IHateMayonnaise
Aluminum
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2016
- Location
- Albuquerque
Hi Folks,
Here we go again: I'm looking to crowd source some opinions on whether or not this HLV-H is worth the investment. Right off the bat I'll say the gentlemen selling it is asking for $5,000, and is likely not going to budge on that number. Right now I am the only one he has informed that he is selling it, although this will change in less than a week, and it will behoove me to make a decision before then. I've seen the unit in person, however since I've never worked with a HLV-H before, I can't say whether or not everything checks out. The unit is NOT under power currently, but can likely be wired up before I make a final decision. The gentlemen who is selling it appears to be a very straight shooter, and has sold ~15 of these over the years, and he seems to think that this is an excellent specimen, regardless of the current condition. The unit has been in storage for about $5 years, and before that it was in a national lab. There was a DRO scale on the longitudinal, however he said that it was crushed when he got it and it was removed. This tells me that novices have perhaps been abusing this machine. Also, I've been told that the serial number for this unit indicates that it was manufactured in the late 70's.
I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty, but I know when not to wade in (e.g., I've heard repeatedly that the spindle bearings should NOT be evaluated/pulled). I will not paint this unit, I would look to do a functional restoration. I feel comfortable pulling the quick-change assembly, apron/carriage and restoring, for instance.
To be clear: my question is less about whether $5,000 is reasonable for this machine, and more about whether this machine is worth investing in. I've always dreamed of having a HLV-H, and while I am definitely a beginner lathe operator (have a South Bend 9a currently), I am an ardent believer that you should invest in the tools you want now rather than waiting. If I buy this unit, I'll keep it, perhaps for decades. I also understand that parts can be hard to come by, but I have patience and can camp out on eBay until something comes up. I'm very concerned that if there's anything major that needs to be done (e.g., new spindle bearings, new motor, spindle reground, tailstock misaligned, etc), it may launch this into an unaffordable project. I also don't have the slightest idea what's missing, in the case that there is something missing.
I can go back and re-evaluate the unit with advice gathered here. Below are my initial notes, but PLEASE feel free to provide any further information if you would like.
Notes:
-In general, everything that I could adjust had good movement. I don't think any of the shafts/lead screws are bent, and it doesn't look look like the unit has ever been dropped on its side.
-This is a 220/3Ph version, and I plan on using a VFD for it.
-The half-nut lever is jammed -- probably crud is interfering with the mechanism, but it's hard to tell for sure. Not sure if this is a big deal.
-The coolant pump is not currently connected (looks like the line wore away, see photo). Not sure how big of a deal this is.
-The carriage cross feed/compound does not have any evidence of hand-scraping, so I assume it's worn. However, both appear to be very smooth across the entire travel, which leads me to believe that it's in pretty good shape. Not sure if this is the best test.
-The collet closer "collar" is plastic and has a crack in it (see pic) -- not sure if this is a deal-breaker, or whether it's possible to get a replacement for a reasonable cost.
-The carriage movement on the bed appears to be very smooth, and I can't notice any discernible wear.
-The tailstock appears to be very smooth (bed and also insertion).
-There are no collet rotisseries -- I've never seen any of these on eBay, and I imagine they would go for a king's ransom. I do not have a mill large enough to make these myself, either. I have A LOT of 5C collets though, and would want these eventually.
-The spindle looks to be in good shape, as does the taper (no nicks, score marks, etc), however right now it doesn't turn (presumably because of crud/pulleys etc). When I go back I will make sure I can make it turn to ensure the bearings don't need to be replaced, which would be a dealbreaker. Should I bother trying the runout/any other test?
-The motor is off-kilt, but he says that there is a mechanism in order to true the motor with respect to the pulley train. Is this straightforward? Anything I should be weary of?
-I could only observe the half-nuts from the outside of the carriage (see pic), and I guess they look OK, but it's hard to tell. I assume it will cost a fortune to get these replaced.
-The plastic dovetail wipers for the bed look to need replacing (as well as felts, if that's indeed what's under there). I assume this is straightforward.
Here we go again: I'm looking to crowd source some opinions on whether or not this HLV-H is worth the investment. Right off the bat I'll say the gentlemen selling it is asking for $5,000, and is likely not going to budge on that number. Right now I am the only one he has informed that he is selling it, although this will change in less than a week, and it will behoove me to make a decision before then. I've seen the unit in person, however since I've never worked with a HLV-H before, I can't say whether or not everything checks out. The unit is NOT under power currently, but can likely be wired up before I make a final decision. The gentlemen who is selling it appears to be a very straight shooter, and has sold ~15 of these over the years, and he seems to think that this is an excellent specimen, regardless of the current condition. The unit has been in storage for about $5 years, and before that it was in a national lab. There was a DRO scale on the longitudinal, however he said that it was crushed when he got it and it was removed. This tells me that novices have perhaps been abusing this machine. Also, I've been told that the serial number for this unit indicates that it was manufactured in the late 70's.
I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty, but I know when not to wade in (e.g., I've heard repeatedly that the spindle bearings should NOT be evaluated/pulled). I will not paint this unit, I would look to do a functional restoration. I feel comfortable pulling the quick-change assembly, apron/carriage and restoring, for instance.
To be clear: my question is less about whether $5,000 is reasonable for this machine, and more about whether this machine is worth investing in. I've always dreamed of having a HLV-H, and while I am definitely a beginner lathe operator (have a South Bend 9a currently), I am an ardent believer that you should invest in the tools you want now rather than waiting. If I buy this unit, I'll keep it, perhaps for decades. I also understand that parts can be hard to come by, but I have patience and can camp out on eBay until something comes up. I'm very concerned that if there's anything major that needs to be done (e.g., new spindle bearings, new motor, spindle reground, tailstock misaligned, etc), it may launch this into an unaffordable project. I also don't have the slightest idea what's missing, in the case that there is something missing.
I can go back and re-evaluate the unit with advice gathered here. Below are my initial notes, but PLEASE feel free to provide any further information if you would like.
Notes:
-In general, everything that I could adjust had good movement. I don't think any of the shafts/lead screws are bent, and it doesn't look look like the unit has ever been dropped on its side.
-This is a 220/3Ph version, and I plan on using a VFD for it.
-The half-nut lever is jammed -- probably crud is interfering with the mechanism, but it's hard to tell for sure. Not sure if this is a big deal.
-The coolant pump is not currently connected (looks like the line wore away, see photo). Not sure how big of a deal this is.
-The carriage cross feed/compound does not have any evidence of hand-scraping, so I assume it's worn. However, both appear to be very smooth across the entire travel, which leads me to believe that it's in pretty good shape. Not sure if this is the best test.
-The collet closer "collar" is plastic and has a crack in it (see pic) -- not sure if this is a deal-breaker, or whether it's possible to get a replacement for a reasonable cost.
-The carriage movement on the bed appears to be very smooth, and I can't notice any discernible wear.
-The tailstock appears to be very smooth (bed and also insertion).
-There are no collet rotisseries -- I've never seen any of these on eBay, and I imagine they would go for a king's ransom. I do not have a mill large enough to make these myself, either. I have A LOT of 5C collets though, and would want these eventually.
-The spindle looks to be in good shape, as does the taper (no nicks, score marks, etc), however right now it doesn't turn (presumably because of crud/pulleys etc). When I go back I will make sure I can make it turn to ensure the bearings don't need to be replaced, which would be a dealbreaker. Should I bother trying the runout/any other test?
-The motor is off-kilt, but he says that there is a mechanism in order to true the motor with respect to the pulley train. Is this straightforward? Anything I should be weary of?
-I could only observe the half-nuts from the outside of the carriage (see pic), and I guess they look OK, but it's hard to tell. I assume it will cost a fortune to get these replaced.
-The plastic dovetail wipers for the bed look to need replacing (as well as felts, if that's indeed what's under there). I assume this is straightforward.