Hafco AL900A lathe, is anyone able to identify what it really is?

I need to ask some dumb questions as it has been a long time since I was last on a lathe, which was Hercus and Myford stuff at school about 4
decades ago!

A) Because this lathe does not have a "tumbler gear" handle like the lathes I learnt on, the direction change lever is the on/off lever on the far right of the carriage?

B) In the various manuals I have found online for very similar (but not the same) lathes the following seems to be the case:
1) Fitted with a control rod (3rd rod) as above description and thus direction and on/off control.
2) Only 2 rods and with tumbler gear handle for direction control.
The closest manual I have found is a Chizhou PL300-1 CZ 1234 & CZ 1237 which has a confusing set of photos which depicts a 3 rod lathe with a tumbler gear setup and the stepped Norton gearbox.........

C) Does this type of lathe mean that to change between metric and imperial thread cutting requires cog swapping ie. take a cog off and install a different cog or is it a case of reversing the orientation of the cogs?
If cog swapping is the case, then there are no loose cogs with the lathe.......

The chuck and face plate are screw on style. Is it normal to have a reverse direction facility with a screw on chuck - isn't it going to come off?
 
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Hi Doug,
It's nearly 1.30 here and just packing in for the night. My apologies, I had a quick look at the catalogue with wrong glasses on and got the number wrong. I'm looking at page 27 of the latest catalogue which has the AL-960B on it. I've just had a look at their site and downloaded the brochure etc. which I attach below. By the look of it it is very similar. I hope that helps.
As to Hare & Forbes I have found that they will say anything to make a sale, don't stock parts and have very little information. I dropped close to 14K with them and though I'd still buy from them if they had what I want at a better price than elsewhere I'd be checking everything carefully before I left the shop.
If you got that lathe at a reasonable price you shouldn't have to many problems and the Taiwanese stuff is pretty good quality.
I bought a new lathe just because I could and I wanted something new for once in my life. Previous was a 1920 Thornton flatbed that I rebuilt from scrap that was to big,(42" swing), for the garage when I bought the house. Lathes I'd used in the workplaces were all old to latest being around 1970 vintage. Just remember every machine is different and has it's own idiosyncrasies.
 

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  • L237 - Instruction Manual.pdf
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  • L237 - Parts List.pdf
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Hello NortonDommi
A relative by marriage used to live in Takapuna, but now lives in Brown's Bay where my family comes from.
Thanks for your thoughts and the brochures. I know the glasses problem too!
There is certainly a lot of similarity between that lathe and the one I am getting. I am having to assert a lot of patience in that area as it is an estate
scenario and a friend of that family is handling the matter. It has to be moved across the workshop to below a strongback where it can then be lifted.
The event will require Pyramid style technology of 1" water pipe rollers!

Once I can get it to my shed, I can then clean it and report back here, it has a lot of dust and fluff on it.

Regards
Doug
 
Hi Doug,
Small world aye? Brother has a place in a spot called Emerald but is shacked up in Sydney at the moment due to mining downturn and sister in Melbourne. I have a bin of bits of pipe specifically for moving stuff and would be lost without them.
I'm sure that lathe will be a good one and look forward to seeing some more pictures.

All the best,
Barry.
 
Barry
I am exercising patience till Tuesday or Wednesday when I can hopefully see it again and get those photos.

The relly who was at Takapuna was a LAME on Air New Zealand. He started off as an Appie with them
on Sunderland/Sandringham flying boats. Retired 5 to 10 years ago to Browns Bay. I would have loved to have had a
ride on a Sunderland, but before my time. He said the corrosion was horrendous.

Regards
Doug
 
Hi Doug,
My brother in law is an aircraft engineer but what I know about planes is they have wings. I can remember the flying boats in the harbour when I was young and always wanted to go for a ride, amazing to watch taking off or landing.
I was just looking for info on the AL-900A as my interest is piqued!
Hare & Forbes indeed did sell a HafCo AL-900A lathe as I found a number of references to them. I know that there is a machine tool manufacturing company called Hafco from when I was researching my lathe for information that Hare & Forbes could not supply. At this time I found out that H&F used to be the Australasian agents for Hafco and used the name for their brand name,(it can also be argued that it is a combination of Hare And Forbes COmpany), which I think may have been before they had a falling out.
The machines they sell now they brand as HafCo but are not made by Hafco and apparently not quite as good.

Anyhoo here's a couple of screen shots that date back to around 2012 which prove that Hare & Forbes sold a lathe marketed as a HafCo AL-900A
so next time you talk to a Hare & Forbes salesman ask him if he has his pipe handy.
 

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Barry

Excellent thank you.

I note the user "Iron bark" and have tried to contact him through that site, but for some reason, despite having registered and got approval I am not allowed to make any posts or make any contact? Weird way to run a forum.
I see he says in that attachment you sent me that he has a manual for a Hafco AL-900A, which is the reason I want to contact him.

Regards
Doug
 
Doug, firstly congratulations on buying your lathe. It looks remarkably like an earlier version of mine, which is Liang Dei 1216 from Taiwan. At least if yours is Taiwan madec you should have a fairly good machine. It looks ok for its age and quite modern for that time.

Hafco is the trade name for Hare and Forbes. they sell all sorts of machines mostly made in china but a few from Taiwan. your lathe does have that Taiwan look so you look to be in luck. Prior to buying my lathe I looked at Hafco and got so many confusing stories. It appears that they sell both chinese and taiwanese machines under the same model numbers if the specs are nearly the same, I heard so many bad reports I ended up buying from Modern tools in Melbourne and they only have taiwan lathes. Quite happy with my purchase.

The saddle handwheel on the right is a British / Australian convention, actually I prefer it, you tend to get less hot chips on your hands.

The extra gears for cutting metric may be already mounted under the cover at the left end of headstock. A 120 x 127 gear on same shaft.

the 3rd shaft under saddle is def a fwd stop and reverse switch, although if you have screw on chuck I'd be pretty wary of using it unless there is some locking device.

More pictures will help, especially some close ups.

What size is the lathe and do you have a gap.

I hope that helps.
 
Hello Bob

Thanks for the detailed email.

Heck, another brand name to add to my list!

I will have a look under the cover for the gears. Has to wait until Tues/Wed when the bloke is back in town who represents the estate. Patience lesson for me......

It looks to be a 12 x 36, however I am only assuming that from the 900 in the brand name.

I will attach some phone snaps I took inside the stand. The 4 jaw chuck and faceplate show the screw on. I could detect no other retention
means when I was looking at the 3 jaw insitu. Which puzzled me at the time.
The bloke said he has effectively the same lathe but with Herless brand. Ho
20180606_164005.jpg
20180606_164014.jpg
pefully he may know more.

Recollection is fuzzy, but I seem to recall a gap piece insitu.

Regards
Doug
 
Bob

Would you list the gears that came with your Liang Dei please?

Don't go to the trouble of counting teeth, only if the gears are listed in your manual? I see from the advertising flyer that a "standard accessory" is the change gear set, whatever that includes?

Regards
Doug
 
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