# My new/ old Denford Viceroy lathe, now the work (fun?) begins



## jeff_g1137 (Aug 1, 2013)

[FONT=&amp]Hi all

I am in the market for a lathe in the next year or so, but cannot[/FONT][FONT=&amp] decide on a new or old lathe, [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Looking for 4.5" to 6", power feeds, 20” to 30” long bed, 25mm + bore.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&amp]price £1000 to £1500,[/FONT]
  [FONT=&amp]
[/FONT][FONT=&amp]old [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Harrison, Boxford, Myford, Colchester, Axminster[/FONT]

  [FONT=&amp]or[/FONT]
  [FONT=&amp]new[/FONT]
  [FONT=&amp]I have looked at the internet & i like the Amadeal uk lathes[/FONT]
  [FONT=&amp]made by Weiss, the AMA 250 vf-750 & AMA 290 vf[/FONT]

  [FONT=&amp]Are the new lathes any good, the price is good, but is the[/FONT][FONT=&amp] Construction, is it a quality going to stand the test of time.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Can the v/speed be a problem, have they got it right now.[/FONT]


  [FONT=&amp]Would you buy a new one or an old one, [/FONT]

  [FONT=&amp]An old lathe may be unreliable, cost a lot to repair.[/FONT]

  [FONT=&amp]If you have a Weiss lathe & have used it for a long time, is it a good lathe, has it been repaired or not.[/FONT]


  [FONT=&amp]Any info please.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&amp]thanks Jeff[/FONT]


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## samthedog (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

G'day Jeff. I was in your situation for a while as I desperately wanted to upgrade from my Emco V10 to something larger. New meant I would have to buy far eastern, and old meant taking a gamble. All I can say is if you bide your time, you will find a decent old lathe. The problem is that if you want it to be in good condition, you may have to increase your budget or wait a longer time.

I initially only wanted to spend 2000 pounds for a lathe but when a nice Chipmaster came along, I begged, borrowed and stole the required money to buy it. I know this is twice your budget...

http://www.bwmachinetools.co.uk/machine-details.asp?stock_number=10308

But something like this would fulfil your requirements and would be a lifelong "keeper". It also has all the bells and whistles so will not need much fettling to get right. This is just a quick example however if you wait and have the money ready you can usually come across deals.

I spent 2500 pounds on my Chipmaster and don't regret it one bit. I love using it and if I had a chance to get the one I linked to, I would jump at it as I would like to add coolant and a DRO which would run me into an extra 500 quid anyway.

Good luck with your hunt!

Paul.


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## jeff_g1137 (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

Hi paul
thanks but £1500 is my top price.
will keep on looking.
jeff


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## schor (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

I personally like the old iron. You can get it cheap, they are not to hard to restore/repair. And they've already lasted 50-100 years and will probably run another 50-100 years.

If you can find one that's been taken care of well with lots of tooling and accessories you can go far for way less than you would spend on a new one.

Just my opinion.


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## jeff_g1137 (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

Hi
not in the UK an old crap one is £500 to £700 
one on ebay, a boxford 9x23 27 years old, in as new condition went for £4647 :nuts:

There is only 10 to 20 lathes a week on ebay for all of the UK. (some to big, some crap, & the rest are Myfords)
to pickup a lathes from a london will cost £150 +

I have the time for the right lathe to come along

has nobody got a weiss lathe, need info on the quality of the product.

thanks jeff


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## stupoty (Aug 2, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

Hello,

second hand can get you a lot of tooling and accessories that can be a major part of the cost, e.g. A 3 jaw chuck a 4 jaw chuck a collet chuck (if you wish to use that) a quality live center , dial indicators if you dont have a digital read out, steady rests etc.

a good example was a recent very low use lathe, gear head type very simmilar to a colchester 2000 , rrp about £3-4000 sold for £550 on ebay. (Fully equiped)

It always takes longer if you have to wait for that killer deal.

If your new to lathes assessing whats good and bad is more difficult i think.

new has the advantage of warranty etc. and piece of mind is always nice 

Stuart


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## ezduzit (Aug 2, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

I waited for a deal on a used lathe that came with several boxes of tooling. Be patient and watch the eBay and c/l ads every day.


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## Ray C (Aug 2, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

This is a really complicated question and I'm at a disadvantage since I don't know how easy/hard it is to obtain equipment in your area. Also, it depends on your finances and your goals of what kind of work you wish to do.

I'll share my experiences...

I initially purchased an old lathe and box full of tooling. I was like a kid in a candy store when I got it but after eating all the candy, I had an upset stomach... The lathe and all the tooling was worn out. -Still usable but everything showed it's signs of age. I spent a good bit of money to repair and update things -about 2-3x what I paid for the initial setup which was 350 USD. You can still do good work with older equipment -age is not the factor. Wear and Tear is. Speed is a factor too. Everything had to be done with more care and patience with things that are somewhat worn.

One day, I decided to go "full-bore" with my garage and turn it into a dedicated shop... I spent the better part of a year looking for the right lathe. I knew what my possible candidates were -I had a clear picture of what would be suitable both from the perspective of machine quality and type of machine to suit my needs.

The right machine never came along -with one exception. A solid Sheldon became available in my price range and in good quality but, it needed to have the motor down-sized from 10 HP to something I could plug in with residential power. While investigating, someone else snatched-up the machine... Annoyed about this and tired of the wait, I had identified Precision Matthews as the best thing going quality-wise in a new lathe. The next day, I ordered a 1236. It was the smallest I was willing to go yet still in my price range. I don't regret the decision other than wishing I got the 1340 which has a quick-change threading gear setup. The machine has been flawless and unlike the used lathe I had prior, cut's perfectly well right out of the box.

-Not trying to convince you one way or the other. Just want you to be aware that there is a difference between working *with *your equipment vs. working *on *your equipment. There is always some overlap in terms of maintenance and minor modifications. Be apprised that when you purchase used equipment, unless you know exactly what to look for, you'll never know if you'll be working *with *or *on *your equipment until after you buy it.

BTW: Machine repair is a really cool topic and there's nothing wrong with just buying lathes and restoring them... It's harder than what meets the eye and my hat is off to the guys that do it all the time.

Ray


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## jeff_g1137 (Sep 10, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

Hi
Thanks for all the info, in the end i got a denford viceroy lathe 11 x 24 + tools for £350 it is not in good shape but will clean up ok.
As i do the work on it i will post some updates for all to see.
jeff


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## jducharme (Nov 11, 2013)

*Re: a new or old lathe,*

Mr Ray C.   Ty I really liked your answer.


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## jeff_g1137 (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi all

Just a update, 
I picked up some parts that was missing off the lathe, from ebay.




Backgear lever, was looking for 6 months






TDI again looking for 6 months







New
Got this new WEG CFW-08 Wash - 2.2kW 230V IP66 AC Flux Vector Drive Speed Controller. 
Not up & runing yet, been looking at the manual for days, :think1::think1:
its hard at my age, but i will get there.

Thanks Jeff


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## jeff_g1137 (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi all
Just some photos you may like, of the lathe. 
I have been geting some parts & tooling off ebay. 
The lathe.








you can see the condition   it was in. I have stripped & cleaned it for now, 
but my garage is in a tip no room to work.



The tools i picked up.
Mitutoyo DTI & Eclipse Mag base







The toolpost is a Alors AXA, made in the UK by Kingston Eng. It came with the lathe.
The tool holder are from China i think, Hess 250-102-XL but i got them new from the USA.
It was cheaper than buying them in the UK, from the UK £80, from the USA £60 inc S&H
And they will take a 5/8" tool, the UK one's only 1/2".












0 to 5" Micrometers, the Mitutoyo 2-3" is over 26 years old but is like new.
Mitutoyo & Moore & Wright. 
The 0-1" i got in the 60s.










Mitutoyo & Moore & wright,  25mm to 75mm, 
I must get a 0-25mm its on my list.







cheap Digital caliper






BA spanners, small tools & books for the lathe







Hope you like the post


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## jeff_g1137 (Jun 29, 2014)

Hi
just got a Mitutoyo micrometer 0-25mm 103-137 off ebay, to add to the my tools for the lathe.


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