Good quality small lathe?

[jim rozen]

My hardinge ESM came fully tooled for $600. That's because it had those pesky ball bearings in the headstock.

I noticed the cam gear housing because it looks *so* much like a norton, I've always considered those to be one of the coolest looking bits of industrial design. Compare the motors, real close. Possible BSA and norton were in bed together on this.

File:Norton 850 Commando 1973.jpg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[stephen thomas]

My hardinge ESM came fully tooled for $600. That's because it had those pesky ball bearings in the headstock.

I noticed the cam gear housing because it looks *so* much like a norton, I've always considered those to be one of the coolest looking bits of industrial design. Compare the motors, real close. Possible BSA and norton were in bed together on this.

File:Norton 850 Commando 1973.jpg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Well, they all used the same gearbox, so that may have been factor.
Although Triumph and Royal Enfield of the same era did not quite get that side as elegantly.

smt

 

[DanielG]

If your budget stretches to new, check out the Babin machines. They rebuild HLV-H's as well as make their own HLV-H clone which you can get with servo threading/electronic leadscrew.

Babin Machine Tool

They also had a new machine at EASTEC that they're building. A little benchtop gang tooled lathe. I didn't see it on their website, but it looked pretty slick for small parts and was also around the $30k mark IIRC.

 

[jc356]

Last week I made some small obsolete screws for a car. Nuts too, 20 of each. I have a Sherline, a Hardinge HC (it's like the DV-59), and a Babbin HLV-H which has the electronic leadscrew. For doing very small work both the HLV-H and the Sherline are fitted with microscopes.

All three of the lathes could make the screws. I chose the HLV-H. The CNC system simplifies the setup and any thread can be cut. Once it's set up it requires less attention.

The DV-59 double tool cross slide will allow you to mount a profiling tool from the side, and a cutoff tool. You will likely need that.

A CNC version of the Sherline is available.

The hardest thing about using the Hardinge for really small work (stock is .020" diameter) is getting used to the lathe looking too big. It's not.

 

[James H Clark]

If you need to ask you can't afford it!

Just curious, the shop where I served my apprenticeship, had a new one (about a 1.5 yr old) at that time, 1966 and it cost $11,000.00.
JH

 

[jim rozen]

"he hardest thing about using the Hardinge for really small work (stock is .020" diameter) is getting used to the lathe looking too big. It's not."

See the little schaublin 70 turret above. Does not look too big, it isn't.

 

[EmGo]

I need a precision small lathe for turning parts no bigger than 1/4" diameter. A lot of the turning will be in the range of 1/16" to 1/8" diameter.

Unfortunately no threading but otherwise, you couldn't beat this with a stick. It's adorable, mikey wants one for sure. Made in Los Angeles, too. ManSon ... 2" swing, 3" between centers, look it up

 

[Peter S]

Regarding any similarities between BSA and Norton engines - designer Bert Hopwood was probably the common factor. I used to have his book "Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry".

Wikipedia says: "The Norton Dominator, BSA Golden Flash and the BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident motorcycles were amongst the best known Hopwood designs". He had a hand in Triumph twins too.

 

[mnl]

Unfortunately no threading but otherwise, you couldn't beat this with a stick. It's adorable, mikey wants one for sure. Made in Los Angeles, too. ManSon ... 2" swing, 3" between centers, look it up

This picture got me thinking. There are also Cowells lathes tthat take 8mm collets. I’ve never seen one in the flesh.

Cowells Small Machine Tools - tools to model engineers, clockmakers and professional engineers

 

[EmGo]

This picture got me thinking. There are also Cowells lathes tthat take 8mm collets. I’ve never seen one in the flesh.

That's pretty cute too but how come these watch maker lathes don't do threading ? The very first lathe was a screw-cutting lathe, it's kind of useful, even for tiny parts. Even without a quickchange, if you had to swap gears around, that'd be okay ...

 

[mnl]

A real horologist needs to chime in, but I have often wondered the same thing. If you look in Daniels’ book there is information on making taps from screw plates and vice versa, even how to make a left hand tap out of a right hand tap, but nothing on single point threading. Even though in a picture of his workshop there is a suitably kitted out Myford. I had hopes the case section would have something, but no, he used hinges.

Back in the day when I was making small bits, most of them were threaded for easy assembly, and none were conventional diameters, and pitch was gen adapted to the material. For example when threading Macor it was better to use ~10 tpi or so because 20tpi would just crumble off.

 

[MrStretch]

Already did, see post #13.
Clockmaking is centuries old and existed long before screw cutting lathes were developed.

 

[EmGo]

Clockmaking is centuries old and existed long before screw cutting lathes were developed.

Pussy was invented thouands of years before clothes but that doesn't mean they didn't figure out they like dresses and nylons and shoes and french blouses and lv purses and god know what-else.

 

[MrStretch]

Also, with a bit of hand skills one can make a usable screw without any kind of lathe. "Turning" with a pin vise, grooved filing block and hand files is a common skill used in traditional clockmaking. The shaft of the screw will not be perfectly concentric or round but can be usable for holding parts. The thread is formed using a screw plate. Screw plates typically have a series of holes for each size so the thread can be cut gradually, starting with an untreated hole that makes a go gage, so no direct measurement is required.

 

[L Vanice]

That's pretty cute too but how come these watch maker lathes don't do threading ? The very first lathe was a screw-cutting lathe, it's kind of useful, even for tiny parts. Even without a quickchange, if you had to swap gears around, that'd be okay ...

Go back to post #11 to see a circa 1950 Levin watch lathe with screw cutting attachment installed and a brand new watch lathe with servo threading attachment. I have several Levin and Derbyshire watch lathe screw cutting attachments and the lathes they fit. But those attachments are very rare because very few were ever sold. Normal or average watch and clock work can be done without a screw cutting attachment or even a slide rest, and average repair people did not make enough money to buy tools they would not need. I have the rare tools because I realized long ago that I like lathes better than repairing watches.

I have had several examples of the ManSon, Small Machines, DuoLathe and MonoLathe. I do not consider them as useful lathes, though they would do limited work if you were desperate. They are cute and rare collector items and that is reason enough to want one.

Larry

 

[jim rozen]

"...Pussy was invented thouands of years before clothes..."

Assumes facts not in evidence.

 

[EmGo]

Assumes facts not in evidence.

Fig leaves don't count