Emco Super 11

mikey said:
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.
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cult might not have been the right word.. but it was the word that came off the ends of my fingers at that time.. but i think in jest, you know exactly what i was meaning.. yes.. a following.. but that term didn't come to me at the time i first coined my other response.. i am looking forward to picking it up and getting it going..
 
i know one thing.. finding a mill is going to be a much harder search.. i do know.. i don't want no chy na mill.. period
 
Wasn't bagging on your choice of words. I've seen the word "cult" applied to Emco owners before so your wording is truer than you might think.

Look, Emco lathes are not perfect; no machine is. It is, at the end of the day, a small lathe and it cannot do what a big lathe can do but it wasn't designed for that. It was intended for small prototype shops and for upper tier hobby work. There are bigger lathes with larger work envelopes if that is what is needed but within the work envelope of an 11" lathe, the Super 11 is definitely one of the best out there.
 
mikey said:
Wasn't bagging on your choice of words. I've seen the word "cult" applied to Emco owners before so your wording is truer than you might think.

Look, Emco lathes are not perfect; no machine is. It is, at the end of the day, a small lathe and it cannot do what a big lathe can do but it wasn't designed for that. It was intended for small prototype shops and for upper tier hobby work. There are bigger lathes with larger work envelopes if that is what is needed but within the work envelope of an 11" lathe, the Super 11 is definitely one of the best out there.
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everything i will be doing for the most part will be "small".. side.. it will be perfect in that respect..
 
Is the lathe running or is the motor shot?

Normally, the lathes imported to the US are a 2 speed motor that runs on 120V AC. Many on the forum prefer a VFD induction motor, saying it is smoother. Mark Jacobs, @mksj, will know more about it; he is the VFD guru on the board. I don't recall what the mount is but it will be a European standard so it might be tricky finding a replacement.

The Emco motor is said to be a 3-phase motor wired for single phase US current. I know that some guys have installed a VFD on that motor but I don't know much about it. You might want to join the Emco Super 11 group.io to find out more.
 
Yes..i understand that they are normally with a 120V ac motor.. but he said that it currently has a 480v on it.. it came from a military auction.. so i was thinking if it is a 480V 3 phase.. it might be better to just replace that motor either sell the 480 or keep it..
mikey said:
Is the lathe running or is the motor shot?

Normally, the lathes imported to the US are a 2 speed motor that runs on 120V AC. Many on the forum prefer a VFD induction motor, saying it is smoother. Mark Jacobs, @mksj, will know more about it; he is the VFD guru on the board. I don't recall what the mount is but it will be a European standard so it might be tricky finding a replacement.

The Emco motor is said to be a 3-phase motor wired for single phase US current. I know that some guys have installed a VFD on that motor but I don't know much about it. You might want to join the Emco Super 11 group.io to find out more.
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i will look into the group you listed
 
IamNotImportant said:
i know one thing.. finding a mill is going to be a much harder search.. i do know.. i don't want no chy na mill.. period
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Here attached is the mill you seek.
 

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