Opinion on Sheldon 11"(Older) Versus 10"(Newer Style)

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Dgleavitt

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I am looking at a 1940s 11" Sheldon with what appears to be a 1 3/8 spindle in plain bearings and single tumbler QC gear box. Seems like a good price for what comes with it. Two chucks, 5c collets, taper attachment, milling attachment, faceplates, tool post grinder and (sphering tool???) BUT I really wanted a 10" with the roller bearings and double tumbler Gearbox.

How does the older model stack up against the newer model?

Any specific problems I should look for on the older model?

Thanks,
Andrew
 
I have a KQ 11" for my keeper lathe..very smooth machine..been using it for 5 years.had a 10" 2 lever this summer for restoring to sell..lighter lathe than 11"..depends on wear which one I would get..how much is person asking for the 11".? Check all the normal wear areas...I'm a Sheldon fan but in the end it's whatever blows your drawers up..
 
Asking 1800, in addition to what i mentioned before, it has the steady and follow rest too. Most complete Sheldon I have seen yet.
 
Have you been able to run or check it out in person?.does it have lever on top and one on front of gearbox? You know serial number? If you do does it start with KQ or KS.price sounds ok with all the tooling
 
Dgleavitt said:
I am looking at a 1940s 11" Sheldon with what appears to be a 1 3/8 spindle in plain bearings and single tumbler QC gear box. Seems like a good price for what comes with it. Two chucks, 5c collets, taper attachment, milling attachment, faceplates, tool post grinder and (sphering tool???) BUT I really wanted a 10" with the roller bearings and double tumbler Gearbox.

How does the older model stack up against the newer model?

Any specific problems I should look for on the older model?

Thanks,
Andrew
Click to expand...
I think the biggest difference you'll see between the plain bearing and roller bearing models is speed. I have a PDF version of an older Sheldon catalog. It lists the maximum spindle speed of the plain bearing models as 1355 rpm. I have a 1960 model of the WM-56-P machine that has roller bearings. The maximum spindle speed on this machine is 2200 rpm. Having said that I find almost all the turning I do could easily be done on the lower speed machine. This machine has a double tumbler gear box and I must admit I do like it.

I also have a Seneca Falls Star #20 lathe. It is a plain bearing machine with a maximum spindle speed of 650 rpm. While it's a bit slower than the Sheldon it works just fine. This machine is a change gear machine, and takes a bit longer to setup for threading, but it does an excellent job. Had my first machine been of the double tumbler variety I might have been disappointed with the time it takes to setup this machine. However since I'm not doing production work I find both machines more than adequate.

Personally if the machine is in good shape I think the price is more than reasonable. Once you start using it I doubt you'll have any regrets.

As a side note my Sheldon came with 4 chucks, a 5C collet system, QCTP, drill chuck, several live and dead centers, a steady rest, a follow rest, 2 face plates, and a few other goodies I can't remember off the top of my head. The machine was a bit more expensive than the one you're looking at, but the lathe portion was rebuilt including new spindle bearings and grinding the bed and cross slide ways. The previous owner had less than 50 hours on it when he got a contract that required a larger machine. This one was moved to the corner and used on a few occasions for specialty jobs. After stumbling over it for another 10 years he decided it was time to let it go.
 
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