New toy finally home.

**MKay** · 10-31-2005, 01:29 AM

Appears to be a very...good purchase.
Good Luck

**sauer38h** · 10-31-2005, 01:42 AM

The seller could have livened up his listing by mentioning that at about the time that lathe was made, the president of Polamco (the Polish-American Machinery Corp) was arrested for espionage, eventually landing a life sentence. The US traded him to the commies a few years later.

Unfortunately, nothing exciting like that ever happens with my machine tools.

**Buckshot** · 10-31-2005, 03:49 AM

........Looks to be a very good, heavy machine. I'm sure it will be a fine lathe. What are the parts availability like? Just asking as I have an insecurity complex on machine tool parts

Rick

**lklb** · 10-31-2005, 07:01 AM

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">The seller could have livened up his listing by mentioning that ....the president of Polamco (the Polish-American Machinery Corp) was arrested for espionage,..The US traded him to the commies </font>

How would you do that?.....
Maybe..Commie Spook's Tool takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'!!

**torker** · 10-31-2005, 07:05 AM

Agreed! Looks like you could chuck a Porche in it . That's actually a very nice size lathe and it's 2000 rpm speed....whew...a chuck that large going that fast!
How are you going to get it into your shop?
Looks pretty heavy!
Russ

**rsr911** · 10-31-2005, 07:37 PM

Thanks guys, it is very heavy as i had to add some counterweight to my 5000lb forklift to unload it. Right now it's at my work in the shop there where I also have my CNC mill. Once my new house is built my machines will be moved there. This machine also has a separate motor to drive the leadscrew if so desired, kinda like Evan made. Built in coolant system, D1-8 chuck mounting, 2.85" through hole, #6MT tail stock. Anothr cool feature is that you can hook the tail stock to the carriage for long drilling. The compound attaches to the carriage with T-bolts in slots so the compound can be positioned anywhere on the slide. All parts are available from Toolmex in Chicago who also imports Bison stuff.

As for the espionage thing, that's pretty interesting. I'll keep my eyes open for unmarked black sedans in the neighborhood LOL. Hopefully I'll have a chance this week to run the conduit and wire so I can power it up and make some chips.

The only thing it doesn't have that I need is a steady-rest but I figure between the CNC mill, manual mill, and surface grinder I can solve that problem rather easily.

I also plan on building a tracer for it so I can turn crowned rollers for coating machines. Gonna take some getting used to the dials as they are both metric and english.

------------------
-Christian D. Sokolowski

**wierdscience** · 10-31-2005, 08:44 PM

Good deal,I like the Polish machines better than the Italian or Chezk machines even though they have some perverted ideas on how to wire in relay interlocks.I also have to compliment them on the're parts/repair manuals,very detailed.We have a Wafum universal mill at work,books cost me $150.00,but wiegh up at around 15#,goes right down to bearing numbers(industry standard)and even gives measurments as to where exactly the decals go.
For the money I think you did well.One thing to watch,make sure the chucks can handle the 2,000 rpm,most three jaws won't unless they are steel body and not semi-steel.Bison has the're chucks rpm limits listed in the catalog.Our big lathe at work swings a 18" steel body up to 1500,quite a breeze comes off at that speed

**quasi** · 11-02-2005, 11:40 AM

good deal, you are braver than I. I would never buy from a 0 rated seller on ebay, I guess it worked out OK?

**rsr911** · 11-02-2005, 05:48 PM

Seller was only and hour and a half away, I figured I could change my mind when I got there if things weren't as advertised. As it was he through in a ton of tooling and a live center which weren't listed in the add.

Also although this machine was not refurbished, the seller used to refurbish and rescrape machines in Michigan. I may invite him out to teach me to hand scrape the ways on my Logan sometime.

------------------
-Christian D. Sokolowski

**rsr911** · 11-05-2005, 10:40 PM

Well,

I got it all hooked up tonight. I ran it through all the speeds and feeds with one minor problem, when I engage the highest speed (1800rpm) I blow the 50 amp breaker. The machine has a 2 speed motor and 45 amp slow blow fuses, I wired everything with #8 machine tool specific wire and 8/4 SO cord, total run was 55 feet. I'm assuming I'll have to up the breaker to a 60 amp. It runs fine at the second highest speed.

Tommorrow I'll go through and check all the fluid levels as well as fill the coolant resevoir. Then I can make some chips. I need to replace one bent handle so that's the first job. Job two will be Poly V pulleys for my Logan since it's flat belt is about to give up the ghost.

I love the way they've laid out the controls on the machine. Nice charts to read. It's got two main feed ranges plus metric and standard threading. With the two speed motor and back gear there are 36 spindle speeds (18-1800rpm). There's a spindle engage lever near the headstock as well as on the carriage so you don't have to turn off the motor to stop the spindle. This lever also reverses the spindle. I'll take some pics on monday or tuesday of the finer points of the machine.

Sure is scary watching that 18" 4 jaw spin at 1400rpm!

------------------
-Christian D. Sokolowski

**3 Phase Lightbulb** · 11-05-2005, 10:59 PM

I remember making the first chips with my lathe after wiring it up (3 phase) in my shop.

I was turning some metal and I started to feel what felt like 60hz current pulsing through my hand. I couldn't understand how that was even possible so I rechecked all of the wiring. Everything was fine so I tried manually grounding the machine with a cable since my pannel was right there.

I tried turning some metal again and sure enough I felt current pulsing through my hand again. I thought I was going crazy because this was impossible. I re-wired the entire unit. I tried again, and still felt it so I was in complete disbelief.

Just when I was going to freak out and start throwing things I realized it was only little <hot> chips bouncing off my hand giving the sensation that felt like current pulsing through my hand.

-Adrian

**BillH** · 11-05-2005, 11:54 PM

I remember the first time I cut metal with my Southbend, doing a machine operation that caused my mini lathe to chatter, this thing did it plus more with no chatter, I had a smile on my face I couldnt get rid of for awhile.
Oh and about electricity, I once took apart one of those disposable cameras with flash, and I was extra careful to not touch that capacitor, still managed to shock myself with it 3 seperate times. One time it landed on my lap and zapped me. As I was being zapped, I remember my whole body shaking.
Yeh Im filled with stories I shouldn't tell people.

**3 Phase Lightbulb** · 11-06-2005, 12:19 AM

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by BillH:
I remember the first time I cut metal with my Southbend, doing a machine operation that caused my mini lathe to chatter, this thing did it plus more with no chatter, I had a smile on my face I couldnt get rid of for awhile.
Oh and about electricity, I once took apart one of those disposable cameras with flash, and I was extra careful to not touch that capacitor, still managed to shock myself with it 3 seperate times. One time it landed on my lap and zapped me. As I was being zapped, I remember my whole body shaking.
Yeh Im filled with stories I shouldn't tell people.</font>

I remember when I was around 10 years old I found some flash bulbs somewhere. I was playing with them and one of them went off and I was amaized. I quickly figured out that if I bent the two wires outward on each flash bulb and touch them together the bulb would go off. To this day, I don't think I've ever seen those types of flash bulbs again.

-Adrian

**BillH** · 11-06-2005, 12:30 AM

The ones filled with cotton and some flash powder? You can still buy them apparently. Hmm, makes sense, all the camera does is short out the PC jack to set off the flash.
OH and RSR911, I dont want to steal your thread away, big lathe you got there you must be using it for fixing cars you got? Man, 18" chuck at 1800 rpm. Deep down in you I bet you'd like to see what that chuck would do to your walls if it spun off the lathe going that fast.

[This message has been edited by BillH (edited 11-06-2005).]

New toy finally home.

New toy finally home.

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