive sheave end, I’m gonna pass on that one. The 25” machine still is under consideration.

I heard back from the guy selling the 15” tray top Cincinnati and it’s a 15X42 and the total length is 8 feet. It’s a couple hour drive to go look at it but I’m thinking of borrowing a trailer and taking a ride. What should I be looking at on the Cincinnati beyond the regular items? Any Cincinnati specific faults or weaknesses that I should be on the look out for?
 
Does the guy have a way to load it on your trailer if you buy it?
Do you have a way to load and/or unload it from your trailer?
It sounds heavy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top