Hardinge in the Making

Hardinge HC with Threading

The Hardinge HC Chucking Machine was built much like the HLV-H Toolroom lathe. The HC Featured the 8 Station Turret (pictured below) The same Super Precision® Spindle with a Maximum Runout (TIR) .000025 and was a little more heavily built than the HLV-H. The HC’s weight is around 1750 lbs (for the one pictured above). This machine quickly became Hardinges most popular lathe. And in the early 1980’s came with a 2-year waiting list to own one of these. Oddly enough Hardinge stopped production of this lathe altogether. The price new then in the 80’s was around $10,000. The HC came with the Hardinge 40 Tapered Spindle or the well-liked 2 3/16 10 R.H. Threaded. Spindle Speed speeds produced are 125rpm – 3000rpm

Threading Head Front View

Threading Head Back View

The component pictured above is the Threading Unit on the Hardinge HC. Harding also made the Fully Automatic Version to this, it ran on 70psi and they both created thread pitches from 12 – 64 tpi, right or left external as well as internal (The Lead Screws & Followers are pictured below)

Lead Screw

Lead Screw Follower

The Lead Screws came Hardened and Ground for precision while the Lead Screw Followers came Bronze and threaded to match the Lead Screw. The Lead Screw came 12,13,14,16,18,20,24,28,32,36,40,48,50,56, & 64 pitches. Blank Lead Screws also where available as well as Blank Lead Screw Followers. These Lead Screws fit standard on the Collet Closer (pictured below)

Lead Screw Mounted on Collet Closer

Pictured here are the Power Collet Closer and the mounting position of the Lead Screw and Follower. Note that the Follower is mounted above on the on the Threading Unit, while the Lead Screw itself is mounted on the Collet Closer Tube.

8 Station Turret

You have got to hand it to the Engineers at Hardinge. Who would have imagined putting a super precision 8 position Turret on to super precision lathe. No other Machine Maker developed a Chucking Machine like the Hardinge HC, although there were some look-a-likes, none combined the accuracy & style that Hardinge produced. 

This is a preloaded ball bearing station, which automatically indexes when the hand lever (A) was pulled in a downward direction, and relocked in the upright position by the “locking fork” (B). Figure (C) shows a hex nut, which you would loosen, bump with a mallet to change the lever handle (A) to a handier position. The shaft is tapered and changed just like the Shaft on the Double Tool Cross Slide pictured on our HSL page.

8 Station Turret & Tolling

A very large Varity of jobs can be done with this incredible Machine if you own one of these fine Lathes let you imagination run wild (not too wild J)