Need advice about Emco Compact 8 lathe

[Aaron_W]

Presumably the build quality is better on the Emco, but it is still basically a slightly smaller, less featured Grizzly G4000. Emco made some very good quality lathes, but I get the feeling the Compact 8 was the result of Emco trying to cut costs, so maybe not their best effort. I see Compact 5s generally sell for more money than the larger Compact 8.

The Grizzly G4000 and other branded 9x20s came about when Emco moved production from Austria to Taiwan.

Not sure when Emco stopped making the Compact 8, but believe it was done by 1990, so minimum 35 years old. Maybe not an issue if well cared for but the surface rust and missing change gears does not say well cared for.

Parts for 9x20 are readily available, Emco? In general Emco parts are not cheap, and I'm not sure how much parts commonality there is between Compact 8 and a 9x20. The Compact 8 is an 8.2x18" lathe while the 9x20 is an 8.75x20" lathe, so while there is probably some ability to make 9x20 parts work, I am also sure there are parts that will not fit between the two.


Maybe if I ran both side by side I might have a different opinion, but personally I'd probably choose a 9x20 lathe over the Compact 8 all other things (price, tooling, condition) being equal.

 

[matthewsx]

Definitely "rode hard and put away wet", but seems like it would be a worthy fix up at $500. Maybe try for a lower price? The G4000 is $1750 new so less than 1/3.

If parts are scarce maybe the OP could part it out and make a tidy profit?

Guess it all comes down to his desire to have a small lathe, could be useful for some....

John

 

[Pylonracer]

There is an Emco Compact 8 for sale near me. I went to take a look after doing some research.

FIRST, PICTURES!
View attachment 516407View attachment 516408View attachment 516409View attachment 516410View attachment 516411View attachment 516412View attachment 516413View attachment 516414

WHAT I KNOW/FOUND OUT FROM SELLER
-Seller is cleaning out the garage of a relative. Knows a bit about machines.
-It only comes with what you see in the photos.
-Seller states the mill didn't work, but we plugged it in and it worked fine.
-Everything seems to work fine, but the machine was lubed with some sort of heavy grease and it's hard to turn everything.
-Machine is filthy and covered with grease.
-Comes with one change gear, plus what's on the lathe. Seller wasn't sure of the history of what it came with. He has looked for the gears, but has not found them.
-Cross-feed handle knob (black handle) is bent (seems like an easy fix).
-Crossfeed handle housing appears to be fine. It seems these are a common failure point.
-No chuck key for the chuck. The one in the photo is for the drill chuck (I think).
-No wrenches for the tailstock
-All plugs appear to be replacements, with what appear to be aftermarket cord strain reliefs.
-Motor turns fine, but the plastic cover is rubbing. I think I fixed it, but we didn't turn the lathe on the conform.
-Steady rest appears to be aftermarket

QUESTIONS
1. What should I offer for this?
2. Would this be easy enough to take apart, clean and get running?
3. I know parts are expensive; what sources are best?
4. How hard are the chucks to find? It uses some sort of DIN standard. I don't need a 4-jaw right away, but would like to eventually get one. Not sure of the condition of the 3-jaw, either; it was covered with grease and there was no key.
5. What size/type QCTP does this use? Or does it even use one? It has a "C" or "U"-shaped holder. I couldn't seem to find anything like this.

I keep seeing these and keep looking, so when they come up I seriously consider getting one. It's much smaller than my current machine (Atlas Craftsman 101.07403 12" x 18"), but a much higher quality. I thought I might get this and try it out. I figure I could sell it with little or no loss if it isn't what I thought it was.

Thoughts and comments? Thanks!
@mikey @markba633csi @Aaron_W You've all commented before, and I always appreciated your insight. Would love to hear from you all again.

I have a Compact 8, I paid £700 so about $900 but it came with quite a bit more bits and pieces than the one that you show.

I would offer $400 to $450 as there is a lot of work in getting it cleaned up.

Mine is a super precise machine and runs really smoothly, it can quite easily turn to a 1/10 thou in aluminium and gives a great finish.

 

[ARC-170]

Thanks everyone. So you all think the condition of the lathe is easily remedied? Does anyone see any other concerns or issues?

My main concerns:
3. Part sources? Looks like one store on Ebay sells this stuff.
4. What chuck does this use? Which DIN spindle nose size is it? Are there adapters out there?
5. Looks like OXA QCTP will fit?

Of lesser concerns, but I want to make this look purty: what color rattle can paint is closest or a match to the orange?

 

[ARC-170]

Presumably the build quality is better on the Emco, but it is still basically a slightly smaller, less featured Grizzly G4000. Emco made some very good quality lathes, but I get the feeling the Compact 8 was the result of Emco trying to cut costs, so maybe not their best effort. I see Compact 5s generally sell for more money than the larger Compact 8.

The Grizzly G4000 and other branded 9x20s came about when Emco moved production from Austria to Taiwan.

Not sure when Emco stopped making the Compact 8, but believe it was done by 1990, so minimum 35 years old. Maybe not an issue if well cared for but the surface rust and missing change gears does not say well cared for.

Parts for 9x20 are readily available, Emco? In general Emco parts are not cheap, and I'm not sure how much parts commonality there is between Compact 8 and a 9x20. The Compact 8 is an 8.2x18" lathe while the 9x20 is an 8.75x20" lathe, so while there is probably some ability to make 9x20 parts work, I am also sure there are parts that will not fit between the two.


Maybe if I ran both side by side I might have a different opinion, but personally I'd probably choose a 9x20 lathe over the Compact 8 all other things (price, tooling, condition) being equal.

Thanks for the input! It does have less features than I currently have on my Atlas Craftsman, but it is a better quality machine. This one looks like it was not treated as nice as it should have been, though, and that gives me pause.

I haven't really made anything large at all, so I'm not sure I need a big lathe, though I do like the rigidness of a heavier one. I use much bigger ones at the college I teach at and they are so nice!

This lathe, a 9x20 Jet/other brands/Grizzly and the Atlas were all contenders when I was looking. The Atlas came up at a great price, so that's what I bought. But, I keep coming back to this one. I suppose I could get it, clean it up and use it and see how it works out. I've done a bit of threading, so the missing change gears would need to be bought. I like the power cross feed, but with small items, it's not as important.

 

[ARC-170]

Definitely "rode hard and put away wet", but seems like it would be a worthy fix up at $500. Maybe try for a lower price? The G4000 is $1750 new so less than 1/3.

If parts are scarce maybe the OP could part it out and make a tidy profit?

Guess it all comes down to his desire to have a small lathe, could be useful for some....

John

I'm going to try for a lower price. This had too many missing accessories, it's full of gunk and the power cords need refreshing, among other issues. It might be just fine, but I feel like I'm taking a big risk.

I thought about parting it out if it turns out to not be what I want.

I want a quality lathe. I keep coming back to the Emco's.

 

[ARC-170]

I have a Compact 8, I paid £700 so about $900 but it came with quite a bit more bits and pieces than the one that you show.

I would offer $400 to $450 as there is a lot of work in getting it cleaned up.

Mine is a super precise machine and runs really smoothly, it can quite easily turn to a 1/10 thou in aluminium and gives a great finish.

Thanks, that's a good data point. Did yours come with the milling attachment?

 

[Aaron_W]

Thanks for the input! It does have less features than I currently have on my Atlas Craftsman, but it is a better quality machine. This one looks like it was not treated as nice as it should have been, though, and that gives me pause.

I haven't really made anything large at all, so I'm not sure I need a big lathe, though I do like the rigidness of a heavier one. I use much bigger ones at the college I teach at and they are so nice!

This lathe, a 9x20 Jet/other brands/Grizzly and the Atlas were all contenders when I was looking. The Atlas came up at a great price, so that's what I bought. But, I keep coming back to this one. I suppose I could get it, clean it up and use it and see how it works out. I've done a bit of threading, so the missing change gears would need to be bought. I like the power cross feed, but with small items, it's not as important.

From what I know of these, it has all the negatives of a 9x20, does not have the 9x20s gear box, has less power (1/2hp vs 1hp) and parts support is not as good.

In its favor is better build quality, but how much better? The mill is a nice plus, but I think you have a real mill, so less of a draw. The set up on the Emco combos seems to be much better that most combo machines.

I doubt it will be a bad lathe for you, I just don't think it will be the improvement you are looking for. Worst case at $500, barring any hidden catastrophes I doubt you will lose anything but the time cleaning it up if you turn around and sell it in the future.

I would also assume most of the improvement out there for the 9x20 could be adapted to the Compact 8.

I have 9 small lathes, so I am not the person to say you don't need another lathe.

 

[matthewsx]

At the end of the day the only way you’ll know is to buy it, clean it up and use it.

Looks like all the basics are there so you should be able to figure out if it’s what you want or if you really need a Hardinge.

Regardless, somebody needs to save it from where it’s at, kinda like looking at a neglected puppy.

Offer less, they should take it. But, I don’t think you’ll get hurt at $500 even if it turns out to be a parts machine. The name implies quality and there will always be someone who will pay for that.

John

 

[ARC-170]

From what I know of these, it has all the negatives of a 9x20, does not have the 9x20s gear box, has less power (1/2hp vs 1hp) and parts support is not as good.

In its favor is better build quality, but how much better? The mill is a nice plus, but I think you have a real mill, so less of a draw. The set up on the Emco combos seems to be much better that most combo machines.

I doubt it will be a bad lathe for you, I just don't think it will be the improvement you are looking for. Worst case at $500, barring any hidden catastrophes I doubt you will lose anything but the time cleaning it up if you turn around and sell it in the future.

I would also assume most of the improvement out there for the 9x20 could be adapted to the Compact 8.

I have 9 small lathes, so I am not the person to say you don't need another lathe.

There's a Jet BD920N for sale that's in much better shape. If that has all the gears, I might just get that. Parts are more available since I can probably use clone parts, whereas with the Emco, that's not really an option. It's heavier than my Atlas (and the Emco), so that's a plus. No power cross feed, though. Most lathes this size don't have that. The PM lathe I'm also looking at has all the features I'm looking for, but it might be too big for the space I have.

It looks kinda sad; I'd like to "rescue" it, so maybe I'll see if the seller will come down in price enough to make it worth my while. The time I spend getting it sorted will be interesting to me, and I think I can sell it if it doesn't work out for me and get all or most of my money back.

I have to ask: what do you do with 9 lathes? lol!