Logan 10" Lathe rear-spindle tightness?

Like MBfrontier, my lathe is a Logan 200. But the Logans used bronze bushes on the countershaft so it's pretty likely that your machine has
them as well. If the shaft is binding, then it would be a good idea to sort it out.

Your 1/3 HP motor is a little light for a 10" Logan. 1/2 to 3/4 is more like it. Make sure that any motor you use runs the same RPM.

Can you post a picture of your setup?
 
Here are some pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RUDrTT5vsaNgpmUJ3

I'm not thinking the shaft is binding, just was wondering how much it should free-wheel. I can turn it by hand with a really strong single-finger, but as soon as I stop, so does it. The 1/3 HP motor is of questionable condition, but it cannot turn the lathe in the hardest conditions. I DO have a 1 HP motor that I am going to try to install, which will hopefully fit.
 
Update! I tossed the 1 HP motor on it, and added oil to all of the brass bearings I could see, and it seems to work just fine! It runs smoothly it seems. Now to learn how to use it :)

Since it was the original motor (a 1/3 motor), I suspect somewhat that it was pretty worn out. I didn't check for condition (since it is 30 degrees out right now!), but it didn't spin great by hand.
 
Glad to hear it's running OK for you. 1 HP will be plenty for that lathe: Logans, and I assume your lathe came with 1/3 or 1/2 HP motors.
It's also nice to see you have a QCTP with it though it looks like a BXA, which normally is too large for a 10" Logan. Did you buy it, or
did it come with the lathe?
 
It IS a BXA, it came with the lathe, it is an Aloris brand with a bunch of tool holders. It defintely seems very stable.
 
Aloris is a good quality tool post, with a price to match, but BXA's are too big for a 10" Logan. If you place a tool in one of the tool
holders and run the adjustment as low as it will go, compare where the tip of the tool is relative to the centerline of the spindle. (A
dead center in the spindle will help see this.). The tip of the tool must be no higher than the spindle centerline: if it's higher the tool
post is a no go. I think you'll find that that's the case with your lathe. 10" Logans and Wards lathes normally use AXA setups.

The good news is that an Aloris tool post and holders has value, and wouldn't be hard to sell.
 
One other comment, although it turned out that you were talking about the countershaft and not the spindle. When removing the spindle, you do NOT have to or even need to remove what look like set screws in the step pulley. The one in the middle is an oil plug. You should pull out the direct drive pin so that you can turn the pulley and remove the screw periodically and squirts some of whatever the recommended oil is into the hole, replace the screw and rotate the pulley several revolutions, and repeat once or twice if the lathe has been in pretty frequent service.

The purpose of the other screw no one seems to know. But the one thing that is obviously true is that neither it nor the oil screw can touch the spindle. If it did, the back gears wouldn't work, and worse, you would scar the spindle.
 
Glad to hear you are making progress. The pictures help a lot.

It looks like you have a nice machine to get running and play with.

Without any belt tension on the countershaft the shaft should spin free without excessive play between the shaft and bearings.
 
The tip of the tool must be no higher than the spindle centerline: if it's higher the tool
post is a no go. I think you'll find that that's the case with your lathe. 10" Logans and Wards lathes normally use AXA setups.
Ok, great, I'll take a look at that.
 
Aloris is a good quality tool post, with a price to match, but BXA's are too big for a 10" Logan. If you place a tool in one of the tool
holders and run the adjustment as low as it will go, compare where the tip of the tool is relative to the centerline of the spindle. (A
dead center in the spindle will help see this.). The tip of the tool must be no higher than the spindle centerline: if it's higher the tool
post is a no go. I think you'll find that that's the case with your lathe. 10" Logans and Wards lathes normally use AXA setups.

The good news is that an Aloris tool post and holders has value, and wouldn't be hard to sell.

I just tried it out, and have about 1/8" of room to continue going 'down' after putting the bit at dead center. I confirmed this by raising the cutter while cutting a piece of aluminum until the center 'nub' disappeared.

One thing I DID notice is that the cutter bars are pretty thin, perhaps 3/8" with carbide inserts. I'm not sure what the right size is for it, but they otherwise seem to cut alright.
 
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