New Hardinge Toolroom Lathe (hlv-h) Is Giving Me Grief…

[SmokeWalker]

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ok. My first metal lathe was an Harbor Freight 7x mini lathe. I bought it a while ago, and in making some improvements and modifications, I’ve taken that machine apart all the way down to the bare bed and put it back together several times.

I’ve never accidentally damaged anything on the way in or out, and I generally don’t think of myself as an insensitive brute who has to torque every bolt 200 foot pounds.

I just bought a partially rebuilt/refurbished HLV-H, and I feel like at every turn, something goes wrong:

This happened yesterday:

The power feed didn’t work when I got it, and it I had to replace the “potentiomenter” (it’s actually a bunch of circuitry in addition to the potentiometer encased in what looks like foggy amber) with a solid state module which I, then, accidentally damaged because the power feed motor wires weren’t labeled and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.

The start/stop light went out, and when I went to try and replace the bulb I was able to determine that the bulb worked fine, but the switch was not working. Price for a replacement? Hella expensive.

The little aluminum bar that serves as the spindle speed indicator stopped operating because somehow (SOMEHOW!) the little wire that connects it to the speed control assembly got bent.

With my old lathe, I could take things apart and fix them, and it was all pretty simple, but I get the feeling that this lathe just doesn’t want me to touch it. It seems every time I try to do anything, something else goes wrong.

I don’t even know what I’m asking. I just…ugh. I just moved into a new house, I’ve burned a HUGE amount of money getting this lathe here (enduring a move with “professional” machine movers who needed my help in the move, and) and on the new shop, and I’m just so fed up and tired of always having to **** with this, to get to this, to get to this, to get to this, to get back to work actually making parts! I’d go get drunk if I thought it would actually help.

Smoke Walker

 

[mikey]

Had to smile when I read this, Smoke. I'm sorry things aren't going smoothly for you. I think a lot of us can definitely relate, or at least I can. I recall working on a motorcycle with my son and every single thing we touched was either broken, bent, burnt or Mickey Moused to barely function. I guess we should have had a clue when the thing caught on fire when we first brought it home - wire shorting to ground. It took months to get it running but we restored it the way it should have been and its still running problem-free some 10 years later.

Don't know what I can say to make it better other than to say I feel your pain, Brother!

Mike

 

[Tony Wells]

You can get it going again. There is a lot of knowledge of those machines around, you just have to be persistent finding the right people. And patience. By now you realize there is much more to this fine machine that a small bench lathe. The HLV is a fine machine and if the carcass is good on yours, unless you really got taken when you bought it, you should never lose a cent. They appreciate with age, as long as they are properly cared for and run as intended. I don't have a real need for one, but I wouldn't mind having your problem sitting in my shop.

 

[SmokeWalker]

Had to smile when I read this, Smoke. I'm sorry things aren't going smoothly for you. I think a lot of us can definitely relate, or at least I can. I recall working on a motorcycle with my son and every single thing we touched was either broken, bent, burnt or Mickey Moused to barely function. I guess we should have had a clue when the thing caught on fire when we first brought it home - wire shorting to ground. It took months to get it running but we restored it the way it should have been and its still running problem-free some 10 years later.

Don't know what I can say to make it better other than to say I feel your pain, Brother!

Mike

Thanks Mike. I'm glad to hear you stuck with it.

 

[SmokeWalker]

You can get it going again. There is a lot of knowledge of those machines around, you just have to be persistent finding the right people. And patience. By now you realize there is much more to this fine machine that a small bench lathe. The HLV is a fine machine and if the carcass is good on yours, unless you really got taken when you bought it, you should never lose a cent. They appreciate with age, as long as they are properly cared for and run as intended. I don't have a real need for one, but I wouldn't mind having your problem sitting in my shop.

Thanks Tony. I believe I got a machine with a good carcass. So far, it seems all of my problems have been electrical (minus that stupid speed control problem which I merely unbent) but the mechanical stuff seems pretty good.

 

[wrmiller]

I always thought I might like to restore one of those (or a Monarch) if a nice one ever came my way, but it would be the second lathe as I already have a really good one. But you've got me a little nervous after all that!

Tony is right, as usual, in that there are folks that can help with all the niggling details. And once you get it going you'll likely be running it with this big stupid grin on your face the whole time...LOL.

 

[ranch23]

Remember repairing/ rebuilding is how we really get to know how these machines work, consider it that way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ericc]

Those complicated machines can really be intimidating. Sometimes I think those engineers who design them never intended them to be end user repairable. At least you have a working lathe. One of the Jet 14 40 lathes at the township had something goofed up in its gearbox and it took forever to repair. It was intimidating too. At least the smaller lathes are simpler, even if less functional. Looking at the gears all over the work table was confusing. I think that the repairman expected an easy job coming in. That was not to be.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

Those complicated machines can really be intimidating. Sometimes I think those engineers who design them never intended them to be end user repairable. At least you have a working lathe. One of the Jet 14 40 lathes at the township had something goofed up in its gearbox and it took forever to repair. It was intimidating too. At least the smaller lathes are simpler, even if less functional. Looking at the gears all over the work table was confusing. I think that the repairman expected an easy job coming in. That was not to be.

I think that you slightly misunderstand what such a tool is, Hardinge made some of the finest lathes one could buy at ANY price, they were not in the business of making machines intended for the maintainence shop market, high end manufacturing was what they built machines for. Where I currently work there is a 1960's Hardinge turret lathe that works just as well now as it did in 1965, I use it several times per month for drilling and tapping small round work. This little machine is virtually silent when running, it is a thing of beauty.
There is also a 60" radial drill from the 40's that sounds like a multiple car accident when the spindle is running, I like quiet machines

 

[george wilson]

Thankfully,I have never had any trouble with my 1964 HLVH. I did change the belt,and bought a new name plate for something I can't recall.

These lathes are the handiest lathe I have ever run,and were built with many little wonderful touches to make their operation easy.

They always fetch more money than Monarch 10EE's. Possibly because the drive mechanism of the Monarch EE is so intimidating. I bought one 10EE,and decided I just didn't have the energy or money to obtain and install a new solid state drive,which most people do. Mine was a 1956. They will do a lot more thread types than the HLVH,and will go up to 4000 RPM (early EE'S only go to 2500 RPM). HLVH does 3000. Those high speeds are great for the small type of work I usually do. You can do any thread you like with the clever outboard threading gears you can get for the HLVH,but they cost a fortune! As furnished,my HLVH does 27 threads,and to tell the truth,they have so far proven to be all the threads I need. I have another lathe that can do many threads if needed.