Advice on lathe for home shop

7miles, I hear you, I’m starting to take a closer look at the PM machines and the thought of spending considerably more dough than I had wanted to are starting to cross my mind. But then again I’m thinking I’ve lived 56 years without a decent lathe at home so I can bide my time until I find the right one at the right price. And then I think that the Victor 1440 GS that I spoke to the dealer about about splits the difference, it’s more than I wanted to spend but still new enough that it’s not likely to be worn out and parts are likely still available and all the bells and whistles are included. i keep toying with one versus the other versus the next, I am learning a lot in the mean time though!

In the end I’ll probably just wait until the right one comes along. The Enco is priced right , I just wish the seller would respond, I emailed through Craigslist and then through marketplace, he responded with a thumbs up to my initial contact but no phone call or actual communication. He’s either had some calamity befall him or he’s just wasting time and not actually interested in selling the machine. In my research of that machine I’ve come up with nothing beyond it looking very similar to the Birmingham YCL. The Birmingham has a 7.5 ph motor which is going to be too much for my 7.5 rotary phase converter so it may a no go if I ever do hear back from the seller.
 
I did find another machine that piques my interest , it’s in Connecticut like so many I’m finding. It’s a takang which I’ve never heard of but it’s very , very clean. It looks just like the hwacheon lathes which I’ve heard glowing reviews of. What do you gents think of this one? It says there’s extra tooling and there’s pictures of a face plate a chuck,( no idea if it’s a 3 jaw or 4 jaw), and a steady rest. The ad says 4500 is his price.
 

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GSweldmech said:
I did find another machine that piques my interest , it’s in Connecticut like so many I’m finding. It’s a takang which I’ve never heard of but it’s very , very clean. It looks just like the hwacheon lathes which I’ve heard glowing reviews of. What do you gents think of this one? It says there’s extra tooling and there’s pictures of a face plate a chuck,( no idea if it’s a 3 jaw or 4 jaw), and a steady rest. The ad says 4500 is his price.
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That one looks nice! Made in Taiwan. Very clean with a what looks like a 5C collet chuck too. DRO already installed and it looks like it was in some individuals home shop vs. factory.
 
Unfortunately I have noticed that it has a 7.5 horse motor so I couldn’t start it with my current rotary converter. At least I don’t think I could....

glad news on the lathe front an absolutely loaded heavy ten just popped up 45 miles from here, 3jaw 4jaw collet chuck, taper attachment, steady rest, quick change tool post , bunch of holders, turning tools, boring bars drill chucks live centers, the whole enchilada. His price is 2k and im waiting for a response from the seller!
 
Good grief. You must live in an ocean of machinery. ;)
 
How many HP is your rotary converter? It is possible to start a 7.5 HP lathe on a 10HP converter.
 
GSweldmech said:
Unfortunately I have noticed that it has a 7.5 horse motor so I couldn’t start it with my current rotary converter. At least I don’t think I could....

glad news on the lathe front an absolutely loaded heavy ten just popped up 45 miles from here, 3jaw 4jaw collet chuck, taper attachment, steady rest, quick change tool post , bunch of holders, turning tools, boring bars drill chucks live centers, the whole enchilada. His price is 2k and im waiting for a response from the seller!
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Sounds like a deal, won't me long now I'm guessing.
 
Ah. You can boost your start current by adding another 3PH pony motor, such as a 3HP to aid with the starting. Some of the other guys have had very good luck with this. You starth a 3 or 5 HP motor with your rotary, then when you kick in your 7.5, it helps keep things balanced.

Frankly the 1500 is such a good deal that upgrading the rotary would be a good option. the 7.5HP motor keeps out the faint of heart.
 
I’d consider upgrading the converter if the enco lathe pans out, the seller is seeming like a flake by not responding so I’m not all that optimistic.

I just spoke with the seller of the heavy ten and it’s sold, he said he had the first buyer contact him 5 minutes after he posted and ten guys had already been inquiring about it. This is on the day of the Super Bowl.... can you set up a notification in Craigslist so that you get an email when things are posted? This must be how folks are getting on these so quickly, it had been up for 3 hours when I found it..
 
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