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Old 12th Feb 2009, 10:26 am   #1
Aerodyne
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Default Which lathe?

Mods, I'm not sure that this is the best place for this thread, so please move if not.
Suggestions, gents, if you will... I'm (still) looking for a small lathe to complement the rest of my workshop gear. I only need it for turning small items such as bushes, formers etc., and hopefully for coil winding. I don't want to spend a fortune as it will not get a great deal of use. I only have bench space, not floor space.
Over to you!
-Tony
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 11:18 am   #2
Alan Stepney
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Firstly, if you dont really need a lathe, contact your local Model Engineering club. There will be someone who will be happy to make what you want, for a small consideration.
A list of (most) of them is at:
http://www.modeleng.org/clubs.htm

If you do want a lathe, the Myford ML7/Super7 series are excellent and will do all you need. (Mine has built many locomotives.)
But, they are quite large, and something smaller would suffice.
There are plenty of generic foreign lathes, from, Arcurotrade, Axminster, Engineers Tool Room, Warco, etc. (Addresses:http://www.modeleng.org/supply.htm)
For data on lathes: http://www.lathes.co.uk/
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 12:34 pm   #3
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Default Re: Which lathe?

If you don't have the space but don't want to make big things you can't beat the old Emco Unimat.

It's a complete universal machine tool, covering being a lathe, milling machine, drilling, grinding etc. - but tiny!

Here's a link to a web site that has some pictures of the old model like mine: http://www.dirkfassbender.de/emco_unimat_sl.html

I bought one back in the 1970's and never regretted it.
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 3:01 pm   #4
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Default Re: Which lathe?

For small jobs etc I don't think you can beat these little Axminsters lathes, very controllable speed

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.a...file=1&jump=44
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 3:57 pm   #5
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Tony,
The lathes website (Tony Griffiths) is wonderful, but just like this one is mainly devoted to 'vintage' lathes - I've got several. Any of the badged far Eastern ones, like the Axminster one above, should do you OK.
Alan
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 5:34 pm   #6
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Hi,

I bought a full outfit including 4 jaw chuck, milling etc about 10 years ago to make small precision parts for a project we were working on.

It was a Peatol lathe, developed in the States by a company who were producing small parts for the aeroindustry.

http://www.peatol.com/

There was a distributor in Birmingham.

I can vouche for the quality it could not be beaten , superb precision slides. When the project finished I sold it and still regret it now. The basic lathe was only about £150 so not expensive.

( I do not have any association with this company by the way )

Regards
Mike
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 6:23 pm   #7
Sean Williams
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Tony,

I have a Unimat 3, and a very old Drummond on a round bed....

The unimat is to be honest not very useful to me - most of the stuff I do needa a bigger lathe.

The drummond was a freecycle find - it isnt very good, and has more wear than can be believed!.

Personally I would go for a Boxford (being an ex school teacher you might well have used one) an AUD is great, as it has auto feed and screwcutting facilities, however, even the BUD as an entry level model is good - they are available in single phase from about £300, and will most likeley be ex school/college, so will have had little serious use.

If you do go for a second hand model, make sure the headstock bearings are good, and any supplied chucks run true - replacement chucks are not cheap! It is also worth bearing in mind that worn cross slides can be a real pain, causing the tool to chatter against the workpiece.

Any tooling you get with it will be a bonus - I used to use HSS and tool steel for cutting tools, not good - takes ages to get the tool shaped properly, and they do not last long. - I ended up buying some glanze tooling - not cheap, but a massive difference in the quality of work I can turn out.

HTH Sean
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 8:17 pm   #8
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Thanks to all who have replied so far. Food for thought - I had seriously considered both the Unimat and the Axminster lathes and other far eastern products such as the Cobra, many of which seem to be the same basic machine masquerading under different paint and labelling! I am leaning toward Axminster, but only if I can scrape the cash together. Contrary to popular belief, pensions are not that large...
I certainly did use Boxford lathes at school but my personal favourites were the Colchesters. Lovely machine, the Bantam. No room for one, no money for one either, sadly.
I forgot to mention that as a grand-dad I'm expected to produce flying model planes, mirror stereoscopes and a host of other gadgets, also to teach the kids how to use simple machine tools. Teaching ain't over yet!

Mike - I've taken a look at the Peatol site and will look again, more carefully. Seems you get the lathe in bits and things such as tailstocks are classed as extras.
-Tony


Thans again
Tony
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 10:15 pm   #9
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Hi Tony,

Have a very good Look Tony this litle beauty is precision.

Of course it is of no use if you are looking at worksize needing the larger machines you have expressed an interest with.

Mike
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Old 12th Feb 2009, 10:54 pm   #10
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Tony,
You have PM

Harold
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Old 13th Feb 2009, 9:51 am   #11
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Tony
I use both a Myford ML7 (1947 vintage) and a Unimat 3 (1970-ish). One advantage of both these is that parts are easily available.
Have a look at this Unimat forum and Myford article.
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Old 13th Feb 2009, 10:53 am   #12
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Quote:
Have a very good Look Tony this litle beauty is precision.
I'd love to have a look at the 'little beauty' Mike! How about a link?
Mike P: the Unimat forum must be joined before access, so I'll pass on that for now, though I have come across a site somewhere on my travels through the ether that discussed Unimats as well as other lathes and related topics. I'm certainly minded toward a Unimate, though not sure as yet. Myford machines have, in my experience, always been quality; I used some in my teaching days, though obviously as close to full-size, I don't have the space for a Myford lathe. Maybe I should build another shed and take up the other half of the garden. That'd please someone I know well..

-Tony
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Old 13th Feb 2009, 11:01 am   #13
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Hi Tony,

My advice to have a look means follow the link in my previous post to the peatol site and maybe investigate further. This is a serious lathe but obviously good only for relatively small jobs.

Mike
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Old 13th Feb 2009, 6:03 pm   #14
Aerodyne
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Default Re: Which lathe?

I'm with you now, Mike. I did look at the site via your link but I note that the price list is for May 2008, which makes me think it may not be current. Another irksome thing is the piecemeal approach to purchasing (in bits, effectively). It does look like a well-engineered product, though.
-Tony
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 10:38 am   #15
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerodyne View Post
Seems you get the lathe in bits and things such as tailstocks are classed as extras.
You might not need a tailstock for every job; I don't, but of course it depends on the work you are doing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerodyne View Post
Mike P: the Unimat forum must be joined before access, so I'll pass on that for now, though I have come across a site somewhere on my travels through the ether that discussed Unimats as well as other lathes and related topics.
Sorry 'bout that Tony - I have been on there for such a long time I'd forgotten about it!
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 10:59 am   #16
Aerodyne
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Mike - a lathe without a tailstock is like a car without a reverse gear - you don't need it all the time but when you do...!
One thing I am sure to need is a drill chuck for the tailstock. I'm quite liking the look of the Axminster SEIG C1 but I'll need to do further investigation before I finally decide. I think the SEIG is, apart from name and colour, the same machine as the Cobra small lathe - but there is a price difference in favour of the Axminster!
Thanks to all
Tony

Last edited by Aerodyne; 14th Feb 2009 at 11:00 am. Reason: Missed name
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 11:25 am   #17
John M0GLN
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerodyne View Post
I think the SEIG is, apart from name and colour, the same machine as the Cobra small lathe
I've got one of the mini milling machines, a Chester Conquest, from the same Chinese manufacturer and the I'm very pleased with it, if the lathes as good, you should have no problems.

John
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 11:29 am   #18
Mike-repairman
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Default Re: Which lathe?

I can recommend the Peatol lathe as well; had one for at least 15 years with quite a few accessories. Ideal for small parts.

Mike.
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 11:44 am   #19
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Default Re: Which lathe?

Well sad to say I don't like the look of the Peatol or the Unimat, mainly because they have rubber drive bands by the look of it, I had a small Unimat once and it was nothing but trouble, the thing would judder and jam, you were constantly having to watch how much you could cut, brass is sticky at the best of times and was hopeless in the Unimat, the Axminster is direct drive, reversable and can cut threads perfectly with power to spare, when you start talking ML7 you are in a different league, semi pro and expensive, all depends on what you want to do, I would say go for the biggest and most expensive that you can afford, there are some good 2nd hand deals around with this recession..
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Old 14th Feb 2009, 1:59 pm   #20
Sean Williams
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Default Re: Which lathe?

The main problem with the Chinese import machines is the lack of a nicely ground hard faced bed - a large proportion of the expense involved in lathe manufacture is the bed, and headstock.

I do not think the cheaper lathes have any facility for adjusting wear and movement out of the headstock. (the Unimat does.....)

As for the rubber drive belts, they are there for a good reason - if the lathe is stalling then the workpiece you are turning is too big, or the cut too severe, or even tooling not set correctly.

I have seen a Unimat 3 set up with toothed belts - A nice addition, but a bit OTT for day to day use.

My Drummond is belt driven - it makes for a quieter lathe, and if a belt goes replacement is quite simple - worn geartrain is much harder to sort out.....

The ability to cut screw threads would be handy, the unimat cannot do this, but it is a cheap machine wien you consider the quality of the castings and tooling that comes with it as standard.
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