Lathes as bling!

The fact that many threads on lathes degenerate to the old argument about the merits of Myford and Chinese lathes has got me thinking.

The amateur lathe market, unsurprising in the past, has been dominated by cheap new products or questionable second hand items. One feels there should be a market for a good modern lathe. Obviously such a lathe will cost more.

When I go to Slimbridge to look at the ducks there are people wandering about the place carrying £10,000+ of camera equipment around their necks so I feel the money is there. OK, I know it is bling. Perhaps we should do the same!

JA

I agree - Slimbridge is not too far from here so I shall make a point of going there with my lathe hanging around my neck

Surely if Myford were any good they'd still have a big factory? My glorious Chinese lathe (bless the leader) is excellent for what I paid for it. Up the workers!

But how many here could use a "good modern lathe" as it is unlikely to have any handwheels

Question for JA. Do you think with your knowledge of modern & old lathes that you could design & build say a smallish ultimate lathe that would be good for small to medium work. I mean with all mod cons on & very accurate. If you could what sort of pricing would you think. Bearing in mind the low price of the Chinese lathe's that it would have to compete against. It seems some of the good makes I looked at seem to be a bit too large for a small workshop where the little Chinese ones take up little space. As I just bought my Myford & have read the disadvantages of that V's Chinese. There does not seem to be much in between.

Steve.

I don't know about blingy lathes but anybody can take photos with 10 grands worth of camera kit, and it's dead easy to take a very good photo these days with no effort at all, especially with digital photo manipulation.

But making stuff out of metal and plastic is a lot harder to do.

That's why people will gravitate to the easier hobby of photographing ducks!

There is a market for good quality lathes and they are made in Taiwan not China. In the USA Precision Mathews supply some Taiwanese made machines and they are very good quality, with a correspondingly higher price than Chinese made lathes. Myford lost the plot when they stopped making the 254, which could have been developed into the modern blingy lathe, I think they should have binned the traditional Myford lathe years ago. And I think Harrison M300 (and other models) lathes are now made in Taiwan too?

Ian

You could have a nice Hardinge copy from Grizzly complete with ELS for £29K

Myford - pah. Chinese - pah. Handwheels? Who needs 'em. Be different:

Andrew

Addendum: I do have a Myford, but it ain't a lathe.

Have a look at Excel at Coventry. I bought one of their lathes way back in the 80's when Excel and Myford had stands at the London show. The Excel beat the Myford 254 hands down for value for money then, it also came with everything, and it's made in Taiwan.

Obviously models have changed since then, but their range is well worth looking at.

a lathe is a lathe is a lathe, the problem lies with the "idiot" using it

Martin P

There are some people who can reliably take better photos on a cellphone (or a box brownie) than some people can take with 10 grand of kit...

Same goes for lathes...

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 17/01/2020 15:36:28

It's still easier to take a good photo than it is to make a steam engine!

'Zackly!

What comes out yer shed is one hundred times more important than whatcha gorrin there.

When photography was one of my hobbies (40+ years ago), a couple or three decent transparencies from a 36 roll of film was typical (even good) if the frame was not posed. With negatives, one could enlarge just part of the photo to improve the final positive, so rather more forgiving than transparencies.

With ten grands worth of kit these days, one should be able to literally take thousands of frames, discard most, photoshop a few and finish the day with one or two or even a few memorable images.

I ‘messed up’ one piece today, with my mill. Not important as I’ll likely get it right next time - tomorrow, Sunday, perhaps next week. With wildlife there may not be another photo opportunity. Rather different scenarios, I would suggest.

I agree with Neil, but that does not always apply. My SLR was still a manual wind-on camera, back then. The different lenses were as important as the camera body - and then there was the film processing and printing to do later...

If you go and pap ducks for fun, seriously how often are you going to look a the photos.

RMA Plus one for Excel Taiwanese lathes. Mine is from the 80s and still good.

The British bike vs jap bike debate ran for years so probably plenty of life left in the Chinese lathe vs Brit lathe debate.

Mike

Interesting topic......

I have noticed a similarity between the expensive camera owners and the 'bling' lathe fraternity. I would defend a persons right to spend his money any way he wishes, however, I'm minded of the American landscape photographer (Ansel Adams?) Who said; "there's nothing worse than a sharp photo of a blurred subject".......

I personally know of at least four sparkling expensive lathes which are the pride and joy of their owners but which are basically never used for anything serious. Two weeks back I was shown a 'washer' that had been turned on a Schaublin 102 lathe that was a different thickness across it's width and when I brought this to the attention of the 'turner' was told that it did'nt matter and had been made quickly "without any thought".....

And have you seen what restored Honda Fours and Kawasaki 900s sell for these days? Will we see Seig minilathes go the same way in 2050? Are they the £10,000 lathe of the future? Better start filling the shed with them now .

Edited By Hopper on 17/01/2020 19:50:12