Help me spend $75k for my dream machine shop...

[drcoelho]

For any new lathe that you purchase, you should be provided detailed testing of the actual machine. This is what you get with higher quality machines. The Weiler I received had 5+ pages of solid testing, proving better than DIN 8605 tolerances. If the manufacturer is not willing or not able to provide these testing results, they are probably not testing or don't want you to know or don't care. You should ask prior to sale what testing they do and get a list of testing parameters they will commit to.

Used machines, you'll have to do the testing yourself. There is a book by Edward F COnnelly titled "Machine Tool Reconditioning" which will walk you through all aspects of evaluating a used machine....if you read through this you will know more than most on how to evaluate a machine.

 

[Monticello]

Thanks so much for the info!

For any new lathe that you purchase, you should be provided detailed testing of the actual machine. This is what you get with higher quality machines. The Weiler I received had 5+ pages of solid testing, proving better than DIN 8605 tolerances. If the manufacturer is not willing or not able to provide these testing results, they are probably not testing or don't want you to know or don't care. You should ask prior to sale what testing they do and get a list of testing parameters they will commit to.

Used machines, you'll have to do the testing yourself. There is a book by Edward F COnnelly titled "Machine Tool Reconditioning" which will walk you through all aspects of evaluating a used machine....if you read through this you will know more than most on how to evaluate a machine.

Thank you so much for the heads up on testing... I was unaware that you could get a testing report on a high end lathe prior to purchase. I will get the book you recommended as well, just in case I end up with a pre-owned lathe and need to do it myself.

I really appreciate all of the help and guidance that everyone has contributed to my post. You blokes are great!!!

Cheers!

 

[Ries]

Thank you so much for the heads up on testing... I was unaware that you could get a testing report on a high end lathe prior to purchase. I will get the book you recommended as well, just in case I end up with a pre-owned lathe and need to do it myself.

I really appreciate all of the help and guidance that everyone has contributed to my post. You blokes are great!!!

Cheers!

I am not sure about "prior to purchase", usually the test report is included with the manual. Some, but not all, dealers would send you a copy of it. Most machines costing over ten grand or so come with testing- even Taiwan machines usually do. I bought a 10x16 Taiwan made bandsaw a few years ago, it came with a test sheet, and a slice of 2" round the saw had cut, so you could even mike it yourself if you wanted to. My Taiwan lathe came with a page of test results for that individual machine, 20 years ago. It has been standard practice for some time. No doubt something like an Weiler, which costs ten times as much, is going to have more testing, and better accuracy.

 

[dian]

look online for the book.

 

[bob]

Here you go save $1000 or so

Grizzly G0509G 16" x 40" 3-Phase Gunsmithing Metal Lathe - tools -...

 

[Trueturning]

Monticello

Could you show us pictures of work you have done along with your wood lathe with various tools and or methods used?

 

[donie]

There is a US manufacturing spec for tool room lathes, it was published in a Monarch ee brochure "the blue lathe brochure", and how Monarch beat most of them.
Monarch offered THE ee model to customer specs at extra considerable cost, one notable customer was Electric Boat. They were purchasers of custom plain spindle bearing ee lathes for reduced run out, and came with test sheets of actual cutting metal.

 

[drcoelho]

And the international standard for tool room lathe testing is DIN 8605

 

[dian]

as i said 156 posts ago. thread is starting to eat its own tail.

 

[Monticello]

I am not sure about "prior to purchase", usually the test report is included with the manual. Some, but not all, dealers would send you a copy of it. Most machines costing over ten grand or so come with testing- even Taiwan machines usually do. I bought a 10x16 Taiwan made bandsaw a few years ago, it came with a test sheet, and a slice of 2" round the saw had cut, so you could even mike it yourself if you wanted to. My Taiwan lathe came with a page of test results for that individual machine, 20 years ago. It has been standard practice for some time. No doubt something like an Weiler, which costs ten times as much, is going to have more testing, and better accuracy.

Thanks for your reply. I would think that they would be more than happy to show you the test report...

Cheers!

 

[Monticello]

Monticello

Could you show us pictures of work you have done along with your wood lathe with various tools and or methods used?

I would be happy to, but that is way off topic for this forum. I’m in the middle of a large remodelling project at the moment and since I’m doing about 98% of the work, spare time is as easy to find as English clotted cream in the dairy aisle.

I really need to stay focused on getting my metal shop sorted and that’s taking any spare time I have currently.

Cheers!

 

[Monticello]

Thanks for the reply!

And the international standard for tool room lathe testing is DIN 8605

I looked online for a copy of the Deutsches Institut Fur Normung E.V. (German National Standard) and I found a pdf download for ~$52.00...

Thanks for the heads up. If I can’t find on old printing of this, I’ll get the pdf download.

Cheers!

 

[Monticello]

Here you go save $1000 or so

Grizzly G0509G 16" x 40" 3-Phase Gunsmithing Metal Lathe - tools -...

Thanks for the heads up... I know very little about Grizzly. It’s hit or miss finding the right used equipment. I’m trying to find German manufactured lathes and mills (like Weiler and FPS) currently. I’m also sending enquiries about new machines (or factory refurbished for FPS), since finding the right used machinery is none too easy.

Cheers!

 

[dian]

download connelly, its pretty much the same.

05/06: ways/saddle 10µ/15µ, saddle/tail 20µ/30µ, taper radial tir 7/10µ, nose 7/10µ, taper on work (300mm) 7/10, tail taper/ways 20/30µ.

 

[thermite]

.. spare time is as easy to find as English clotted cream in the dairy aisle.

You'll be wanting "West Country". From Kernow, even.

As nearly all Federal tax dollars first touch ground within 200 odd miles of DC? And closer is richer?

It is a TOO easy to find, Sterling/Dulles.. .. compared to a decent lathe as won't make you as fat, anyway.

 

[beckerkumm]

In the 15K range a Takisawa or Whatcheon can be found in really good condition. I'd look hard at those as well. Dave

 

[michiganbuck]

I m not knocking the Green machine or the Precision Matthews.

Still, here is a gal on youtube using a Precision Matthews
She states that with any import is best to pull all the gears and do the final de-bugging.
Yes it seems she has a gear change lathe.

How To Cut Threads On A Lathe - YouTube

Simple things like this cuts the manufacturing costs (along with design and materials,) and part of the huge differences in original price as one goes higher in quality. Agree most home shop guys would never put in the hours to wear out the likes of a true manufacturing quality lathe and likely not even a better import.

A true manufacturing grade machine might cost 3 x the price of a lesser machine.

 

[Monticello]

You'll be wanting "West Country". From Kernow, even.

Our ancestral home is Cornwall, in the West Country near Devon. Our favourite clotted cream is from The Devon Cream Company...

Ah, a smear of clotted cream on a hot crumpet with orange marmalade... A little bit of Blighty to wake up to...

Cheers!

 

[Monticello]

download connelly, its pretty much the same.

05/06: ways/saddle 10µ/15µ, saddle/tail 20µ/30µ, taper radial tir 7/10µ, nose 7/10µ, taper on work (300mm) 7/10, tail taper/ways 20/30µ.

Thanks! I will look for Connelly...

Cheers!

 

[thermite]

Thanks! I will look for Connelly...

Cheers!

Treat it as what it is. A reference source. Not a step-by-step "how to" nor even a training course.

Otherwise, as he sadly placed hand scraping right up front instead of AFTER measuring and assessing to determine IF, where, and to what extent scraping was (or was NOT) even NEEDED.. at all..?

That gits newby folk to JUST STOP, say "this is too much for me to even get started".

Well it isn't MEANT to be the "start"!

Most important thing Rich teaches is to "assess".

To FIRST determine what you HAVE. Take notes, do a bit of math, re-confirm, and make a PLAN. Before you move even a sliver of metal.

Revise a(ny) plan if/as/when new information is revealed or something isn't as good a fit as expected, but basically HAVE a plan, and try to stick with it, add notes to it as you go.

"Plan" must include:

- 'This machine doesn't NEED it". (My HBX-360-BC)

- 'That machine COULD us a touch-up, but the need is not (yet) critical.' (My Quartet mill)

- 'This OTHER machine simply is not WORTH it.' (my Burke #4)

- 'This machine DOES need it, but I can still make decent parts on it and have higher priorities (both of my 10EE's)

"etc."

NOTHING starts with "Let's first scrape everything in sight just because we can".

Sooo..

Connelly has some right decent information, but he was an editor of the information of others, more than a craftsman in the metal under his own hands.

A person could get more mileage out of buying Rich's CD/DVD course.

You can stop, back-up, repeat until you "get it" at your own rate of speed, in your own place and time. So that works rather well.

And he and I don't need to get in each other's face, so "personalities" don't get in the way, either!

That works best of all.