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HLV-H, decent first lathe?
Is a Hardinge HLV-H lathe a special purpose lathe, or is it a good candidate for
general home shop tasks? I know Gunner likes them, but I am not sure what features they do/don't have that other lathes do. For one thing, it doesn't look like the tailstock has any adjustment for taper turning... Thanks, Rick |
In article pMQYc.3473$bD5.3005@trnddc03, rick says...
Is a Hardinge HLV-H lathe a special purpose lathe, or is it a good candidate for general home shop tasks? It is a good candidate. For one thing, it doesn't look like the tailstock has any adjustment for taper turning... When you order the machine, purchase the taper attachment for it at the same time. This solves the problem nicely. :^) Jim -- ================================================== please reply to: JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com ================================================== |
On 30 Aug 2004 19:38:11 -0700, jim rozen
wrote: In article pMQYc.3473$bD5.3005@trnddc03, rick says... Is a Hardinge HLV-H lathe a special purpose lathe, or is it a good candidate for general home shop tasks? It is a good candidate. Nice understatement. For one thing, it doesn't look like the tailstock has any adjustment for taper turning... When you order the machine, purchase the taper attachment for it at the same time. This solves the problem nicely. :^) Jim Chuckle..indeed. Ive got access to a Hardinge taper attachment and am in the process of blue printing it, so I can make one. They are not commonly found without the machine. While they are absurdly simple in construction, they are a bit critical in some dimensions. When I finish, Ill post the drawings in the drop box, as the same taper attachment works on the HLV-H as well as the TFB. Which reminds me..Im thinking about selling my TFB. Needs paint. Ive finally run into the situation where I have too many precision lathes up and running well. Shrug. At this point..only Thinking about it.. As for ordering an HLV-H..I think they are around $40,000 new at the moment. A good used one is around $5-11,000, depending on tooling etc. Gunner Gunner "She's (my daughter) already dating a sex offender. Better that than a republican fundie neocon fascist." FF, (alt.machines.cnc) |
As for ordering an HLV-H..I think they are around $40,000 new at the
moment. A good used one is around $5-11,000, depending on tooling etc. Just happens to be a used one near me (10 miles away) which is why I am asking. I can't tell if you guys are pulling my leg or not as to whether this is a good machine for a lathe newbie. Rick |
I can't tell if you guys are pulling my leg or not as to whether this is a
good machine for a lathe newbie. This machine certainly falls in the class, "One of the finest lathes ever built" As to the question, is this my best choice? What is your project interest? This machine is best suited to make small accurate parts - If you repair farm equipment or steam locomotives - its too small. If you're only going to turn a couple a parts for your son's pinewood derby car, its too much machine. Another consideration is tooling. You might buy the lathe again getting it fully tooled with all the chucks, tool holders and attachments. Buying a fully tooled machine will save bucks and headaches finding everything. It might help to compare against another lathe in this class, the Monarch 10EE. (I'm TOTALLY biased here - proud owner) Its a little bit larger in part size it can handle and tends to be a little cheaper to purchase. You might also consider hiring an experienced lathe operator to check out the condition of your item of interest. A worn out , beat to s%^$ machine of any name will give you little joy. Karl |
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 05:12:12 GMT, "rick" wrote:
As for ordering an HLV-H..I think they are around $40,000 new at the moment. A good used one is around $5-11,000, depending on tooling etc. Just happens to be a used one near me (10 miles away) which is why I am asking. I can't tell if you guys are pulling my leg or not as to whether this is a good machine for a lathe newbie. Rick Rick..sigh..all bull**** aside. The HLV-H is considered one of the top lathes of its class. Its probably one of the finest examples of American precision tool room lathes. Its the Caddillac of American lathes. It has a working envelope of 11" x 24, variable speed, full threading, 5C spindle nose, power feeds on axis, etc etc. This is the small lathe that for many many years has been considered the cream of the crop. They are NOT a big gear headed monster metalhogging machine, but Ive no problem running a .75 drill bit into a chunk of crs, as long as I dont try to force the issue. I cant tell you how many of these Ive see with a grinning German or Hungarian wearing magnifying glasses busy making tiny high precision parts or big hairy legged guys wacking out shafts and pulleys. Chuckle If you can get one for a price you can afford that is in decent condition..Id strongly recommend doing so. Parts are readily available from Hardinge, though not cheap. They are simple to fix, simple to operate and hear this..they will spoil you for any other machine. Once you have run an HLV, you will be shaking your head every time you run an Atlas/Southbend/Logan etc. There are lots of accessories available on Ebay..though again not cheap. And they are not cheap. because of demand. While CNC has largely taken the place of most tool room lathes, the high precision lathe still has a place in tool and die shops, etc etc and everyone wants an HLV. Its the best of the best of its type. Versitile, accurate as hell, simple to use, simple to repair and powerful enough for the work its capable of doing. I have about 6 lathes currently. The one lathe that I turn to for 99% of my work is the HLV-H. If I could only have one..it would be the HLV-H. Ive got a Clausing 1501 15x48" lathe for bigger work and hogging. These two are all any one could ever want for any type of manual work. (though I may be scoring an Okuma LS G for a big lathe) Shrug..thats the best I can tell you. For a newbie..yes the HLV-H is idea. Its simple, accurate, forgiving and hard to break. You will find some wear on an older used one. This may be easily addressed or not. Shrug. If it were close, Id be happy to survey it for you. I did a survey on one two months ago for a guy, who bought it on my recommendations. $7500. And he loves it. Professional tool and die maker of 30 yrs experience. As I said..its not a gearhead hogging machine. But for the 99.9% of all the work a hobby guy will ever do, its ideal. YMMV I should also mention that me..the Master Scrounger, had looked for one for 9 yrs before getting mine. And it has been my goal for all that time. And Ive absolutly no remorse about bringing it home and putting it to work. In fact, its better than I thought it was. Gunner "She's (my daughter) already dating a sex offender. Better that than a republican fundie neocon fascist." FF, (alt.machines.cnc) |
"rick" wrote in news:MMTYc.4600$UI6.1973@trnddc08:
As for ordering an HLV-H..I think they are around $40,000 new at the moment. A good used one is around $5-11,000, depending on tooling etc. Just happens to be a used one near me (10 miles away) which is why I am asking. I can't tell if you guys are pulling my leg or not as to whether this is a good machine for a lathe newbie. Rick Hardinge machines are in the Cadillac catagory of lathes higher archy....if they haven't been abused. A well cared for machine with good headstock bearings will make your introduction into the hobby a dream. You'll probably cry when you crash a bit into the chuck or chuck into the carriage in a moment of in-attention. Such iron in my neck of the woods is rare. Check it out and pay special attention to the feel of the headstock. Replacement bearings are expensive. Good luck Jim Vrzal Holiday,Fl. |
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 05:58:56 GMT, mawdeeb
wrote: "rick" wrote in news:MMTYc.4600$UI6.1973@trnddc08: As for ordering an HLV-H..I think they are around $40,000 new at the moment. A good used one is around $5-11,000, depending on tooling etc. Just happens to be a used one near me (10 miles away) which is why I am asking. I can't tell if you guys are pulling my leg or not as to whether this is a good machine for a lathe newbie. Rick Hardinge machines are in the Cadillac catagory of lathes higher archy....if they haven't been abused. A well cared for machine with good headstock bearings will make your introduction into the hobby a dream. You'll probably cry when you crash a bit into the chuck or chuck into the carriage in a moment of in-attention. Such iron in my neck of the woods is rare. Check it out and pay special attention to the feel of the headstock. Replacement bearings are expensive. Good luck Jim Vrzal Holiday,Fl. A matched set of spindle bearings for the HLV-H of the proper grade will be about $380-400 dollars for the pair. My cost at the best price I can get them. Though to be fair..I do a LOT of Hardinge spindle bearing replacements..and the newest set Ive replaced were installed in 1985 and the machine was running 24/7 for most of those years. Gunner "She's (my daughter) already dating a sex offender. Better that than a republican fundie neocon fascist." FF, (alt.machines.cnc) |
It might help to compare against another lathe in this class, the Monarch 10EE. (I'm TOTALLY biased here - proud owner) Its a little bit larger in part size it can handle and tends to be a little cheaper to purchase. Go for the Monarch. It's nearly a buyer's market out there for non-Imperial/metric machines. Most are 12.5 x 20 machines, but the very old ones are 12.0 x 20. A few rare ones are 12.5 x 30. Max. rpm varies from 2,500 to 3,000 to 3,500 to 4,000, depending upon the specific sheaves installed. 3 HP or 5 HP (mid 1950s and later tend to be 5 HP). Weighs in at about 3,250 pounds, but fits in a 29" x 61" space. Machines made from about 1949 to perhaps the 1980s can be run on single-phase power. |
Thanks for the info guys! I will let you know how things work out. :-)
Rick |
Gunner,
I would *never* buy an HLV-H as my first lathe. After all, what could you dream about upgrading to later? Ken Gunner wrote: On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 05:12:12 GMT, "rick" wrote: As for ordering an HLV-H..I think they are around $40,000 new at the moment. A good used one is around $5-11,000, depending on tooling etc. Just happens to be a used one near me (10 miles away) which is why I am asking. I can't tell if you guys are pulling my leg or not as to whether this is a good machine for a lathe newbie. Rick Rick..sigh..all bull**** aside. The HLV-H is considered one of the top lathes of its class. Its probably one of the finest examples of American precision tool room lathes. Its the Caddillac of American lathes. It has a working envelope of 11" x 24, variable speed, full threading, 5C spindle nose, power feeds on axis, etc etc. This is the small lathe that for many many years has been considered the cream of the crop. They are NOT a big gear headed monster metalhogging machine, but Ive no problem running a .75 drill bit into a chunk of crs, as long as I dont try to force the issue. I cant tell you how many of these Ive see with a grinning German or Hungarian wearing magnifying glasses busy making tiny high precision parts or big hairy legged guys wacking out shafts and pulleys. Chuckle If you can get one for a price you can afford that is in decent condition..Id strongly recommend doing so. Parts are readily available from Hardinge, though not cheap. They are simple to fix, simple to operate and hear this..they will spoil you for any other machine. Once you have run an HLV, you will be shaking your head every time you run an Atlas/Southbend/Logan etc. There are lots of accessories available on Ebay..though again not cheap. And they are not cheap. because of demand. While CNC has largely taken the place of most tool room lathes, the high precision lathe still has a place in tool and die shops, etc etc and everyone wants an HLV. Its the best of the best of its type. Versitile, accurate as hell, simple to use, simple to repair and powerful enough for the work its capable of doing. I have about 6 lathes currently. The one lathe that I turn to for 99% of my work is the HLV-H. If I could only have one..it would be the HLV-H. Ive got a Clausing 1501 15x48" lathe for bigger work and hogging. These two are all any one could ever want for any type of manual work. (though I may be scoring an Okuma LS G for a big lathe) Shrug..thats the best I can tell you. For a newbie..yes the HLV-H is idea. Its simple, accurate, forgiving and hard to break. You will find some wear on an older used one. This may be easily addressed or not. Shrug. If it were close, Id be happy to survey it for you. I did a survey on one two months ago for a guy, who bought it on my recommendations. $7500. And he loves it. Professional tool and die maker of 30 yrs experience. As I said..its not a gearhead hogging machine. But for the 99.9% of all the work a hobby guy will ever do, its ideal. YMMV I should also mention that me..the Master Scrounger, had looked for one for 9 yrs before getting mine. And it has been my goal for all that time. And Ive absolutly no remorse about bringing it home and putting it to work. In fact, its better than I thought it was. Gunner "She's (my daughter) already dating a sex offender. Better that than a republican fundie neocon fascist." FF, (alt.machines.cnc) |
I would *never* buy an HLV-H as my first lathe. After all, what could you dream about upgrading to later? Only a Monarch 10EE. |
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Hi,
I have an older Hardinge HLV-H toolroom lathe and have been looking for a taper attachment and ran across this post. Did you ever get the drawings done for this taper attachment? If so I would love to beg, borrow or steal them from you. I have a factory manual and there are a couple of drawings but the dimensions would be great. Thanks. Robert Hutchinson |
HLV-H, decent first lathe?
"Gunner" wrote in message btw....Hardinge just discontinued the HLV-H. I dont know why..but suspect that the Chinese clones at $8-12k ate into their sales badly. What Gunner said. A Hardinge/Bridgeport peddler stopped in the shop the other day. He gave me the news about the HLV-H. He said at 40K a copy the CNC machines were a better choice for most customers. However they are still refurbing used ones. -- Tom Wait Barton Rifle Shop 1805 Barton Ave Suite #9 West Bend, Wisconsin 53090 (262) 306-RIFL (7435) |
HLV-H, decent first lathe?
On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:18:00 GMT, "Tom Wait"
wrote: snip What Gunner said. A Hardinge/Bridgeport peddler stopped in the shop the other day. He gave me the news about the HLV-H. He said at 40K a copy the CNC machines were a better choice for most customers. However they are still refurbing used ones. snip For the production and even the commercial model shop, he may be correct. Factor in the attachemnts you are likely to need such as taper turn and metric conversions and the cost is very close. Add in the ability to easily add a bar puller for short run production and it is likely to be very cost effective. Uncle George |
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