I don't see any way other than to keep spending money. You're doing
good so far - that lathe is worth a lot more than $500, or would be
in Seattle anyway. I think $300 for that tailstock may be as good as
you will do. You may need to do some work to get it aligned right.
Usually that means shimming between the 2 halves.

Your headstock electronics photo doesn't look to me like it's a
phase converter. I suspect it is a reversing mag switch setup. Is
there a power cord for this machine? How many horsepower is the motor?

Grant

Jeff P wrote:

I've been a lurker on this list for a couple of months, and I just
wanted to send out a little tool gloat... the weekend before last I
bought a Logan Lathe for less than the price of a new 9x20 import
lathe, and it's in great condition! I got it for $500. It's the 14"
7500 series, pictured he http://www.lathe.com/catalogs/7500.htm.
Everything runs smooth and is in excellent condition.

It's bigger than I was originally planing on getting, but I'm not
complaining! It was a fair amount of work to get it in the garage,
too. A friend and I put it up on 4x4 "skids" and used a Harbor Freight
come-along to winch it out of a rented trailer. We used stone-age
technology to haul it out, and it worked great.

I bought the lathe from a friend of Gunner's. Gunner set up the deal,
and I want to say thanks, and also to put in a good word! I wouldn't
hesitate to use Gunner to repair any machine tools I had that were
broken, or to buy tools from him. He was helpful and completely
forthright.

There is one other thing, I have a question about and I was hoping
someone would know.... I need to get a 220 outlet set up in the
garage, and I think I'll need a 3-phase converter. I'll have an
electrician put in the 220 outlet, but I'm not sure what to do about
the 3-phase. The lathe has a big electrical panel on the back with a
circuit breaker and some big transformers. I'm not exactly sure what
it's for. Is it a phase converter, or is it jsut part of the lathe?
Does any one have suggestions as to the best way to go? (I have some
pictures, too. Here's one of the inside of the panel:
http://www.geocities.com/webnrrd2k/classic_tan.html).

The lathe is usable as it is right now, but I would like swap out the
turret for a regular engine lathe type cross-slide and add a
tailstock.

Actually, Gunner lined up a place that has exactly the tailstock I
need, but it's $300. My wife and I have a kid due any day now, and I
blew all my fun-money on the lathe. Any one know of a tailstock or
cross-slide for a Logan 6500 series lathe going cheap? Maybe I'll just
have to wait and see if it turns up on ebay...

Any ways, I just wanted to say thanks again to Gunner, and thanks
again to everyone else who posts to r.c.metalworking!