Union Gradute Shortbed

[paulkane1]

I am seriously thinking of going for a Union Gradutr Short bed Lathe,I have been reading a bit about this Lathe,Could someone tell me what is the deepest swing over the bed that you can get on this lathe?Also ,what is the deepest Swing on the Outboard side ?Can these lathes be modified to get a deeper swing over the bed?What is the general consensus about these old Lathes for to do Large Bowl Turnings! Now on to chucks, Could someone kindly tell me ,what make of chucks would fit the spindle on this lathe?do you have to get adapters to fit to suit modern Chucks? I have been searching You /Tube ,to see this Lathe in action,I have not found many,could someone provide me with a few links of particular Turners who maybe using this type of lathe.Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Yours Kindly Paul

 

[flh801978]

The max sizes are roughly the same on each side 20 inches swing
All chucks come with 1.5inch 6tpi threads available....or rather all chucks that you would want to buy
Yes you could modify to get a larger swing the beds unbolt and you could make a dropper plate to set it lower
then extend the toolpost up by a similar amount
the tailstock centre can also be raised
I have 2 graduates a SB and a LB
Mine have 1.5 kw 2 hp motors on the sb and 0.75 1 hp on the LB

You can stall the sb on a heavy cut at near to 20inch diameter

Ian

 

[paulkane1]

The max sizes are roughly the same on each side 20 inches swing
All chucks come with 1.5inch 6tpi threads available....or rather all chucks that you would want to buy
Yes you could modify to get a larger swing the beds unbolt and you could make a dropper plate to set it lower
then extend the toolpost up by a similar amount
the tailstock centre can also be raised
I have 2 graduates a SB and a LB
Mine have 1.5 kw 2 hp motors on the sb and 0.75 1 hp on the LB

You can stall the sb on a heavy cut at near to 20inch diameter

Ian

Thanks for your quick replye,I have a chance of buying a Short -Bed version,with a lot of extras,What is your opinion of this lathe as a work horse?I see you have 2 of them,I just want to try bigger Bowls And Platters,I am not sure what the Horse/Power is on the Lathe,but,what I read on this Forum,the general consensus ,seems that they are rock solid machine,that should give you a lot of pleasure?On the Outboard Side,did you make any modification for your Tool Rest?or,is the tool rest that comes with the lathe sufficient enough?

Yours Kindly Paul

 

[flh801978]

Fantastic lathes within its size limitations
Nothing to go wrong all parts easily available if any missing/lost
Theres only bearings and a drive belt to ever replace
I suppose motors could wear out
If you buy a 3 phase one and fit a vfd you have a lathe for life

No connection but the short bed for sale on here looks great value

not sure what you mean by modifications to the outboard side toorest ?

 

[pennardesign]

I am seriously thinking of going for a Union Gradutr Short bed Lathe,I have been reading a bit about this Lathe,Could someone tell me what is the deepest swing over the bed that you can get on this lathe?Also ,what is the deepest Swing on the Outboard side ?Can these lathes be modified to get a deeper swing over the bed?What is the general consensus about these old Lathes for to do Large Bowl Turnings! Now on to chucks, Could someone kindly tell me ,what make of chucks would fit the spindle on this lathe?do you have to get adapters to fit to suit modern Chucks? I have been searching You /Tube ,to see this Lathe in action,I have not found many,could someone provide me with a few links of particular Turners who maybe using this type of lathe.Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Yours Kindly Paul

I got a full length Union Graduate, the money I spent on it fitting an inverter and speed control I could have bought a new Jet machine. Its a loverly machine but is limited in capacity.

 

[paulkane1]

Fantastic lathes within its size limitations
Nothing to go wrong all parts easily available if any missing/lost
Theres only bearings and a drive belt to ever replace
I suppose motors could wear out
If you buy a 3 phase one and fit a vfd you have a lathe for life

No connection but the short bed for sale on here looks great value

not sure what you mean by modifications to the outboard side toorest ?

I must check and see were I was reading something about modifying the Tool Rest on the Outboard ,to give you some kind of extra scope,I'll see if I can find it on this Forum.Have you Turned large bowls or platters on the outboard side,if so,what was the biggest diameter you turned? Also,what is the heaviest blank or burl you can attaché to the spindle ,without damaging the machine?Do you have a digital read out n your lathe,I was wondering what is the slowest RPM you can get ? Paul

 

[flh801978]

Paul a shortbed has the same swing on the inboard and the outboard ends
I have turned 20 inches x 8-9 inches thick
theres no real need to use the outboard end on a shortbed unless you are left handed perhaps

Now a long bed or standard machine only swings 12 inches inboard and 20 inches outboard

With an vfd you can go as slow as you want..but very slow speeds can overheat the motor as the fan on the end is only going slow...some forced ventilation helps
and theres less torque at the lower end but if you want to then 25 rpm is ok

If you can lift the blank its ok on the machine

 

[leisurefix]

I modified both the inboard and outboard of my long bed Graduate. I increased the swing over the bed by 4", but this did need someone with engineering skills. The outboard was quite easy, just got a metal plate about 18" by 12" by 1" which I drilled and tapped with a couple of sets of holes and then place between the toolrest support and head, using the appropriate set of holes. I did need to get a toolrest with a long support to compensate for the toolrest support being lower. You can of course completely remove the bed, and use a free-standing toolrest if you want to turn something huge.
The Graduate is a really good lathe, quite capable of seriously large bowls (as long as it is bolted down well!)
Andy

 

[DougM]

Hi Leisurefix how did you bolt it down ? and the short bed I have has three holes in a triangle and the Graduate has three holes in a straight line top to bottom , how does the bed connect Please.

Doug.

 

[flh801978]

Doug. Your lathe pedestal must be an older type the newer ones had a pad (inverted “T”)which would take a long bed or a shortbed type

 

[DougM]

flh801978 I have no idea how old it is but am assuming that if i get a 1" thick plate and drill the three vertical holes but an unsure if that will be sufficient ??

 

[minilathe22]

Its easy to lower the bed on a Union Graduate with a thick plate as you say, but you need to consider the toolpost and tailstock height, its a bit more effort.

I have seen several examples of Union graduates that have been upgrade in this way, both shortbed and long bed. I was debating doing this but chose to buy a bigger lathe instead.