Recommend me a mini lathe

[angrybear]

Have a look at item number 353061234315
On that auction site. I can't vouch for the build quality or how much work is involved to true them up but I nearly bought their 1000w model recently, fixed my old Chester instead but I like the sound of the 38mm spindle bore. Lots less wasted stock .

That's the very one I've been thinking about.

Incidentally if anyone is thinking about 334301366228, be advised he does not have any of the spare gears, he recons the set cost's £55.

[Racing]

Mini lathes..
In all honesty i´d to this day stay away from the Chinese crop ones. Much rather a used European made one. The 80s and 90´s Emcos for instance, but why not a made Myford or similar?
There´s a ton of them out there, pick your poison.

Are the Chinese crop just garbage?
No. No they´re not, but the issue is that they need to be picked apart, get rectified where needed and put back together by someone in the loop. As they come though, yes. Then they´re simply garbage.



Like most my space is limited too. British Colchester was mentioned, and here´s mine. A Triumph 2000 with all the bells, whistles and trimmings. As i do take care of it and service the thing it still runs as should and has brought back its own weigth in gold times over. The 2000 then what at least we up here reference as an "8 inch unit".
Next step is the 10" ones and at that level they´re normally twice the size. Now. Granted. A Triumph 2000 is by far any 500£ unit, but what i´m saying i guess is that for a mini.. run at the 1000£ level and look for a well taken care of Euro made unit.
You´ll be happy you did in the long run.
Either that or be prepared for a crap load of work, on a NEW Chinese made lathe.

[Shed tuner]

A thought: while some minis are labelled as 20mm spindle bore that does not mean you can stash a 20mm rod down it. The limit could well be set by the bore in your chuck ... maybe 15 mm?

Also: watch out for lathes that are fixed speed. In my opinion a variable speed unit is better. And go for the longest bed distance you can.

Cheers, Phil

even on the smallest chucks I've seen, the chuck bores are not less than an inch... but there may be some exceptions I guess.

[Shed tuner]

I kinda agree with racing, a used Boxford, Myford,(if not too expensive) Atlas, Southbend, or other british/european/american would be a better option. I just got an old portass and it's a massive upgrade for me from my mini Hobbymatt (and that wasn't even chinese) in practical terms - and not too big. It takes up a space around 4 foot x 2.

Whilst they may be chinese, the warco's at least seem to have decent spares and support, from a physical showroom, so that's the way I'd go if not the above.

Some discussion in this thread: https://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread...ot-a-new-lathe

[DM80]

I stretch your budget a little more and go for the warco wm180 great little machine.

Dave.

[Born Again]

I used a colchester, like the one Racing has posted, for years, great lathe with the best speed change system ever, but a bit big for home use. Currently I have a Harrison M300, it's great if you have room. Personally I'd look at tried and tested Myford, even if you don't get on with it you're guaranteed to get your money back.

[Neil.]

But allegedly made side by side with Vevor, Crenex, Amadeal & Draper according to what I read on one of the model engineer forums ?

Correct

But the quality control is far beyond that of those you listed. The gib adjustments are different and the whole things are of a better tolerance and accuracy.

I have the Chink version and its taken me the best part of 6 months to get it anywhere near the Warco.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with one.

[Neil.]

I stretch your budget a little more and go for the warco wm180 great little machine.

Dave.

Its what I've got....


I also have the 353061234315 and thats the one thats given me so much shit. The Gibs are so inaccurate the thing locks up halfway through a slide, no mater how much you carefully adjust em and then gets loose again. The compound slide is next to useless and I had to make up a plate to fit a Warco one.
Speed control packed up in 2 months and had to mod another aftermarket one. Support from Ecrim is non existent.

[Phil Russell]

even on the smallest chucks I've seen, the chuck bores are not less than an inch... but there may be some exceptions I guess.

Maybe we are at cross purposes or I am showing ignorance (not unusual in lathe matters) but the widest rod I can feed through the chuck on my 3 jaw self centring one such that it comes out the side of the lathe is 16mm. The lathe is an Amadeal CJ18 ?? bought several years ago and the chuck came with it ... it mounts via bolts onto a backplate on the lathe. I suspect that with suitable equipment (another chuck?) I could utilise the 20mm advertised spindle but so far have always managed to work around the deficiencies.
A bigger lathe would be nice but space is at a premium ....
Cheers, Phil

[u.k.neil]

I am another advocate of the Warco range. The one I had was the gear head lathe with 38 mm through the headstock and if you can remember the kind of stuff that I made on it then that will tell you what kind of accuracy and quality can be achieved on one of these machines.


Neil

[Doobin]

That 38mm spindle bore one for £650ish looks a useful size. Certainly a lot of capacity for the money, but if others here have tried Chinese and say Warco is far better quality control, then I'd go Warco.

I have a Warco 290v with DRO- it's a useful bit of kit. The variable speed is a godsend. People advocate 'good old British Myfords' and the like, but they often will have a ton of wear, bugger all gears and more importantly, won't run fast enough. Time change- we all run carbide now, and that can stand a good SFM. So on small diameter parts a Myford will be painfully slow.

[chimpy leon]

I cut my teeth on the Colchester Triumph 2000 when I was 17 and been using them for half of my employed life since - simply amazing machines.
Id love to have one and in an ideal world it’s what I’d get, but I haven’t got several grand to drop on one and I don’t like the idea of having half the machine poking out the garage door.

If only there was a machine out there that was near identical but reduced to half its size…

[jerkey]

I have had hobymat md65 for years the budget was limitted what I could afford at the time it came with lots of extras some thing that needs to be taken in to account it has paid for itself over the years by not paying someone else

[DM80]

I cut my teeth on the Colchester Triumph 2000 when I was 17 and been using them for half of my employed life since - simply amazing machines.
Id love to have one and in an ideal world it’s what I’d get, but I haven’t got several grand to drop on one and I don’t like the idea of having half the machine poking out the garage door.

If only there was a machine out there that was near identical but reduced to half its size…

Their is the student mk2

Dave.

[pajj]

A word of warning, unless you have sufficient knowledge or know someone who does, be very wary of second hand lathes of any description. Ignore at your own risk.