Advice on lathe for home shop

GSweldmech said:
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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You can set up a notification for a Craiglist search. You need to make an account and save the search. Now, the caveat is that I am not sure how quickly that notifies you, meaning, does it send you an email as soon as someone lists something? That I am not sure about because I don't have any of my emails set up to notify me.
 
Don't give up on the Enco. The guy might have gotten so many tire kickers that he is just discouraged, or it is already sold and he hasn't taken it down yet. The least that will happen is that it gets taken down. But you might get it with persistence. I waited 25 years to get my LeBlond, so hang in there.
 
Well I've spent the 25 years already, so I have a few left to enjoy it! I think if he is persistent, the Enco or another good find will be his. He's finding a lot of good machines the we here would only see once or twice a decade.
 
I’ve set up an auto notification from Craigslist, hopefully that moves me little bit toward the front of the line on the next lathe. I’m glad that there are starting to be a few more listed , it’s a little more normal for this area. I guess that a lot of the industrialization in the USA started i this area and so it follows that the machinery is more common here. I’m still thinking that there are more of the heavy ten and smaller machines than I remember, I’m used to seeing more of the larger machines , old American iron like the Cincinnati and the leblond but perhaps I’m just looking more closely now than in the past.
the Enco might happen or it might not, ive made my interest known if the seller wants to sell it he knows who to call. My guess is it’s sold no he lost the email with the link to take it down, it’s happened to me in the past.

I’m getting ready to step back a bit from the private sale and contact a few more dealers, the victor that was offered by the dealer in Connecticut is still rattling round my noggin, if I paid my self for the time I’ve spent researching every machine I see on Craigslist I’d have the money to buy the victor......
 
So I emailed the dealer in Ct. and the victor is sold. He has a sharp 1340g with a DRO on it for 5.5k and clausing 4914 for 3200 the clausing their web site says they have 3 of them which makes me think they came out of a school and the web site says there are 2 of the sharps 1340g’s . The classing is kind of interesting to me what do you folks know about these models?
 
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I have a Clausing 4914. Has a 1 hp 3 phase motor. I converted my to VFD. Has flame hardened ways so they should last as long as they're oiled. It's a handy lathe and what I probably do most of my work on.

There's a few downsides though. I never have seen a taper attachment in the wild or on Ebay. If the one you're looking at has one that's a major plus. The hole through the spindle is small, 1 1/2" I think? It takes 4c collets so they're harder to find. Lastly, the spindle is threaded so you can't reverse it and do work. The thread size isn't that common but Little Machine Shop has the backing plate.

Edit: the 4914 is a 10x36" lathe. Forgot to mention that.
 
Mgdoug3 thanks for the info on the Clausing. I’ve been doing some internet research and for what this guy is asking for the clausing I believe I’d prefer the Harrison that the local dealer has.
 
I only gave $250 for mine at a farm auction. It only had a tailstock and 3 jaw chuck. I don't know exactly how much I have spent on tooling but I do know know it's more than what I gave. It's handy and doesn't take up much space. I brought a bigger lathe a couple weeks ago when I need a bigger swing or longer bed.
 
the dealer is asking 3200 and I believe that’s at least double what a 10X36 lathe is worth , if it’s in really good shape. This one has a three jaw a drill cunck in the tail stock and a qctp with a couple tool holders. The Harrison I looked at is equipped pretty much the same but he’s asking 2k and that lathe is at least 20 years newer, and does metric threading.
 
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