Who are the Rolls Royce of the manual machine world?

[davidpbest]

Thanks David, been wondering who was Martin in the metalworking world. Any idea what those refurbished Deckel’s go for?

Last I checked, an FP2 (which is what Brian Lamb has) was about €25K fully restored. They do show up used on ebay in Germany. Example:

DECKEL FP 2 Werkzeugfräsmaschine | eBay

Werkzeugfräsmaschine, Fabr.: DECKEL, Typ: FP 2. Wir erteilen gerne weitere Auskünfte, H.-G. Sicherheitskabine mit elektrischer Abschaltung. y = 200 mm. Verfahrbereich: x = 400 mm.

www.ebay.de

 

[davidpbest]

Thanks David, been wondering who was Martin in the metalworking world. Any idea what those refurbished Deckel’s go for?

And BTW, the FPS group in Germany who does these restorations also make new models - they are a bunch of guys who were originally at Deckle - so they know what they are doing. I know two people here in the USA who bought a reconditioned FP2 from them and were delighted with the quality of the work - exclaiming "like new". David Coelho (who is on FOG and is in Los Gatos CA) bought the FPS 300 M (which is a new machine, I believe made from the same molds as the original Deckles), and also bought and imported the Weiler lathe to go with it. Photo attached.

 

[Joe Calhoon]

Wow, that is really nice! Thank you

 

[twraska]

Just out of curiosity...what is the current wisdom on the finest manual lathes and mills currently in production? This rules out anything that all CNC magic machines and those beautiful works of art that are no longer made. I'm thinking along the lines of the absolute best lathe in the PM-1640GT class and Knee mill or the equivalent. I'm just trying to get an idea of who are the Rolls Royce manufacturers of the machine world.

Does re-built count? I think you can get a reconditioned Monarch.

 

[Andres]

The Japanese Versec looks nice.
https://www.saidagroup.jp/ums/product/versec?id=versec

 

[woodchucker]

The one that is accurate enough for your work,
works the way you like it to, and has parts if you have a problem.
Is heavy enough to dampen the vibration.
if you are doing roughing work, something that can hog off quickly.
if you are doing precision work, something that can take the finest of cuts and hold it ...

Opinions will vary one mans best, is another's nightmare.

 

[7milesup]

The Japanese Versec looks nice.
https://www.saidagroup.jp/ums/product/versec?id=versec

Holy crap. Those are beautiful!!

I tried to find a price for it but no luck. Would love to have that parked next to my Rolls.

 

[Beckerkumm]

Greer rebuilds Mori Seiki and Whacheon ( Mori Clone from Korea ). I am having a CVA rebuilt here in Wisconsin. A rebuilt industrial machine can be a decent value. There is usually so much cast iron that grinding some off still leaves a bed much larger than most new machines have. Saddles can be scraped or built up with Turcite, and leadscrews remade. You do want a lathe that is mechanically good and one that has used parts machines available is even better. The gears in old Monarchs, Prat and Whitney, Pacemaker, etc were ground so well that replacing them with standard fare isn't ideal but if you find an old machine of quality and have it rebuilt by someone who knows how, you will have the Rolls Royce of Lathes. Take a look at Tailstock4's machines as they all qualify.

Take a look at the Ruemema.de site in Germany. They rebuild Schaublin, and Leinen. They also discuss their preference for a variator over a vfd.

Dave

 

[Nesse1]

This thread is like asking what would you buy if you hit the MEGA LOTO! Fantasy island!

 

[PNW_Guy]

But after you guys are done, I think we need another thread that tells us what the Ford F150 of manual metal lathes is.

Grizzly. Not the best, nor the cheapest, but they get the job done well enough for farm work.