Are Logans noisy?

jwmay

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I was recently offered a Logan 2557V for 400 dollars. Now to me this seems a good deal. But keep in mind, that it's not pretty by any means. The seller states that it needs some love, but it works. Anyhow SWMBO has informed me that with one complete lathe, and two partials sitting in the basement, there will be no further purchasing. None of that matters I suppose. Anyhow, this opportunity took me to youtube where I watched videos of other 2557V Logan lathes in operation. They all sounded terrible. Noisy rattlecans in a tunnel.. So are they all like that?
 
My Logan 820 is not noisy, but not silent, either. It, my wife, and I are in an older Manhattan apartment with neighbors all around and no one has yet commented. In the lower gears it is not much noisier than my wife's sewing machine, and she has commented on how surprisingly quiet it is for its size. At higher speeds there's a bit more vibration, but it's not loud. Vibration and noise are both less than that caused by my Harbor Freight pancake air compressor. I don't run either after 8 PM or before noon on Sunday, though.
Tim
 
I'm guessing the noise would be caused by a worn Reeves drive, and since rebuilding one is probably expensive and time consuming a lot of the ones out there for sale are worn.
If I had one I would replace the drive with a VFD and inverter duty motor
I believe the Houdaille version a cost-reduced model and might be a bit louder?
 
Bingo! Likely the variable speed drive, notorious for noise on machines that have them. Pretty handy when working properly, but lots of people convert to a vfd as suggested.

As to the topic at hand, it’s $400 and works. What are you waiting for?
 
Had a Logan shaper with the Reeves drive, it was really loud, rebuilding it helped but was still far from quiet. Might have been gear and chain noise after the rebuild. The drive on the Hardinge runs virtually silent and the Rockwell wood lathe is really quiet.

Greg
 
The Reeves drive in the logan lathe is pretty basic. I have only had experience with clausing and logan variable drive. I found the logan to be more user friendly. Mine was louder than hell until I put a new belt on it. Even then it was a bit louder than a conventional belt change machine like the 820. Personally I would have already bought that machine before it got away.
 
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