Peatol Lathe

Hi, I am thinking of getting a little Peatol lathe for playing about on in the house, I have an old airing cupboard which will house one nicely. Are Peatol Machine Tools still trading? I have been tying to make contact for a couple of weeks but no answer to phone or email. Are there another UK outlets?

All the best,

Nick...

The website appears unchanged : **LINK**

http://www.peatol.com

... but I suppose that doesn’t mean much in these troubled times

MichaelG.

In the event that you are unable to obtain a Peatol (Taig) lathe there are a couple of alternatives you may like to consider.

• Sieg C0 ** LINK **
• Sherline model 4000 ** LINK **

Sherline lathes are a similar concept to the Taig lathe. Plenty of accessories available including DRO and CNC options.

Sieg C0 is the latest incarnation of the Unimat 3 (which was derived from the Toyo ML 210). As supplied it is a very nice, though small, plain turning lathe that can be lifted by one (strong) hand. Accepts all Unimat 3 accessories making it a very versatile machine and can become the heart of a small workshop. I would strongly urge you to obtain and read "Unimat 3 Lathe Accessories" by Bob Loader (#43 in the Workshop Practice Series).

I've been using a C0 for several years and am very happy with it.

More pictures in my albums.

I had a CO about 6 or 7 years ago and it was pants. The centers didn't line up and the had to provide a centering device in order to set the machine true. Hopefully they have improved it now. The Sheerline is out of my price range unfortunately. As it is I need to sell a couple of my 3D printers to finance the project.

Hi Nick Clarke 2

I've sent you a pm

Nick, I have one - but I obtained mine directly from Taig in the US as I wanted the ER16 spindle which Peatol did not stock ( or supply). Taig themselves were very helpful ( and have been recently on a subsequent order for bits).

The two downsides are the cost of shipping, VAT etc is fairly high and the micro lathe is a project, not something ready to run. As a minimum you will need to obtain a suitable motor and mount it on a baseboard.

That said it is a beautifully precise piece of equipment, ideal for small jobs.

If you look at John Bentley's site Engineman (jrbentley.com), you will get an idea of what one can do..

Hello Nick, I also have one and use it regularly it is much modified with epycyclic saddle travel ,dro’s and Dti’s. I have also made a tailstock turret ( Stevenson Trophy 3rd place) which makes multiple small parts a doddle. If you need any photos pm me.

I have one, surplus to requirements, if you are determined to go down that path. It would require some effort to 'unearth' it and, from memory, it would have a 3 jaw chuck and the milling accessory.

PM if seriously interested.

rgds

Bill