Hello . I am fairly new on here , but I was interested in the DSG T 13 X 30 . This is certainly a lovely looking example . Actually I worked for Dean, Smith & Grace for a number of years - mainly in technical sales . Yes , I am a dyed in the wool DSG enthusiast - the finest UK built lathe ever ! Yes - the Rolls Royce of lathes ! At one time there was always a DSG in build on the shop floor for Rolls Royce . I am retired now , but have a fairly comprehensive workshop at home and would love a T13 but I just can`t manage the weight of this machine . I have had several T13s through my hands and they are so well built you`ll never wear it out if you oil it occasionally ! Interestingly on many occasions I`ve seen a DSG in a dealers showroom alongside a Colchester or Harrison - all similar money and the Colchester always sells first in preference to the DSG . Some people don`t recognise quality when they see it ! Just the way all the controls operate so easily and smoothly - makes it a pleasure to operate . I`ve also seen many DSGs in shops only used by one operator for many years - treated as his own personal property and almost good as new.Talking of lathes being smashed , I heard a story which Im sure was true, of a chap who was told of a lathe sitting by a skip !. Dont know the model, but I think it might have been a Harrison in very good nick that had come out of a college. He zoomed over to the place and asked a bloke about the thing who informed him that they hadnt yet worked out the risk assessment for getting it in the skip !!!. So if he wanted it he had better hurry up and remove it from the site before they did !!??. So he did.....
Unfortunately, the cost of producing such quality machines means the sales for them are sadly very rare these days.
Another rather smaller machine I like is the CVA lathe . I have just bought one that needs a little TLC and that weighs about 1.5 tons which I can just about manage . We at DSG rebuilt several of these lathes for one of our aerospace customers . And that brings me on to another tale about scrapping machines - on my travels to look at CVA lathes , I came across quite a nice example , but with a minor electrical problem . I agreed to revisit a few days later to see if the problem had been resolved to be told they`d not bothered and `weighed ` it in . Another nice quality machine lost - Oh well !!
I am now plotting how I can unload the CVA on my driveway and move it into my shed !
MARK from Bridgnorth