What Oil?

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cpncrnch

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I just did a major cleaning to the automatic apron on my Logan 825. Any suggestions on what oil to use for the oil bath?

Thanks
 
What does it say in the manual? There is probably a manual for that lathe, or one of it's sisters, on this site if you don't have one...
 
800-series is very similar to the 200-series, and there are manuals for both on this site. The manual says "a good machine oil no heavier than SAE No. 10."
 
What Jon is describing is AW32 hydraulic oil, available at farm stores and implement dealers, other places too, and is pretty cheap.
 
What was produced when the lathe was produced was just a very basic oil. Even straight mineral oil would be pretty comparable. While you're welcome to do something more advanced, like a Mobil DTE with anti-wear additives, the cheap stuff from the tractor supply is unquestionably sufficient for the construction and speeds of your lathe and the rate of use of even a particularly active hobbyist.

I should mention that the manual also says to use "a small amount of graphite grease" on the apron and leadscrew gears. I like "engine assembly lube" because, at least in the form I bought on a clearance rack a few years ago, it is a squeeze tube of graphite-molybdenum grease. I just squeeze a little out onto a couple gears then run the gears for 10-20 seconds each way about once every week or two. No need to get my finger or anything else all greasy that way.
 
intjonmiller said:
What was produced when the lathe was produced was just a very basic oil. Even straight mineral oil would be pretty comparable. While you're welcome to do something more advanced, like a Mobil DTE with anti-wear additives, the cheap stuff from the tractor supply is unquestionably sufficient for the construction and speeds of your lathe and the rate of use of even a particularly active hobbyist.

I should mention that the manual also says to use "a small amount of graphite grease" on the apron and leadscrew gears. I like "engine assembly lube" because, at least in the form I bought on a clearance rack a few years ago, it is a squeeze tube of graphite-molybdenum grease. I just squeeze a little out onto a couple gears then run the gears for 10-20 seconds each way about once every week or two. No need to get my finger or anything else all greasy that way.
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I need to get some lubricants for my new (to me) 816. The Vectra 2 seems to be highly regarded as the best way oil, Velocite #10 seems to be the recommended modern spindle oil, but seems like it's a bit thin with an ISO viscosity of 22 compared to an SAE 10 which has viscosity of 46? Finally, the graphite grease--what kind or does it matter?

How much of each lubricant should I get? I'm thinking a quart could be close to a lifetime supply for me? What about the grease?
 
Again, the weight recommendation is no heavier than SAE 10. Less than 10 is fine for spindle lubrication and such.

I have no idea what the best way oil is. I don't recall if I shared it here in this thread already, but a couple years ago when I was getting my first machine set up I went to a local machine shop that did work for my employer and hit them up for some, as I couldn't find any locally and didn't want to pay for shipping. They pumped me out a quart or so of "WAY OIL", from a 55 gallon drum labeled exactly that way, and seemed pleased that they could help. Wouldn't even let me pay them for it. They got it from their bulk chemical supplier (anyone who provides lubricants for industry, including automotive service centers, should carry all of these) and never once paid attention to the specification. I figure if it was good enough for their Haas CNCs then it's good enough for my mid-century machines. I can't imagine any modern way oil would be incompatible.

Just grab a can or tube of graphite grease from your nearest auto parts or big box store. It's not a demanding application (you certainly aren't going to be pushing the temperature or pressure limits of anything you find). Use any instead of none and you should be just fine.
 
Thanks! Off to find a farm store!
 
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