Any recognize this lathe?

[matthewsx]

The modification may be unsightly to some but has no effect on the functionality of the machine. As mentioned, it was probably done when the operator needed to turn a part slightly larger than the lathe was designed to handle. While this modification is a bit crude but can be dressed to look as though it was an integral part of the machine when it was built.

Over the years I've seen a number of smaller machines with the same modification. My Seneca Falls lathe has a similar although much smaller modification. Originally my machine was sold as a 9" even though in reality it had a throw of 10 1/4". Sometime in its professional life the modification was made to allow the chuck jaws to swing at 11". I say in its professional life because I know the history of the machine. It was run for nearly 40 years in a prototype shop by my wife's grandfather. When he retired, it was given to him as a retirement present. When he passed it went to my wife's father. When he passed, I became the custodian. It's been nearly 60 years since the modification was made, and in all that time it's never interfered with fabricating a single part.

If you're primarily interested in the cosmetics of a machine this may not be the one for you. If you're primarily interested in functionality, it's still worth looking at. As an FYI none of the machines in my shop are beauty queens. They all came from industrial and commercial shops and show some signs of the years of service they've put in. I look at them as battle scared veterans. Maybe not the beauty queens they once were, but still perfectly capable of turning out quality parts.

Here's a picture of the modification on my Seneca Falls machine.

I have the same machine, all be it without the modification. When I bought it for $300 back around 2005 I probably wouldn't have noticed it and surely wouldn't have passed it up because of such a mod.

I'm definitely not one to obsess over cosmetics on machine tools, they were made to work and if accurate enough for the job at hand that's what really matters.

The bigger challenge with vintage machinery IMHO is the limited speed range and lack of a QCGB. You can still make good parts, and adding a 3ph motor w/VFD to both my lathes is definitely a worthwhile addition. One of the best things though about my Star that I didn't even realize when I got it is the factory taper attachment. Nope, won't be getting rid of it anytime soon regardless. It's a joy to own and operate.

However, if I was looking for my first lathe and had a reasonable budget I'd be setting my sites higher than the one the OP posted. Here's a Logan for $1100 in Oxnard which would probably fit the bill and require much less effort to make good parts with, bonus that Scott Logan still provides parts and support for the brand.

Lathe 955 Logan - tools - by owner - sale

Metal working lathe with 3 & 4 jaw chucks. Tool holder and cutting tools. Eight 0 five nine one zero 9 3 seven four. Text anytime if interested.

ventura.craigslist.org

Good luck with whatever you do and keep asking questions here.

Cheers,

John

 

[Dabbler]

Here's my take - you are in California, a used machine tools mecca. Be patient and you will find an already working machine with tooling in the 2K$ bracket. If you cannot afford 2K$ you cannot afford the rebuild of that old klunker. be prepared to drive an hour or 2 to buy one. it widens your catchment and helps ensure a good lathe at a reasonable price.

 

[tk1971]

Yeah, I'm definitely looking at something I can use rather than a committed project. I contacted the seller of the Logan 955. I'm also reaching out to another seller with a Sheldon L-44 and owners of a couple of South Bends.

I'm going to hold out for a lathe with as much stuff (accessories, tooling, chucks, etc.) as possible, as my recent acquisition of a Rusnok Model 70 Mill had almost zero tooling and having to start from scratch can get a little overwhelming. But then again as I understand it, worn out and garbage tooling isn't going to help either.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[projectnut]

There's a fair amount of information about Sheldon machinery on the Vintage Machinery website. Specifically, there is a parts catalog and several sales brochures that do cover the style machine you're looking at. The 1955 catalog shows a model with the same stand as in your pictures. I do however believe the one you're looking at is a bit older than 1955. The single lever gear box was replaced with the dual lever style sometime in the mid to late 1940's.

Keep in mind the L44 is only a 10" machine. As such the collet capacity is limited to 3/4". One of the main reasons I purchased my Sheldon was because of the larger headstock bore. My older Seneca Falls machine only has a 3/4" bore and
the largest collet it can use is 9/16". My Sheldon has a 1 3/8" bore and can handle 5C collets.

Here's a link to the Sheldon publication section on the Vintage Machinery website:

Sheldon Machine Co., Inc. - Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org

Sheldon's are good machines. My larger lathe is a Sheldon MW-56-P built in 1960. Here are a couple pictures of my Sheldon:

 

[tk1971]

Thanks to everyone’s input, I found a South Bend 10” for sale near me.

My trailer is small, so I was concerned about picking up equipment over long distances.

I just got it home and hoisted it down from the trailer. I’m taking a break and picking my kid up from school.

In the meantime, here’s the info on it:

Size 10
Length of bed 4
Cat # 187 A
Ser 102642
Letters on the bed D.W.W. and L.Q.R.

I’m gonna head on over to the South Bend sub-Forum now.

Here are some pics…

Thanks to everyone once again for all the input.

 

[brino]

Congratulations on the "new" machine!

Brian