Need advice about Emco Compact 8 lathe

[ARC-170]

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

True! I'm thinking the same.

A Hardinge is beyond what I can afford or use well. I just want a more modern machine that's a bit stiffer than what I have.

Yeah, I wanna save it.

 

[Aaron_W]

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!

Lathe rescue is a thing. As a rescue the Emco is a worthy project. If the seller of the Jet is still thinking $600-700 I think the Jet is overall a better choice as a working lathe. I still think you will find either a downgrade from your Craftsman.


What do I do with a 9" lathe? Not much.

My Sherline is the first choice for the small stuff I mostly do. A 6x18" Craftsman (Atlas) shares attention with the Sherline, it can handle larger work, and unlike the Sherline it doesn't need to use a thread cutting attachment to cut threads. Between the two that covers probably 80-90% of my use so far.

An 11" Logan steps in for the occasional times I've needed something bigger. The Enco 9x20 was 30 minutes away for $300. It was basically an impulse thing that I was unable to resist.

I've used it some but mostly just because I have it. It is a perfectly fine machine and if it were my only lathe I'd probably have no complaints. It is in better shape than the Logan, but not nearly as heavy / solid, and the Logan has a real QCGB. It is bigger than the Craftsman or Sherline, but not as nice to run.

These share the shop with a little Watchmakers lathe. I got it more for the jewelers desk it is attached to, but the lathe, desk and assorted tooling was a deal and nearby. The little lathe is over 100 years old and pretty nifty.

There is an 8-1/2 x 21" Rivett lathe undergoing rehabilitation. In very good shape for 86 years old but coming up with a better motor situation has really dragged on due to my pathetically small amount of shop time in recent years. The Rivett will be a joy to run though once I've got it set up.

There is a little German made 5" Prazzi lathe in the fix it up que, again one of those cheap and local deals, it was $100. Covered in sawdust I thought it was an Emco Compact 5, similar design but different. If you've followed any of RaisedbyWolves posts on his Prazzi lathes they seem to be really well made small lathes. This one however needs a lot of work to get it running.

Also have a pretty nice (condition) Craftsman (AA not Atlas) 6x12" which was more opportunity than need. Honestly I wanted to know if they were as bad as claimed, and it is a cute little thing. They aren't as bad as many claim, but do leave much to be desired in a proper lathe. It doesn't hold a candle to the Atlas 6" lathes.

Then there are the small mills, shaper, die filer, power hacksaws... I blame the steam engine kit. If I hadn't needed to turn a 4" flywheel I'd probably be perfectly happy with the little Sherline lathe and mill that started me down the path and I'd have a lot more room.

So I get machine rescue, I do.

 

[Pylonracer]

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?

Parts other than on Ebay

Emco Compact 8 E

www.emcoshop.at

Ersatzteile

www.emcoshop.at

Tech spec and details

Emco Compact 8 Lathe & Clones

Emco Compact 8 Lathe<br>- also badged as the Craftsman 549 -

www.lathes.co.uk

Emco yellow paint

https://www.paragonpaints.co.uk/emco-milling-machine-yellow.html can be seen in the photo of the topslide below. This is actually paint code RAL 1007

QCTP

Pewetools AA

 

[Pylonracer]

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

Yes it came with the milling attachment and about 5 Schabulin E16 collets (Imperial) and an EMCO E16 collet holder, I sold those on Ebay for crazy money. I major on ER25 collets for these machines so E16 was redundant.

My EMCO 8 is a super lathe, did not cost me much, I bought it as a workshop hack lathe but it turned out to be a very accurate and capable machine.

I just cannot loose on it, I get great work off of the lathe plus it has made be a few thousand pounds in revenue and I will likely get more than I paid for it if I sold it, what is there not to like?

 

[ARC-170]

To conclude this post, the lathe sold to someone else. Thanks to all for your help, comments, advice and support. I hope others find this info useful.