Looking For Feedback On This Potential Purchase: Powr Kraft Model 84 Tlc-2130

Finally had time to check it out in person. It feels as good as it looks, and the change gears are present.

I talked to the guy for a while... he said he hasn't used it much because soon after he bought it he made friends with a guy who has a full machine shop and gives him free reign on the weekends. He bought it from a retired machinist with a shop full of machines, mostly larger than this. It really sounds like this machine has spent much of its life sitting unused.


I didn't have my truck today, so moving it had to wait, but we shook on it and I gave him a deposit... he said his email inbox was stuffed with people asking about it. It's coming home in the next few days.
 
Glad you got it! It is a solid lathe. God bless.
Jon In Tucson

Sent from my BNTV400 using Tapatalk
 
I've made worse mistakes. Might work out well for you.
 
Well, I thank everyone for the advice, or at least confirming the opinion I had developed (I have a hypothesis that humans never really make rational informed decisions, we simply look for justifications for the choices we've already decided to make). The lathe did come home with me earlier this week.

Instead of finishing the timing belt on my truck like I should be doing, I've been mostly taking stock of my purchase, cleaning and reassembling the chucks and other tooling, etc... Overall, the condition does seem excellent, but of course there are a couple of minor issues...

The first is the need to build a dedicated bench for it. My basement/garage has enough space for a dedicated lathe bench (assuming I haul away some junk that has been taking up space for far too long) but the construction room is currently filled with the aforementioned truck. No real major trouble, I just have to make time for it, and work has been a bit hectic over the last few weeks. I'm thinking of casting a concrete bench top slab, perhaps complete with cast-in chip tray... I think it would be very cool and quite functional. Nothing like turning your 400lb lathe into an 800lb lathe to increase stiffness and cut vibration.

The other issue is the motor. I didn't really look closely at it, simply because it said PowrKraft, but looking at one of the pictures I didn't post here before, I could have seen it at any time... This lathe was originally shipped with 1/2hp 1750RPM motor. The motor that I have is a 3/4hp 3450RPM motor. Well, that extra 1/4 horsepower won't hurt anything, but doubling the speed is hardly ideal. It also doesn't have the original two step pulley on the motor side, but that's really neither here nor there, as I can't imagine running the higher speed with this motor. I'm sure I can run with it as-is at the moment, as I don't plan to run anything particularly large or critical until I get a bit more basic experience, but in the long run I'm left with a bit of a conundrum. Do I source an original motor (or something with similar specs) or do I call this a golden opportunity to go three phase with a VFD?

IMG_1099_zpsqixbo5ua.jpg
 
Now that you have a lathe, you can make the pulley. Make it double size and use that motor?

these old lathes have often been modded by prior owners, part of the deal. yours looks pretty nice to me, despite prior alterations. I'd vfd if it was 3 phase, but a different motor might be cheaper if not.
 
Hey;

From memory, you could probably get away with gearing this motor down with a large pulley, as I recall the MW versions of this lathe do not have the enclosed drive box of their Logan cousins. No room for such things in the Logan case. Original pullies are not all that easy to come by, and their sizes are a little odd, making them hard to replicate in the aftermarket. Of course, you can always get a new one from Logan. 3-phase with a VFD is a nice way to go if you have the money to spend. The correct rpm 1-phase motor is likely cheaper, but you still have the pulley problem.

That 3-phase idea is likely the most expensive, and at the same time, the easiest to pull off, as it obviates all the pulley size hoo ha.

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Reporting half dead from Brockville, Ontario. :chagrin:
 
Hey, Marvelicious.
Congratulations on your lathe purchase. It looks like a solid lathe that will be a good start to take it as far as you decide. Now you can start having fun getting it set up, tooled, and fix what needs to be fixed.

I'm not sure what the original pulley size is on your lathe. If it is the same as a Logan 200, there is one on eBay right now. It is listed with pulley sizes 2 1/4 & 4 1/4 with 5/8 shaft. It might not be there very long.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-10...203?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41935e97ab

Good luck with your new toy.
 
According to Logan;

"For 10” lathes, the motor pulley (LP-1885 or LA-349) is approximately 2.31" & 4.28" in diameter."

That appears to be the right one, in round numbers.

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Reporting Half Live from Brockville, Ontario. :blue:
 
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