What can I make with a small Logan lathe?

[KMinAF]

I just bought this lathe and was wondering what kind of things do people make with such a small machine? The guy at work was in dire need of cash so I just threw out the offer of $125.00 and he accepted. My main draw to it was the cool vintage factor (otherwise known as impulse buying) but would appreciate some ideas or examples of what can be done on this size of machine.

 

[Steinmetz]

Maybe the first thing to do is make some adjustable feet so that the lathe can be properly leveled. This generally involves turning and threading.

 

[Steinmetz]

After that, you can make and cut a test bar, and see how well you did.

 

[zkling]

Have you ever ran a lathe before? If not go find an old timer machinist and or a copy of "How to run a lathe" By South Bend and "Lathe Operations" or something like that by Atlas. They will get you stared in the fundamentals of lathe operation. Cutting tool geometry, setup and work holding.

I mostly use mine to make repair parts. Bushings, spacers, odd pins, stepped shafts, etc. With a lathe your imagination and work envelope of the machine are about the only limiting factors. Congrats on the machine.

 

[exmaxima1]

I just bought this lathe and was wondering what kind of things do people make with such a small machine?

You could make the screws with the special taper used on vises (post #15856):

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782&page=793

 

[davethorik]

to op, what sort of hobbies are you involved in? A lot of times people can't figure out what to do with a lathe until after they know how it works safely. If you frequently find yourself having bolts that are way too long now you can shorten them more cleanly than a bench grinder. You could cut pieces of allthread to size easily if you need a piece of it. Polishing round parts. The list goes on and on...and the uses I've mentioned are more simple. Lathes are very handy.

 

[Troutsqueezer]

I made these model steam engines on Harbor Freight equipment.

You can start with something simple like the oscillating steam engine:



Then work up to something a little bigger like the horizontal mill steam engine:



Finally a walking beam steam engine:

 

[davethorik]

nice work Dennis!

 

[rsanter]

I use my small lathe more than the big one.
Bushings
Shafts
Adapter plates
Pins
Special bolts


Bob

 

[Jere]

$125... You ****, I have been watching craigslist for over year for one. The closest thing I have seen in a harbor freight lathe used for $10 less than the stores new price...


always act like the smallest lobster in the grocery store tank

 

[KMinAF]

Those are some beautiful steam engines! I have used an old school (no digital or computer controls) full size lathe and would consider myself intermediate level. My experience comes from working at a fabrication shop making components for 4X4 conversions. I guess I will just start working with it and see where it takes me.

 

[ClintNZ]

Aside from the obvious 'round things' & the stuff mentioned above, one of the things I have found my little 'ol lathe really useful for is making up special tools - need a blind bearing extractor/seal driver/funny size punch etc? Only takes a few minutes to turn one up. A bigger chunk of metal & a bit more time has produced dies for a DIY tube bender etc.

It's also really nice for jobs that can be done in a drill press, but turn out (ha ha) much better when done more accurately in the lathe.

Cheers
Clint

 

[kazlx]

All kinds of stuff. I love my lathe. Just sold my 11" Logan to step up to a 14" Cadillac. One of the first things I made was a tool to remove bearings from my rear hub on my mountain bike. The tool is normally about $300 and it was less than $10 in aluminum. I make custom spacers and standoffs all the time, shorten bolts, cut threads, you name it. It's addicting.

 

[sasquatch12]

Try looking up the Sherline "Craftsmanship Museum" lots of stuff in just about any category shown there all built/machined on smaller equipment.

 

[Outlawmws]

You can make anything within its cutting envelope, and you didn't mention its swing or its center to center spacing.