What do those more experienced think of Logan and South Bend lathes? I have a Logan 825 and I like the way it is laid out but it won’t take very deep cuts. Or maybe I just don’t know how to operate it.
I'm no machinist but here is my opinion...a Logan 825 is a 10 inch? About the same as a light 10" South Bend. Assuming quite a bit of wear...a little here, a little there...is a lot everywhere. If you want to hog steel off with heavy cuts...you gotta do some stuff not in any book. Slow down! Ignore feeds and speeds in the 'book'. Razor sharp tool HSS or cobalt (skip carbide on old slow machines), mounted with max rigidity. Did I mention rigidity? I made home built overkill tool holders for most situations. Tighten the hell out of your gibs. Don't be afraid to lock your carriage when you can. Lacking that, use auto feed when you can't lock the carriage. And as important as anything...cutting fluid, a subject unto itself. I much lament the demise of white lead and linseed oil. The experts claim Moly EP is the next best thing...meh, maybe. I am making some very heavy square thread cuts on alloy drill stem steel right now. Getting by with sheep tallow thinned with black pipe thread oil. I am using a well worn SB 13X60 on the original cast iron base, maybe 1200 pounds?
A machinist would laugh at me, but my level of confidence reached a milestone when I started using a power cross feed with a parting tool. Little steps in the learning curve.
