Harrison Lathe----any good??

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xs hedspace

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Guy has a Harrison lathe for sale--$1500. 8"x48" Made in England. Is this a decent brand?? Never heard anything about it. Has something called a Bijur(?) oiling/coolant system. Thanks for any advice, folks...:confused:
 
xs hedspace said:
Guy has a Harrison lathe for sale--$1500. 8"x48" Made in England. Is this a decent brand?? Never heard anything about it. Has something called a Bijur(?) oiling/coolant system. Thanks for any advice, folks...:confused:
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Harrison made a pretty good lathe. First, consider the spindle bore diameter and headstock length. i.e. Can you work a barrel through the spindle and be able to indicate both ends of that barrel. Bijur makes top quality pressure oiling systems for machine tools.

Remember the old joke about why the English don't make computers? They can't figure out how to make them leak oil. English machine tools are usually rugged but not too well finished as to bearings, seals and such.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/harrison/index.html Look at the 11" model which is probably close to the one you are looking st.
 
I've operated three different Harrison lathes over the past 15 years, they were in machine shops on UK built ships.

I think they are pretty good lathes myself. One larger one had a high speed travel lever that was real handy with larger work pieces.

As a general rule, machinery from the UK is overcomplicated and unreliable though in my opinion.
 
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Read the Harrison site specs, I think I'll pass. Very heavy cast iron base, noisy gearing, non standard spindle, complicated controls, etc. Thanks.
 
I didn't see in the specs that it was noisy and complicated. The M300 has a D1-4 spindle and is as standard as they come. It is a very well built lathe. Pete Peiper of Precision Barrel Work bought a new one about 7 yrs or so ago and loves it. He is thinking of buying an additional one. He is a real gunsmith though.
Butch
 
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Yup, the Harrison's I've used had camlocks.

Any base that is not heavy, you do not want anyway.

I do not recall them being particularly noisy.

Basic quick change gearbox, mics, half nut etc?

(wanna get complicated, buy an old manual change gear lathe)

Ben
 
I have a Harrison,13 by 25 Toolroom model,It is one of the very best lathes that can be had,Extermely accurite & not at all noisy,Even at 2500 rpms ,it is smooth .It is a Gunsmiths Dream come true,The Colchester Lathe is its twin,Both are very fast & set up to run,if you ever get the chance to use one for barrel work,you will throw all the south bend heavy 10s that everyone brags about in the dumpster. When i was still employed in The General Electric tool shop,Before i Retired,We had plenty of different lathes in the shop,Monarch,Hardinge,Le Blond,South Bend,Colchester & Harrison.When ever one of the Toolmakers needed A part to exact tolerances, He would always choose the Harrison Or Colchester,The rest were just there.Those two Brands were the only ones that you could get the job done,In a short period of time & Right the first time,But they are not cheap,You only get what you can afford..Hardinge makes a very good lathe,But most are not suited for barrel work. BILL
 
Bill Snyder,To answer your Questions,My Harrison was bought in 1993 & made in UK. There is a Harrison AA on ebay & i think it is for 11.000 dollars. This is a good investment. You asked about my Rockwell.It is a very stable Lathe, Mine has a 6 Jaw Set tru chuck,A Pratt & Burnerd Collet chuck & complete set of Multi Size collets That go from 1/16 to 1 1/2 Dia. A manual 4 jaw chuck,Steady rest with rollers,Taper attachment Aloris Tool holder AXA.It is a variable speed Wired 220 single phase 2 housepower, I have a new complete Headstock,AExtra apron,A set of outboard gears,A complere variable speed drive,Its in excellent condition & there are certain jobs that i use it for all the time.Bill 540 778 1782
 
Bill Myers said:
I have a Harrison,13 by 25 Toolroom model,It is one of the very best lathes that can be had,Extermely accurite & not at all noisy,Even at 2500 rpms ,it is smooth .It is a Gunsmiths Dream come true,lathe,But most are not suited for barrel work. BILL
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Bill, do you have an idea of the spindle bore diameters on the Harrison AA Model VS lathes on eBay? The 600AA states it has a 1.125" bore which is not large enough for barrel work IMO.
 
Pete Peiper has the M300. It is not a toy and does not have a toy price. If Bill is selling his Rockwell, somebody better jump on it. Variable speed, short headstock, and I think a much better gunsmith lathe. I believe that it has a 1.375 spindle.
Butch
 
Jerry,My Harrison & Colchester both have a 1.5 spindle bore,I know of someone that has a AA,I will ask him about the spindle bore dia,My rockwell has a 1.375 bore. BILL
 
Bill Myers said:
Jerry,I called him & it is 1.5 on the spindle bore. BILL
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Thanks Bill. I bring this up because some of the readers on this forum may not realize that lathe to do barrel work (through the spindle) needs at least a 1-5/16 spindle bore since many barrel shanks start out as 1.250" or so diameter at the big end.
 
The Harrison for sale is at least 40-50 years old. Guy doesn't know the spindle bore size. Might be worth a 20 mile drive up to look at it.
 
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