Which Lathe Would You Suggest?

malmac

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Hi Folks

Trying to get a better idea of which lathe would be a better buy. Realise that there are subjective questions in here but interested in teasing out a range of questions that I probably have not even asked. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Option One: Buy a new Tiawanese lathe made by Sunmaster - quite a good quality lathe as far as I can tell. I think this same RML1440 is sold in the US under the Kent brand.28094229290_3bb59b6792_c.jpg
Second Option: Buy a secondhand Colchester lathe. Here is one example that is for sale at only a slightly lower price than the Sunmaster from Taiwan (new). I am thinking this lathe must be about a 1993 vintage machine - so a fair bit of wear and tear is possibly already inflicted -

28343395586_ce6129b55b_b.jpg
 
"Slightly lower"???
If the roles were revered, I'd go with the all new unit, I'd expect some kind of warranty with a new machine to help avoid any "surprises".
But I guess it always depends on the dollars.
 
That’s a no brainer, the Colchester! BUT, make sure everything works…run it. If you need to buy parts for it, you might wind up in the hospital after talking to the manufacture for a price.
 
Hands down, the RML. Either one is probably way more than you will need. The RML is industrial quality, even by local sellers that I have spoke to, way more than a hobbyist would need. Why buy something something that parts would most likely be a problem in sourcing and very expensive, vs. a known quality machine. Why even consider a used machine if an RML is within your budget and you have a local dealer. Q.E.D.
 
With the Colchester it looks like you will be getting some extras , I think I see a DRO on there . Tooling package will be a factor . A 1440 is hardly a hobby lathe . As I'm sure you are aware you will need 3 phase for either of those babies . Back round 86' when I was starting my shop I scored a 1440 Taiwan lathe , It was called a Good Way . It had a tooling package , major stuff was 3- 4- 6 jaw chucks (nice ones) a JFK collet closer, a taper attachment and a 6 station bed turret plus tail stock , steady and follow rest , Trav-A-Dial and boxes of Morse taper drills and a lot of carbide bits . Also a 4 way tool post and a Aloris with a bunch of holders . And I only paid $ 3,500 . That is cheap I know but it was a right place right time thing . By the way I sold my entire shop 7 yrs' ago at which time that lathe was tired but still working ! By the way malmac what are your plans as far as what you are going to do with a 1440 ?
 
Hey, thanks guys for your responses. I had never used a lathe before buying my current machine about five years ago. In that time I find I use it more and more as I do projects. The most recent project completed was a major overhaul of my son's old motorbike engine. This included machining his flywheel to fit in with a new repro crankshaft - just to mention one of the jobs. My current lathe is OK for lots of stuff BUT the runout and accuracy is just not there for parts which need to mesh in a high speed environment - like bike engines running at 4-5 thousand RPM. So I thought I might buy a better lathe.

I don't need the 40 inch bed BUT to get a decent sized spindle bore - bigger bore, longer bed - is common. I am also looking at some 800mm between centre lathes and to be up front I would be happy with 600mm between centres but with an 80mm spindle bore - but I am not going to get that - so it is about finding a working compromise. So I think stay above 50mm spindle bore size, get a DRO and coolant system, stay away from Chinese manufacture (hard to determine quality) - get good thread cutting options and functionality - and a few other considerations.

I am looking at four major dimensions -
1. Accuracy
2. Functionality - what can it do
3. Capacity - how bigger bit can it work with -
4. Cost

I can afford a new RML but it does mean less money to spend on other stuff - the money pit is not bottomless.
Also a good quality lathe will still be a good quality lathe in years to come - when an older CNC may be difficult to run when software etc interface is either not available or buried in some cloud bank at $xxxxx per month fee. So I think manual is the way to go.

Thanks for taking an interest and always open to suggestions and ideas.

Regards


mal
 
I don't have any suggestions as I've no experience in the size range you seem to be aiming at. But I'll comment on the comment on Colchester repair parts cost. They may give you nosebleed, but so will any parts for any new machine. I haven't had to buy any parts recently for my 12x36 but some AH recently broke out the back glass of my Land Rover (and stole two tool boxes) and the cost to repair, after my discount was within the cost of a hamburger of $1000. Of which over half was for a flat piece of glass. People our age are too prone to remembering what things cost in the 60's. :(
 
Sorry to hear about your back window being smashed - the world is not populated by angels.
I am going down later in the week to look at a Harrison Lathe - bit smaller in size than I want - but about the budget I had set - so we will see - life is made up of compromises -

regards

Mal
 
There are a few lathes made in a 1440 or 1640 configuration with a large spindle bore and take a D1-8 chuck. So if this is high on your must have list, it may be an option. The jet would be less than the RML, Sharp gets a premium, but there are other vendors who have the same machine (Acra, kent, Acer?). Accuracy at this level is more user based, and also comes down to quality of the chucks and tooling. Functionally, they all would be full featured at this level, have universal gearboxes, short of some electronic speed control and EVS I am not sure what else you would be looking for. Cutting capacity, at this level, they will all peel away material at a very high rate. Even on a smaller less rigid machine, I can get a 0.1" DOC with no issues and with an automated stop system, I can repeat very quickly. Probably comes down to quality, support and cost.

If you where in an area where you had more access to lathe parts and you like to rebuild machines, then an older used lathe may be an option, but being somewhat remote will make that a problem. Getting parts, even with current production machines can be an issue, but at least you can get parts. Otherwise you have a very heavy paper weight sitting in your shop. Jet would rank high as to availability of parts.

GH-1440ZX, 3-1/8" Spindle Bore Geared Head Lathe 321910
http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/gh-1440zx-3-1-8-spindle-bore-geared-head-lathe/321910

Sharp 1640L, 3-1/8" Spindle Bore Geared Head Lathe
http://www.sharp-industries.com/product/1640lv1660lv
 
Thank you for the links mksj -
Yesterday I went and had a look at a couple of new Colchester lathes and also a new Taiwanese lathe. I know that Colchester are now largely or completely built in Taiwan - however the difference between the two lathes, in my estimation was significant. I liked the specs on the Taiwanese lathe - Liouy Hsing - 430x1100.

The first Colchester was a Triumph 2000 - very nice machine - very nice - really just too big for my home workshop.

Then we looked at the Student 2500 lathe - now this lathe is only a whisker bigger than my current lathe, but it was a pleasure to operate the controls, had really nice feel and is a well appointed lathe for it's size. This lathe would fit nicely into my workspace - if only it had a 51mm spindle bore it would be looking like a sure thing - and it still may be - we will see.

However I have not been able to see a RML or ERL lathe from Sun Master in Taiwan as I have been told they are also a lovely bit of kit.

So the search continues.


Mal
 
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