Been trying to get a good lathe, opinions?? 10" LOGAN FANS!!

[dirtcrasher1]

Hi There,

The first one looks like a 10" Logan. Unfortunately, it doesn't
have a QC gearbox and the through-hole in the headstock is
under an inch. Definitely not worth two grand.

The second is a WWII SBL Heavy Ten with a Single tumbler
gearbox. Generally they are good lathes but this one looks
to have considerable wear to the bed near the headstock.
WWII SBLs did not have bronze bearings in the headstock.
They used the cast iron of the headstock; segmented for
improved lubrication. Considering the wear, I wouldn't buy
this one.

Just two more cents. Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb

I've never been able to even change a speed aside from a flat belt! lol

That is a 10" Logan, 45 minutes from my house and look at the tooling it comes with! Super clean.

Where are my logan fans. That SB has wear and has the bronze/lead babbit bearings, I'm done with those!

[John Evans]

Do NOT buy a lathe without a QC box!!! Don't care how much tooling is there not worth 2K. And I have had and like Logans, get a 25XX series and you will have something.

[Harold_V]

Do NOT buy a lathe without a QC box!!!

The true meaning of that comment will generally come in focus only after one has owned a machine with one. All too many think it's not a big deal.

Trust me----it's a big deal.

I liken a lathe without a quick change feed box to a car without an engine. You get real tired of the missing feature.

YMMV

Harold

[DianneB]

That Southbend is identical to the lathe I have had for over 20 years, including the wear in the bed!

Mine has a drop of 0.0015 near the headstock. A machinist friend said he could scrape the ways quite easily but I know the wear is there and can compensate for it so I have never bothered.

The cast iron bearing for the spindle was a concern to me at first but with the careful use of shims I was able to get the spindle running true and tight.

It's old, it has been knocked about and abused, it isn't a "precision" lathe any more and requires careful setup to do precision work but I wouldn't trade my old Southbend 10 for a modern lathe worth $10,000

(I also paid $1200 for mine in the early 1980s!)

P.S. I LOVE the quick change gearbox! And the power cross-feed is nice to

[dirtcrasher1]

I can always search out a quick change box.

The lathe I have now has 3 speeds and 3 in back gear. All the gears needed to change speeds are broken and or missing.

I have never had anymore than 6 speeds at home and the lead screw does not engage; See where and what I'll be coming from??

Seems like an improvement to me, he has all the gears while I search for a QC box.

[wsippola]

The QC gearbox is likely to be rather difficult to find. Everyone with a similar lathe would also love to find that gearbox. Yes, you can work without it, but it is so much nicer and more useful to have one.

Out of the two lathes shown, I'd take the SB heavy 10 long before the Logan.

If you're in a rush, you will probably be better off getting a new Asian machine. If you can afford to wait for the right machine, you can do a lot better with your budget.

For 3K, I'd expect a hardened bed, ball or roller bearing spindle, D1-X chuck mount, quick change gear box, power feeds, taper attachment and geared headstock. And some tooling. But it might be next week or next year before the right machine shows up, assuming you're not in a machine tool desert (which you're not). And you'll need to check for significant wear, particularly the bed.

Wayne

[Chuck K]

I've had a fairly nice 10L and I've had several Logans. You can buy an 11" Logan far cheaper than a 10L SB...at least in my area. I'd take the 11" Logan over the 10L any day. My favorite Logan is the 10" 820. The downside on that machine, as has already been mentioned, is the small spindle bore. It's a great second machine to have for quick small diameter jobs.

Chuck

[dirtcrasher1]

It's mine. The tooling you saw was 50% of it, Came along with 7 more indicators (Starret) and I still have one box to go through. .0005 run out at the spindle. His shop was spotless....... Even the collet holders are S.S.

Called Scott Logan 2 hours ago, minor mods to fit a QC box, Back of casting must be LA1201. He said minor mods as the 10 200 series never had a QC box.

One sold on EBAY just last August for 180$

Keep your eyes open please and I'll throw you some bucks : D

Thanks for viewing!

[epanzella]

I bought a Grizzly G4003G 12x36 about six months ago. $3300 w/shipping to my door. Came with all the doodads and I couldn't be happier. Headstock thru bore is 1 5/8.

[dirtcrasher1]

Thats a nice size thru hole! And, why I wanted a heavy ten.

However, I cannot run my Southbend for anything right now. Needs " TLC.'' So, I needed something!

In the future I will find a heavy ten for the right cost and swap them again : D

[shovel80]

I've got an 11 in. Logan, and it works Fine for me. I think the quick change gear box is something I wouldn't do without! You have to go with an 11 in Logan or larger to get at least the 1 3/8 spindle bore. With the 11 inch Logan you can also use a 5C Collet closer with up to 1 inch through the spindle and 1 1/8 into the collet.

Terry

[spro]

He already bought the 10" and I hope he finds the QC. Logan, # LA 1201 on QC casting. Being a Logan owner you may have a lead ! Welcome to the board.