Jon H Posted September 29, 2022 Author Share Posted September 29, 2022 (edited) KC and Simon. Yea, you are right. A bigger heavier lathe of better quality is going to produce better results. The problem is, i cant afford one and do not have the space for one. Even if the budget could be massaged to get one of the 2nd hand lathes pointed out, its just too big. my building shed is 8x6 and i somehow have to fit myself and a 7 foot spitfire wing in there as well as the lathe and all my other stuff. Its standing room only in there as it is so i shouldnt even be considering this at all really. My goal was to find out if the chinese manufactured lathes have any utility at all or are just 40kg paperwights. It seems they work well enough for the jobs i have in mind, fit within my budget and space requirement and are readily available new so i just have to decide which exact model to go for if i go for it at all. Tim...A mill you say? which one? 🤔 Edited September 29, 2022 by Jon - Laser Engines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 You could consider the Peatol lathe as a suitable small lathe. They have been around for decades and I think they are still British made. They used to be demonstrated at Model Engineer exhibitions back in the 1980's and 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted September 29, 2022 Author Share Posted September 29, 2022 13 minutes ago, kc said: Peatol lathe I misread that to begin with and this strange vision of a 50cc two stroke powered lathe shot through my head. A petrol lathe...hmmm Anyway while they do look really smart they are too small for my use and too expensive by the time i add all the bits that seem to be absent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 I looked for several years on flea bay for a lathe thinking a Unimat would be an option but they seem to go for ridiculous prices even those without a motor. In the end I eventually purchased a far bigger table top lathe with just a speculative bid on an auction which ended mid week. Even the owner was surprised how little it went for, so its shear luck with trying to find a good lathe at a reasonable price. Think Covid has increased prices on all second hand hobby related items with more people working from home which allows people to have sale sites open in the background on a second PC when doing work on their office PC which would not be the case if working in an office environment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul De Tourtoulon Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 I can't find the weight or the motor wattage, I must be getting old, I like my Emco SL,,, silly me when I sold my shop I gave away my 35 kilo bench lathe,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 Jon,take it you have checked out Amazon as well...i had a look and they do them... ken anderson...ne....1..get Jon a lathe dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Clark Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 2 hours ago, kc said: You could consider the Peatol lathe as a suitable small lathe. They have been around for decades and I think they are still British made. They used to be demonstrated at Model Engineer exhibitions back in the 1980's and 90's. The Peatol lathe is actually American made and called Taig in USA. Back in the 70's when it first came out my dad considered importing it commercially and we tried them out quite a lot. For what it is, it is OK but the some of the aluminium slides wear out quickly and the tailstock used to jam up. Fine for very small simple jobs but not as versatile as the others being considered here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 11 minutes ago, ken anderson. said: Jon,take it you have checked out Amazon as well...i had a look and they do them... ken anderson...ne....1..get Jon a lathe dept. Some of the prices on Amazon and Ali Express are very low .......... until you look at shipping charges !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 There are some bargains it seems if you look at Ebay - a Boxford with only a bid for£320 so far with 40 minutes to go.........for anyone with the space. And a Hobbymat MD65 for £450 buyit now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 (edited) That Boxford just sold for £460 - someone got a better lathe than anything chinese for that money! Some years ago when I was looking for a lathe I was told to look at the leadscrews on the cheap lathes and compare them with a Myford etc. Looking at the diameter and the thread form it was obvious which would last. And of course thats something to check on a s/h lathe - the leadscrew at the headstock end tends to wear first. Edited September 29, 2022 by kc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outrunner Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 1 hour ago, kc said: That Boxford just sold for £460 - someone got a better lathe than anything chinese for that money! Some years ago when I was looking for a lathe I was told to look at the leadscrews on the cheap lathes and compare them with a Myford etc. Looking at the diameter and the thread form it was obvious which would last. And of course thats something to check on a s/h lathe - the leadscrew at the headstock end tends to wear first. The Boxford's are far better and cheaper lathe than a Myford. They are well made with proper hardened slides and taper roller bearing headstocks and if you get the underdrive version the motor is nicely tucked away underneath in the cabinet. Too big for what Jon wants though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Interesting that Jon didnt immediately recognise Peatol - back in 1986 the Peatol advert in RCME was right next to Laser's advert! Then the Peatol with chuck cost the same as a Laser 45 at £120. Ebay has many lathes for sale and some like that Boxford seem real bargains. Quite a few really old but probably useful lathes of all sizes for sale which could be worthwhile. Ebay also had quite a few apparent bargains in woodturning lathes for anyone thinking of taking that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Hooper Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 20 hours ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: Tim...A mill you say? which one? 🤔 Jon, It's the Champion 20. Tim 20 hours ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul De Tourtoulon Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 10 hours ago, kc said: There are some bargains it seems if you look at Ebay - a Boxford with only a bid for£320 so far with 40 minutes to go.........for anyone with the space. And a Hobbymat MD65 for £450 buyit now A great machine (Hobbymat MD65 f) that's what I had in my shop, I missed a second hand one for around 400€ a couple of months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted September 30, 2022 Author Share Posted September 30, 2022 7 hours ago, kc said: Interesting that Jon didnt immediately recognise Peatol - back in 1986 the Peatol advert in RCME was right next to Laser's advert! Well i read 'petrol' not 'peatol' as i caught it at a glance and have engines on the brain. Also...i was born in 1985, so there's that. Tim... One day i will have the space and finances for such a beast. Very nice indeed. On the subject of Amazon, i started there and it lead me to the vevor site where i was able to get the same machine a good bit cheaper, probably as amazon need to take a cut of every sale on their platform so it puts the price up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan p Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 3 hours ago, Jon - Laser Engines said: interesting that Jon didnt immediately recognise Peatol - back in 1986 the Peatol advert in RCME was right next to Laser's advert! Hi KC Jon Has now realised how many greybeards are on this forum😉. Impressed if you have back copies to 1986 you must have reinforced floor joists!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 (edited) That Hobbymat is still for sale ( not an auction) and looks a good buy for anyone wanting a moderate size screwcutting lathe, and it looks as though it's metric -it's in Whitby. Edited September 30, 2022 by kc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 25, 2022 Author Share Posted October 25, 2022 The deed is done... Went for the Amadeal example in the end as i liked the high/low gearbox and the fact that i do have support round the corner should it throw a wobbly. This finally swayed me and they did me a deal which i can just about afford. Just waiting for it to arrive now 🙂 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert baker Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 Thought a Denford Orac would have been considered given your line of work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 29, 2022 Author Share Posted October 29, 2022 my biggest limitation is space. I have knocked up a bench for the lathe and installed it in the shed. Space is so tight i have had to take the back off my chair so it stands a chance of fitting with me in it. I will do a photo update of the situation and report on the lathe once i have a response from amadeal regarding a few small problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 (edited) Ok so lathe update. The beast arrived on Thursday and after nearly breaking my back carrying it from the car to the house i then nearly did it again carrying it out to the garden. Its certainly not light! The first thing to do was build a bench for it, and this meant i needed to clear space in my shed. Not an easy task as i am sure you can imagine. But, with the bench built and shed rearranged i was able to nearly break my back again getting the thing out of its box and onto the bench. Once out i gave it a little wipe down as it was plastered with grease and fired it up. First problem. The motor has a speed control pot with a positive click to turn it off. The problem? It no work. The speed control part works fine but the click to off does not and there is still a buzz of power to the motor. Not the end of the world but i would rather it worked as it should and i will be sending a video to the seller for their view on it. Second problem. The tool post is awful. I think i could have made a better one with a file and my bare feet. But i was planning on upgrading this anyway and i did find one spot where it would just about hold a tool so i got cracking. To cut a long story short i did some test cuts and was happy with the result. I then got into making a small ali spacer for the spinner on my ugly mustang, and then knocked up a steel spinner adaptor for the same model. The lathe handled it all without any issues and i am pretty happy so far with the results. First peak in the box Nice little carbide tool set Just a slight ridge in the tool post, not ideal if you want you tools to sit flat! Tools needed shims to get them level with the work. First test pass One small spinner spacer The mess at the end of the day Beyond that there are two inconveniences to mention. One is the noise...its not quiet. straight cut metal gears are loud and after a little while i got out my ear defenders as it was getting on my nerves. Then it was ok. The second one is the scale on the slides is .025mm/division. This is very inconvenient so i made a new one and stuck it on with tape. Test passes revealed my taped effort is accurate and i was able to make .1mm adjustments with ease although i did make one error as the cross slide has a travel of 2mm per 360' rotation but the comp slide is only 1mm. Why? They both use the same thread and move 1mm per rotation of the handle, but the cross slide is taking 1mm per side off radius so is a 2mm overall change on diameter. As a result my comp slide scale is wrong but i can print another with different numbers on it. So my overall feeling after a weekend of playing around is a good one. The overall quality of the machine is good, but the tool post lets it down. The scales on the slides are inconvenient but this is an imperial machine at its core so that is probably why. The noise is what it is for a cheap machine, but i am generally happy with my new toy and we will see what Amadeal are prepared to do about the suspect faulty switch and dodgy tool post. Edited October 31, 2022 by Jon - Laser Engines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Hi Jon. Nice machine. I would say the tool post is probably designed that way by the look of it. Probably to lift the tool holder up a bit (obviously not enough though). I also have to pack up tools and holders on my Sieg machine. Used hacksaw blade have their use ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 (edited) 11 minutes ago, kevin b said: Hi Jon. Nice machine. I would say the tool post is probably designed that way by the look of it. Probably to lift the tool holder up a bit (obviously not enough though). I also have to pack up tools and holders on my Sieg machine. Used hacksaw blade have their use ! I would accept the tool post working the way you suggest and it did occur to me that it was by design, but its not straight in any of the other directions either. They do not have the lumps, but they just arent flat. Its not easy to see, but the right hand end of the tool has daylight under it. Edited October 31, 2022 by Jon - Laser Engines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan p Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Must agree that tool post looks grim, can you not take into work and have it skimmed on a mill. It was std practise in days gone by to shim tools for correct ctr height. Tools not of replaceable cardide tips, every regrind needed fresh shim always had selection in toolbox. Modern youth spoiled😉 good luck on your turning👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 47 minutes ago, alan p said: Must agree that tool post looks grim, can you not take into work and have it skimmed on a mill. It was std practise in days gone by to shim tools for correct ctr height. Tools not of replaceable cardide tips, every regrind needed fresh shim always had selection in toolbox. Modern youth spoiled😉 good luck on your turning👍 Yea i will have a go at sorting it out but in truth a quick change tool post is more my style. Having to faff about with shims on multiple tools is just a pain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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