[Lathe] Does Anyone Know What This Is/worth?

Tony I have been taking a closer look at the photo the lathe is a bit older than I thought, or at least from what I can see. I believe it is a Logan lathe, I found some photos of them on line and the head stock set up and shape all look the same. Have you actually looked at the machine, at that auction I was talking about there was another 9 inch lathe there that was very old 1920's and a lot of tooling, but it only went for $300. I bid $150. on it. It did not have a quick change gear box, and there was no threading dial, so I think the lathe was not set up to cut threads. Also it had the old Babbitt bearings on the spindle. Do a little more research on the model and age of the machine, it may be the same model number but an older version my not be like one from the 40s or 50s I am at work when I get a chance I will tell you what to look for on any used lathe to see if it was beat up when it was used.
 
It appears to have a lead screw so at least it will cut in Z, perhaps threading, probably not cross feed. I find that I don't really use cross feed, so don't miss it. I do very little facing, it seems.
 
My reaction was immediately, "Logan lathe. 9"? 10"? Change gears, no quick change gear box. Tailstock, not turret. Are those parts behind it for this lathe?" Around here there is a serious shortage of machinery, as we did not have as much industry as other parts of the country as soon, so it would be worth considerably more here than, say, Indiana-Pennsylvania. It is a good lathe design, you can get a quick change gear box for it when they come up on eBay, and it may be all you need. But you'll need to do some more research (guided by the wonderful members on this site who have helped me similarly) to know if it's worth it to you for your needs. If it turns out to be in great condition a quick change gearbox (or even an entire additional lathe for parts) would be most likely be cheaper than a new Chinese lathe. But then for $2K you can get a PM-1022V at your door with quick change, variable speed, and known condition.

Let's see some more photos if/when you can. Start with the nameplate on the front, the serial number at the other end of the bed, and an inventory of everything that is included. Find out if the motor is running, do your best to gauge if there are worn or broken parts, and generally inspect it with degreaser in one hand and a camera in the other, so to speak. If you can get it for almost nothing, it may be worth it just for the sake of selling parts to others who need them if it turns out to be in poor condition. Even if some gears are broken there should be others that are in excellent condition, for instance. The chuck and tailstock could be perfectly usable. If it's remarkably cheap (say, under $200??) and easy for you to get it, then I wouldn't hesitate to do so if I were you, because you can absolutely recover that kind of investment just from parts. If it's a pain to get it, the price is higher, and there's any question about the condition, then you'll want to be more careful.

Lathe.com is your friend, with lots of information on these machines.

Oh, a new belt is like $30-40.
 
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Jon is right if it is real cheap then it would be a good way to learn something about a lathe, and you could always get your money out, by selling the parts, now that I have a moment a little advise on buying a used lathe.

just use common sense, and this goes for any lathe, the things you want to look for is if the lathe was crashed, get an idea on condition of spindle bearings, and the condition of the ways. If there are problems with the spindle bearings, or if the ways are worn or damaged, and other critical parts of the lathe are damaged fixing these problems may be more than the cost of a new machine. First thing look at the chuck, face plate and spindle with chuck off if possible, if the spindle look beat up dinged or damage, not a good sign. look at the chucks and jaws, if there is a lot of damage then the machine has been crashed more than once.
Look at the ways move things around and inspect the complete length, any dents gouges deep rust, or unusual wear is not good. Look at all the handles, if they are bent, or look like they have plier marks on them . Move the carriage, and cross slide back and forth a few times make sure everything is moving freely and smoothly.
and last look at the compound rest if the casting is damaged that is the first place the chuck jaws will hit the lathe when there is a crash.
 
"If the lathe was crashed" generally refers to running the carriage into the headstock/chuck/spindle. It's bad for all of the parts of the lathe. Try to not do that, and try to not buy one where that has happened. :)
 
T Bredehoft said:
It appears to have a lead screw so at least it will cut in Z, perhaps threading, probably not cross feed. I find that I don't really use cross feed, so don't miss it. I do very little facing, it seems.
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Looks to me as if it has a full compound and top slide. I think it may have a threading dial. The nameplate is a different shape than the one on my Logan 400 but other that it looks the same. I was able to replace the v-belt on mine with a link belt without taking anything apart.

I paid $500 for mine running and mounted on a steel cabinet and with some tooling.
 
Thank you. This what I learned from Logan Actuator Co. http://store.lathe.com:
"Can't be positive, but it appears to be a Montgomery Wards Powr-Kraft lathe, built by Logan Engineering Co."
Naturally, they sell all the parts to make it sing (according to them).

I could probably get it for $100. However, I know ZERO about metal lathes as you can tell by my questions (which is why I enjoy this forum).


Thanks again!
 
You could probably sell a single part from it on eBay for $100. Grab it, and figure out if it's usable for you later. If it has tooling then it's worth even more. Best case scenario by just researching it, verifying that it's in good working order, replacing the belt, cleaning it up, and then selling it as a package with better photos and info, you could potentially be halfway to a brand new lathe that does exactly what you want. Or you may fall in love with the old machine and all its charm. :)
 
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I would probably just throw it out rather than deal with ebay. I will contact the seller and see what he wants do. Thanks for the feedback!
 
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