Lathes and so forth.

Not so much bad as expensive.

Looks very like the Chester model "B" 3-in-1 - probably made to the same design, and perhaps in the same chinese factory.

The Chester one will have a cr*p paint job, but it's £140 cheaper after delivery is taken into account. You may also be able to find something similar on eBay for less (or more!! see item 330112592370). Chester "B" is £650, MM Clarke is £790, ebay Clarke is £899 !! all inc delivery

In general I don't like combined lathe/mills, and think that seperate machines are far better, but ymmv. I don't know the model well enough to comment directly on it, as I have never used one.

My advice is usually to consider the size of work you want to do, then buy the next size up from the machine that will do the job you have in mind - two sizes up if you are working in really hard materials. If you can afford it, that is.

And then there's the question of old iron, which can be a bargain ...

I've got one, but it has had a few mods done. I wouldn't bother with the Mill/Drill, as it's a waste of space (that's putting it politley!). I unbolted it of mine, and made up a blanking plate. The mill head now resides in a box under the bench, and milling is taken care of on a Harrison Milling Machine.

moray

On or around Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:05:20 +0100, Robert Wilson enlightened us thusly:

it's worth what it costs, and I wouldn't reckon on actually milling with it. It's a handy machine if you have very limited space.

frankly, having studied them, I'd be looking for a decent s/h machine. Myford are most sought, and most pricey. There are some nice boxfords which are also pricey.

Main question is how much space you have - some of the larger lathes, in the

6" x 24" sort of size, go for less money as not so many people want 'em.

A good old machine is in many ways better than a cheap new one. For example, I have a 1960 Colchester student here and it's a nice bit of kit, if you're not in a hurry you can pick up a good one for well under 500 notes

- mine cost 360 I think. You do need enough space for it though. most are

3-phase, but it's not hard to replace the motor and it'll run on less than the 3HP it was built with, especially for light use. Mine came with a truly indequate motor, 1.5HP low-torque; it now has a 2HP high torque one and it works OK.

Gentlemen,

Robert, To put things into perspective, check out the price of their mini-lathe. Then take a look at this:

and I know for a fact, that the very nice 'harryuk' will let you have it for £260 off eBay. If it's a multi-purpose machine that you want, this has to be 30-35% below normal retail price: you really want 30% or more of your money to go on showrooms, sales assistants, glossy brochures, vans, offices and so on? If not, then perhaps you should consider either second-hand (take an expert with you) or try the importer above. You'll save yourself a packet that can go towards tooling.

Hugh ps get in touch off list if you'd like some more contact details.

I don't know about anyone else but I'm getting sick of the blaten spamming that's appearing on the group.

Even if he is a very nice man, although he could just have a cracke mirror, I don't feel OK with buying out the back of a van in some tatt motorway service area. It smacks of Eastenders trying to pull a fas one.

I for one like glossy brochures, I like to see what I'm buying, I lik technical descriptions and not some half assed Ebay blurb. More to the point I like PRESENCE. Why do you think Roger Warren a Warco is where he is today?, because you can talk to him at the shows examine the goods, even run them under power in his showroom, then mak a decision.

And what's Hooray Harry got? is he going to fire up his generator i Watford Gap car park and let you knock a few candle sticks off ?

No showrooms, no sales assistants, no glossy brochures, no vans, n offices, can't be Del Boy, he's got a van, must be Arthur Daly Machin Tools :eek:

PR

-- P Riedi

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Only if its a gap bed...?

Regards, Tony

PR, Immediately below this thread is some out and out spamming, something about fashion design, at least my post was to the point. Now it would appear that you are happy to accept that prices of machine tools in UK are way above what you would pay in the US - but there an awful lot of people in Britain that don't have access to large sums of cash. You'd be surprised at the number of pensioners in particular who have taken up the hobby or come back to it after years because it's becoming affordable. A typical example is an 83 year old experienced machinist who purchased a mini-lathe and mini-mill from the said 'dodgy 'Arry'. He now wants a machine that's due within the next 2 months and an approximate price of £385 was quoted - he sent a scan of a brochure from one of the big UK suppliers for the self-same machine - £635!!! he was sure the price was wrong. But it wasn't - simply a case of the margins that people choose to work on. OK, I put my hands up - it's pretty obvious it's me - but, it takes all sorts as they say - I know blatant advertising offends, and I truly apologise for that but there are also many that appreciate the leads. Let me know if you're ever around the Watford Gap area as I've got a nice little cnc-machine for you - 'arf price mate - gotta be cash only though! - No.joking apart, anyone can come and see the machines before purchase, you'll see that they are identical to what's on offer elsewhere but cheaper by up to 35%- what's wrong with that? btw, I'm a retired pharmacist - 30 odd years of professional life - never got struck off! - I don't do dodgy deals, OK? Let me tell you something else. One boss of one UK company went to China and demanded that one company there stops supplying me with their machine tools. Why? pretty obvious, they don't like competition from discount sellers taking their business away.So, one Chinese company now won't supply - it's a well-known one - but luckily other manufacturers won't cave into the same pressure, fortunately for the British consumer. Take the company that you mentioned - I could import several of the machines that they sell and retail them at half the price in their glossy brochure and still make a profit.

As for company vehicles - well, I drive around in a battered old Honda Integra - or rather I don't! It broke down last sunday, and in spite of a notice to that effect, got ticketed, clamped and towed away. I refused their generous offer of a £150 plus £40 for the pleasure of getting it back and will be suing the local authority for immense sums of money if they don't return my car very soon. I walk to work in the meantime. Just hope I don't get mugged - it's well dodgy in this part of east London!!!!!!!!!

Hugh OK, PR, point taken I'll tone it right down - for you, and any one else offended - but bear in mind that if, or when, prices drop substantially, you'll have the likes of me to thank - I'm busy 7 days a week, not making a fortune, but giving machinists and hobbyists what they want at affordable prices.

"P Riedie" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@rcgroups.com...

Hiya, They look really good. I am really torn between brand new Chinese made, and a second hand Colchester or something of that ilk.

They look ok, but you are right I can talk to someone who know's their stuff. He's the only one in the village by the way (model engineer that is).

Cheers,

Rob.

Hugh, or Harry, or whatever your name really is -

At least with that post, there was never any doubt as to what was going on - she made no secret of her busiuness interest in what she was advertising.

It isn't blatant advertising that offends me the most, it is sleazy tactics like yours of pretending that you're just some good ol' boy giving us all some helpful leads, when you are actually advertising your own goods for sale. That puts you several leagues lower than the lowest used car salesman, in my book.

Ever thought of going into advertising? Don't bother.

Regards, Tony

I'm not at all surprised if you have managed to antagonize the various companies that have made all the effort to market these machines in the UK - if they hadn't spent their money on advertising and glossy brocures, plus presence at shows, and so on, then there wouldn't be a UK market for these machines in the first place. So what you are doing is taking full advantage of their investment, while putting in little or none of your own, thereby keeping your costs down and allowing you to undercut their prices. And in the process, somehow you manage to imply that these other companies are charging over the odds.

Regards, Tony

Have to say I agree with Harry here (no connection by the way, & I hav

not bought anything from him) He is not OTT with his plugs and was upfront about who he is.

If someone isn't happy with buying from him then they can just stic with the glossy brochures & showrooms - no harm done.

Competition in the market place keeps prices down for everyone

-- gn3d

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Sorry Tony, that's actually called running Business. If he has the means the supply Lathes more cheaply then fair play to him. Welcome to the world of competitive business.

Rob.

On or around Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:03:10 -0500, P Riedie enlightened us thusly:

yeah, but you don't get to do all that a machine mart. You do get to see it and examine the construction.

Thats one way of looking at it Robert. The other way is "caveat emptor". If he's paring his prices to the bone, it doesn't speak highly to me of the quality of the ongoing support. If that isn't a concern of yours, then thats just fine.

Regards, Tony

Hi Rob,

Thank you for your words of support, but can the critics explain the disparity between prices in the UK and the US. I'm sure Grizzly, Homier, Micromark, etc. put mega-bucks into running their businesses, yet the self-same machines are more like half the price compared to the UK. To the extent that even the Chinese charge us more because they know we're 'happy' to pay over the odds.

Anyway, look, it wasn't my >> >>

Tony

While I deplore the tactics being employed and there is something rather unsettling about someone who purports to be an "honest Joe" giving advice while he pushes his own cheap machines as hard as he can, unfortunately you have to admit that they appear to be successful. While the original poster asked for "opinions" on this type of machine the discussion is now focused on merely where he should buy it from.

I suppose this shows why I am not a successful business man, I should have jumped straight in with a strong defence of the "best of British" quality secondhand machines. This of course would have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I have two excellent machines about to come on the market. To prove how daft I am I won't even tell what they are. The proper place for blatant advertising is amongst the adverts and there are more than enough excellent avenues available for those as I'm sure John and Charles would agree.

Lets return this forum to what it was when I arrived, a source of honest, well balanced and well informed advice. Long may it continue. Now is this the best type of machine for the original poster?

Best regards

Keith

You hit the nail on the head there!

Rob.

Actually that would be more useful, some suggestions of where to buy second hand from.

Cheers,

Rob.