What lathes have you had?

I was just wondering what lathes you guys have had. What did you start with? what do you have now? Any you regret selling?

Mine in order:

Raglan Loughborough (Excellent but basic)

Myford ML7 (Very good but limited through the headstock)

Boxford AUD (Excellent perfect for my needs my current lathe)

Unimat SL (Surprisingly capable little model makers lathe)

Sieg C1 (Never got on with this one)

Sieg C2/3 (Average in every way)

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Machinemart CL500 - it did OK for a while. Not sorry to have replaced it.

Raglan LittleJohn Mkll - good lathe and I was happy with it. The QCGB was the initial ‘attention getter’. Streets ahead of the former, even though decades older.

Raglan 5” - it replaced the LJ as an upgrade. Very satisfied with mine and won’t be changing again!

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Currently in use S7B, Sieg C3 clone, Sieg C1, EW(intermittently) Verdicts below..

ML7 OK but high maintenance

M S7B better than ML7 but still a bit of a Diva and oil puker, generally a joy to use

ML10 robust and accurate but rather quirky no tumbler reverse, coarse feeds , odd centre height

C1 good for small stuff but really needs a more powerful motor - full nut a pain

C3 clone - has many issues, but quite good - now my goto lathe for basic work, can be abused without complaint!

EW Stringer 2 1/2 current restoration project - fragile and slow - full nut again not much between this and C1

Mine in order,

Chester Conquest mini-lathe (sold)

C3 (sold)

SC4 (still got)

Chester Crusader (still got)

C3 (only one bought used,sold)

Jim

Sieg C1- taught me a lot and I can move it easily.

Myford Super 7B- does everything that I have asked it and I like using it.

Chris.

This kinda confirms what I suspected. It seems most people own several lathes before they settle on one.

Myford Super 7 for 45 years & now just purchased a new Warco WM 290V, certainly a lot of metal for the money but rough in places, looks like a project?

Tony

a round bed Drummond

!900 Star ,

1920 's Colchester

ML7

now Colchester Bantam and S7

ML7, Myford S7 (fitted with DRO), Myford S7 PCF (fitted with DRO), Harrison M300 (fitted with DRO) , in that order, still have all of them.

Edited By KWIL on 21/07/2019 13:19:45

I did my apprenticeship driving Harrison M300s and compared every lathe ive used since to them.

I’ve had 2 Myford super sevens, first without, then with with a norton gearbox. Accurate and nice to use, but always felt they were underpowered and lacking rigidity. Neither had power cross feed either which I missed.

Now have a Taiwanese Hardinge HLV-H clone with DRO, it’s quite new to me and I’ve only had the opportunity to make a few bits and pieces but so far I like it a lot.

In the 70s as a turner, I used Elliotts, Wyverns, Colchesters, Harrisons, Binns & Berrys, some of them several sizes and models, and probably a few others I've forgotten.

My first 'own' lathe was an Emco Unimat 3, 1980 - 2000.

I had a Myford Speed 10 from 2000 to 2015.

In 2015 I replaced the Myford with a Warco WM250V, which I like a lot - except a screwcutting gearbox would sometimes save me quite a bit of time.

I also bought a titchy Sieg C0, which is really like a more powerful and slightly less nicely made Unimat 3. I still use it now and again for small work when I've got something set up in the Warco.

Pretty much inevitable given that most folk starting out don't really know what they are going to end up doing or what they really need to do it with. Not to mention the usual real world affordability and accommodation issues that tend to trample all over our dreams.

Mine :-

Portass S :- Cheap, bought with smokes'n beer not money, broken bearing cap and as built used the leadscrew as a guide on one side rather than the bed. Clean, refurb, paint and trade on.

Pools Special :- Pretty good really but lacked dials and had to go when the first SouthBend appeared.

SouthBend 9C :- Bare machine with worn out countershaft unit. Clean, refurb, build bench with improved 6 speed countershaft incorporating clutch and used happily until sold at a profit when next SouthBend appeared.

SouthBend 9A :- Bare machine sans countershaft but a gearbox at last. Clean, refurb, built bench added 15 speed countershaft with clutch. Amazed how little wear in bearing and bed considering the feed drive key was narrowed down to almost nothing. Eventually Franken-lathed with Boxfor saddle and compound. Sold at a profit to fund

SouthBend Heavy 10 Toolroom version with all the bits. Late type on rectangular cabinet stand with D1-4 spindle. No wear beyond a little backlash in the screws. Previous owner had painted the stand in the worlds worst purpley-blue-mauve colour. So horrid that no camera would capture it! Chased a few errors of assembly out and learned to live with the colour. This was gonna be my keeper so it got a brand new P-B precision three jaw costing more than the lathe.

But the short travel tailstock drove me nuts as I frequently popped things out. Not good for the ever uncertain Clive temper. On a particularly bad day I saw

Smart & Brown 1024 VSL, metric version, advertised reasonably locally for just over £1,100 with pretty much all equipment but only a partial set of transposing gears. Was asked to find a lathe for a mate of a mate same day. He bought the Heavy 10. After paying transport et al the swop cost me £300. I kept the good chuck of course. 1024 got a taper turning attachment, the missing transposing gears and some re-engineering in the banjo / drop gear area to make switching from metric to imperial threading easier. I'm keeping him.

Pratt & Whitney Model B 12 x 30. Actually swings almost 14". Scrapyard rescue when I needed a heftier machine in Heavy 10 days. 1943 or 44 build date and had a fairly hard life but still accurate. Desperately needs a re-paint, some scars attended to and proper go through but time is the enemy and a sensible maintenance routine keeps on top of things Splendidly steam-punk set of oil immersed contactors in the two speed motor control gear. Found a NOS integrated D1-5 mounting 3 jaw chuck of suitable size at £ very reasonable. Not daily driver but he has more than paid for himself.

Clive

Granville

Boxford C

Under Drive Boxford C. Went in a container when Ian Mander of F2A Supplies emigrated ( Anyone hear anything fron him ??)

Colchester Student from Ian .Too big to fit in the container . Good lathe but tighten you truss before lifting a chuck .

Myford Super 7 Tweaked by the "Myford Boys " Good but small hole down the spindle .

Waco GH600 . Very good. Only requires cosmetic tweaks ( New handles and lubricate everything )

Brian C

1st ever lathe was a Boxford CUD, back int' pre internet days when lathes were bought and sold via Exchange & Mart, major cack handed screw up one day and somehow stripped the teeth off the mainshaft gear :/

Myford ML7, one owner from new, beautiful well maintained machine, and the one I Really should have kept,

Star 8mm Watchmaker's lathe, smallest workhorse with good range of accessories, (still use)

Boley 8mm Watchmaker's lathe, bought from estate of 1st Myford (Stalag VIIb inscription in box lid & a keeper)

Myford ML7 bought from late friend when he was needing to shut up shop, needs a lot of fettling (still use)

Unimat 1, found it to be a fiddle to use and flimsy, didn't like it at all and got rid,

Unimat 3 + milling head & attachments, not a bad bit of kit, but asset stripped it for insane money which paid for my Cowells 90 & kit

Sieg C1 + M1 mill, many mod's and tweaks to that machine and half decent if you weren't in a hurry, (sold last week)

Cowells 90 with good range of accessories (overhauled and still use)

Myford ML7, owned for 35years, excellent lathe, now sold.

Hardinge HLVH ( KL1), owned for 8 years, superb lathe, now sold unfortunately, needed some room.

DSG 13/30, owned for 6 years, see me out now, superb lathe in every respect.

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My first one was an ML4. the second was a wonderful Henry Milnes that had been in the companies toolroom from first purchase and had been relegated to roughing out. When the company got rid of it, I was first in line. Then I got my present lathe which is a Boxford AUD and I'm very pleased with it and have been for the many years I've owned it.

Brian

Myford ML10

Myford Super 7

Myford Super 7 big bore

Myford ML7

Myford Super 7

Myford Super 7

Boxford 280

Boxford 330

Boxford 330

(these have all been sold in the past)

Myford Speed 10

Myford 254S

Colchester Student 2500

(Still got the three above)