What are factors for what "class" of lathe to buy?

[Dabbler]

I would upgrade to the the one you can fit with an AC drive such as the 12xx series. Our town has a forum for machinists and a bunch bought those DC variable drive lathes. 4 are out of commission right now. Yes 4, out of about 20. I cannot recommend those lathes with the DC variable drives in them, despite Blondihacks doing good work with hers.

I think it would be good to say that the 1236T is a 'lifetime lathe' and the 1236 from China to be a lighter duty version of the 1236T.

 

[SRay53TxTn]

I purchased the PM1228 due to space and 220v availability. I have been pleased with my purchase and yes it is my first lathe and was a retirement gift to myself. I only have access to 1/2 of my two car garage (wife likes her car on the other side). I have built several tools, made parts, and have done a couple rifle barrels with NO problems. Only issue, had to replace the drive belt and belt tensioner bearing. Made a spider for the spindle so I could do the 30” rifle barrels and can perform all the threading & chambering with excellent accuracy, the PM 4 jaw 8” independent chuck was a must for all the close tolerance work. It fits nicely in my limited space and does all I need it to do.

 

[skcncx]

I had the 1228, and was happy with it, it is one size step under the "bigger" lathes, and has more of their features. It is still in the "little" lathe category, mine used AXA QCTH. I never ran out of chuck size, but I did run out of bed length with my aluminum bat, and 15" drill bits. I am also happier with the 1340 size, if I bought the 1236T first I probably would not have had to buy a 2nd lathe.

So was the bed length the only/primary reason to upgrade... anything else? Or another way of asking that... if the 1228 was "magically" longer, would you have still switched to the 1340?

As far as accuracy, general usage, handles, smoothness, etc... how does the 1228 compare to your 1340.... subjective question I know, but like 50% there, 95% as good or reliable?

 

[skcncx]

I purchased the PM1228 due to space and 220v availability. I have been pleased with my purchase and yes it is my first lathe and was a retirement gift to myself. I only have access to 1/2 of my two car garage (wife likes her car on the other side). I have built several tools, made parts, and have done a couple rifle barrels with NO problems. Only issue, had to replace the drive belt and belt tensioner bearing. Made a spider for the spindle so I could do the 30” rifle barrels and can perform all the threading & chambering with excellent accuracy, the PM 4 jaw 8” independent chuck was a must for all the close tolerance work. It fits nicely in my limited space and does all I need it to do.

Nice, plus 1 for the 1228.

Is that common to get more length out of a lathe to use a spider or just pushing your material back into the bore of the head stock? Would that have been necessary for your 30" rifle barrel regardless of having a lathe with enough length?

I think I need to take my 3 jaw off my atlas, put my 4 jaw on, learn how to dial it in to know what I've been missing... I've just done so much with my 3 jaw on my atlas and been very pleased... but again, I've only been clamping round and a few hex shaped stuff.

 

[skcncx]

I would upgrade to the the one you can fit with an AC drive such as the 12xx series. Our town has a forum for machinists and a bunch bought those DC variable drive lathes. 4 are out of commission right now. Yes 4, out of about 20. I cannot recommend those lathes with the DC variable drives in them, despite Blondihacks doing good work with hers.

I think it would be good to say that the 1236T is a 'lifetime lathe' and the 1236 from China to be a lighter duty version of the 1236T.

I've heard that sentiment and leeriness regarding BLDC motors, I'd be curious to know the overall failure/replacement rate.. but in your example 20% is pretty high. That is one downside to the 1228 having very specific/proprietary controller board for the motor... not easily replaced. BLDC motors are great for being so small... but that's a downside if you want or need to retrofit... as the available space could be a major issue, trying to find a replacement motor of similar size.

However, the range of RPM on the 1228 is much better once you pass the 1000. The 1236T jumps from 1100 to 1800, nothing in between. 1228 would hit anything between 1000 and it's 2000 max. Right or wrong, but I have turned a lot of 1" diameter aluminum with the AR Warner HSS T-15 inserts at 1500... maybe that's crazy fast, but I got decent results.

It's likely the 1228 could be a lifetime but no doubt the 1236T..

 

[Aukai]

I could have worked with a longer bed 1228, the through bore prevents me from going through head stock even with the 1340. I'm turning 1 3/4, and 2" aluminum bar.

 

[markba633csi]

BLDC motors with exotic proprietary controllers seem to be the ones that fail- true DC drives with brush-type motors are usually more reliable
and can be retrofitted with aftermarket scr speed controls pretty easily

 

[mksj]

However, the range of RPM on the 1228 is much better once you pass the 1000. The 1236T jumps from 1100 to 1800, nothing in between. 1228 would hit anything between 1000 and it's 2000 max. Right or wrong, but I have turned a lot of 1" diameter aluminum with the AR Warner HSS T-15 inserts at 1500... maybe that's crazy fast, but I got decent results.

One of the many reasons to go 3 phase with a VFD. It gives variable speed which often needs to be dialed in tightly for large boring and drilling. You also do not have the issues with the start capacitor failing from repeated stops and the lathe not reversing which is a common problem when single phase motors are reversed quickly. You also get very quick braking (1-2 seconds) which is important on a lathe w/o a foot brake. That and the surface finish issues got me into using VFD's and 3 phase motors on lathes years ago. Proprietary drives and BLDC motors have been a bit of a nightmare for mill and lathe owners, my last mill used one and the replacement board was close to $1K. I decided to sell it before it broke. The 3 phase motors will operate for decades with almost no maintenance and extreme operating conditions.

Unfortunately it all comes down to the costs, the sad part is costs are up significantly from a few years ago. There is also the inventory issue and what your timing is. Most of us suggesting buy bigger and better, is probably because we have all gone through the same process and ultimately upgraded (either new or used). I started out looking at small lathes, as I had limited space but years ago I ended up with a 1340GT (1236T was not available). I though it was more than I needed, but ended up being a very good choice and always enjoyed using it. I ultimately sold it, rather than move it to my new house, and purchased another 1340 which was much heavier. They both do very high level work, and I have no regrets with either. If I hadn't been all tooled up for this size machine I would have gone with the 1440TL when they still were affordable. If I had to buy everything today, it would be very difficult decision given the significant price increases. When starting out you do not know if you will get deeper into machining or the machine will be a boat anchor in your garage.

 

[Toro5xi]

So many factors come into play when deciding on equipment. I’ll throw out one more. I had a 1934 13 inch South Bend lathe in Ohio. I did not use it a whole lot but it was my first lathe and just thought It was the greatest thing having a Piece of equipment that had been around so long and still worked so well.
Well job change took us down to Georgia and had to sell lathe. Just wasn’t feasible to move. Another job change a short time later, wife this time, and decided could only keep wood working equipment this time. Sold my milling machine.
After a year of not having any ability to machine metal I broke down and got a PM728 and put a deposit down on a 1228. I would like to go bigger but realize moving is going to be a reality for us and want to be able to hold onto my equipment this time.

 

[SRay53TxTn]

Nice, plus 1 for the 1228.

Is that common to get more length out of a lathe to use a spider or just pushing your material back into the bore of the head stock? Would that have been necessary for your 30" rifle barrel regardless of having a lathe with enough length?

I think I need to take my 3 jaw off my atlas, put my 4 jaw on, learn how to dial it in to know what I've been missing... I've just done so much with my 3 jaw on my atlas and been very pleased... but again, I've only been clamping round and a few hex shaped stuff.

When I was looking for my lathe all the local used were heavily used and needed more repairs than I felt comfortable with, plus getting some of the older parts was difficult.
One of my machinist buddies who was also a gunsmith, said the lathe spider would provide enough centering of the barrel mass to perform most barrel work if the spindle bore diameter was large enough for the pass through, the 1.5" bore works well for my use. It is not turning at a very high rpm for those operations, especially the final chambering steps. Plus I have added bearing to steady rest to assist if needed for any project requiring it..
I had read a lot of reviews and article on scroll chucks and some have excellent TIR, however, being a newbie to the lathe I wanted to have the independent 4 jaw as one of my setup checks for all my close tolerance work. I have found I can dial it down to the .0001 or dead zero range reasonably quickly, since it is part of my close tolerance setup routine.

I sold some car parts and other items and also purchased a PM728-VT mill; awesome as well. Here's a couple pics of my mini shop setup.

Tooling will be a fun and expensive part of the journey.

Have a Happy & Safe July 4th!