They said go big!

All discussion about lathes including but not limited to: South Bend, Hardinge, Logan, Monarch, Clausing and other HSM lathes, including imports

Moderators: GlennW, Harold_V

vair8
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:16 am
Location: Ogden, UT

They said go big!

Post by vair8 »

Hey all, new here, been browsing and seems like this forum has a lot of great information.

So I’ve been watching videos for years just dreaming about being able to pick up a lathe and right when I was about to grab a cheap Chinese one, this killer deal came up. It’s a Carroll Jamieson 16”x9’ I took a little bit of a risk buying it because I didn’t get a chance to see it running in person but the guy seemed trustworthy and had videos of him operating it before he took it out of the shop. Snagged it on a trade for an ar10 plus a couple hundred bucks. For all that came with it I feel like I made out great. Not sure what all I have yet still, haven’t had a chance to inventory it all and some stuff I just don’t even know what it is. Maybe I can get some help from ya’ll identifying some of the attachments at some point, came with 3 full tubs of parts and jaws, a full toolbox of tool steel, and a big chip container and a cabinet to organize everything.

Anyway, got it all powered up, but I don’t have a machinist level, looking at getting a decent one, most likely a 8-12” starrett. Think used is a bad idea? I have a buddy who calibrates tools for the air-force and told me he could bring it in to the shop and check it out for me if I went that route. Any suggestions for what to look for when buying on eBay?

Aside from leveling it I plan on cleaning it up really well and going through the service manual to perform all the “maintenance” items it mentions, think there’s anything else I should plan to do to it before I dive on in to making some parts?
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Glenn Brooks
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Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:39 pm
Location: Woodinville, Washington

Re: They said go big!

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Hey Vair8,

Welcome to the forum. Looks like you scored an impressive bit of machinery! One thing that impresses me, right off the bat, is the well oiled and carried for tooling and ways. No rust in sight. And no dried crud anywhere - particularly on the chuck and live centers. That suggests the prior owners and operators knew their business and took good care of their equipment. All of which should benefit your ownership.

You’ll need a decent Machinist level for sure. Leveling the lathe probably is as important is cleaning it up. One old trick is to level the lathe, then go back in two weeks and do it again. These big, heavy lathes will relax their position and change their level over time. So think of leveling as a two step process. First to do what you can do. Second time when the bed flexes and lays according to the floor, and the leveling stresses you applied, first time around.

We’d all probably enjoy seeing a little more photo detail around the headstock and saddle. And hearing about what it’s like to make some chips. Once you run it, the lathe will tell you if it needs any work. If not, go make stuff!

PS, we always encourage members to list their town or location under your name. Your location encourages other members local and distant to you, to offer location specific assistance due to where you, or they, maybe.

Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
atunguyd
Posts: 199
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:39 pm
Location: Durban South Africa

Re: They said go big!

Post by atunguyd »

I recently levelled my lathe with a Plumb bob and a digital microscope.
It is slower than but by my calculations with a 6-7 foot riser precision is as good as as most machinist levels.

Search under my name I detailed what I did here just a couple months ago.

My take is that I would rather spend the money on tooling than a machinist level which I will use once a year.

EDIT - here is the link to my post https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/vi ... p?t=109951

Question about lathe levelling

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk


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liveaboard
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:40 pm
Location: southern Portugal
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Re: They said go big!

Post by liveaboard »

Wow; that's pretty big for a home shop!
Congratulations.
LouStule
Posts: 86
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:20 pm
Location: Washington State

Re: They said go big!

Post by LouStule »

Looks pretty clean already. Good find! P.S. How did you get it off of the trailer?
John Hasler
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Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:05 pm
Location: Elmwood, Wisconsin

Re: They said go big!

Post by John Hasler »

Hope you have a good, thick, stiff floor. Not so much to support the weight as to not flex.
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Steggy
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Re: They said go big!

Post by Steggy »

Imagine trying to get that beast downstairs into the basement. :D Looks like a real find.
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Harold_V
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Re: They said go big!

Post by Harold_V »

Wow! Nice machine, with an A type spindle. A giant leap past a threaded one.

You would be best served by using a level in keeping with a Starrett 199. Similar levels are made by others. The long, slender casting that constitutes the bed will be difficult to level properly with a lower level of resolution.

Such levels are not inexpensive, but, with patience, you can procure one at a reasonable price by pursuing Ebay.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
vair8
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:16 am
Location: Ogden, UT

Re: They said go big!

Post by vair8 »

Thanks everyone, the more I look at it the better of a deal it seems! So I did see the post about the plumb bob leveling how well did it end up working out for you? I was looking at the 98 series level, but I’m wondering if I should just try and get someone to come in who has a good level and have them help me out.

As far as getting it off the trailer that was the easy part, I have a fork lift probably built not long after the lathe but it still runs like a champ. It’s a 3 car garage with 2 small doors though and I had to go in length ways and rotate it once it was in the garage. Fork lift just barely is short enough to go through the door.

The concrete is a 6” slab, I drilled through it in a few places throwing in a ground rod for my Cnc plasma table. I was going to cut out some square steel plates to throw under the leveling bolts they probably wouldn’t need to be any thicker than 1/4” right? Looks like that’s the thickness they used in the example in the manual.

I’ll keep updating, but I’m back to school and a full time student right now, so between work and school I only get an hour or two here and there.

edit:attempt to fix photos
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EOsteam
Posts: 240
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:33 am
Location: Pendleton, Oregon

Re: They said go big!

Post by EOsteam »

Does anyone know why the thumbnail photos are correctly oriented but when enlarged will invert 180 degrees? The first post by vair8 works correctly.
vair8
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:16 am
Location: Ogden, UT

Re: They said go big!

Post by vair8 »

Could have to do with me posting on my phone, I posted the first ones from my computer I believe. When I get home I’ll see if I can fix it.
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NP317
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Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: They said go big!

Post by NP317 »

Photos are not inverted when I enlarge them.
So it goes...
RussN
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