# HAFCO AL350B Lathe from Australia



## Oysta (Jul 28, 2021)

Gday,

I previously introduced myself and my machine in the welcome section but thought I'd start a thread here for my lathe. Apologies for any repetition.

I am now the proud owner of a *HAFCO AL350B*.
Year: 1988
Country: Taiwan (Sold in Australia under the label HAFCO)
Swing: 12 in.
Between Centres: 27 in. as per catalogue  OR  24 in. as per original manual
Belt drive

Included was the original sales brochure (and price AUD), link here.
I also received the original manual and inspection record, link here.
I also got a 4 jaw, travelling steady, tailstock, faceplate, dead centres, small amount of tooling.

The manual implies that it is a rebranded Liang Dei (LD), but there are no markings on the lathe to confirm this so can't be 100% sure. It is very similar to the HAFCO AL900A/AL900B. I think the only difference may be bed length. I note there is another thread on the AL900A here. 

I am in the process of giving it a good clean & lube and fitting an E-stop before I fire it up for the first time.

*My first question - lubrication*
Firstly the spindle bearings. The manual provides no guidance here. The two bearings sit in individual oil baths, filled via two holes under the headstock cover (see photos). Draining appears to be via the front sight glasses.
Can anybody with a similar machine provide some guidance on the grade of oil for the spindle bearings? I have read conflicting information from the various manuals available for these Taiwanese lathes. Some manuals specify the equivalent of ISO32 (TIDA/Jet) while others (Grizzly) recommend ISO68. I have both grades available in hydraulic oil. 

I plan to use ISO68 hydraulic oil on all the other lubrication points other than the ways for which I have a dedicated way oil.
The quick change gear box I'm unsure about. It has the single lube point that then drips through the various holes onto the gears. I'm also leaning towards ISO68 hydraulic oil.

I'd appreciate your input.

Looking forward to making some chips...eventually.

Adam


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 28, 2021)

G’Day
A trusted brand of ISO68 will be sufficient.
Avoid extreme pressure lubricants for gears coming in contact with bronze and brass components 
Here, Mobil DT25 is what I use at the shop


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## Janderso (Jul 28, 2021)

Hey look, helical gears and a belt.
I bet it's quiet.


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## DAT510 (Jul 28, 2021)

Looks like you lathe is very similar to the Jet Family of lathes made in Taiwan in the 1980's, which were branded under a number of different names, Jet, Tida, Lam, etc.  In the Download section there are a number of manuals under the various branding names, each have useful bits of  information.  In my case I put them together as a Super Manual.  The Grizzly manual is the most comprehensive.  Also, though Grizzly no longer sell the lathe, they continue to support parts, if that ever become a need (though shipping down under may be prohibitive)









						Jet (Except Grinders)
					

Lathes, Bandsaws, Drill Presses, etc.




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## matthewsx (Jul 28, 2021)

Pretty much the same as the one I just got, seems like a lot of them out there so we're in good company.

I'm using tractor (hydraulic) oil that's ISO68 I believe for everything. I figure it'll be fine for my use, I'm not a factory afterall.

John


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## Oysta (Jul 29, 2021)

DAT510 said:


> Looks like you lathe is very similar to the Jet Family of lathes made in Taiwan in the 1980's, which were branded under a number of different names, Jet, Tida, Lam, etc.  In the Download section there are a number of manuals under the various branding names, each have useful bits of  information.  In my case I put them together as a Super Manual.  The Grizzly manual is the most comprehensive.  Also, though Grizzly no longer sell the lathe, they continue to support parts, if that ever become a need (though shipping down under may be prohibitive)
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks DAT510,

Downloading all those manual was the first thing I did after becoming a member. That were my query originated. For the spindle bearings, some of those manuals specify the equivalent of ISO32 (TIDA/Jet) while others (Grizzly) recommend ISO68. It may not be that critical, but if I have both I might as well put the correct grade in.


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## Oysta (Jul 29, 2021)

Ulma Doctor said:


> G’Day
> A trusted brand of ISO68 will be sufficient.
> Avoid extreme pressure lubricants for gears coming in contact with bronze and brass components
> Here, Mobil DT25 is what I use at the shop



Hi Ulma Doctor,
I notice from a different post that you have a Shenwai SW900B. They look pretty much indistinguishable. All these similar Taiwanese lathes even have the same yellowish colour paint under the cover and on the inside of the bed...surely the same factory. 

Mobil DT25 is ISO46 from what I can tell. Is that correct?


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## Larry$ (Jul 29, 2021)

I have a PM1440HD and it recommends one oil for everything. Mobil DTE heavy/medium. I suspect that as long as everything has oil on it, all will be fine. A belt running in the same case as the gears may call for some considerable care about getting the lube only on the gears!


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## Oysta (Jul 29, 2021)

Thanks Larry,

Mobil DTE heavy/medium is an ISO 68 grade from what I can gather...so everything seems to be pointing towards that grade. I have been wondering how/what I'll lubricate the gears inside the case with. Keeping the lube on the gears and not contaminating the belt is my aim. I've seen everything recommended from moly grease, to tacky chain spray lube to standard oil.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 29, 2021)

Oysta said:


> Hi Ulma Doctor,
> I notice from a different post that you have a Shenwai SW900B. They look pretty much indistinguishable. All these similar Taiwanese lathes even have the same yellowish colour paint under the cover and on the inside of the bed...surely the same factory.
> 
> Mobil DT25 is ISO46 from what I can tell. Is that correct?


Sorry fat fingers, DT26 is what it should have read


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## Oysta (Aug 2, 2021)

G'day again.

So I'm into the strip/clean process. The oil sight glasses for the spindle bearings were siliconed in so I suspect the black rubber seals leak. Are these still obtainable, maybe for a Lang Dei or a Shenwai. Alternatively has anybody sealed them in a different way...maybe o-rings?

Thanks in advance


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## Oysta (Oct 15, 2021)

So I ended up using a non-hardening sealer on the seals. Seems to be holding up well and will allow me to remove the glasses if I need to drain the oil. I used Permatex Rubber Gasket Sealant & Dressing #85409. It's grey in colour and a little thicker than toothpaste.
On to the next...


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## Oysta (Oct 15, 2021)

So I've been cleaning the gears inside the headstock. One of the gear bearings, part of the change gear train, is lubricated via a zerk nipple located behind the change gear cover. The shaft for the bearing has a gallery down the centre axis which feeds the lubricant into the bronze bearing on the gear. Should this point be grease or oiled? It appears to be a grease setup but is the only grease point on the lathe. All other lubrication points are ball-type points for oil. So I'm unsure 
In the photos, shafts labelled A & B are reflections of each other - the same shaft. I placed a mirror inside to capture the underside of the shaft.

@Ulma Doctor - I know you have essentially the same lathe. Do you have the same nipple and what do you use to lubricate that point.

Back to the shed for me. Cheers.


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 16, 2021)

Oysta said:


> So I've been cleaning the gears inside the headstock. One of the gear bearings, part of the change gear train, is lubricated via a zerk nipple located behind the change gear cover. The shaft for the bearing has a gallery down the centre axis which feeds the lubricant into the bronze bearing on the gear. Should this point be grease or oiled? It appears to be a grease setup but is the only grease point on the lathe. All other lubrication points are ball-type points for oil. So I'm unsure
> In the photos, shafts labelled A & B are reflections of each other - the same shaft. I placed a mirror inside to capture the underside of the shaft.
> 
> @Ulma Doctor - I know you have essentially the same lathe. Do you have the same nipple and what do you use to lubricate that point.
> ...


I’ll check to see if i have the zerk fitting like your machine has.
I don’t recall seeing one like it

I’ll get back to you soon


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 16, 2021)

my machine is a bit different at my home shop, but if you have the capability of using oil delivered by the zerk fitting i would do that.
since i can't imagine it freezing there in South Australia, 30wt (ISO100) oil or 20wt (ISO68) would both suffice
i would lean to 30wt oil myself, but the DTE26 would be great there too
pump the oil into the zerk until the oil runs clean and as far as you can tell the grease has been flushed
run it for a bit and push more oil through to make sure you have got the grease cleared out.
try soak up excess oil the best you can to keep oily grease from getting everywhere when you fire it off again


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## Oysta (Oct 16, 2021)

Thanks for checking Ulma Doctor,

I wonder what the original designers thinking was for that lubrication point. 
In general, oil is my preferred lubricant however in this case my concern is that it will inevitably makes its way to the outside of the gears and fling off or contaminate the gear teeth on which I plan to use either grease or tacky oil (CRC Tac2). Having a belt in there also doesn't help.

Either way I've cleaned it pretty well and blown it out with compressed air so only some residual grease remains if I opt for oil.


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## Downunder Bob (Oct 17, 2021)

Looks like you're well progressed with the cleaning up, soon be time to cut some metal.


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## Oysta (Oct 17, 2021)

Downunder Bob said:


> Looks like you're well progressed with the cleaning up, soon be time to cut some metal.


Yeah I can't wait to actually start cutting. I still want to strip and clean the apron and QCGB. Then strengthen the stand. I figure if I get it all done now I won't have to worry about it for years to come.
It was good to catch up with you.


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## Oysta (Sep 16, 2022)

Well the birth of a second child meant that the lathe was placed on the back burner for a while but now I'm starting to chip away at it again. The quick change gear box appeared to have had grease through it and subsequently metal chips. I made the decision to take it off and strip it down for a proper clean (I'll sleep better at night). It was daunting at first as it looks complex but once I jumped in it wasn't too bad just need to be methodical and have a system. Whilst I was there, I replaced all the ball bearings. A makeshift press from some threaded rod and RHS made the job easy. There were two bronze bushes, one on the lead screw output shaft and the other on the power feed output shaft. The latter has seen better days, most likely due to lack of lubrication. Once I have the lathe up and running, I'll make a new one as it's relatively easy to get out with the QCGB in situ.

The gear box is assembled and ready to go back in but before I do that, I want to come up with a better method of distributing the oil to all the lubrication holes. Previously there was a piece of gauze fabric over the top that 'distributed' oil to the various holes....which I don't think it did effectively and would have favoured some holes over others. I'm working on a system that utilises pipe cleaners into each hole and capillary action from a central reservoir...still going through testing...stay tuned. I’m curious to see what others have implemented. I’ve seen the one-shot systems but to me they are a little complicated and pricey.

I’ve also purchased some sensitive levels (glass tube only) that I plan to use to level the bed. One is a 0.6 mm/m and the other 0.02mm/m. I plan to mount these on a hardwood block and utilise ball bearings pressed into the underside of the block as single contact points with the ways. This should allow for good repeatability. At the end of the day, all I need is relative level from headstock to tailstock, not absolute. We’ll see how it goes…at $15 AUD/$10 US each from Aliexpress it’s no big loss and far cheaper than an equivalent machinist level.


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## rficalora (Dec 24, 2022)

I just found this thread.  Im about to start cleaning and setting up my Samson TD-5aa.  Thanks for taking the time to share what you're doing.


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