Why no small high-quality lathes?

rick9345 said:
A true Hobbyist would never consider "Quality" and the dollars involved. The hobbyist only shops cheap $$'s.:confused::tranquility:
A meaningful saying "If one has gotta ask,one cannot afford it"
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True enough.
Several years ago I made a sort of list, what is a hobby machinist looking for in a lathe? I was thinking about building a small lathe for this market.

Variable speed, sub .001" accuracy and repeatability, inch and metric threading, DRO, nicely painted (this appears to be important), 220VAC single phase power, less then 1000 LB's,, spindle brake, micrometer carriage stop, on and on.

All at a price point of $5000.00 or less. This is not going to happen any time soon in the US.
The Asian made machines are the best bang for the buck without question.
 
Wreck™Wreck said:
True enough.
Several years ago I made a sort of list, what is a hobby machinist looking for in a lathe? I was thinking about building a small lathe for this market.

Variable speed, sub .001" accuracy and repeatability, inch and metric threading, DRO, nicely painted (this appears to be important), 220VAC single phase power, less then 1000 LB's,, spindle brake, micrometer carriage stop, on and on.

All at a price point of $5000.00 or less. This is not going to happen any time soon in the US.
The Asian made machines are the best bang for the buck without question.
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Wreck, Add one more requirement. Must have a 5C collet taper cut in the spindle without the need for an adapter.
 
4gsr said:
Wreck, Add one more requirement. Must have a 5C collet taper cut in the spindle without the need for an adapter.
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I dispute that a true hobbyist would never consider quality and the cost. I think many of us do. I appreciate that are those who cannot afford it and also those who for their own satisfaction would rather buy an old machine for it's history, and do it up.

A fairly decent lathe can be had for $5k or less, especially if you look at the Taiwanese machines currently available. I have looked very hard at the chinese ones available here in down under, and I wouldn't waste my money, sure if you just look at the specs, they have extra bells and whistles, but what's the point when you have dismantle the machine and fully rebuild it before you can use it.

Variable speed, particularly if it's single Ph, and DRO are not necessary in my book. Better than .001" accuracy and repeatability are very important. inch and metric threading, Also important. Spindle brake Yeh maybe.
Micrometer carriage stop, etc. etc. I consider these items as optional extras, I think many hobbiests like to make their own.

The 5C collet I prefer a 5mt with draw bar, much easier to get an assortment of tooling, and generally cheaper. All of my tooling is 5mt. If fact I don't think I've ever seen a 5c collet except in catalogs, perhaps it's an American thing.

All of the above can be had for $5K or less here and I'm sure in the US also, look for quality, but just avoid going fancy. It's like a lot of things, people will pay for a look rather than a spec.
 
bobshobby said:
...................All of the above can be had for $5K or less here and I'm sure in the US also, look for quality, but just avoid going fancy. It's like a lot of things, people will pay for a look rather than a spec.
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I must be the only one that looks at specs of an lathe.:(
I will say, looks is just as important, too. I came very close to buying a Smithy Granite 1324 lathe back when they came out nearly 20 years ago. The one thing that stopped me was the small hole in the spindle. If you can't get a 5C collet setup in the spindle, what good is it to buy in my opinion? It would have been very easy to design the Smithy with 5C collet ability, rather it would be integral to the spindle or a 5MT adapter used. I'm not a big fan of the 5C collet chuck that mounts on the spindle be used on the Smithy, you loose distance between centers and support to the work that your working.
Ok, I'll quit ranting now.
 
220VAC single phase power, less then 1000 LB's,, spindle brake, micrometer carriage stop, on and on.

For a hobby specific machine why the 220 volt supply? Seems like an integrated 2-3 HP D/C motor like a treadmill motor and controller would be best and on 120 volt. Also an integrated RPM/Surface speed meter for infinitely variable speed.
 
The price of the Wabeco is high for a hobby tool. But low for a high precision tool. They have about the same working window as the highly prized Monarch 10EE lathe. The Monarch 10EE is 10 times the cost of the Wabeco D6000E new and at least twice the price for a used one.
 
Cadillac STS said:
The price of the Wabeco is high for a hobby tool. But low for a high precision tool. They have about the same working window as the highly prized Monarch 10EE lathe. The Monarch 10EE is 10 times the cost of the Wabeco D6000E new and at least twice the price for a used one.
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I was considering the Wabeco but ended up getting the PM1127 due to the difference in cost. I imagine the fit and finish of the Wabeco is a lot nicer, but I haven't had any problems with the PM.
 
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