Optimum lathe 700 vario

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Doc

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Does anyone have any experience with a Optimum D280 x 700 vario lathe? It is a German company although I think the machine is made in China under supervision. It is 280 mm swing over the bed, 700 mm between centers with a 1.5 Kw variable speed 220V single phase motor.
I hope the metric dimensions are OK to use here
 
Doc said:
Does anyone have any experience with a Optimum D280 x 700 vario lathe? It is a German company although I think the machine is made in China under supervision. It is 280 mm swing over the bed, 700 mm between centers with a 1.5 Kw variable speed 220V single phase motor.
I hope the metric dimensions are OK to use here
Click to expand...

Hi Doc,

I have a smaller one, a 180X300 Vario since last month. I am just starting to use a lathe so I am very inexperienced and you should not take my word as very accurate, but from what I can tell they are good lathes, well build.

I also think they are produced in China with the Optimum supervision. I have opened mine to change gears and I have found some Made in China marks there. The gear are in metal, not plastic. its accurate enough and easy operate.

Yours should be far superior than mine.

If you decide to buy it please let me know your opinion about it. I am considering to buy that one in the future.

Best regards

Vasco
 
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Thanks Vasco. I'm also very inexperienced and new to this. I have been reading up about these lathes and had as quick look at one at a toolshop. However I am outside of my home country at present so I plan to have a good look at it when I get back next year :)). I'll keep you posted.
I had a look at the instruction manual on the internet and what impressed me was that it was readable English and not the Chinglish one usually gets with made in China products.
What tooling came with your machine?
 
Doc said:
Thanks Vasco. I'm also very inexperienced and new to this. I have been reading up about these lathes and had as quick look at one at a toolshop. However I am outside of my home country at present so I plan to have a good look at it when I get back next year :)). I'll keep you posted.
I had a look at the instruction manual on the internet and what impressed me was that it was readable English and not the Chinglish one usually gets with made in China products.
What tooling came with your machine?
Click to expand...

Mine came with:

  • 3-jaw chuck Ø 80 mm
  • Steady centre MT 2
  • Steady centre MT 3
  • Lathe chuck protection
  • Rear splash guard
  • Chip pan
  • Quadruple tool holder
  • Operating tools
  • Change gear kit

As I bought mine used, the former owner gave me some more tools he had:

  • set of 7 cutting tools with carbid inserts, quite good actually - from Optimum)
  • 4-jaw chuck 100mmm
  • Drill chuck 1-13 mm
  • MT2 Rolling Tailstock Arbor with 13mm Key Type Chuck

In the optimum catalog says that yours is equiped with:
  • 3-jaw chuck Ø 125 mm
  • Steady centre MT2
  • Steady centre MT4
  • Lathe chuck protection
  • Lathe dog
  • HSS cutting tools
  • Rear splash guard
  • Chip pan
  • Quadruple tool holder
  • Operating tools
  • Change gear kit
  • Test certificate


My manual it's in Portuguese and is well written. I have found an English one on the web and its also very good.
I would say the quality is quite good, more German like, not Chinese :))

Keep me posted.

BR

Vasco
 
Hi,
Bought one of these machines last week in Johannesburg. I decided that it was going to be better thank the same thing from Adendorf. I haven't had much experience in general and using it for smallish items, stub axels and bearing housings for now. Already having a lot of fun with it though and the action seems to be quite smooth, especially because of the 1.5kW brushless motor and the huge variable speed adjustment.
already looking at some additions i.e. quick change tool post.....
going to try cut some thread with it tonight now that I think I have figured out how to configure/change the gears powering the feed of the tool post.
 
Hi there,
Well,I have not taken the plunge yet and am still in decision mode.
I had another look at the machine at Protools in Jhb (where did you buy your machine?) and although I like it a lot, it wuold be nice to have a greater range fs accesories available include in the price, I think.
So, I'm just also having a look at the JET 9x20 lathe from the guys in Strydom Park. It has more accessories: 3- and 4-jaw chucks, travelling and fixed steadies etc. I want to have a look it and also would like to see that it is a metric machine.
how did the screw-cuutoing go?
Where in Jhb did you buy your machine?
Regards,
Doc
 
Doc said:
Hi there,
Well,I have not taken the plunge yet and am still in decision mode.
I had another look at the machine at Protools in Jhb (where did you buy your machine?) and although I like it a lot, it wuold be nice to have a greater range fs accesories available include in the price, I think.
So, I'm just also having a look at the JET 9x20 lathe from the guys in Strydom Park. It has more accessories: 3- and 4-jaw chucks, travelling and fixed steadies etc. I want to have a look it and also would like to see that it is a metric machine.
how did the screw-cuutoing go?
Where in Jhb did you buy your machine?
Regards,
Doc
Click to expand...

Hi Doc,

Bought it at Tool Shop in Strydom park. I don't know Pro-tools - do they have a web site? didnt find anything on google either?
http://www.toolshop.co.za/
Had to buy the steadies with it R900 for the fixed. haven't bought a 4 jaw yet - not sure i will need it just yet.
No quick change gearbox either - which makes cutting threads a schlep! Although I figured out the gearing and made a 1.75 pitch thread on a 12mm shaft fairly easily.
the other thing is that for the thread cutting, once the auto feed has been engaged one has to reverse the direction of the chuck to reverse the tool out after each cut to maintain the exact tool/thread position.
I don't believe this is the way they teach cutting thread but it works. there is no indication otherwise as to the position of the engaged auto feed.
good luck with the Jet machine....

Rob
 
Hi Rob,
Sorry, I meant to say Tool Shop (instead of Protools). It probably was the one that i was looking at a few weeks ago. What made me hesitate was the lack of accessories, but I'm itching to go now. The guy at the shop told me that he had sold an identical machine to a knifemaking guy in the Ruimsig area. Perhaps you could try and contact him to share experiences - you should be able to get the name from the shop.
Still deciding...
Cheers,
Doc
 
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