1942 Logan 11" Lathe

[Maui]

I just purchased this Logan 11" lathe earlier today. It comes on the original stand with cast iron legs and chip pan. The serial number dates it to 1942. The bearings are surprisingly quiet, but the leather belt has been stretched so much that it slips and will need to be shortened or replaced. It came with an additional four jaw chuck, a full set of change gears, steady rest, and some additional miscellaneous tooling. Does anybody have any experience with the 11" Logan lathe? Are they good machines? Does anyone have a copy of an owner's manual for this type of lathe? I've surfed the internet, but can't seem to locate one for the 11" lathe. Thanks for any insight you can share on their advantages and their shortcomings.

Maui

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Looks like a nice lathe. Mind sharing what you paid for it?

 

[Maui]

It was advertised on Craigslist earlier this morning for $400, and I called the seller before I headed out to work. Apparently I was the first one to call him about it. After I looked it over I offered him $300. For $325 he agreed to help me move it out of the basement, so that's what we settled on. Not a bad price I think.

Maui

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

YOU **** BIG TIME!

I think you got a GREAT deal unless someone who knows something about lathes comes along and says it is a POS. But I don't think that will happen. My perception is that any machine tool from that era was at least of decent quality.

Single phase or three phase? 120 or 240 volts? How many amp circuit does it require?

 

[shoot summ]

Nice, my Dad has one just like that, it's waiting for me to pick it up and move it to my house.

 

[Maui]

Lol - it has a single phase 120V motor ****. I didn't check the motor plate to see what the specs are, but it looks like it is original to the machine. I suspect that it is either a 1/2 or 3/4 horsepower motor. It looks like the original on/off switch was removed from the front of the machine and somebody jury rigged another switch on the front. That is going to be changed, The leather belt will be shortened or swapped out, and a new cord with be put on the motor to start. If I feel motivated and have the time, I think that it would really look good with a new coat of paint. Any idea what the original color would have been?

Maui

 

[mattygee]

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=3384

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=6506

These may be your manuals.

 

[Maui]

Awesome! Thanks for the links. I think you're right mattygee!

Maui

 

[davethorik]

With the Grey and the 14, I'm guessing was owned by the Navy at some point?

 

[rsanter]

That is a good machine in general. You may also have a dried out leather belt that doesn't grip very well. One nice thing about those leather belt machines with beginners is that you can get the belt to slip before you actually break something

Some people like to swap to using a modern serpentine belt in place of the old leather belt, however it takes pulling the solidly to get it in place so not really for the beginner to do

Bob

 

[maddawg1952]

www.lathe.com is Logan's website for the Logan Actuator Co. click on store, then from there click on machine manuals there is an extensive list to choose from. I have a 9" Logan Model 1400 it's a nice small sized utility lathe

 

[HoosierBuddy]

That is a good machine in general. You may also have a dried out leather belt that doesn't grip very well. One nice thing about those leather belt machines with beginners is that you can get the belt to slip before you actually break something

Some people like to swap to using a modern serpentine belt in place of the old leather belt, however it takes pulling the solidly to get it in place so not really for the beginner to do

Bob

I've seen (in the past) posts about cutting a rubber serpentine belt and then gluing it back together. No personal experience, but it evidently works.

Phil

 

[spongerich]

That's a YOU **** x 11 price.
You bought the steady rest and the chucks. The lathe and stand were free.

Logans are excellent lathes. Definitely a step up from Atlas/Craftsman and absolutely on par with South Bend (some say better).

Take the time to bolt the legs to the floor and buy or borrow a precision level to get the bed perfectly straight.

You can probably cut an inch out of the belt and re-lace it. Lots of people use serpentine belts.. get a used one from your local mechanic for free. Cut to length and glue it on and you won't have to remove the spindle. (Which can be a huge PITA)... Google 'lathe serpentine belt' for details and instructions.

I would advise ditching the lantern tool post and getting a Quick Change style. They're more rigid and generally a whole lot easier to setup and adjust, and take the ****** puckering factor away from parting operations. Aloris and Dorian are the 'Snap-On's' of the tool post world, but the Chinese imports are generally very good and are 1/4 of the price. I had a Phase-II and was extremely happy with it. AXA size is perfect for that lathe.

If you don't already have them, run to eBay and buy a copy of Machinery's Handbook and either the South Bend How to Run a Lathe or the Atlas/Craftsman Manual of Lathe Operations. Both are invaluable. (Whether you're a machinist or not, EVERY shop and garage should have a copy of Machinery's Handbook)

Avoid the temptation to buy carbide tooling... High speed steel is a better and cheaper option for smaller lathes. You'll want a decent grinder, but a great way to start is to head to eBay and buy a batch of cutters that are already ground.

For practice material, scrounge up some PVC pipe. It's easy and forgiving to machine and you'll save a lot of money over using aluminum or steel.

 

[MoparTrucks]

Let me add another "You ****"; I'm jealous. I have been looking for a used lathe for about 6 months and the ones I've found are either micro lathes or they are clapped out ex HS shop lathes and all of them on CL are over priced.

I'm still looking but am about to pull the trigger on a Grizzly G4000 out of frustration.

 

[larry_g]

http://www.leatherdrivebelts.com/

John in the above link is the go to guy for a replacement belt.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/loganlathe/info

The above is a group for the logan lathe owners. It is perty active and worth joining.

I've had a couple of the 10" Logans in the past and they are a good machine. I would suggest that you stay with the leather flat belt. The one on there has probably worked for 50 years and the next one will also. As said above the belt will slip if you are beyond the capabilities of the machine or have messed up. These are lightweight machines and will not hog material but are very capable machines if used within it limits. You did get a great deal.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Maui]

Spongerich, I do have an Aloris tool post that I picked up a few weeks ago that should fit nicely on this lathe. And after looking on Ebay I think that you're right on the money with the pricing. I did make a mistake in my original post though. I contacted Logan (thanks for the link maddawg) and gave them the serial number off of the tailstock end of the lathe bed. It turns out that it is a 10" model 200 lathe, and not an 11". Apparently the 10" lathe can swing a part that is a little over 10" in diameter, and the measurement of 5 1/2" that I made from the top of the closest V on the lathe bed to the center of the chuck isn't what they use to establish the swing. They also said that it was originally ordered by a private shop, so it was not purchased by the military. Why the 14? Who knows.

Mopar, I think that my timing was just good this time. I saw the ad right after he posted it, contacted him first, and apparently was the first to stop by to look at it. This almost never happens to me. I'm usually the 4th or 5th in line, and never hear back from the seller on a nice machine like this.

Thanks Larry - I'll contact John to purchase a new belt.

 

[jfleisher]

This is an excellent resource as well:

http://www.hobby-machinist.com

 

[iajonesy]

Maui, whatever you do, do not fire that lathe up. It needs to be sent to me ASAP to disarm the built in IED. I will send you $650 because the lathe will be useless to you after I modify it. Let me know where to send the money and I will rescue you from this dangerous machine.

do you think he'll fall for it??????????????????

Mike

 

[Farmall 1066]

If you chose to shorten your drive belt, the "how to run a lathe" book has excellent instructions to do so. A must have lathe book.
Nice score!

 

[Monkey Milk]

oh change gears, have fun with that. lol I got an 820 and haven't even used it yet(building shop). Been going over to my buddy's house and using his Sheldon 11. His lathe dwarfs the logan and I already want to upgrade. If you got big projects your going to need a bigger lathe, making chips is additive!

If you need some manuals let me know I got some PDFs.

 

[Jawn]

Change gears or not, OP ***** big time!