It looks to me like the very big Brother of the BV20M. I have one of these BV20's from Axminster several years ago and have found it give very good performance, and was excellent value for money. My only gripe has been the noise level from the geared head! If the model you are looking at uses a similar system I would imagine it requires ear-defenders all the time, assuming its is larger and with a more powerful motor! The problem with the BV is its use of straight- cut gears as opposed to skew - hence the row! I could see that the spec mentions hardened gears, but nothing else. May be something to check out.
Given that the chuck flying off could be down to a limp wrist of the operator, what other characteristics produce a rating of "crap" for this machine? (Not being a Myford/Colchester doesn't count)
The lathe had the Colchester type of pins, I forget the proper description for that type of fitting. ( Camlock maybe?) One of the pins broke off and the chuck then broke away. Being in a college, the 2nd machine is now redundant due to the risk of it happening again. When they first got the lathes, the backsplashes had a gap in which didn't align with the lathe bed, so any coolant used flowed down the backsplash, straight on to the floor. Bob
A bit harsh Fungus and it is usually the "wrong" person that gets punished anyway. Having spent many years looking after various apprentice workshops I've seen quite a few problems with chucks, even camlock types fitted to much more expensive lathes than this one. The problems are typically down to poor adjustment/maintenance of the pins or just plain stupidity by the operator who "forget to lock it sir". At least knowing our educational establishments at the moment someone will get a couple of perfectly good lathes for a song. I'm not saying there might not have been a material problem with the lathe but it could easily have been poor adjustment even from new. With well over
30 Colchesters or Harrisons running all day we made sure that our workshop technicians were up to the job. Even from these recognized "good" manufactures a lathe would not be put into service until all operation and adjustments had been checked and re-set if necessary. Unfortunately, these days the "technicians" if there are any have to be a jack of all trades and the modern concept seems to be buy new and don't touch it because we will then carry the responsibility if there is a problem. An attitude that would have got us into trouble with lathes costing 10 times what this one does. So in short, tagging the whole lathe as "crap" due to this issue is a little unfair. Mind you, having said that, if I bought one I would want to spend a little time checking it out before I stood in front of the four jaw at 1400 rpm.
I have no experience of this type of lathe which does seem really good value for money; with that level of equipment it is obviously aimed at the educational/hobby market and currently that means it has to be CHEAP if not VERY CHEAP. Interestingly, I was told recently by a major importer that education is spending money again in fairly large quantities.
Personally, I chose a belt drive head as I found the gearhead versions very noisy. Obviously it depends on the type of gears and the quality of manufacture but it might be worth checking if you are going to run it in the middle of the night, particularly if like me the neighbours are closer to the shed than the wife. For this size and price of lathe the 1400 rpm spindle is about average and will be OK as long as you don't intend to use it for small work in non ferrous materials all the time. The problem with the VFD that has been suggested is that the head gearbox may not take too kindly to being rotated at well above its design speed for long. If you intend to increase the spindle speed this way a belt head design is much simpler to deal with.
I suppose that my advice would be, when buying this level of specification at this, lets be honest, very cheap price; one would need to have a very good look at the adjustment, fit and finish before using it extensively and be prepared to put the odd problem right. Today's education/hobby world would typically see these machines used for quite short periods and then stood idle for most of its life. I'm not in the business so don't really know but with the pressure on price and with that sort of usage profile there must be temptation to save money where poor quality is not so easy to spot. The inclusion of the DRO also intrigues me and I would be interested if anyone has one to know what type of scales and functionality it has.
Anyway, I suppose what I'm saying is have a really good look at it and don't forget which sector of the market you are in. Don't be tempted entirely by the apparent "good deal" and make sure it is what you need; do leave those rose tinted specs at home when you check it over. Who knows if you learn to care for it and lavish some TLC, you might be rewarded with many years of fun and enjoyment. Of course, dodging the flying chucks is sure to keep you fit as well :-)
Risk - Chuck coming off. Potential Cause (1) - Pin breakage. Preventative Measure - Competent Person to Inspect/Replace Pins at Appropriate Intervals.
Potential Cause (2) - Chuck not secured correctly by operator. Preventative Measure - Train operator on correct operation, test operator and certify competence, repeat training as appropriate, limit usage of machine to trained and certified operator only etc, etc, etc....................
Potential Sub Cause (2-1) - Operator on Beer (Or Other Substances - See Drug Abuse risk Assessment No ****) Previous Night - Preventative Measure - ???????????
The catch all becomes the responsibility to do all that is practicable. These days some of the suppliers would have you believe that they can get away with providing a poorly translated "handbook" that is little more than a series of dire warnings about ever turning it on. Twenty five years ago, Colchester's etc would provide initial training on site (well at least a safety briefing) or have you book in for a training week, particularly if you were going to ever take one apart. That is one reason why they cost a little (?) more. The modern (paper) concept is to give the impression of "Safety" and provide a chain of responsibility, the reality; well it's a good job there are less people using machines these days.
The shock horror truth is, all of these machines will potentially kill or maim if you don't take the trouble to learn how to use and maintain them properly; no matter who made them, how long ago or what they now cost. The responsibility for your safety always rests with you; at least it does if you are sensible and plan a long life.
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