What am I getting myself into?!!

Martin beware !!

You are falling down a hole and it,s a very difficult one to get out of. I speak from experience !!

On the other hand,I suppose I dont really try too hard,it,s OK down here.

Enjoy !

Thanks Larry.

Yes, I can see whats happening - I've spent the past six months scouring junkyards collecting old woodworking tools and now I can see the same thing happening with metalworking.

Still, it's more fun that sitting watching the Idiot's Lantern,eh?

Martin.

The CJ18A is a good lathe, they are some issues with it, but I wonder if you'll notice them. I too was looking at buying one as there a good deal and would have done most if not all what I needed it to do. The setup would have been quicker too.

That's when I saw the myford and thought what the hell it's cheap enough comes with a lot, if it's crap I'll keep the tooling and sell the lathe.

Kinda fallen for the old thing now though, and an ML10 may be the next one on the cards for me.

I think whatever I end up with Jon, it's going to be 90% satisfactory - they say that you have to go through three of any tool before you really know what you want, and then the fourth try gives you the peach.

So basically I'm going to buy whatever comes up which is

1) within reasonable driving distance and

2) at a price which will allow me to resell it if I really, really, can't get on with it.

A CJ18A, a Myford ML10, anything that can be handled by one person is in the frame, depends what comes up first!

Martin.

Interesting, I've got three lathes and three milling machines, so next time round I should get it right on both counts.

Andrew

I think it is a bit over the top for English people to totally condemn everything that comes out of China, especially considering the (lack of) quality of the English cars that used to be all we could buy in NZ. China is a big country, and they make both good and bad stuff...sometimes the same design from two different suppliers can be of quite different quality. If you buy from a good supplier you can get a useful machine at a reasonable price. Meanwhile some of the prices asked locally for old Myfords really make me wonder.

John

You're right John -

Yes, the Chinese stuff was all junk years ago but that was then and this is now.

Today, the Chinese manufacturers supply what the European customers ask for.

If it is cheap junk, then so be it.

But if it is quality, then they can supply that as well.

I'm a radio amateur and some of the current Chinese radio equipment is as good as anything that the Japanese offer, and still at a third of the price.

The problem is that European buyers want quality items at junk prices!

Martin.

Hmmm... you must be pretty strong, then. It took me and my son to muscle my old Speed 10 out of the car and into the garage, and I was 17 years younger then...!

.

Very well-put, Martin.

MichaelG.

Mick - my understanding is that an ML10 sans motor is about 53kg. I should think that's handleable by one bloke with a sack truck and lots of grunting.

Or am I mistaken?

I've never actually seen any of the lathes we are discussing other than a couple in (dare I mention the name?) Machine Mart so I've no real idea what I'm talking about.

Which, for me, isn't unusual.

Martin.

It isn't just the weight of the machine that can pose a problem but the fact it is a difficult unbalanced shape to get hold of on your own, there is no easy way of picking it up.

If you took off motor, chuck and tailstock it might be manageable. I didn't want to take off the motor 'cause the seller had told me it was tricky to re-mount, and I didn't readily know how to remove chuck and tailstock at that time - so I called my son and we just about managed it between us with me taking the heavy end. I thought my feet were gonna sink into the tarmac on the drive...

When I sold it 15 years later, the buyer must've been *about* 70-ish, and he had his son with him too. They managed to get the lathe on its wooden bench into their van in one without too much effort, and that involved about a 3ft lift, too.

So it's doable, but unless you're exceptionally strong and fit, I don't think it'll be trivial.

Myfords are easy to move on a sack barrow if you leave them on the stand. I know, I know, every one is going to say you have to separate to get them into the vehicle. Yes, but a lift onto a stand from a van etc is a lot easier than a carry round the side of the house. After that your sack barrow is your friend.

regards Martin

Never be put off getting a good lathe just because you think it is a bit too heavy to lift, Provided the seller can help you get it into your car you are home and dry. If you have trailer it is even easier.

You might have to take bits off to get it out again but you have possession and that's the main thing, take your time.
A stout table the same height as the car tailgate may help, lots of bits of wood, planks to slide it up/down, ratchet straps to act as a winch, scissor jack to push it or lift. I have moved a Boxford and a mill drill without an engine crane and a 12 inch lathe with one - all single handed.

Hi Bazyle -

Yes, I go with this - get it home, then worry about it!

But I'm still inclined to put a stop at around 70/80kg or so.

I'd like to reach 72 in one piece with everything still fully funcional!!

**

Just back from a search around a local antique mall - 12 solid brass stair rods, 24" long, 9.5mm diameter (I'm bilingual!) each weighing 317g, for £18.

Haven't checked the price of brass rod yet but sounds like a bargain to me.

Martin.

.

If you are treating it as stock material, that sounds good

... but you will be out of pocket if you 'weigh it in'

MichaelG.

Hi Michael -

No, I thought that it would be useful as stock material.

Unfortunately (there's got to be an "unfortunately" to this tales hasn't there?) I worked out the density - it's about 7.5g/cc, too low for brass so I cut one in half - it's steel-cored with an outer of brass sheet.

Ho hum.

Still, it'll be useful -I'll just have to ensure that the ends don't show!

Memo to self - always take a magnet.

Martin.

This is a quote I borrowed from another forum. I am too lazy to look it up and credit the originator.

How to become a millionaire: Start with 10 million and take up metalworking as a hobby.

- and last post to update my search:

I decided to sit back and just watch the listings for anything suitable reasonably nearby.

Bid on a few, got outbid - seems that the going rate for used 30/40kg lathes bare is around £310, fully loaded anything up to £450.

Finally a Warco WM180 came up, BIN £460.

Over 40 watchers within 24 hours.

So bit the bullet, went and took a look-see, looked good, bought it for the asking price.

It had been sold second-hand by Warco two years earlier and came with the full set of accessories that come with a new WM180, plus a faceplate, a handle to turn the chuck manually, a four-jaw, and a few odds and ends

Date code is 08 03, so I guess it's either 2003 or 2008.

Vendor had just bought himself a Myford.

I've played with it a little, seems to run sweetly.

Handled the 70kg WM180 far more easily than I expected - just wondering now if the 113kg of an ML7 would have been too much...

But I'm happy, I've got a new toy.

...and the moral of this story is, don't rush, just sit, watch, and wait for the one that you are destined to buy.

Martin.