Hi-end Benchtop Lathes?

This one looks good (except for the lack of gearbox):

OPTIturn TU 2506 (230 V) Lathe

OPTIturn TU 2506 (230 V) - Article-No.: 3425001 - Lathe - Precisely manufacturedPowerful, maintenance-free engineHardened and ground Z-axis...
www.stuermer-machines.com www.stuermer-machines.com

Has chunky MT4 / 124mm mount and chuck and their description centres around a lot of precision figures.

Any have any experience with this brand?
 
No experience with this brand but it looks like a standard Chinese built bench lathe. If you are looking for high quality you really should be searching for Taiwan built equipment, if purchasing Chinese I would shop by price and expect to do quite a bit of work to make it accurate. There is an "Asian machines" section on here that should apply to almost anything you're looking at new online. Look at Precision Matthews website (they're a forum sponsor). They import machines from China and Taiwan and offer good customer service here in the US. If I were buying new, and wanted support, I would look for someone like them rather than going on price alone but I would still expect to tear the machine down to at least clean it before putting it into service.

Please know that your question has been asked many, many times on this and other forums and unfortunately the answer almost always is either expect to rebuild it from new, or buy quality used. There is a member @DavidR8 in Victoria BC who has recently been through exactly this exercise. You may find it helpful to read through his posts to get a feel for where you're likely to end up. Spoiler alert, he recently bought an older model lathe after initially getting a Chinese built mini lathe.

From what I've read the Myford lathes are what I would be looking for if I lived in the UK and needed a quality benchtop machine, either that or an Enco unit, some of which come with built in milling capability. Quality machine tools are built to last quite a long time and this is one area where you really do get more for your money with a used machine than something new unless you are willing to spend lots of money.

The two manufacturers I mentioned are known quantities with a broad following ranging from hobbyists to professionals. If you haven't found it yet http://www.lathes.co.uk/ is the master resource for machine tool information. They have a classified section that will give you an idea of what machines command what prices, and might even have something you'll be interested in close to where you live.

General advice:

Buy quality, you won't be sorry in the long run.
Get as much tooling included, it's very expensive and you'll need it to do anything.
Take you time and know what your requirements are before buying anything.
Ask questions, lots of them. This place is great for that :encourage:
Read about other's experiences, it's free:grin:

This hobby is very exciting and when you first start out it's tempting to try and build your shop all at once. Reality is most people gain knowledge as they go and many would have done things quite differently if they had the knowledge they have now when they started out. Don't be one who buys the wrong tool and quits from frustration, you have come to the right place for help.

Cheers,

John
 
matthewsx said:
Please know that your question has been asked many, many times on this and other forums and unfortunately the answer almost always is either expect to rebuild it from new, or buy quality used. There is a member @DavidR8 in Victoria BC who has recently been through exactly this exercise.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Just looking around at the 7"-9" swing models out there, the just about all of the new stuff (barring the CNC machining monstrosities) seems to be dressed-up versions of the same design as the Asian imports. The industry is becoming dangerously inbred.

The upshot: resign yourself to becoming a mechanic, and keep an eye out for a decent used machine. If the need is pressing, buy one of the new ones from a respected manufacturer, with an eye towards selling the thing (for 1/3 the buying price no doubt) once a suitable used one has been located.
 
You might look at the EMCO product line, made in Austria I think.

emco-world.us -&nbspemco world Resources and Information.

emco-world.us is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, emco-world.us has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!
www.emco-world.us
 
Hard to recommend a specific lathe as the availability in the US is different. Overall it would seem that most of the new lathes you would be looking at would be Chinese mainland manufacturer. I first would outline the specifications that you would want and the limitations as to weight and size. I would look for a D1-4 spindle mount, power feed/cross feed, full gearbox (few change gears), etc. Something along the lines of the Waco GH1322/1330. I would go with the 3 phase version (which cost less) and add a VFD. You will see a better surface finish and motor longevity.

Warco GH1322 Gear Head Metal Working Engineering Lathe

A firm favourite with educational facilities and industry, the GH1322 offers true industrial level specification with a relatively small footprint. Offered in single or three phase versions, these lathes are truly built to last.
www.warco.co.uk www.warco.co.uk

Alternatively look for a Taiwanese made machine similar to what we have in the US as the PM-1236T also per Jim's recommendation, Emco models.
https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pm-1236t/

I had an Optima BF-30 mill, and the quality was not there, and I eventually sold it. Sieg is OK, but feature wise on the SC8, SC10 and quality is just OK but not what I would consider high quality.

 
JimDawson said:
You might look at the EMCO product line, made in Austria I think.

emco-world.us -&nbspemco world Resources and Information.

emco-world.us is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, emco-world.us has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!
www.emco-world.us
Click to expand...
Yes, Emco. Not Enco, but if you can get an older Taiwan made Enco they’re not too bad either:):)
 
A bit late got waylaid about an hour ago !
Ratch, since you are in London I would not contemplate buying an Asian from the continent, any problems would be more difficult to solve, a different story if you were purchasing a European made machine.
Matthewsx is spot on with his comments particularly buying quality, its oft been said bye cheap bye twice !
I notice Jim has been me to it but Emco is excellent, among other machines I have an Emco Super 11 -- the CD came later but essentially the same machine, if you can find a used one in good condition it would be a good choice but not really a bench machine. No experience of them but Warco seem to be top of the tree for imported machines, also Axminster tools do a range of imported lathes and do some training days as do Warco.
 
But once - cry once. or so it's said. (If only the budget would allow for that line of thought...)

There's a guy on the continent that is rebuilding a handful Myfords and those look capable to me. (Correct me if I'm wrong with that thought guys.)
I'm trying to find the vids that I watched a while back. The only experience I have with Myfords is from watching videos but from what I've seen some creators produced on them I'm thinking that might be viable.

And as Jim & RedGrouse mention, Emco produces a quality product and I personally would pursue those if the budget allows.
I've personally seen them in use in model shops and tools rooms over the years, and when they do show up in an auction over here they're popular.
I've got an old Emco ~3" mill vise in my collection that (I believe) is very well made. Never been used as far as I can tell - no dingles or dings anywhere on it.
Maximat might just be the way to go.
 
After reading through, I think the Emco Maximat is ideal. Metric, Austrian build quality, available used in Europe for reasonable cost (I've looked at a few). Hardinge may be another possibility, but there seems to be a lot of rabbitholes to fall into there. Optimum and Bernardo do nice Asian imports, but IMHO you can't paint over offshore iron and call it something different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top