Bought a little baby lathe

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 5:56 pm

I've been looking for a little 10" or so manual metal lathe for small work. I really wasn't picky, but all the home hobby shop crap goes for insane prices for what you get and just haven't found what I thought was a fair deal.

I've wanted an Axelson lathe for a long time, but I already have two heavyweight lathes and no more real estate to put another one. Then a few days ago this 14X30 pops up on PDX craigslist and I recognize the seller as someone I know. We strike a deal, a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I haven't seen many used machines of this caliber in as nice of shape nor have I been as impressed with a machine tool as I was when we put power to this axelson, I put it in top 1160 RPM gear, yanked the clutch and you could hear a mouse fart over the noise (or lack thereof) from this machine.

Specs:
Made in LA between about 1915 and 1960
This one made around 1955
D1-6 spindle
14X30 advertised, 16.5X36 actual
15HP, yes FIFTEEN HP
24 geared speeds 13-1160 RPM
very beefy taper attachment
A 2 speed tailstock that weighs more than most hobby lathes by itself
Hard ways, power everything, full pressure headstock lube, instant forward and reverse clutches, hydraulic spindle brake, integral coolant reservoir and big pump. Lots of other really cool features and the coolest: 5200 pounds

Anyway, I had to share my excitement. I can't wait to get it to the shop and take some 15HP cuts with it. The picture is a similiar axleson I found on google. Mine looks much better and it's 15HP spindle motor is 3 times the size of the one on that machine. I'll post some pictures of rigging it over next week if anyone's interested?

Post by **Ranchero50** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:28 pm

That's not a baby lathe... Heck, worn out 10E's are going for over a grand here.

Jamie

eggman918 · Post by **eggman918** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 9:02 pm

WOW,that is one hell of a tool room lathe!
Nice score

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 9:46 pm

It is a baby lathe by Axelson standards. Axelson called them Baby lathes and toy lathes. Supposedly salesman would take these little guys around with them to show what the big machines could do. That's the neat thing to me, it's the smallest one they made yet it has all the same features and built the same way as the big ones. Most Axelsons I've seen in person and advertised for sale are 25"+ swing and 10 to 20 feet centers. 10 tons is a medium sized Axelson.

10EE's got a lot to offer that this thing can't like RPM for tiny parts, but there don't seem to be many lathes this small size built stupidly rigid and overpowered like this one is. I've seen pictures of a newer model ATW Pacemaker 14X30 that weighs right at 10,000 lbs but it only had 10HP

Mancar1 · Post by **Mancar1** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:16 pm

Congrats, nice score.

91Bear · Post by **91Bear** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:19 am

I didn't know you could lathe little babies. (just kidding)

woods · Post by **woods** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 10:04 am

Great lathe. But drug up a bad memorie. My Dad had this very lathe, he told me he did not need it any longer and was going to sell it. I told him I wanted it and would buy it. Well, I took too long to go pick it up and he sold it (or traded it). I really have to be Johnny on the spot with him or it's gone. I'm still looking for one at a decent price.

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 1:17 pm

woods wrote:Great lathe. But drug up a bad memorie. My Dad had this very lathe, he told me he did not need it any longer and was going to sell it. I told him I wanted it and would buy it. Well, I took too long to go pick it up and he sold it (or traded it). I really have to be Johnny on the spot with him or it's gone. I'm still looking for one at a decent price.

Your dad owned the Axelson I bought or a different one, same model? I'm only asking because I don't have many details of it's past. I was told it came from the estate of a man that passed away and was said to have sat unnused for two decades. It has an inventory tag on it from General Electric. I think they may have been the original purchasers.

woods · Post by **woods** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:56 pm

It would most likely be a different one (same model I'm pretty sure) This was about 5 years ago. I suppose there is a possibilty it could be the same one. It went to a guy just outside Newport.

Donnie · Post by **Donnie** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 3:23 pm

Congrats: Nice find on a real good machine, even if it is more than you wanted if you got a good deal on it, sing the praises.............Donnie

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 7:23 pm

Donnie wrote:Congrats: Nice find on a real good machine, even if it is more than you wanted if you got a good deal on it, sing the praises.............Donnie

I paid market price for it. More than I could have picked up a nice Southbend or little Taiwan machine for, but I couldn't walk away from it after running it. Love at first sight.

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:12 pm

Wanted to share some pictures of this old iron now that it's moved in and working. It was surprising how difficult this machine is to move around. The manual I got the 5200 weight from was from 1940 and this lathe is 1951. I wasn't able to weigh it, but there's no doubt in my mind this thing is over 7500. My 16X80 Reed-Prentice is around 6500 and this Axelson makes it feel light.

I connected the 440 powered Axelson with a buck/boost transformer I borrowed from my Mazak lathe for temporary to get it working. When I started it there wasn't any headstock oil pressure. The oil filter was clogged and the oil I thought was clean was really nasty under a top layer of oil that looked OK. I drained and flushed with mineral spirits, cleaned up the old filter and filled with some 15/40 diesel oil for the time being. Going to dump it as soon as the DTE H/M and new oil filter shows up

While scrubbing it down I noticed the ways on this thing are insert ways, they're hardened and ground tool steel. Everything about this machine is top-notch. What astonishes me is the engineering, workmanship, materials and apparent total disregard of cost that went into this thing. It's not only massive, but it's built like they started with a blank slate and said "If you could build an engine lathe and cost was of no concern how would you do it?"

Just for reference; The lathe is 10' long and the headstock itself is the size of a [censored] table. The headstock shot shows the large ground spur gearing, but doesn't show the smaller high speed gearing behind and underneath, those are ground herringbone gears.

woods · Post by **woods** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:27 pm

Fantastic peice of machinery. What a great find.

Post by **Ranchero50** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:35 pm

I just wonder what it was intended to machine? Seems incredibly overbuilt for the size stock it can hold. Even a .250" DOC only needs about 1/4 the machine you have there...

Jamie

averagef250 · Post by **averagef250** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:13 am

Ranchero50 wrote:I just wonder what it was intended to machine? Seems incredibly overbuilt for the size stock it can hold. Even a .250" DOC only needs about 1/4 the machine you have there...

Jamie

The greater the HP and rigidity available, the better the metal removal rate- Higher feedrates for the same depth of cut.

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