New Lathe Advice

The only thing I would wonder at is the likleyhood that they will still be around for any time. You pay and take your chances.

The last time I looked at either (it's been a few years) I did not think that they represented good value for my money, on the basis of what you got for the dollar paid.

A 9 inch lathe from either of those two is going to cost you about what a better grade of 12 inch oriental lathe, or good used lathe will. Then you have to equip it and tool up.

And at those prices, you don't even have a quick change gearbox! Wow! Just looked at the website for the Wabeco and Prazi. !! $4000 doesn't go very far, does it?

I am kinda smitten with the Golmatic, but even in that field there are better out there, though I think they are the only ones available new, now.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones
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What do you recommend as a better grade of oriental lathe?

Reply to
sodaant

You are in the US? Take a look at the Grizzly lineup. They have a slightly better rep for post purchase support and parts availability, though I would not get my hopes up on buying replacemnts for large castings very far down the road into the future. I have not dealt with them, but have read decent things about them here. I am sur e that the other large purveyors of machine tools (ENCO, Harbour Freight, et al) have their fans and detractors too. Ask and they will speak up.

By the time you get into the price of one of the Wabeco's and a stand and drip trays, you are in pretty near the same price range as a 16 inch swing(at least the lower spec one) lathe from Grizzly. I did not happen to peruse the tools list that is supplied with the Wabeco, so that is another thing to consider.

And say what you want, I wish I could get shipping at those rates for machine tools, here in Canada.

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The Grizz lineup covers a lot of ground, but I figure you would have to either be pretty picky or spoilt by too many european tools to not be able to find a machine to meet your needs here. None of them is exactly the same as a shiny new Schaublin, but they won't cost you $100k either.

There is at least one machine tool dealer (leigh) that posts regularly when he is able to provide new machines at discount, and there is Gunner, the master scrounger of machine tool deals, that often posts that he has encountered yet another truckload of droolable machinery that is available for cheaply, if one does not mind the grime.

To really figure out what is going to suit your needs, though, you are going to have to do a really fair assesment of those needs (and wants). Limiting factors such as "must fit through a standard bedroom door" should also be considered.

If you want to buy new, you have limited selections.

If you wish to limit your choices to those not from the far east, even more limited. Both the above, and affordable, limits you to very small, limited machines at the price of some quite large, capable machines from other sources.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones

Okay, so I'm late and catching up, but Gunner wrote on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:02:04 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Little on the small side, but I'd not kick it out of my shop. :-)

pyotr

-- pyotr filipivich "Quemadmoeum gladuis neminem occidit, occidentis telum est. " Lucius Annaeus Seneca, circa 45 AD (A sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer's hands.)

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

I am in the SF Bay area. I'll give you a small data dump on what I've found out:

There *are* some decent places for used lathes around here. Gary Aragon in San Leandro has a good reputation. He's on Craiglist a fair amount. Here is one of his current listings:

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Another guy with a good repuation is Bob Rowe in Santa Cruz:
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I had a Myford Super 7 - very nice but I didn't get to use it often. That meant that every time I did walk up to it, all it's oil would be in the pan. I'd have to reoil it each time (kinda like an English car). But this may be moot since you said you wanted 10" swing and the

7" Myford isn't close to that.

If Myford size is OK, then you might consider Wabeco, which is what I have now. I sold the Myford on Ebay and bought a Wabeco E3000. It's not a rigid as the Super 7, but it is much nicer to use (for me anyway). It's also cleaner. Even in the garage, I didn't want oil everywhere. Even though the Myford had a QC gearbox and the Wabeco does not, the Wabeco still wins on convenience because it has a

*separate* variable-spped motor to run the carriage (like on a Hardinge). A 3-position lever selects carriage drive by hand-crank, var-speed motor, or threading gears. Yes, you have to change gears for different threads, but how often do you thread? You can also leave on a set of gears for your favorite pitch. The other advantage Wabeco had it that they have a good sales rep in Gilroy. So I just drove down and picked it up. The seller is:
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I see they now sell Prazi. They didn't when I got my lathe. Not sure about the relation between Prazi and Wabeco.

The best deal of course would be some nice used machine. I know someone who just got a Monarch for about $2k, it was definitely NOT a creampuff, but I'm still jealous. You might lurk on Craiglist for a few months with the phone next to you, cash in your hand, and a truck with the engine running outside (you need to be quick).

If you can't wait and want a beefier machine, Grizzly is probably OK (I have one of their mills because I couldn't wait - no complaints). If you want precision and convenience, but less beef, Wabeco is worth checking out.

Reply to
lens

Oh, one other choice I forgot to mention is buy nothing and join this place in Menlo Park:

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I've been in there a fair amount, and I'm beginning to think it makes more sense to pay them $100/mo than it does for me to buy more

*undersized* tools for my garage. The $4k you're contempating spending for a lathe alone will last almost 4 years there. They also have mills, punches, shears, welders, etc as well. AND a guy who's job it is to keep stuff running.
Reply to
lens

I looked at their website and it looks like a fantastic place. They have everything I'd want or need for my home shop. There are a few downsides, and one of them is a big one:

  1. The place is 50 miles from home and 75 miles from work. That's at least a two hour round trip. Sometimes I just like to go into the shop and spend an hour working on a project. Joining the Tech Shop would require setting aside at least half a day (and half of that would be spent driving).
  2. I've seen lots of "membership" operations like this come and go. At least they don't offer discounts on 12 month memberships, so I wouldn't be tempted to buy one only to see the place go out of business in six months. I wish them well and hope they last, however.
  3. Joining the Tech Shop is kinda like living in an apartment--you pay every month and get nothing when you leave. If I bought used machine tools, I could sell them for what I paid for them (or even more) if I lost interest.
Reply to
sodaant

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