Advice on which new lathe to buy

[davidblythe]

I Know there are people on this site that know their onions when it comes to lathes, so best place to seek some advice


currently have a DB8VS http://www.chesteruk.net/store/db8_vari ... _lathe.htm

keep running into size limitations and would like a lathe with a large swing over the bed currently 210mm

this lathe seems too good to be true Clarke CL430 with a 310mm swing

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... milldrills

please point out its weakness or a better alternative say warco etc

I know some will say buy an old classic and use a 3 phase converter but am sure spare parts will be an issue and it will be worn out and probably just too physically big

want new machine to be able to hold mag housings, brake discs with room to spare and anything else lambretta orientated i havent thought off

where they sell a combined milling accessory are these worthwhile, guessing the answer is no due to lack of range and time converting from one to the other

at a guess what do you reckon the 2 year old DB8VS is worth now in a sale

[oldbiker]

A newer lathe would be metric, that`s always handy.

1 or 3 phase it makes no difference in use, you can still run about 3Kwatt on single phase and that would probably be enough.
If you want to run a bigger motor the elec regs 17th edition require that a low current starter is used (3 phase star\delta) or single phase with a low current starter motor (that`s one reason why very big stuff is 3 phase). chances are about 2 to 2.5Kwatt would be enough, how much power does your current lathe use? do you need more?

milling attachments are very nice as long as they are well made and sturdy, you soon get used to seeing them stuck on the lathe and they don`t get in the way. I`ve looked at the clark stuff a few times hard to beat the price, but I always think that they lack minor refinments and seem a little delicate.

A second hand lathe could be a bargain, I`m sure that a well made gap bed lathe would fit the bill, this type of lathe has a section that can be removed when you are turning large items, often doubling the swing. If you do get an old imperial lathe you will need a 127 tooth gear to enable you to cut metric threads (check its included).

any help?

[davidblythe]

Hi Steve

IF there was a gap bed in my current lathe, I would be very happy, but when you start off, you dont apprecate the extras you can get

went and looked at the clarke, its a bit jerry built and have got used to variable speed control on mine

wonder how accurate the internal machining has been done on the clarke

what lathe do you use steve

[oldbiker]

My lathe is a very very old portus 3 1/2 inch swing about 14" between centres. it`s very primative but will turn a barrel or cylinder head (not p200).

I have used it to make a barrel, water jacket and a couple of cylinder heads, from scatch out of a bar of aluminium, as well as all the mundane stuff and little jobs.

I have used a lot of lathes and a few very large Ward and DSG lathes including capstan and turret lathes.
But they are not practical in a garage due to the size

I`m on the lookout for a small harrison, or colchester. the colchester is a good choice because you can get a copying attachment (saves making one). I was checking Fleabay and saw a lathe with a 5 meter bed I think it was about £50,000 second hand. I nearly bought it but it was the wrong colour

[mickyb]

The Clarke lathe has a good capacity for a reasonable price, however to move the carriage slide you have to use a graduated handle at the rear of the lathe, this is beacuse it was originally a mill/lathe combination. Have a look at the Warco site, they have a 280 with variable speed, 11 inch swing, plus you get 3 and 4 jaw chucks, faceplate and steadies as standard. At the moment its up for £1200 all in.