# Should I buy this Emco Compact 8?



## ARC-170

There is an Emco Compact 8 lathe for sale in my area. Austrian made. Seller wants $1200. Has lots of tooling and accessories. Looks like it's in pretty decent shape.
I have an Atlas Craftsman 101.07403 12 x 18. Not sure if the Emco is better, do I thought I would ask your thoughts and comments.


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## markba633csi

Emco-Maier made very good small lathes of toolroom quality.  The Compact 8 was widely copied by the Chinese and others.
Make sure it has all the extra gears for cutting threads since they are expensive to replace.  Check for cracks around the cross slide handle, I believe there is a die cast mounting bracket that is somewhat weak.  You want to try and spot any worn or broken parts.  Some used parts can be found on Ebay but the supply is variable.
It's a great little hobby lathe. Price sounds reasonable.
-Mark


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## mikey

I have totally rebuilt a Compact 8 and know it pretty well. Interestingly, it was actually built to a DIN tool room standard if you can believe it. Sold for a lot of money when it came out and was the lathe the Chinese copied to produce all the 9X clones that came on the market. BUT it is still an 8" lathe with a belt drive and is also a change gear lathe that is incomplete without the entire change gear set. On the plus side, the 8" lathe is still available new but the current model is entirely built in China. The good thing is that some parts are still available new, unlike all other Emco lathes. 

You can usually find used parts on ebay but when they show up you have to be ready to jump quickly because parts for these lathes go fast. One rare part is a thread dial indicator that was never made for the Compact 8; the one for the Maximat 7 fits, though. They also never made a carriage stop and you'll have to make your own. 

I have used this lathe and find it to be pretty quiet and capable. It is small and I'm not sure going from a 12" lathe down to an 8" lathe makes sense but if this suits your needs or wants then it might be a good move. It is well made, as all Emco lathes were. It was built by Emco of Austria before the division that built it was sold off. I have the manuals for it if you decide to jump.


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## ARC-170

mikey said:


> I have totally rebuilt a Compact 8 and know it pretty well. Interestingly, it was actually built to a DIN tool room standard if you can believe it. Sold for a lot of money when it came out and was the lathe the Chinese copied to produce all the 9X clones that came on the market. BUT it is still an 8" lathe with a belt drive and is also a change gear lathe that is incomplete without the entire change gear set. On the plus side, the 8" lathe is still available new but the current model is entirely built in China. The good thing is that some parts are still available new, unlike all other Emco lathes.
> 
> You can usually find used parts on ebay but when they show up you have to be ready to jump quickly because parts for these lathes go fast. One rare part is a thread dial indicator that was never made for the Compact 8; the one for the Maximat 7 fits, though. They also never made a carriage stop and you'll have to make your own.
> 
> I have used this lathe and find it to be pretty quiet and capable. It is small and I'm not sure going from a 12" lathe down to an 8" lathe makes sense but if this suits your needs or wants then it might be a good move. It is well made, as all Emco lathes were. It was built by Emco of Austria before the division that built it was sold off. I have the manuals for it if you decide to jump.



I saw you had one when I was doing a little research and was hoping you'd chime in! This one has the manual and lots of extras, like the steady and follow rests, 3- and 4-jaw chucks, variable speed motor with digital readout indicator, Chinese QCTP (is that a red flag?), but no change gears.
It seems very similar to the lathes (Jets) we have in the shop at the school where I teach.
I like my 12" lathe and have got it running well. I've made a few projects on it and know its quirks and limits. I'm not sure I'll ever need all 12" of swing (famous last words, I know). I just saw this one and thought I'd ask around and see if it was even worth pursuing. Is it priced well?


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## markba633csi

Mikey who sells the change gear set these days?  Blue Ridge's website shows Emco stuff but the links don't work
-M


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## mikey

markba633csi said:


> Mikey who sells the change gear set these days?  Blue Ridge's website shows Emco stuff but the links don't work
> -M



There is currently a set on ebay now. I only spotted it. You will need to look the listing over to make sure it is accurate. 

ProMachineTools in the UK carries Compact 8 parts for the Emco machines and the newer Asian-made ones. The owner is a good guy. He may have things on the shelf that are not listed on his website. If you need something, email him and he'll tell you if he has it. 

I got my change gear set for my Super 11 from him for a bit over $200; on ebay, when you can find this set, the cost is well over $600 for a pre-owned set.


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## mikey

ARC-170 said:


> I saw you had one when I was doing a little research and was hoping you'd chime in! This one has the manual and lots of extras, like the steady and follow rests, 3- and 4-jaw chucks, variable speed motor with digital readout indicator, Chinese QCTP (is that a red flag?), but no change gears.
> It seems very similar to the lathes (Jets) we have in the shop at the school where I teach.
> I like my 12" lathe and have got it running well. I've made a few projects on it and know its quirks and limits. I'm not sure I'll ever need all 12" of swing (famous last words, I know). I just saw this one and thought I'd ask around and see if it was even worth pursuing. Is it priced well?



Yes, it is priced well. If it is in good shape and comes with all that tooling, $1200 is a fair price. Compact 8's in poor condition and almost no tooling often go for more than that. The cost to buy just the tooling you listed on ebay would be more than the price he is asking. The reason parts cost so much is that Emco no longer makes parts so we are all competing with each other on ebay. Emco lathes rarely break and when they do we can usually make replacements ourselves but some things, like steady rests and gear sets, have to be purchased and there is a LOT of competition out there for parts. You already have most of what you need but you do need the change gear set.





This is the lathe I rebuilt. The cost to bring it to this condition was nearly double what your seller is asking because I had to replace the bed and other parts. If you want or need that lathe then I would jump.

Edit: you can see the carriage stop I made for this lathe and the Maximat 7 thread dial indicator in this pic. It's a really nice little lathe and is now owned by a good friend. He is happy with it.

Edit 2: If you do buy the lathe, let me know and I'll tell you how I mounted this one. Emco uses a simple but really effective array under the feet of the lathe that makes leveling simple, fast and easy.


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## markba633csi

That gear set looks like it's for a compact 5, I just took a look. Does it fit the 8 also? I thought they were different


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## ARC-170

If I go look at this lathe, what should I look for? Are there any particular areas/issues/etc that I should pay attention to?

How is mounting a DRO setup on it? Pretty straight forward?


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## ARC-170

Here's a link to the ad:








						Emco Compact 8 Metal Lathe - general for sale - by owner
					

EMCO Compact 8 Metal Lathe, Made in Austria, the lathe has a variable speed motor with digital...



					losangeles.craigslist.org


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## mikey

markba633csi said:


> That gear set looks like it's for a compact 5, I just took a look. Does it fit the 8 also? I thought they were different



Mark, glad you looked. That set doesn't have the specified gears for the Compact 8. It should have the following gears: 20, 35, 40, 50, 55, 65, 70, 75 and a spacer that you can make. I think your best bet is to contact ProMachineTools and see if he has a set.


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## mikey

Hard to tell from pics, Jeff, but the lathe looks to be in decent condition. Here is what I see:

Again, no carriage stop but he does seem to have a thread dial indicator.
He did the mod to replace the cross slide handle housing that was prone to cracking.
He is also using a plinth under the tool post, which is why he can use that QCTP. The original compound is there but to use a QCTP on it you will need to modify the post. Probably better just to use his current plinth. Unlike the import 9X lathes, the compound on the Compact 8 works well as it is and does not need a modified ring.
The original steady and follow rests are there. These alone will run well over $100 each, used on ebay if you can even find them.
That is not an Emco chuck. He has jaws for a Soul chuck so maybe that is what it is. Soul, at least at one point in time, was the largest chuck manufacturer in Japan and made many chucks for Japanese industry. Good chucks.
Has an extra main pulley and belt. Also spare main leadscrew supports that can crack under heavy use if the end play is not adjusted properly. Easy to adjust, though.

I would say this lathe is well tooled, Jeff. As far as I know, the bed on the Compact 8 was not hardened and that is about the only thing I see that needs to be looked at closely. Nothing else is jumping out at me at this point. The problem is that I'm looking for something that will allow you to negotiate him down and nothing is visible. One thing you can do is to spin the chuck with the lathe cold. If the spindle rotates more than 1-1.5 revolutions then the spindle bearing preload needs to be adjusted. If it is really loose then you might suggest that the spindle bearings might be going; that would bring the price down a bit. The bearings are simple to change and adjust but I'm looking for a way to get the price down and I'm just not seeing it. His price really is fair for what he is presenting here.

Edit: thinking about it, this lathe is fully tooled up except for the change gear set. It doesn't make sense that a guy who outfits a lathe this completely does not have that gear set. You might want to ask him about it. He may have it and forgot to show it or he plans to sell it for more money on ebay. Something tells me this guy would own that set.


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## Aaron_W

The common 9x19 / 9x20 lathe that Jet, Enco, Grizzly etc sell was copied from the Compact 8. I don't know if there is any direct parts exchange but there is a very active online community related to these lathes. While the measurements might not match up a lot of the mods will probably carry over. The compound on the 9x is often modified to increase ridgity and making an even more solid plinth is common, and apparently the seller has already done this.

I picked up an Enco 9x20 last year and for a small lathe I think these are a nice size, similar capability but more compact than a lot of small 10" lathes. I would assume the Emco 8 is built to a better quality.


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## ARC-170

Well, just to put and end to this thread, the lathe was sold. He did text me and tell me that the lowest he'd take was $900. I just decided to be happy with mine. It's got a bigger swing, I have all the tooling and it's been fun getting to know it. Had I really needed a lathe, I think this would have been a good buy. Thanks to all for your help and info, I really appreciate it.


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