Started collecting parts for a CNC lathe some time back, in trying to figure out what to use for a spindle and bed this was seen on Ebay.
Well you can see the winning bidder :)
I know of at least one other on the CNCzone (NEATman) that is doing much the same thing so perhaps he will join in along with any others for ideas that may help any considering a building or converting a CNC lathe, particularly the Hardinge DV-59 type.
Text and pictures will be posted as this project progresses.

First step was my favorite, ripping something apart :D
The entire unit was dissembled to see what made it tick, and then to get serious about the conversion.

This picture is surfacing the bottom of the lathe to make things parallel with the top for some subsequent top side machining and be assured that we are on the same plane. As it turned out this step was unnecessary as it was almost perfectly parallel with the top side.

Wms, if you see this, I'm making use of that 1" cutter that you gave me, thanks :)

How much was the shipping on that little jewel...where in the US are you?

ViperTX,
My location is north central Ohio about 50 miles due north of the capitol (Columbus).
Shipping to my door was $258

Ken

You need a longer coolant hose Ken. No doubt.

:D

I'm real keen to watch you build this thing. It looks like the start of a great project and I'm looking forward to lots of pics and "how I did it's"

Can't believe you got that little jem for 300 bones. Nice find.

Dave

You need a longer coolant hose Ken. No doubt

LOL, yeah, I have not a clue why I have put up with that short hose for so long, I think I just got so used to it that it wasn't thought about, but now that I am, it is dang annoying. Think I will do something about that tonight.

I thought it was a good deal as well, my favorite part is the stand, I just love that stand, the doors are 3/16" thick :)

I intend to post lots of pics.


Ken

Ken-
I was under the impression that Pstockley had also planned on doing a hardinge conversion.

Post #16 from his thread reads:
"After much thought, I have decided to go the retrofit route. The numbers just weren't adding up with the approach I planned.

So I have bought a Hardinge TFB lathe from eBay that isn't in great shape but will be perfect for my needs. I will create a new thread to cover the conversion.

This thread is now closed."

It's a good point anyway, to start a new thread. Now we can all use it.

Thanks for getting it under way.

Anyway, with that said, this is the thought that I had for locating the THK rails to help keep them clean, and protected. Also keep the maximum swing possible. (see jpg)

For the cross axis, the rails move and the modules are stationary.

I have some real wild ideas on how to use ballscrews and make it both manual and CNC. I'm thinking of making both the ball screw, and the ball nut rotate on thier own bearings. So, on the Cross axis (short travel) there would be a handle on the end of the ballscrew. With the stepper motors engaged, and holding position, they would hold the ball nut stationary. So you can use the lathe manually by cranking the handle and rotating the ballscrew without backdriving the motor. Conversely, when using the lathe as a CNC, there will be a clamp on the manual handle to lock it in place so the ballscrew cannot rotate, and the stepper motor can control the machine.
Again, this I need to add to the model.

Attached is a picture of the THK rail placement that I am considering, and a picture of the old hardinge. I still want to find some way to use the old turret tailstock... Maybe a stepper motor linear actuator to cycle the handle to preprogramed depth's...

Keith

A few more things...

Great deal on the lathe, :-) However, I got paid $250 for removing this lathe, a bridgeport, and a 36" sheet metal shear. ;-))))

I have an extra collet closer. I'm not sure what model Hardinge it fits, but it'll be for sale soon.

Keith

Keith,
I read and then forgot about Pstockley decision.

I like your setup, I did not get a cross slide or Tail stock, not likely to be used but they should sell well. I see you also got a Chuck, those little buggers go for $150-$250.

Early in my thoughts on how best to mount the THK rails I considered your approach but decide for top mount for sake of being easier and then just forgot about the underside mount. Your idea has now renewed my interest to where I think I will opt for that route as well. Unfortunately the original plate was ordered last week and cut for pickup today. So that is about $80 gone. I don't suppose you would reimburse me since if you had mentioned it earlier I would not have ordered it. :D

The new plate should be available next week.
The mock-up shows that it will need be about 11" wide, 12" was all that was available but I will machine it down as needed.

The Rails I am using are THK HSR25LA x 820mm
These use the longer trucks, I will be using only one per side for the cross slide.
For those interested in a link to THK Specs and what all those letters and numbers mean, here is a good one.
http://www.arsales.com/pages/thk/products/hsr.htm

Keith, why do you want to add manual control? It is really unnecessary on a CNC, and compromises the design and enclosure greatly, but the need to put your hands to the machine when running.

The idea of separating the screw and nut drives is novel, but ensures you lose your zero every time you touch the manual portion. A better solution is servos and a servo to go or Pico systems driver with real closed loop feed back, so you are using the encoders as DRO's while manual driving, and never lose position.

The other issue is that ball nuts back drive, so you would need to add some sort of friction brake or partially powered motor to prevent the tool loads jerking the axis out of your hands.

Those machines look like great basis for a fantastic small CNC.

However, I got paid $250 for removing this lathe, a bridgeport, and a 36" sheet metal shear

I have no comment :D

RotarySMP-
Thank you for pointing out the tooling loads. I was planning on leaving the steppers powered, to hold the nut in position, but I have several 24volt power off brakes that would be a perfect saftey measure.

Concerning loosing the zero point, there are several things I did not mention. One, I would have the reference switch (Zero point) mounted between the moving carriages, so that it's easy to pick up zero again. Second, I have a couple DRO's and I was thinking of mounting a rotary or linear encoder on each axis to allow me to easily repeat back to the same position. Also, it's nice to have a DRO on a hardinge.

As to why I would want manual control, I'm not making this for production. This is a "toy". I already have an old 9" south bend, but there is no way the old 9" can match the accuracy of the spindle on a Hardinge. (Sorry if I offended any SB lathe lovers) Also, the majority of the work that I do is manual, but I literally have all the parts needed, I just have to make the time to design it and put it together.

Also, this lathe never had a dovetail way. It only has a T-slot. It does have a manual cross slide and compound, but they are pretty beat up, and there is no carriage. So, Converting this machine is not destroying a toolroom lathe, I'm not that crazy!

Keith

We've got quite the hardinge conversion club going here now!

Looking at your approach, I am not convinced how ridgid it will be. Having a wide track is only good if the rails are supported. Even 1" plate will deflect quite a bit under a decent cut, especially if it is balancing on a 2 or 3" mounting point. Here are a couple of things I can think of to improve the situation.

1) If possible run the plate the whole length of the lathe including under the headstock.

2) Tie in a vertical support bolted to the end of the lathe bed.

3) Mount the trucks vertically on an inverted U section instead of horizontally, that way you can reduce the overhang. The U section will also add some more stiffness.

My TFB arrived today. Except for some light surface rust on the carriage, Its actually in better shape than I thought. I was a bit nervous buying it off ebay sight unseen. For the amount of swing, this is one very robust lathe, I can see why they are precision lathes! The TFB lends itself to conversion a bit more easily than your lathes.

pstockley-
All good suggestions.

I really like how the rails are protected when they are inverted. I will take your suggestion about thickening up the plate. Especially as the stiffness increases by the cube of the thickness. The idea of end plates to act as gusses is also an excellent suggestion. I was planning on doing some FEA in solidworks on that plate, and the mounting. I'm planning on adding adjusting jacking bolts to accurately align the linear rails to the axis of rotation. Also, I can borrow an autocollimator from work and set the rails dead true.

I also want to make the t-slot carriage thicker, and possibly add side walls for a dramatic increase in stiffness. I have positioned the linear bearings directly over one another for minimum flexing between the two axes, and max travel of the cross slide.

If anyone needs models of the THK rails, they are available on THK's website. Many downloadable formats too.

Keith

I am reading some good points here, stiffening it up in any way can't hurt and only help. Although I just can't see where enough forces are going to be generated to cause an issue, I fully understand that just because I can't see it does not make the potential go away. My guess is the cutting tool will flex more then the plate, unless you are turning large diameters most of the forces generated I would think will be directed more toward the center. The rail itself should act as a stiffener making the weakest area between it and where the bed plate is bolted to the lathe even smaller. We can always lighten up on the DOC if necessary.

That is one thing nice about building it your self, if it does not work out, re-do the weak areas, most of the difficult work will have already been done.

I am sure we will have lots of structural ?'s cropping up as they progress.

Regarding manual use of the lathe, I am planning on building a pendant with a Z and X handwheel. The benefit of doing this over manually turning the screws is that its easy to implement constant surface speed. This is really a big advantage especially when facing large diameter stock. You can also use encoder feedback to get a true indication of position. There is a board to do this from:

http://www.rogersmachine.net/encoderinterface.html

I agree pstockley,
My mill has a manual mode, I never have used it, using the controller is just too easy with precise control over consistant feed speed and positioning.

Kind of new to this stuff, but I also have an old "parts lathe" that might be a good candidate for this. My question is with the headstock, my understanding is you go to a belt driven design that can be rpm controlled, but how are the old head stocks modified to handle the higher RPM (and or tool changes)? or does a high flow coolant etc deal with the this issue.

Thanks

T

Hi T
What make is the lathe you have ?

Certainly the headstock/spindle is designed to operate at a maximum RPM, so generally speaking whatever it is rated at, that is likely going to be about the practical limit.
One of the reasons I chose the Hardinge is that they have high precision spindles, my hope is that it can be pushed past it's original 3500 RPM limit to a max of 4500rpm, only time will tell if this is doable, if it does not 3500 will do just fine.

On your mention "(and or tool changes)? or does a high flow coolant etc deal with the this issue)", I don't follow what you are asking, sorry.


Ken

13" Southbend single tumbler.

On the coolant question, I did not know if by upgrading the coolant flow around the headstock if you were able to get higher rpm's by keeping the bearings cooler, or if you stayed with the stock rpm.

Keeping heat buildup to a minimum is always a plus, although being a 13" it is likely more in the 2000 RPM range and not a good candidate for much higher speeds. Keeping the chuck size down in size would permit some increase.

Do you have some idea on what RPM you would like to obtain ?

I will be happy with 4500rpm, actually, this is really not very high speed but sufficient for my expected needs.

I think we get all caught up in this High Speed, it's gotta be the best and perfect everything, if you are cutting only aluminum, brass or production then the additional RPM can be very helpful, but cutting steel, probably cant take real advantage of it anyway. My manual lathe turns a max 2000rpm and I have turned aluminum with almost a mirror finish, just not as quickly as you could turn it with a higher RPM.

In the end I would rather have a lathe that turns 2000rpm then no lathe at all, and that goes for a CNC lathe as well, at leasts from my perspective.

For me, I am going to convert this Hardinge lathe, and I am not going to go nuts trying to perfectly engineer it to the extent that all that is done is engineering. I fully intend to heed some advice, learn from others, use quality components, add a little gut feeling in certain areas and do my best to just get it done. I will perfect it in round two :)

That was exactly the answer I was looking for. I mainly turn steel and machine aluminum. Have an old cincinatti toolmaster 1B. Works pretty good, too bad its not cnc of course.

Any update on this DV-59 conversion? I also have a DV-59 that I was considering converting. I was going to machine a carriage to run on the existing bed, but perhaps the linear bearings are a better way to go. I need to find a collet closer for mine...though I do have a tailstock and carriage for it now (existing carriage is not practical to modify for cnc).

KTP-
I have a spare collet closer, although the length of the tube going through the headstock is a bit shorter. I believe it is for an older lathe like the one I have (see the pic of mine in a post earlier in this thread). Let me know if you are interested.

I have been refining the design, and I'll post some screen shots when I get it done. I am designing around parts and plates that I already have, to spend as little money as possible. Also, I am still trying to find the time to finish a bridgeport CNC conversion, so I can make the parts for the lathe on the mill. It's coming along well, I have a computer setup, and a drive box nearly complete, and I have 2 of 3 stepper motors mounted, and I need to connect the spindle to a VFD that I just aquired.

I am planning on getting another VFD to run the hardinge, as my lathe is not a variable speed model. I am also considering another modification for a later date of changing the spindle motor for a large brushless servo motor that I already have, and using a herringbone type toothed belt (less vibration) to drive the spindle. It would allow me to use the spindle as a "A" axis, so I could mount a high speed rotary tool to the carriage.

NEATman

KTP,
On my end it was put to sleep for a bit and about to be woke back up. In retail sales December is my busiest month only to roll around to all the end of year necessities of starting the next.

Had some delay in getting a reasonably straight piece of steel, it is still on the mill waiting for some truing up for the rails and the area where it will bolt to the DV-59 lathe body.
I do have the carriage blocks drawn up and tool paths for when they get machined.

This unit came with the mechinical variable speed but will be run with a VFD so the speed can be controlled through gcode. Not sure how that is done but it seems it can be.

Ken

Thanks Neatman, I might trade or buy that collet closer from you. Mine actually has the bar with the wheel that goes through the spindle and screws onto the collet, but it is missing the entire lever arm assembly. The only way I can tighten collets now is to grab that handwheel and pull the collet in via it's threads (a pain).

Will watch both of your conversions closely, so I don't make the same mistakes! :-p

Hi!
I am new to this forum.
A few details first:
Location: Montreal, Canada
Objective: To learn and have the basic insight of CNC
Project: To convert a Hardinge DV 59 manual lathe to CNC lathe
Material to machine: Stainless Steel 316
Size of Components: About 75% of the items will be 1” dia or less with a max. length of 2” and the remaining 25% can go up to 2.5” dia and 4” in length.

I propose to complete this project in two phases

Phase I
I will keep the head and spindle of the DV 59 lathe as it is, driven by 1 HP induction motor.
The bed of this lathe is having a longitudinal slot in the middle of the bed and chamfers through out the length.
The existing Hardinge cross slide can be moved and fixed on the bed of lathe. Due to the size of this slide, I do not like to modify this slide but intend to proceed as follows:

1. To purchase an imported heavy duty mill & drill table (sold on ebay item # 7578353458) The table has11” longitudinal and 7.5” cross travel
2. Remove both the lead screws and replace with rolled ball screws and two nuts on each screw. The screw size will be ¾” or 5/8” dia depending upon the available space to mount nuts.
3. The guide ways of the cross table slides will be scraped and improved upon as required, to a reasonable condition.
4. Stepper motors will be mounted on both axis of the table, directly coupled to the ball screws if space permits, or else through timing belt and pulleys. The torque of motors will be decided depending on the condition of table.
5. The table is to be mounted on the lathe bed and fixed to the bed so that the cross slide - 7.5” travel of the table is Z axis of the lathe and the longitudinal slide -11” travel is X axis.
6. The above arrangement will give sufficient place on the longitudinal slide of the table to mount three or four tools and possibility of mounting a live tool also.
7. Initially the setup will be tried for drilling, boring, turning and facing operations only, with the spindle running with the existing arrangement of induction motor drive.
8. The spindle axis is at 4.5” height from the top face of the bed whereas cross table height is going to be 5” when fixed on bed. So for initial trials the tools will have to be mounted in special tool holders to match the spindle axis. Alternately depending on the dimensions of the longitudinal table, holes can be drilled and reamed in the side of the table so that the tool mounting arrangement is similar to the Hardinge turret tool mounting system.

Phase II
On successful completion and testing of the above, I will proceed to raise the height of the spindle head by providing spacer on the bed and the spindle will be driven by a servo motor of suitable power. This will enable to cut threads and provide full CNC capability.

I invite your comments and suggestions on this project and specifically would like to know:
a) As I have to go for a servo motor for the spindle drive at a latter stage, can I mix servos and steppers in the same system or should I proceed with servos for the cross table slides from the very beginning.
b) If any member know a supplier for imported heavy duty mill & drill table in Canada at a competitive price.

Thanks,

RRossey

Welcome rrossey,

A couple of quick issues,
The V-Way on these are bolted to the bed, these bolts are only about 1.4 inches center to center apart, that does not leave much to provide a slot for the screw and nut.
These V-ways are also harder then the gates of hades, not going to slot easily with conventional means.
There is also a full length rib down the center of the bed about 1.5" high as well as several partition walls.
The above makes it not impossible but difficult to use as is.

I like the simple approach that you are planning, I am trying very hard to keep mine on a simple approach but I do tend to complicate matters with too much thinking, most of it wasteful :)

I think it is hard to go wrong with servos although many people use the steppers, I believe, but not positive, that they can be mixed using MACH3.
Will you be using MACH3 ?

When you get things going be sure and post some pictures, perhaps even start your own thread of your conversion would be a good idea so this one does not get all confusing to follow for others that are interested in doing the same thing.

Ken

We bought 3 of the Hardinge DV-59s and I' m looking for parts to get them setup and cnc conversion options out there

recycleroy,
For such a short sentence you have asked a really big question :)

Unfortunately, you are the one that needs to come up with a plan that suits your needs, finances, time and capabilities. Read over relative threads, not just this one but others here as well and then you will be in a better position to begin how best to accomplish the conversion.

For components I am sure you know that eBay rules, unless you can afford to purchase them from a distributor.

Those of us that are converting on this thread will, I am sure, be posting a we progress.

If you have specific questions, someone will likely be able help.

Ken

Ken,
The bed of my hardinge lathe has a continuous 22” long slot in the middle as an original design feature to fix the cross slide in any required place on the bed.

I propose to use Mach 3.

I also feel the servos will be a better way to go, but a final evaluation is yet to be done.

Thanks Ken for the suggestion to start a new thread. It is a good idea to focus on one particular project.

I will be starting a new thread in a couple of days after completing a concept drawing to go along with it.

I think another fellow has the same style as you, I have been surprised with how many different variations there are and they are all called DV-59 although probably different version numbers.

I was creating the tool-paths today to drill and tap for the mounting of the THK rails and the bed to the lathe body, I was also very surprised how inconsistent the spacing was on the 18 holes that originally secured the V-Way. After I get the lathe working and everything trued up as best I can then I will drill through the bed and lathe body and insert some precision dowels pins at each end.

From everything I read the only draw back to servos is that they can cost more then steppers. I had picked up a few of the Clifton servos some time back and will be using them, they were a real deal at $10. The drive being used is the Rutex R2010 and the R2110 Mother Board.

I will be looking forward to following your conversion.

Ken

we purchased 3 of these and are starting from scratch. I need tailstocks as my purchase. I'll be glad to help in any way possible, we build specialty machinery and several CNC machines; mills, turret press, routers and brakes.

thanks,

Roy

Roy,
Here are a couple I found on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hardinge-lathe-Tailstock_W0QQitemZ7584397547QQcategoryZ104241QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/HARDINGE-LATHE-TAILSTOCK-DV-59_W0QQitemZ7584943817QQcategoryZ104241QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Here is another for a $1600 buy now, if you hurry you may still get it :D
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hardinge-Tailstock-Assembly-for-DV59-Lathes_W0QQitemZ3868312108QQcategoryZ25295QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting




It sounds like you are in a very good position to build both in experience and equipment.

Ken

rofl $1600 for a dv59 tailstock!!! (flame2)

Update,
Ok, the 12"x36"x1" plate that was purchased I am just no happy with, too much warp and bow. If my mill had sufficient travel to mill flat and parallel in one operation the relief for the THK rails and lathe body I would probably still use it.

On Monday I am going to search around for a Blanchard ground plate and just bite the bullet on the cost, or try too. Everything this lathe will ever/ can ever be in regards to precision starts from this plate, it has to be right or nothing else can be.

My idea of what I will be using for the carriage is drawn up along with the bed, if any one wants a copy let me know the format and email address and I will send it to you. Note that these drawings have change numerous times so even these may not be the last, however for my first attempt at this conversion these should be it. I may later make the truck pads to the top carriage plate a one piece unit. Right now I have the material to complete only using multiple components.

Please note these are surfaces/solids drawings, not 2D.
If you need 2D (NOTE emphases on need and not want :)) let me know and I will try and help.
.igs - .3dm - .stp. - xfa


Ken

Well...I looked at these lathes and they are a good deal for a 2nd op lathe....CNC'ing...that's another subject....you would be better off getting a regular Hardinge lathe then trying to retrofit a DV model...these lathes don't even have a carriage or the drive mechanism.....

ViperTX,
I cannot argue that there is some merit in what you are saying, however, I don't think I could get a Hardinge lathe as you mention for $650 delivered.

In regards to the carriage, to me this is a plus since I wanted THK rails anyway, building a carriage is no trouble and building mechanical components for moving the carriage drive is a bit more trouble but not a lot. It is a toss up at times whether it is easier to modify and adapt existing mechanics or just to start from scratch, in my opinion and in my case I went with the latter.

In regards to "you would be better off "
I am afraid that is advice, had I been interested in taking, is to late in coming :D

Ken

Ken I have two of the hardinge lathes your starting with one is intact and I use ocosanly and the other is missing some part's but had a tailstock that my other one didnot have. Question what did the THK rail's cost for the pair ? I was thinking of using cast iron for the plate very stable and easy to machine Midwest alloys out of chicago will cut it to size and I think they can blancherd grind it also it's been a few year's since I bought a large flat peice but I bought a slab 14"X2"X40" was in the $300.00 range plus freight had a local grinding shop Blanch it for $150.00 both sides
Much larger peice than needed for this project but could have one cut and ground big enough to make all the bed and slide part's and saw it up to make the small part's I will keep watching your progress to avoide mistakes and to put in my two cent's from time to time Carry on Kevin Taylor

Hi Kevin,
I believe I paid $260 bucks for the pair but that does not really mean much since I purchased them on eBay almost 2 years ago.

The bed has been and remains my big hold up, I just was not wanting to spend the $500 or so on it. My intent now is to try a epoxy resin base. At first this sounds almost ridicules, I know. I am waiting for a friend to salvage some of this material from a job. It is a serious material, being tough, very hard, flat, reasonably machinable with carbide cutters, and is very rigid. It could end up being a waste of time but I have a good feeling about it for this project although a good piece of ductile cast iron would be a more sure to work and superior material.

I hope you start a similiar project so we can glean any ideas from each others efforts. If I can be of any help just ask. This seems to have become a very popular conversion.

Ken

Making some headway on this conversion,
My friend finally came through on the Epoxy material, only it was a 30" x 84" top I did not have the heart to cut it up so it will be going in my basement on some form of work station.

So back to my original plan of using the 12" x 37" x 1" 1018CR. The rail and bed relief were milled out, this was more for truing purposes then provide a inset relief, it was off almost .050 at the worst spot which varied from end to end and side to side. The holes were tapped for the rails and bed mounting at this time as well. Rigid tapping is a a pleasure to have. Three additional holes were added at the rear of the bed in case I find that the rails need to be moved reward for some reason or if down the road I might need longer rails.

I was reasonably happy with the out come, all holes lined up perfectly, the bed sets what appears to be perfectly flat on the lathe body and kind of just snapped into place and no rocking at all. This plate gave me a lot of trouble because of it being too large to machine the full length rail inset and tap in one setup so it was necessary to come up with some form of consistent re-positioning. I am very happy to have it done.

The THK rails are now mounted to the bed and the bed now secured to the lathe body, now I can get on with what I hope will be some of the more enjoyable parts to make. The combination of the bed and lathe are now far too heavy for me to manhandle alone anymore so it is set on the work bench ass-backwards so I can work on the back side drive motion components easier.

That's a nice project so far there Ken, can't wait to see it making parts. Must be sweet to have that Haas machine there to do the parts on.

Thanks Dave,
I am looking forward to it running as well, and I have confidence that it will, unfortunately, there is a serious amount of work to be done yet and true to my past, not a lot of planning, It is not real easy to plan when you don't know what the heck you are doing :D

Yes, the mill, very, very happy to have it, that is for sure.

You having less pucker attacks on your CNC lathe :D,
Trust me, if I could justify purchasing one outright I would not be building this one, even though I am enjoying it, only because I am not going to turn this project into a job, also, learning a great deal about things that will make absolutely no difference in life :D

Yea I'm getting it slowly, a lathe is a whole nuther animal to be sure. Boring ops have given me fits, lots of ways to screw them up and I seem to have just about found all of them. I'm still pretty much at 10% rapids and hand over the E stop at all times. Most of what I'm doing is just trying out this and that so every program I run is a different part, 1st run.

I have found that once you get a part program working well, feeds and speeds wise, clearance wise it is dead nuts simple to turn out a dozen (or how ever many you want) of them in a very short time. I'm used to big 3d mill programs taking an hour, two, three. Lathe programs no matter how complex are like 2 min, 4 min max. The thing is fast.

At the end of the day there you'll have a working cnc lathe for under what?... 2-3 k, not bad. That's how much I paid to get my servo drives repaired. So that's not a bad deal. Looks like you are doing a real nice job on it too.

It looks to be scary to me too, especially on your machine where the rapids are really fast, the Hardinge conversion rapids will not be near yours, calculation are showing about 150IPM, yet even at that it does not take long to go a few inches so my hand position and rapid feed percentage will be about the same as yours.

You are right on in your estimate of total dollars spent for the conversion, I believe it will be a bit less then 3K.

Down the road (maybe a short one) I may put a spacer between the lathe body and spindle head for larger diameter turning, as it is there is a little over 8" max diameter, when I think about it that may be plenty.

What is your lathes max diameter ?

How is your tool turret operated, servo, pneumatic, hydraulic ??

For any real productivity I will need one .

Here is a picture of the components that will make up the carriage carrier, the U-shaped part has yet to get the 15/16-16 threaded hole for the ball nut, I will need to order a thread mill for that. the horizontal plates will fit up to the THK rail trucks which are located under the lathe bed for protection. I have the material (5" x 14" x .900 ) for the top plate but will wait just a bit to make that after I decide more on what type of tooling will first be used. After it is in operation the plan is to build a 8 station stepper powered tool turret that a gentleman was kind enough to offer the plans for, they are, unfortionattly for me, in German and metric, with a little help from the Google language translator it should not be that difficult.

Next step is to begin the mounting of the ball screw, end bearings and the drive motor.

8" max diameter, the turret is ac servo but it also comes forward prior to indexing, mechanical for sure because I can run it with the ait unhooked. The chuck is hydraulic

Finally ordered and received the thread mill I needed to tap the 15/16-16 for the Z-Axis ball nut.
This Thread milling was a first for me, went well, excellent fit with a nice finish on the threads.

It was purchased from http://www.travers.com
1/2" 5 flute carbide, Part # 21-100-982

I must admit that it took me an embarrassing amount of time to complete but this mount is now finished so we can get on with the ball screw mounting itself.

ken, I don't know if this is a problem or not....in the pic of that cool looking ball screw mount there. The set of two top countersunk mount holes looks offset left from the centerline of that arm, compared to the set of holes on the right. That will pull the ball screw to the left off midline no? Or is that the way it has to be to fit?

Nice part regardless. Threadmilling is the coolest CNC mill op, no doubt.

Dave

Thanks for the warning of a could be problem.
however, It just looks offset from center Dave, the one side of the narrower arm is less the other for clearance to the lathe body giving that optical illusion. It is right on the money, thanks goodness, of course I could make the next one in no time at all :D

I really enjoyed the thread milling, wasn't as big a learning curve as I expected, thanks to the post on the OneCNC forum, including your post when you did the AR-15 lower receiver.

Man is that forum a lifesaver !!!!!

Ken

Ken I salvaged a set of rail's from a pallet changer I part's out for the Z and have a set for the X spotted on another machine in the surplus store Where are you going to mount the ball screw? on the back or underneith the bed? I like the idea of the T sloted cross plate for tool's could use standard hardging tool holder's or make as needed maybe make an acuator for the hardging turet . the ball screw for the X Will go under the cross plate? or along side ? I have enough rail to extend past the length the bed and I think I will make the plate go under the head stock also I think I will try for the cast plate from midwest alloy's Im going to call and get a qout on the piece I will need, I'm going to look for some large thick flang angel iron to make the bearing mount's to the cross slide I think the other salvage piece had some screw's also. have you made a comitment yet on a control? And what about more pictures Keep up the good work I'm going to continue to hunt part's for mine

Kevin

Alright let's have it.

I've been waiting for what feels like months for this lathe to get up and making chips.

What's going on?


:stickpoke :p

Hi Dave,
Well for starters, I can assure you I have not quit on it. Haven't posted much but have made some headway.

Ever since I kinda semi-retired all I have done is work my butt off at the house catching up on stuff that I let slide. Today was no different, my back, my knees, my ankles all hurt from working outside, and at night my brain just does not want to think. Getting older sucks :D

My plan is to have at it after winter sets in.
I have from the get go not allowed this to become a job for me but a learning experience and to enjoy the construction.

Now with your stick in my eye that may be delayed until I heal :D

I am getting new tooling from some guy :D and new tooling always gets my enthusiasm up and running.

Ken: The correct term is " retarded" just ask my wife.. How they ( wives) are so relentless about yard and house work is beyond me..Just spent 3 days in a skid steer moving 46 tons of decorative rock..ug..
Hope to see your project progress, looks like your doing a super job.

Adobe (old as dirt )

Oh man, 3 days in a skid steer, have your eyes adjusted from the beating and bouncing yet :D

Even though my wife does not nag I still agree on the wifey thing, and also have failed to figured out how it is, that with a simple sentence or phone call, every problem they have is immediately transfered to the husband.

I think they know something about men that we do not know about them :D

Thanks for the project encouragement, I will be starting on it again soon.

yep they always make it sound so simple too don't they? Can you just take out those two bushes there for me?

"bushes" are 12 foot bushes from hell with 1 inch stickers, and vines that grab you around the ankle. Takes 5 hours 6 hand tools and two trips to the dump, one visit to the ER.

Allright it's to cold to work out in the yard so let's get back to work on this thing I got a ball screw tonight for my project and will go back later this week and get anoyher there 1" od but I think I can make them fit and I don't think smaller is an asset in this case I looked at a larger hardging with a bandent control and took some pictures of the mount's for ideas Will try to post later Let's get a move on on this I have part's to make Carry on

Still 65 degrees here Kevin :D
EDIT:
Kevin, please do post what you have so far, maybe it will give someone (I.E. me) some different ideas.

Actually I have been working on it. Just finished (last week) the Z axis fixed bearing mount, I trashed the first one while drilling and tapping on the mill, dang CNC, fussy, about every little detail.

Cannot go any further until I find appropriate timing pulleys and belts, this has been a not so easy as expected task, wanting the Gates G2 series but what I need does not seem to be available, I think the next best may be the HTD series.

The bearing races are press fit installed, the two washers are cut ID and OD to accept 1/16 o-rings to shield the bearings. The dummy shaft is just that, to check fit and to see how the end of the ball screw needs to be machined.
My QC inspector, shown below inspecting it real close has signed it off as being in tolerance.

Ken look's like your going to make this a long project with much detale look's great are you going to mount the X screw on the front of the bed or the back
I think I'm going to do the front to keep the mess behind it "do most of the cutting on the back of the chuck and throw the chip's down and back Going to start doing drawing's of the plate and get a firm Qout on the cost local grinding shop told me about $150.00 to blancherd grind 12X38" both sides I'm going to go under the headstock and try to install at least part of the dovetale so I can use the tailstock and maybe the turit for second op's and drilling Keep up the progress p.s. it's been unseasonbly warm here to but were over due for a blast of winter Kevin

I am still a bit confused as to what the X and Z are since I see both described as the other, so from my design :D
Z is longitudinal and X is the cross slide.

The Z screw will be mounted underneath and in the rear. I will have some more pics on that layout soon.

$150 for the grinding is reasonable.

Concerning the tail stock, You are thinking further ahead then I had, that is good, I still have decisions to make in that regard but have not painted myself into a corner. I am thinking of using the existing THK rails to support and permit travel with some sort of locking/clamping mechanism. I did not get a turret or conventional tailstock, it did come with a unusual. perhaps handy tailstock that has a chuck and a long lever that you pull, this advances the chuck instead of of turning a wheel, although I do not see any likelyhood of using it on this conversion. It should sell on eBay pretty well because I have never seen one before.

Sooner or later I may be adding a spacer under the headstock since little by little I am eating up my max turning diameter, I would like to end up with at least 8", fact is, I have never turned anything over 6" and as is I will end up with more then that.

Yep, winter is around the corner. I purchased a corn stove to offset the high propane cost, as expected, corn has doubled in price but still will be about 1/2 the cost to heat as propane.

Ken-
I've still been thinking about how I'll tackle my DV59 conversion. I too want to mount the tailstock on the THK rails, and my idea for locking the tailstock is a piece of gear rack mounted up under the ground plate. Another piece of gear rack could be mounted on an eccentric, so turning the eccentric would cause both racks to lock into one another.

Neatman

I forgot to attach the current pictures of the design I'm working on.

The end view shows the inverted rails.

The first iso view shows the t slot carriage.

The second iso view hides the carriage so you can see how I'm thinking about mounting the rails, ballscrew and motor.

Neatman

Looks good Keith,
Not a bad idea on the tailstock locking.

I am intending to make the cross slide carriage to THK support in one piece also but did not have any stock on hand large enough, so for the time being it is made up of three components each side, which I will change after/when it is up and running.

I purchased the THK (low profile) for the cross-slide but only have preliminary modeling done. You know how it goes, there is not a part on it that has not changed a number of times.

This project has most certainly brought to the surface just how little I know about this type of thing and also an appreciation for those who engineer them. I will admit, though I have tried to engineer it to some degree, the engineering ability required is just to far beyond what I know or have any interest in knowing. This project will basically just be put together and not engineered, What I have tried to do is just over build and hope for the best. I know this method just makes engineers cringe, but then it is my play ground :D

Thanks Ken-
What software are you using? I'm using Solidworks 2005 if you want to share the models, let me know.

Yours is also looking good. I may wind up putting the ballscrew in the same location that you are showing, but I'm still trying to figure out how to hide it inside the casting. I realize it will require boring a large hole in the end of the bed, but it would stay much cleaner.

The models of the THK rails that you have should be easily downloaded from thier site. I chose to invert the rails, and move the whole cross slide to save height and keep as large a workpiece as possible.

The idea about the rack comes from the method used for butting rack material end to end - simply use a short piece of rack meshed with the two other pieces, and the teeth line up every time. Plus, it would put very little force on the linear bearings, and would be close to infinitely adjustable. The other thought for the tailstock is add another ballscrew/leadscrew and drive the tailstock. This would allow for peck drilling etc.

Neatman

I would have liked to put the screw down the middle as well, there are several reasons that a center drive is a good choice. 1) very well protected and no real concern about racking on the cross slide. Most of the reason that the choice to put it outside was that it would have significantly reduced the travel if it was centered. While I will be very surprised if I encounter racking problems it is a possibility for sure.
As is now, the screw is shielded by about 2 1/4" of bed, also have a length of round rubber accordion type whatcha-ma-call-it :D that fits over the screw if additional shielding is required.

Have you made any choices on the type of tool holder?
I will start with a gang but want to build a turret later on.

I use OneCNC XR2 Mill Pro software, you (or anyone) are welcome to what ever I have, just let me know the format, OneCNC native format is .xfa
Doubtful SW can import that directly, looks like the next OneCNC update (hopefully with a update, they are free) or upgrade (there not) will directly import native SW files. I would like to take closer look at your design as well.

We should be able to peck drill without a separately driven tail stock shouldn't we ? with a chuck mounted in some fashion on the tool holder.
If Mach III supports it.

I'm still working on the best way to attach the ballscrew to the carriage. I'd like to attach it to the front and rear of the carriage, for the stiffest connection possible.

Is there any way you can open or output a .stp or .iges file? I use these to transfer model information to all kids of different CAD packages.

I was planning the same thing with the tooling - Start off with gang tooling, and create a 8 position turret at a later date. There are some real amazing toolholders made by some people here on this site. Find the threads, they are really worth reading. I'd prefer to make mine work without the use of air pressure, as I would rather not run the air compressor at night and wake the wife and kids. 10 PM till "too tired to stand" are the hours I get in the shop!

I'm trying to work on a way to use the stepper motor that rotates the tool holder to also apply the clamping pressure with a screw of some type. Rotate the motor in one direction, and the turret "unscrews" out to disengage the pins. Once it's out, it turns to the next tool position, and the stepper motor rotates in the opposite direction, and draws the turret back down. Perhaps a one-way roller bearing would allow this type of operation. I need to take a few hours and firm up the concept in my head, and a few more hours to design it.

Sure the cross slide could hold a drill chuck and drill, but I have the original six position turret tailstock, and it would be fun to make it hold a live center and five drill chucks for multiple tools! That one will take a bit more thought.

I believe that Mach3 supports peck drilling - it does almost everything else!

Neatman

.stp or .iges are both importable and/or outputable (are those real words) :D



I have read many threads on the DIY turrets, I agree, amazing.
I found the one by a fellow called Dieter, in Denmark I think, most interesting, it uses a stepper to drive it so no worries about compressor noise, My machines are at my shop so compressor noise is not a problem although I detest the sound even though it is in a separate room.
That, a shop vac and air chissel are my most hated noises.

Here is the CNCzone link if you missed it;
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19633&highlight=dieter

His web page;
http://www.cnc-projects.de/

That is the thread and the toolchager that I was thinking of. Outstanding craftsmanship. That toolholder uses the stepper to rotate the turret, and an air cylinder to extend/retract (clamp) the turret. I'd like to avoid the air all together, and not need the belt and pulleys.

I tried opening your stp file, but it did not translate, solidworks had an error that stated "no solid data in file".

Attached is a stp of my design - let me know if it will translate for you.

Neatman

Here is the file in .igs
I am unable to explain the file opening problem, probably some translating quirck between Solidworks and OneCNC, although .step is generic enough that there should have been no problems.

Yours opened fine, looks like a fine job of modeling BTW, I fully intend to look at it further tonight.

You are correct, I had forgotten the use of air on Dieters unit.

Are those Steppers or Servo's with the direct drive ?
Direct drive would sure eliminate a lot of the problems I am having finding suitable pullies.

Ken

Ken you have a lot more patince with bobcad than I I'm getting the cart ahead of the horse coulden't passup five AC servos on ebay the otherday also got one of my ballscrew's lastweek have to go back and get another this week Need to do resurch on ac servos and the control's to drive them I have been doing drawings of my plans and it seem's that i will use up most of the lathes swing to clear the X axis so i think I will build a riser for the head stock and the tail stock I would like to retain the dovetail for the turett and tailstock Keep up the good work I will be watching Kevin

I had to laugh Kevin when you mentioned the "Cart before the horse", as that has been a common approach for me as well, albeit one that has bit me on more then one occasion and I seem not to get any wiser for it. :)
It always seems so right at the time :D

I use OneCNC, never tried BobCad, I own Alibre but actually never use it except for converting .dwg drawings to something I can import into OneCNC. I believe Alibre is a very capable package but I never spent the time learning it as I decided an integrated CAD/CAM package would better alleviate some of that hated learning curve. Purchased it right after purchasing Alibre. Another "Cart before the horse" purchase. :D

At first I will just be satisfied with whatever remains of my max turning diameter but am expecting to add a head stock spacer down the road as well.

Be sure and log your build, I would be very interested in seeing it.
Ken

Ken-
Thanks for the latest Iges. I'll take a look at it tomorrow.

Thanks for the modeling compliment, I've been designing (ME) in SW since 97, and cadkey for 5 years before that, and autocad before that. There are still loads of details I haven't added. I just realized that I uploaded an older version of the model. I have the latest one on my work computer - gives me something to do on lunch. I started adding all of the hardware. I've been designing around all of the parts that I have on hand. If you need cross slide ways or a ballscrew for either axis, let me know I have more than I need.

I have been doing all I can to minimize the height of the cross slide to keep as much turning diamater as possible. I may also add a spacer block to the headstock. Also, I want to keep the top of the plate that attaches directly to the original bed completely free of any holes. I'm planning on adding some kind of brush to the sides of the cross slide to brush away the chips. The line you see on this plate is real, as I have a few pieces of flat ground steel plate I'm planning on using for the bed and the cross slide.

The motors are 34 frame PacSci steppers with over 1000 oz-in of torque. They are fully sealed with military connectors, and high resolution encoders inside. I plan on mounting up servos at some point, but I have these motors on hand. I intend to connect the encoders and run a program internal to Mach3 that will fault if it misses a step. I can't recall what program that is at the moment, but I have seen it here on CNCzone.

Neatman

Ken-
I'm planning on having 6.5" x 20" of travel, with additional length on the rails to add the tailstock. So far, I have kept the height of the carrige to 2.76", to try to keep as much of the original work envelope as possible.

I have another idea about the tailstock. Besides the rack to allow locking the tailstock in almost any location - for use turning between centers or manual drilling, we should devise a way to connect it to the main carriage to allow the carriage and it's ballscrew to do the drilling cycles. Kind of like connecting the caboose to the train. That way you could do automatic pecking cycles, and have 6 tools in the turret tailstock. Attached is my most recent version of the design with a roughed out carriage to mount the tailstock on.

Neatman

Hi Keith,
I like your idea on connecting the tail stock to the carriage.
We will have to put more thought into that.

Sorry about being so late in responding to your post, not been feeling that great for a couple of days here, so things that I would normally get right on I let slide.

I am still having trouble finding timing pullers, for the life of me I cannot understand the selection availability. I could start on other things I guess, there is a million things to do, although I was wanting to complete the Z-Axis screw fixed bearing mount, the motor mount and flat need the pullers to see how best to mount them. I am planning on some sort of jack shaft for the motor to keep the load off those end plate bearings that just wont take any long term loadings.

I have been entertaining the idea of utilizing the original V-bed for a tail stock, this would lose another inch but it is likely that a head stock spacer will be needed anyway. No firm plans just thinking. This would necessitate the carriage being higher or thicker with a relief milled out underneath.

Later
Ken

Ken-
Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Hopefully it will pass soon.

The idea of the ability to attach the tailstock to the carriage came from the Home Shop Machinist magazine (I think) - someone had shown a picture of an old southbend with a woodworking clamp holding the tailstock to the carriage for "power feeding" large drill bits. I figured the concept would apply here, but with a better design.

My lathe dosen't have a dovetail way, and never did. I have the really old vintage where it's just cast iron, and a dovetail slot. I'm definetly putting the tailstock on the same rails as the carriage. Just need to work on the design. A way to CNC the 6 position turret tailstock would be a real trick. I'll have to really consider that!

Instead of using the original V bed, could you make a wider version of the V bed? Have the dovetails farther apart, with enough room underneath to mount the linear rails. Then modify the tailstock for a wider dovetail. This wouldn't impact the height of your machine at all. If you look at my design, I have angled "skirt type" covers on the sides of the large flat "bed plate" to protect the rails underneath, and to shed chips. If you reverse these angles, and machine them right into the "bed plate", there is your dovetail.

NEATman

NEATman,
The bed was a real PITB to machine for the rails, first it was too long and too wide for my milling machine to do in one set up. second it was warped which would no doubt cause all sorts of alignment problems should I try and put a tail stock on it. I like the idea well enough but do not think that will work in my case. Putting it on the existing rails or incorporating the original V-way seems my only options.

Got a question for some input.
Do you foresee any issues with flexing of the tail stock on the rails? Considering that center height could be as much as 6" higher the the rail.
There is a substantial leverage factor in 6".

Ken

Ken-
The rails that I am using are heavy duty THK rails with 4 "circuits" (ball tracks). The load ratings are incredible for their size. I have not done the calculations, but I have a spreadsheet I have made for work that would be easy to update to these rails that would convert the tailstock forces to forces for each bearing module. I can share the spreadsheet if you are interested. It's the source file for this product (the payload calculator): http://www.danaherprecision.com/ds4/
All of the calculations are hidden in this online version.


I have yet to cut the plates for the lathe, but they are already ground flat and parallel. I am hoping that they don't warp once I cut them narrower!

Right now I'm too busy with work to get anything done. It seems I only have a few minutes a day to get online and surf cnczone.

Neatman

Yes I would like to take a look at your spreadsheet NEATman, thank you.
Because I lack any engineering experience this system will suffer for it I am sure so perhaps this may at least add some engineering to it.

The rails I am using are the THK HSR25 and also are the HD versions, unlike you I am only using one truck per side, they measure 3.100 In, they only came with two trucks per rail and I was anticipating using the 2nd on each rail for the tail stock.


I know what you mean about no spare time, and when I do get some all my drive is gone :D

Ken-
Do you have a more detailed part number? There are many varieties of the HSR25, but I can't find the HD version in my catalog.

I would advise 4 blocks for the carriage and 4 for the tailstock. I may have additional rails/blocks that may work for you. You get a significant increase in the moment loading capacity by having the blocks spaced as far apart as possible on the rail.

I have the spreadsheet here on my laptop, and I'll try to make it more generic and intuitive so that it is easily editable.

Neatman

NEATman,
The full THK number is HSR25LA2SSCOE+820LP-II

Your reasoning in using four blocks is well understood and I will not / cannot disagree with that suggestion. What I had to work with when this project was started were two per rail so that is what I have designed this around. For times sake I will use the two since much time has been spent machining parts for this, it would be very difficult for me to start all over. Down the road, after it is at least functioning, my full intention was to upgrade any weak areas.

I look forward to taking a look at your spreadsheet.

Thanks for the advice and help.
Ken

Ken take a look at this on Ebay 180071245238 spotted it look's like a easy way to do X Have you given any thought to the control yet? Good luck Kevin

Ken-
I e-mailed the excel based bearing loading sheet to your e-mail address.

Let me know if it helps you.

Neatman

I've got the bug and would like to cnc a Hardinge DV59 myself. I have been following this thread. My first cnc project involved my old Smithy 3-in-1 where I bolted 2 ballscrew linear slides in an x-y configuration to the bed. This wouldn't work really well on the Hardinge because the swing is small. The Omniturn adapters I think have something like 1/2" swing.

Anyway, my thought is to bolt one ballscrew linear slide actuator (Ebay item #190068709003) to the side of the lathe and mount a standard linear rail on the other side. A large block will cross the lathe bed to join the actuator and the rail to create the Z-axis. Across this plate will be another actuator with 4 linear bearings (Ebay item#170064454825) to form the x-axis. This setup should be simple and allow for the use of the tailstock. Is the casting of the DV59 fairly straight and parallel?

-Steven Balder

Screws are real fast lead and the rail's maybee a little small but I'v seen a lot of neat stages and other thing's like this on Ebay I have a pair of #30 rail's and truck's I'v been macking up but I think #25 is the ticket plenty strong and very compact the bigest problum is keeping much swing when you stack the X on top of Z you lose a lot of the room under the centerline If you want to retain tailstock the problem becomes even worse I think a lot of planing before macing any chip's The electrical is my bigest hang up I'v picked up som AC servos and one ball screw Have been looking for compatable servo drives and the ac option seem's to make it more difficult Will keep watching Ebay and asking question's Carry on Kevin

Hello everyone - it's been a while since I added anything to this post, but I have finally started to make some progress.

Finds:
I recently purchased a matching #2 morse taper tailstock for $80, and I will retain the original 6 position turret tailstock and lever collet closer. I have also collected two 34 frame brushless servo motors and drives for the X and Z axes. The spindle will also be run by a timing belt and a massive servo, so it will really be an axis by itself. Both axes also have ground and preloaded ballscrews and angular contact thrust bearing pairs to eliminate backlash. I also purchased a cast iron 8" x 4.5" x 9" riser block that is ground (but rusty) on all sides. This will be the spacer for the headstock - as soon as I figure out how to remove it... Has anyone done this yet?

I also came across an absoutely massive linear rail that uses recirculating crossed roller bearings (no ball bearings), and each carriage is rated for 10,000 pounds +. Each block is almost 7" long! It's well sealed with wipers, and has three bearing blocks. One for the cross axis, one for the turret tailstock, and one for the #2 morse tailstock. The rail itself is 1.4" x 1.3", and the carriages are preloaded to the rail, so there is no play. I decided that I would bolt this directly to the existing T-slot.

The build (so far):
I've managed to make a dozen T-nuts and mount the massive rail to the base. I've also managed to cut and square up sections of 7/8" blanchard ground plate to create the Z carriage, the X carriage, and the X front and rear plates. I've also designed a way to mount and connect the ballscrew for the Z axis - I've kept it hidden within the casting to keep it clean.

Has anyone successfully removed or rebuilt the headstock of this type of lathe?

NEATman

Any progress reports on the 59 conversions? I just bought a Feeler FSM-59. It is a clone of the later Hardinge 59 (no T-slot in the bed.) Initially I am going to lock the lever cross-slide in place and bolt a small THK X-Y (er, X-Z) mechanism to it, but eventually plan to build a beefier X-Z for it. I'd like to hear/see how your conversions are coming, Ken Shea and NEATman (and anyone else who is doing a 59!)

edit: NEATman, there is a writeup on replacing the spindle bearings on a DV etc. at http://aafradio.org/garajmahal/Hardinge_spindle_bearing_replacement.htm but I have only read it--not tried it (I don't even have my 59 clone at home yet...)

Thanks,

Randy

Randy-
My progress is that I sold the DV-59 and bought a bigger Hardinge Chucker machine. That conversion is in the works at this point. I'm playing with brushless servos and drives, and I have all of the needed parts gathered. It's a much heftier machine, and has an 8-position turret I plan on automating in the future. I have the lathe completely disassembled and I am drilling and tapping holes for the massive linear bearing rails.

Keith

Randy,
Thanks much for the link to spindle bearing replacement, that was much needed, the spindle bearings seem quite smooth but the lube has got to be very old and grease has come a long way since they have been in use.
Let us know how you are progressing on your conversion.

As far as progress goes, have done some work on it but so very little in comparison to what yet needs done that it is pretty much inconsequential.
Have done quite a bit of thinking on it and that can pay off later.

Definitely still in my sights though, long as time and my knees permit, my knees being a major factor as I cannot stand for long periods without paying a big pain penalty later, had surgery on both in April, thus far that seems to have only benefited the medical field.

Keith, you traitor :D

Keith and Ken, thank you for your updates.

As to my own lathe, I picked it up on Friday (barely fit in the rented pickup truck, since they didn't tell me it was going to be a short-bed crew cab!) and have mostly been disassembling and evaluating parts. The mechanics are basically in good shape, but the paint is filthy and chipped and the lathe has apparently been disassembled in the past and reassembled by someone who didn't quite know what they were doing.

The notable event was the "oil change from Hell". The first thing my wife said when I got the lathe in the garage (I picked it up with my shop crane and Linda drove the pickup out from under it) was "it really smells" and it did! I pulled the cover of the coolant tank, and it was filled with what looked and smelled (and probably was) old black motor oil and about half an inch of sludge and very fine metal chips. It was like draining 10000-mile-old oil from an old Plymouth that had lost a main bearing and kept being driven.

That aside, the spindle appears fine, the bed appears fine and the electrics seem to be in order. I am planning to get a 2HP VFD for the spindle and speed-change motors, and kludge the coolant motor to run off single-phase (I've read a description of that over on Practical Machinist.)

And I'm wiping off years of gunge. So far, I'm just squirting on 3-in-1 oil and wiping down with a rag. I don't want to use any solvents until I've gotten off the "easy" stuff...

Best regards,

Randy

any progress on this? I got Rivett 918 that i'm planing to convert, but would be nice to see this done before i start :)