Performance expectations for Craftex CX700 lathe
I'm looking for my first lathe. I spent 15 years building plastic injection moulds, but that was 20 years ago and I'm rusty now. And that experience was with much larger tool-room machines, so I'm in new territory for me. Maximum part size for jobs I have in mind now will be about 1 1/2 in dia and about 6 in long, like for small flashlights. Materials I know I will be cutting are various plastics, aluminum, brass, various tool steels (H-13, P-20) and SS 304 & 316. This machine seems like it's about the right size and price for me. It will see prototype jobs and light production runs.
I have 4 questions right now;
I really like that it comes with digital readouts. Are they any good? All I want is to know where the tool-bit is.
Will I be able to take a reasonable roughing cut in SS with 1 HP? 0.03" deep (0.06" dia) x 0.015"/rev would be great (am I dreaming here?). Is 3/4 HP good enough for this?
Range of spindle speeds is 50 – 2000 RPM. Will I have enough power at lower RPM to get the job done?
This puppy has a 3 year warranty from Busy Bee. Do they stand behind it?
Many thanks for any help you guys can give me.
R
I'm looking for my first lathe. I spent 15 years building plastic injection moulds, but that was 20 years ago and I'm rusty now. And that experience was with much larger tool-room machines, so I'm in new territory for me. Maximum part size for jobs I have in mind now will be about 1 1/2 in dia and about 6 in long, like for small flashlights. Materials I know I will be cutting are various plastics, aluminum, brass, various tool steels (H-13, P-20) and SS 304 & 316. This machine seems like it's about the right size and price for me. It will see prototype jobs and light production runs.
I have 4 questions right now;
I really like that it comes with digital readouts. Are they any good? All I want is to know where the tool-bit is.
Will I be able to take a reasonable roughing cut in SS with 1 HP? 0.03" deep (0.06" dia) x 0.015"/rev would be great (am I dreaming here?). Is 3/4 HP good enough for this?
Range of spindle speeds is 50 – 2000 RPM. Will I have enough power at lower RPM to get the job done?
This puppy has a 3 year warranty from Busy Bee. Do they stand behind it?
Many thanks for any help you guys can give me.
R