The good thing about a 140 is you can keep all your spindle toolingI have a Boxford 500VSL, the late model with the L00 nose taper - it is a great machine, but I regularly end up running large work in it, in back gear and pushing it pretty hard. I have access to a larger lathe, a Leblond regal from the late 30's but it's very old and worn.
I would like something with:
All gear head, running in oil
Hardened/ground bed
Clutch
Nice wide bed, toolroom sized saddle
Non-threaded spindle nose, so American taper or Camlock
'A bit' larger than the VSL, but not much.
I'm thinking Harrison 140, M250 or M300, and possibly a Kerry 1124
Is there anything else out there worth looking at from the 70's/80's?
Certainly an option I hadn't considered... Same with a Denford 280.Boxford X10 series?
An M350 is a 4HP+ lathe too so you’ve got to have the power supply or a big VFD to run it.
if I remember correctly the m350 comes in a training institute model and a production model. The training model has a lower top speed and a smaller motor, the gears are splash lubricated. The production model has a bigger motor and the gearbox is lubricated by pump from a sump. Like the bigger M400+ harrisons
I would let the three and four jaw go with the VSL, whatever I buy must come with a three and a four jaw.The good thing about a 140 is you can keep all your spindle tooling
I'd be perfectly happy with the same capacity as the VSL, just with a wider bed and beefier saddle/cross/compound assembly. It has spindle power but not the rigidity to match.The 1124 will be L00, same as your 500, but I'm fairly sure it is also the same spindle bore. Yes, a beefier casting but I'm not sure it will be a massive capacity upgrade over the VSL? That ones does have a gap though.
A gapbed 1324 or 1340 would be even nicer.
Biggest limitation with the AG is the spindle bore IMO.
I would say you would probably have to step up to a M300 or one of the bigger Colchesters. If it is rigidity more than capacity you are after, you could also consider a S&B 1024.
Provided I don't drop it off the forks getting it into my shed, I can't imagine I'd need parts that I couldn't makeKerry are real machines, but you’ve more chance of a visit off the Pope than you have of finding parts for them. My Kerry ag was comparable to the Harrison 11” I have now
What's wrong with it?
Mine is lovely to use. But I know no different.
Nice bit of kit...
I did, I searched, I couldn't find it... Thanks for the info - I should have got back to you but I've been mad busy, on the road and with patchy internet.
That’s certainly not a bad way to go.Might keep the VSL and ditch the compound, and go full renzetti on it. That will probably sort out my rigidity issues.