[Newbie] Advice for Lathe Purchase

The frustrating thing is that you may not have enough time to check them all out before they sell- It's a compromise. If you have a regular lathe checklist that you can run through quickly you'll be ahead of the crowd.
Someone said in another thread that that particular model of Colchester is not an especially great machine, but I don't remember the specifics. It's English made if I'm not mistaken, and when new I'm sure they were a delight.
One thing I just noticed is the saddle on the Colchester is large and has numerous T-slots. Great for special boring setups and some limited milling!
 
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The person with Jet replied to my email last night that it was still available, but he didn't say anything further - and I included my telephone number. I emailed him again this morning but haven't heard back. The lathe has been on CL for almost a month. I haven't received a reply for the Colchester and didn't bother with the Atrump.

I totally get the compromise, and if it works out, great. If not, there will always be another one, and I have my SB9A in the meantime. I appreciate everyone's take on it.
 
Gaffer said:
If not, there will always be another one, and I have my SB9A in the meantime.
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This puts you in a much better place than many of these shopping for a lathe posts. Unless you have an urgent need for a bigger lathe, you can be patient until find one you feel really good about at a price you also feel good about. That is a great advantage to have so don't waste it by letting yourself get into a rush to buy something.
 
Just did a search, Atrump is still around, they are one of many small companies importing Taiwanese and Chinese machines. Looking at the equipment on their website without diving into the details. I would guess that the larger industrial machines are from Taiwan and the smaller ones are from China. But that is an assumption on my part.

If I were to chose from the images presented I would go with the JET. But if you have a dial indicator, I would take it along with a mag base and do some checking before you buy. If nothing else, it may provide you with some negotiating power. If nothing else, you will know if it is a walk away.
 
The Jet is a Jet. The best time to buy a Jet is when the price is right. This time the price isn't. If you could pick it up for closer to half the asking price, you'd be in business... and the lathe would do fine work on what fits.

Atrump is not a small company. They did Taiwanese mills and lathes in the 1990s, then switched to CNC. That looks like a burly lathe and may be worth inspecting. Not "cofefe", but close.

The Colchester is what I'm most drawn to of the lot. Bearings may be expensive (if you need them), but what does that say? I don't know the specs on that lathe, but I would assume expensive bearings mean big headstock passthrough capacity.
 
A little Googling reveals that it's a Colchester Student.

Help wanted - Colchester Student MK 1.5 Headstock issue plus makers plate artwork

Hi, I have recently refurbished my Colchester Student MK 1.5 lathe for the second time. With a bigger budget, I did the job a bit better this time with two pack paints and sandblasting where it counted on the cabinet, tray and splashback. During all the chaos, I seem to have misplaced two...
www.practicalmachinist.com
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I heard back from the seller today. Grandson is selling it for grandpa. The story is that it is under power at grandpa's house. He's a retired engineer and has owned it for 20 years and light use by him. He bought it from his engineering friend 20 years ago he supposedly owned it with similar use. I got a few more photos and it's a Colchester Master 6.5". I'm looking at it tomorrow after work and will take my dial indicator with me. The spindle bearing and parts prices scare me, but grandson says it was well cared for and in very good condition and it's a 1960's vintage he believes.

I haven't found much on these machines since learning this information. I've read that some models had dual v belts that could be problematic. Any information you can give me for testing it and what to look for would be great. Is there are particular sound I should be looking for to indicate problems, or is there a way I can test the spindle bearings other than with my dial indicator and mag mount?

The plate that shows the speeds and associated lever positions to achieve them indicates a top speed of 1,000 rpm, and 8 speeds total. He sent me a video of it running, not cutting anything. I notices a fair amount of tooling and a follower rest. I'm sure there are things not in the video, so we'll see.
 
And I haven't figured out how 6.5" relates to swing. What size lathe is this? I'm guessing 13".
The plate with RPMs, center - left says 1308 with R.P.M. below it.
 
Gaffer said:
And I haven't figured out how 6.5" relates to swing. What size lathe is this? I'm guessing 13".
The plate with RPMs, center - left says 1308 with R.P.M. below it.
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I think English lathes go by the radius of the swing rather than diameter so 13" sounds right.
 
English machines are the cat's meow, think all the strength of old American Iron with the smoothness of James Bond ;)

Seriously though, if it makes chips and isn't falling apart at that price you'll be silly to pass it up. Yes, you will have to fix something but it will be worth it....

John

Sure you've seen it but here's lathes.co.uk has to say.

Early Colchester Lathes - Re-branded The Osbourn Lathe

Colchester Lathes from 1903 to 2000
www.lathes.co.uk
 
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