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Emco Super 11
- Thread starter IamNotImportant
- Start date
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- Jun 27, 2016
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- 384
Emco parts are cheap compared to Deckel parts, but the good is there are companies that still support them, just expensive.
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- Jun 27, 2016
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- 384
Mine has the big bore. Did you purchase yours new?
Emco doesn't show 480v, they show 440v, model number 5803GP in inch model
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i am just going by what he has listed in the ad.. my plan would be to go 220 single
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- Dec 20, 2012
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- 9,422
I do not have a DRO on any of my machines but I want to; just haven't gotten around to it. I wanted to go with a Mitutoyo DRO because I have come to trust the accuracy of this brand but I just learned that I probably won't be able to cut the scales to length so that went out the window. I will probably go with DRO Pros when I jump, mostly because if something went wrong then I have support. I know I can go cheaper with other sellers but as a veteran I like supporting a veteran-run American company, even if they're selling Chinese stuff; for me, it isn't just about money.
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thanks for the on the info.... and yes i am a vet too
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Mine is a CD so big bore by definition, although I'm not sure I would call 1-3/8" big.
No, I bought it with less than 100 hours on it. The guy intended to use it for gunsmithing but for some reason he lost interest.
Back when he bought it, the lathe cost almost $7k and that was with no accessories other than a 3 jaw chuck, and then he had to ship it to Hawaii. He bought the steady rest but not much else. I had to tool it up from there and it is now fully tooled up other than the taper attachment that I won't use and the grinder that I also won't use. I could just about buy two PM1340GT's with what I have invested in this lathe so some might think I'm crazy but then again, I have one hell of a lathe. Given the machines you have, I'm sure you understand.
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it appears that they are a "cult" item.. is that right?
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- Dec 20, 2012
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- 9,422
Cult? Hmm, maybe, but Emco machines are not like most machines and your lathe was built to a DIN tool room standard. Doing that is not cheap because every single aspect of the machine has to be done in a way that would pass inspection if they were to actually inspect it. I don't own the DIN standard sheet because it costs several hundred dollars; I keep hoping someone will copy it to the net.
Emco owners tend to be fanboys because the machines earn it. Wait, you'll see what I mean. I have run SB13's, a Sheldon and several Chinese lathes before and none of them even come close to the smoothness and precision of a Super 11. My lathe runs at around 72dB at full speed so you can stand next to it and have a conversation. I balanced a nickel on the headstock while it ran at full speed and the nickel didn't move. It has zero spindle run out, zero backlash on the cross slide and the compound, is hardened everywhere it counts and can take a 0.200" deep cut in mild steel with a HSS tool without gearing down; it can go deeper if you do gear it down a step. I measured the movement of the compound feed with a Compac 215GA and it is accurate to the tenth in movement; this matters when you're cutting a class 3a thread. There are little touches that you wouldn't normally notice, like a hardened dowel pin in the saddle where the carriage stop pin contacts it; makes for a very solid top and results in zero wear on the saddle casting. It has height adjusters fore and aft under each foot of the bed to allow for very fine leveling adjustment. The rib configuration of the bed is very rigid given its width so the lathe is very stable, very stiff, very accurate. It will also cut most common Imperial and Metric threads without resorting to the change gear set.
You are going to see how this lathe is constructed when you clean yours up. Everything fits, nothing needs to be forced or heavily torqued down. The machining is just excellent on this lathe and the quality of the castings is top notch.
There is a reason why Emco lathes have been cloned so often by the Asians. Emco lathes are not copies of anything but they are definitely copied. Most 9x20 lathes are copies of an Emco Compact 8. Many larger Asian lathes are copies or have features cloned from the Super 11; Weiss had one that could be a Super 11 in every way that mattered.
So cult? Not sure about that but Emco owners tend not to sell their machines. I sorta think I understand why.
Emco owners tend to be fanboys because the machines earn it. Wait, you'll see what I mean. I have run SB13's, a Sheldon and several Chinese lathes before and none of them even come close to the smoothness and precision of a Super 11. My lathe runs at around 72dB at full speed so you can stand next to it and have a conversation. I balanced a nickel on the headstock while it ran at full speed and the nickel didn't move. It has zero spindle run out, zero backlash on the cross slide and the compound, is hardened everywhere it counts and can take a 0.200" deep cut in mild steel with a HSS tool without gearing down; it can go deeper if you do gear it down a step. I measured the movement of the compound feed with a Compac 215GA and it is accurate to the tenth in movement; this matters when you're cutting a class 3a thread. There are little touches that you wouldn't normally notice, like a hardened dowel pin in the saddle where the carriage stop pin contacts it; makes for a very solid top and results in zero wear on the saddle casting. It has height adjusters fore and aft under each foot of the bed to allow for very fine leveling adjustment. The rib configuration of the bed is very rigid given its width so the lathe is very stable, very stiff, very accurate. It will also cut most common Imperial and Metric threads without resorting to the change gear set.
You are going to see how this lathe is constructed when you clean yours up. Everything fits, nothing needs to be forced or heavily torqued down. The machining is just excellent on this lathe and the quality of the castings is top notch.
There is a reason why Emco lathes have been cloned so often by the Asians. Emco lathes are not copies of anything but they are definitely copied. Most 9x20 lathes are copies of an Emco Compact 8. Many larger Asian lathes are copies or have features cloned from the Super 11; Weiss had one that could be a Super 11 in every way that mattered.
So cult? Not sure about that but Emco owners tend not to sell their machines. I sorta think I understand why.