buying a lathe
- Thread starter bingo1010
- Start date
I bought one of these lathes from House of Tools in Edmonton about 7 years ago. It is the 5th lathe I have owned since 1955. It's capable of doing better work than I am but the service from House of Tools has not been satisfactory.
The starting points in the motor are not tungsten, just tungsten coated, and gave up in about two years. There do not seem to be any replacements available and electric motor shops advise you to discard the whole motor and replace it with a known make.
With the help of small electric motor shop in Vernon, BC I was able to get a set of motor points that were adaptable, after much drilling and tapping of holes, and the lathe is working fine again.
If you are trying to make a living as a machinist this lathe is not for you, but it's fine for hobbyists.
jclayton
The starting points in the motor are not tungsten, just tungsten coated, and gave up in about two years. There do not seem to be any replacements available and electric motor shops advise you to discard the whole motor and replace it with a known make.
With the help of small electric motor shop in Vernon, BC I was able to get a set of motor points that were adaptable, after much drilling and tapping of holes, and the lathe is working fine again.
If you are trying to make a living as a machinist this lathe is not for you, but it's fine for hobbyists.
jclayton
David Henry
CGN Regular
- Location
- West of the big road
Lathes
Modern Tool in Edmonton and Calgary and also Pyramid Machine Tools carry a good selection of new and used equipment and parts for what they sell. I have owned and used several lathes and mills from these suppliers and would stress the importance of buying from people who know the business rather than a a big box store, clearing Chinese tools. If I knew how to post pictures on this site I would show you what I am using at present, It is an American made Logan 14x40 made in the 70's and has given great service for the last 15 or so years I also have a small Myford Super 8 which is a bit of a toy but the British did a good job of making them. I have a gunsmith friend up in the Peace country that is down sizing and is planning to sell his Nardini 14x40 with assorted tooling, these are a big headstocked machine and very sturdy I will guess the weight at 3500 lbs and a price tag of $10,000 for those that might be interested. In retrospect I remember my first lathe was a Tiwanese 13x36 Rexcut and a casting in the headstock broke ( yoke for pully support) and it took 6 months to get a part from timbucktoo, dont let this happen to you. David Henry.
Modern Tool in Edmonton and Calgary and also Pyramid Machine Tools carry a good selection of new and used equipment and parts for what they sell. I have owned and used several lathes and mills from these suppliers and would stress the importance of buying from people who know the business rather than a a big box store, clearing Chinese tools. If I knew how to post pictures on this site I would show you what I am using at present, It is an American made Logan 14x40 made in the 70's and has given great service for the last 15 or so years I also have a small Myford Super 8 which is a bit of a toy but the British did a good job of making them. I have a gunsmith friend up in the Peace country that is down sizing and is planning to sell his Nardini 14x40 with assorted tooling, these are a big headstocked machine and very sturdy I will guess the weight at 3500 lbs and a price tag of $10,000 for those that might be interested. In retrospect I remember my first lathe was a Tiwanese 13x36 Rexcut and a casting in the headstock broke ( yoke for pully support) and it took 6 months to get a part from timbucktoo, dont let this happen to you. David Henry.
