Buying advice for a lathe

[Sgoaty]

Im looking in to buying a lathe and was hoping for a bit of advice.

I want to get a reasonable size one just now as although the jobs i have planned at the moment are quite small i think it would be wise to buy as big as i can afford and have space for incase of future projects

I want to be able to do left and right hand metric and imperial threads and spend around £900 preferably less thats about my only stipulations

My 2 favorites so far are

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/New_Machines__Coming_Soon_.html

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-sieg-sc4-metal-bench-lathe-prod715020/

Does anyone have advice on the subject?
Thanks
Scott

 

[Shox Dr]

I have to admit I used to own the Machine mart version of those, all be it for use in a mobile workshop. They have limited use, but can be made to cut to close tolerance.


BUT, for that price you could pick up a Myford

 

[brightspark]

Im looking in to buying a lathe and was hoping for a bit of advice.

I want to get a reasonable size one just now as although the jobs i have planned at the moment are quite small i think it would be wise to buy as big as i can afford and have space for incase of future projects

I want to be able to do left and right hand metric and imperial threads and spend around £900 preferably less thats about my only stipulations

My 2 favorites so far are

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/New_Machines__Coming_Soon_.html

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-sieg-sc4-metal-bench-lathe-prod715020/

Does anyone have advice on the subject?
Thanks
Scott

this one will open a can of worms the fore and against cheaper imported machines versus second hand british built machines . its all down to price and what u intend using the machine for and if a good quality second hand lathe could be found

 

[shocker]

These are versions of lathes made in china at the SIEG factory and badged as these and clarke,warco,sealey,chester......the list goes on and on.Have a look at this site.....

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

its for the mini version but has links and info on the bigger ones that will tell you all you want to know about these.Its really about price if you decide to go with the SIEG products - who has the best and gives the most extras.

You may want to consider looking at some english used lathes like colchesters,all over e bay and from the same people that sell the SIEGs.The english ones age well and there are lots of parts available.

Nothing wrong with the chinese stuff but you gets what you pays for.I have a mill/lathe combo from warco that is a SIEG product and fine....my father in law bought a mill and it was drasticly flawed from the word go.Theres plenty of info and forums if you google around a bit ,if you dont have any luck with more answers.

 

[shocker]

So much for "no luck with more....".....while I was typing there were two!

 

[chunkolini]

I have a friend who has a smaller axminster lathe. He hates it; viciously.

I cant remember what he did not like but i think it was pretty much everything. Does that help any?

Chunko'.

 

[mike os]

for that £££ you can get a fairly decent used machine from a serious maker

 

[Sgoaty]

I went to see one of these today

http://www.lathes.co.uk/drummond/page5.html

The guy only wanted £100 but I dont think its really any use for me.

 

[awemawson]

Personally I'd buy s/h British German or American machine tools, but if budget and availability pushes you down the oriental route be aware that there are MANY lathes out there that look the same, are built to the same design, but vary quite a lot in build quality. Some companies have reps overseas doing qa, and others don't bother. Some companies offer a 'check over' service to ensure things are right, but charge for it.

Warco (Warren Machine Tools - Roger Warren) import machines to their spec and stand by the products they sell - their after sales service is excellent. Other companies import similar machines, but you are on your own if things go wrong.

(I am aware of several complaints of casting sand still being on the inside of oriental lathe headstocks for instance when they were assembled!!!)

 

[RedOrZed]

I had a Clarke Mini lathe for a bit. Bought it cheep cos the PCB had blown; got a new one from Clarke spares.

Never really got on with it. Just didn't seem "proper". My SouthBend is a much nicer to use. The older stuff can be much more solid, but beware:

The is some badly rattly old crap out there & people who will happily flog it to you for an exaggerated price.

this is some good advice

 

[RedOrZed]

I went to see one of these today

http://www.lathes.co.uk/drummond/page5.html

The guy only wanted £100 but I dont think its really any use for me.

£100 isn't a bad price. If it was in passable condition - got motor, drive belts, chuck and a little bit of tooling, I'd go for it. You can flog it on for the same price.

It's worth getting a bit of a feel for lathe work with an old bit of Brit Iron before chucking heavy ££ at a new one

 

[Sgoaty]

Id rather not spend as much as £900 tbh because I probably wont use it enough to justify the cost.

 

[brightspark]

theres 2 things to consider when buying second hand machinery go look at it 1st . never buy on trust . if u dont know what u are looking for when buying take someone along that does that way u dont get your fingers burnt and conned

 

[Sgoaty]

£100 isn't a bad price. If it was in passable condition - got motor, drive belts, chuck and a little bit of tooling, I'd go for it. You can flog it on for the same price.

It's worth getting a bit of a feel for lathe work with an old bit of Brit Iron before chucking heavy ££ at a new one

It had a motor bodged on but would ony be one speed as it just has a single pulley on the chuck seemed ok with no play on it and a few tools. The guy just wanted rid I think hed probably take £50 for it

 

[RedOrZed]

It had a motor bodged on but would ony be one speed as it just has a single pulley on the chuck seemed ok with no play on it and a few tools. The guy just wanted rid I think hed probably take £50 for it

Pulleys are very easy to get hold of & tidy a motor mount is a simple fabrication

Tools from evilBay or quickly from Chronos

you'd be amazed at the times you think "oh, I could just turn up one of those on the lathe"

 

[stormin]

As suggested. I'd go with the £100 (or less) Drummond. You'll struggle to find a usable lathe for any less and it'll give you a start, feel and experience.
You may eventually decide you really want a much bigger machine or a newer import one. Either way you'll get your money back on the Drummond when you come to sell.

 

[MarkMG]

I bought this a couple years ago for around £100, good to get going and to learn.

 

[shocker]

That,sir,was a very good buy !

 

[gavuk]

When faced with the same dilema i opted for an old lathe as i wasn't overly impressed with the modern alternatives,mine won't do everything you ask for without more gear wheels but the later 140 and boxfords will without modification ...harrison L5.....depending on your skill level you may struggle with the lowest speeds on some new lathes,without brakes etc,hope you find what your looking for ....

 

[Pete.]

I wouldn't touch that Drummond, even for just £100, not unless your use is purely hobby.

There's a Viceroy on here for sale, have you looked at that?