Let's Talk About "Micro" Lathes

[ShagDog]

Sorry, you caught me sleeping.

I admit I’m partial to the Prazi/Hmat line, very well made and well thought out machines which were very expensive in their day.

I have the order sheet for the MD200 I sold, SD300 and SD400 I still have. Iirc the SD300 was $1800ish in the mid 90s and the SD400 was around $4K in the early 2000s.

The Proxxon line ranges from near exact copies of the Prazi lathes, to what is offered now which are similar but of lesser quality.

I’m not even sure if they are imported to the states if you are stateside, but the saddle and tailstock are now cast zinc along with other parts.

Finding these lathes is not too hard, finding one in good shape can be more difficult. They don’t wear like a traditional lathe due to their construction, but too often are left neglected and get rusty.

There’s a couple near me that I would buy for the right price to restore, but the sellers think their rusty basement machine is worth its weight in gold, when it’s actually a parts machine.

If there’s anything specific you would like to know just ask away.

Best to quote the post so I get a notice.

I passed up a Prazi a few months ago, about 4 hours from me. Kind of regretting it.
Anyway, how is the repeatable accuracy of your lathes?

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I passed up a Prazi a few months ago, about 4 hours from me. Kind of regretting it.
Anyway, how is the repeatable accuracy of your lathes?

Once tuned up their very good.

The smaller MD200 and SD300 have a “D” bed like a watchmaker’s lathe so the feel is tighter overall vs a V bed lathe, but that also allows for better accuracy when adjusted properly.


This is after upgrading the motor to a 1hp variable speed, I don’t remember if this was a .060 or more in O-1 tool steel, but even with that heavy of a cut there is little deflection.

A good part of that is using the right tooling, but having it dialed and having the ability to run whatever speed you want also helps.

I made a plinth to eliminate any slop from the compound, but it’s dialed in well enough that I run it with the compound and the plinth hangs on the wall.

Just curious, where are you located?

 

[ShagDog]

Once tuned up their very good.

The smaller MD200 and SD300 have a “D” bed like a watchmaker’s lathe so the feel is tighter overall vs a V bed lathe, but that also allows for better accuracy when adjusted properly.


This is after upgrading the motor to a 1hp variable speed, I don’t remember if this was a .060 or more in O-1 tool steel, but even with that heavy of a cut there is little deflection.

A good part of that is using the right tooling, but having it dialed and having the ability to run whatever speed you want also helps.

I made a plinth to eliminate any slop from the compound, but it’s dialed in well enough that I run it with the compound and the plinth hangs on the wall.

Just curious, where are you located?

Thanks. East Idaho.

 

[Forty Niner]

Curious as to your comment on the Taig being "the least accurate of the lot". In what way?

Didn't mean to be offensive, just observant. I know what I can and cannot do on it. My Taig has no lead screw, just a rack along the Z axis with a pinion attached to a dial wheel. The dials are small, and backlash can be a problem. The tailstock has a lever to advance the ram. The Taig three jaw chuck has soft jaws that don't hold as well as the Sherline steel chuck jaws.

 

[ShagDog]

Didn't mean to be offensive, just observant. I know what I can and cannot do on it. My Taig has no lead screw, just a rack along the Z axis with a pinion attached to a dial wheel. The dials are small, and backlash can be a problem. The tailstock has a lever to advance the ram. The Taig three jaw chuck has soft jaws that don't hold as well as the Sherline steel chuck jaws.

I did not in any way think you were being offensive. I like the Taig independent 4 jaw chuck for mine. I have made an attachment for it to mount to my 6" rotary table.

 

[Forty Niner]

I did not in any way think you were being offensive. I like the Taig independent 4 jaw chuck for mine. I have made an attachment for it to mount to my 6" rotary table.

Yes, the Taig 4 Jaw chuck is stout. I like it.

 

[skogkatt007]

Be advised the Toyo lathes have some sort of extruded aluminum/pot metal headstock. For the price they go for (new) in itself is a deal breaker, and also they aren't made in Japan anymore. If you find one used for a good price, ok. But paying big bucks for such a lathe is crazy.

I'm not knocking the use of extrusions in small latjes, the Taig has that. But paying thousands for such ... they're called Mannix now, made in Korea. Very expensive, very insane.

 

[Aaron_W]

I can't say if the Sherline or Taig is more accurate as nothing I've done requires accuracy at a level that either can't deliver. I will say I think the Sherline makes it easier for me to be accurate because of the way it is set up, having graduated hand wheels on the lead screw, cross slide, tail stock and optional compound while Taig only has a graduated hand wheel on the crossslide..

This comes at some cost though, literally in a higher price as well as it being much slower to traverse long distances with the Sherline, where Taigs rack and pinion and tail stock allow much more rapid movement.

The Sherline chucks are much higher quality, but also twice the price.

 

[skogkatt007]

A question I'd like to pose to Taig users.

Their stock motor is rated 1/4 h.p. My original Atlas 618, a far more heaftier lathe also had a 1/4 h.p. motor. I never saw it as being deficient, within the lathes limits. So why does a Taig need a comparably rated motor?

 

[ShagDog]

A question I'd like to pose to Taig users.

Their stock motor is rated 1/4 h.p. My original Atlas 618, a far more heaftier lathe also had a 1/4 h.p. motor. I never saw it as being deficient, within the lathes limits. So why does a Taig need a comparably rated motor?

Good question, and I don't have an answer. The belt slips way before there is any issue of lack of power on my Taigs.