Looking for a gunsmithing lathe??
- Thread starter amosfella
- Start date
Was that one of the Colchesters out of Saskatoon?
They actually pulled down some pretty good money, as did the mills out of the same shop.
Nice enough machines, and like as not, far better, even worn, than a brand new Chinese machine.
Cheers
Trev
They actually pulled down some pretty good money, as did the mills out of the same shop.
Nice enough machines, and like as not, far better, even worn, than a brand new Chinese machine.
Cheers
Trev
No, this is a LeBlonde in Onterrible... Current auction. After the last colchester dad had, I'm not terribly impressed with them...
Ah.
12 x 48 is a nice size. Dunno what the spindle bore or speed on that one would be. Not huge, and not real fast, would be my estimate. But it'll get a lot of work done before it isn't fit to do more!
I liked the Colchester's I used, enough to buy one. It ain't the be-all to end-all, but it'll do. Mine is a Master 2500, and it came with an absolute RAFT of goodies too, with it, so that made it all the more attractive. Figure I can sell it someday and keep half the goodies, and still get all my money out, plus some.
Yeah, it was a decent deal!Cheers
Trev
Looks like nobody bid at the previous minimum, as it is listed again. Or it's another one.
Cheers
Trev
Ah.
12 x 48 is a nice size. Dunno what the spindle bore or speed on that one would be. Not huge, and not real fast, would be my estimate. But it'll get a lot of work done before it isn't fit to do more!
I liked the Colchester's I used, enough to buy one. It ain't the be-all to end-all, but it'll do. Mine is a Master 2500, and it came with an absolute RAFT of goodies too, with it, so that made it all the more attractive. Figure I can sell it someday and keep half the goodies, and still get all my money out, plus some.
Cheers
Trev
I suppose the raft of goodies is a good start... haha... I still like the Dean, Smith and Grace toolroom lathe we have a lot better. Cuts a lot smoother than the colchester triumph we had anyways... Can take off about .3" per side of 1018 in a cut too... That thing EATS metal for breakfast...
Yeah, the DSG is a frikken monster, as far as metal removal rates goes, where the Triumph was a sorta decent medium duty, lightweight of a large lathe.
You sorta have to compare the base prices of each when new, though, and you can figure that the DSG was several times the price of the Colchester, once the relative costs are adjusted, and while the Colchester was built to a price, the DSG was built to a quality standard, and a high one at that.
My 13 x 40 Master 2500 is just a decent light lathe. Better than some of its peers, worse than others, but when new, was priced accordingly. The goodies I got with it were stuff like collet sets and closers, two different types, as well as a bunch of duplicates of chucks, face plates, driver dogs, and the like. There was a lot of unrelated stuff, as well, that was sold along once it was ID'd, and assorted drills, taper adapters, tool posts and holders, and assorted spares for all of the above.
It's crowning glory, as all that goes, is that I can load and move it by myself with limited support equipment, and it is about as heavy a machine as I can do that with. I am happy to have it.
Cheers
Trev
I have news for you Trev, Colchesters have been made in China for close to 20 years, and before that in Taiwan for 10 to 15.
The ones we're talking about probably date back to the 70s. These were from government surplus auctions.
There is that about it... And if I want a new chuck for the DSG, I have to make the mounting plate... None are available on the market that I can find... And I still have to make a faceplate...
I suppose if you need to move it, the colchester is a lot easier... while I have built skates to move the dsg, and vernamo mill and a few of the other tools, it's quite a heave to make them budge after they're on the skates. I wouldn't want to move them up any kind of incline without some sort of winch or a tractor to pull them...
Yeah. Not news.
Ran a new Colchester at work for a couple years. Decent enough machine, and given the options out there, nothing to complain about.
The only grief we had with ours, was a poor install of the cross slide DRO scale, which was not a factory issue but a retailer one. Accu-Rite customer service was stellar, as they sent us a longer scale for free, and only wanted the old one back.
Cheers
Trev
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
I have one of those early Taiwanese lathe made in late 80' Wu Fei 18"x60" since new and no complaints what so ever.
Hardened and ground bed, gear changed 12 speed head, 3HP motor (changed lately for 2KW Baldor), standard and metric pitches, heavy and solid.
I use it often and have no wear on it to speak of, all of it for under $7000 back then with lots of tooling included.
I guess they were trying to enter NA market with good impression at first b/c later Chinese lathes were much lesser quality....
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I have owned a few Taiwan machine tools, they have all been pretty good. I still have a Taiwan made 22" drill press, it works well. The few manual machine tools still made in Taiwan are pretty high end now, they mostly make CNC tools. South Korea also has a history of making good quality machines.
In a general sense the Chinese machine tools are mostly not total crap, once you get up above the sizes considered to be "hobby" size.
Typically that is at about the same size range in which you can no longer order them with a single phase motor.
Mostly. Some of the importers have tried to price down the product, which the Chinese will happily enough build, but in general, the actual industrial grade stuff from China is not a lot worse, nor a lot cheaper, than from anywhere else. The raw materials represent a minor portion of the cost, and tools fit to make other tools upon, are generally expensive everywhere, as are decent bearings.
Cheers
Trev
Typically that is at about the same size range in which you can no longer order them with a single phase motor.
Mostly. Some of the importers have tried to price down the product, which the Chinese will happily enough build, but in general, the actual industrial grade stuff from China is not a lot worse, nor a lot cheaper, than from anywhere else. The raw materials represent a minor portion of the cost, and tools fit to make other tools upon, are generally expensive everywhere, as are decent bearings.
Cheers
Trev
I think Gunsmith Rod Hendriksen has 2 13x40 Chinese lathes and a couple of little 7" Chinese lathes . He calls the 7" lathes "can openers" and uses them as speed lathes i.e. polishing, grinding, screw making ... He also has two Chinese Bridgeport copies..
Most Gunsmiths in Canada seem to have Chinese or Taiwanese machines.
Most Gunsmiths in Canada seem to have Chinese or Taiwanese machines.
They would have that in common with pretty much everyone that needs a machine in that size range, that does not wish to side track their work life with a complete rebuild and overhaul of a potentially clapped out old machine tool.
They do not behave like a Monarch 10EE, but they also do not cost what a Monarch 10EE did when new.
Not everyone that needs a Lathe, needs a Monarch, either.
Needs vs. Wants. Practicality gets lost in the chest thumping sometimes.
Cheers
Trev
Dean smith and grace, old school brit steel. Awesome machine, weighs a ton but cuts like no buddies business. I do like monarch, great machines. The russians make some good machines too. If you have the space, go big, the small ones equal small cuts and they limit your work size. Get one with a taper attachment very useful.
Here's another one...
https://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm...htype=&lci=&str=1<nf=1&frmsr=1&sf=ferm-clos
Smaller lathe... One that I want with an Imperial/Metric screwcutting box...
https://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm...htype=&lci=&str=1<nf=1&frmsr=1&sf=ferm-clos
Smaller lathe... One that I want with an Imperial/Metric screwcutting box...
