05-06-2014, 10:11 AM
Hi,
Oh dear David; you've started something with this thread.
At the moment I've only got four lathes; two metalturning and two woodturning these being some of my toys. I couldn't agree more with you David when you say on the whole lathes are idle for most of the time and this also applies to much of my kit like routers; jigsaws; biscuit jointer and even the big Startrite combination woodworking machine. Lathes are nice to own though and are worth their weight in gold when needed; I would never be without two lathes.
I'm unfamiliar with Warco but have first hand experience with Clarke. When Bron bought me the Clarke as a Christmas present from a friend a couple of years ago I was delighted thinking it would be ideal until I restored my bigger lathe and what a lovely present to receive.
I would never own another Clarke product if this lathe is an example what I could expect? The Clarke lathe is surprisingly accurate but is only designed to scratch metal not cut metal; I quickly learnt it's limits; being used to big industrial lathes I thought I'd put on a light cut of 60 thou (1/8" on diameter) and thought this is a decent little lathe but after a few cuts the lathe expired in a cloud of smoke?
I had not only burned out the flimsy circuit board but the motor also. Perhaps I should have read the instruction manual first because now reading the manual maximum cut is stated at 10 thou which is a scratch? I've since spent around £200 upgrading this Clarke lathe adding a counter-shaft and much more robust servo motor so now it takes a good cut but I dare not engage the plastic geared power feed. I'm possibly being very unkind and harsh but I would never ever buy another Clarke lathe and once I sort out the new linkage to start/stop this Clarke I'll sell it because I don't want a lathe I don't trust.
Heavy second-hand lathes are a much better buy but beware because these can be scrap as I know only too well having recently lost around £1,000 on two rare Myford's I bought unseen? Never buy a lathe unless inspecting it first. A friend has just bought a very old heavy duty lathe unseen through eBay and I've never in 50 years seen a more abused lathe where a previous moron has attacked it with a welder and even ground a lump out of the bed. Such people should be banned for life from even looking at a lathe because they have no mechanical soul? My friend has now got the lathe running and perhaps for the limited turning he intends to do on it the lathe will suffice but will never give much joy or pleasure?
I recently bought the Lorch Schmidt who's full restoration is comprehensively covered in another thread but having been so badly bitten by the two scrap Myford's I inspected this Lorch very closely before handing over cash and this time my pocket influenced the price I paid not my head. The Lorch was very noisy and looked incredibly rough but I used this for bargaining keeping the price very low; I had already set a fixed price in my head knowing this time I would walk away if the seller wanted more? It was hard but interesting work restoring the Lorch which proved to be a gem under all the dirt and is now a delight to own.
INSPECT BEFORE BUYING. Many lathes have missing parts and might have non standard (not Morse) tapers or mandrel nose thread making buying items very difficult if not impossible. Any tooling with a lathe is a bonus assuming the tooling is included in the deal. Is the lathe single phase and if not has it got a 3 phase motor which can be connected in Delta allowing it to be coupled to a VFD (inverter). Variable speed is a luxury and just another complication which will prove very expensive if it goes wrong. "V" belt drive is better than flat belt drive; are there obvious signs of abuse; look at the bed area near the chuck which suffers most wear and will most likely have a number of battle scars. Do the controls move freely without slack and does the mandrel turn without roughness. There is so much that can cost serious money to put right on an old lathe so be very careful.
My own feeling is that Myford's are over priced unless of course when I sell them and they go for a pittance; as you say David it depends what the lathe is bought for and it would be silly to buy an industrial Colchester when a much smaller lathe would do the work but bear in mind the old saying that a big lathe will turn small work whereas a small lathe won't turn big work? Big lathes like a Colchester with a 5HP main motor in low gear can be highly dangerous to a novice; big lathes have killed or pulled arms off so need treating with respect.
Many owners of small variable speed Clarke lathes wish they had never bought the lathe when the motor or circuit board expires and to buy another motor or circuit board won't guarantee the lathe will be any longer lasting?
I visit Rufforth Auto Jumble and for a few events I used to see a Myford stand but the lathes and accessories were never priced so I never bought from the strand. The stand hasn't been there for the last couple of events; if I've got to ask "how much" I don't usually bother?
Right I've rambled on long enough but if you do decide to buy a lathe Robin be on the alert because there is a lot of scrap out there and even brand new small hobby lathes aren't in my pinion much use unless you have lots of time to scratch metal; good luck.
Kind regards, Col.
Oh dear David; you've started something with this thread.
At the moment I've only got four lathes; two metalturning and two woodturning these being some of my toys. I couldn't agree more with you David when you say on the whole lathes are idle for most of the time and this also applies to much of my kit like routers; jigsaws; biscuit jointer and even the big Startrite combination woodworking machine. Lathes are nice to own though and are worth their weight in gold when needed; I would never be without two lathes.
I'm unfamiliar with Warco but have first hand experience with Clarke. When Bron bought me the Clarke as a Christmas present from a friend a couple of years ago I was delighted thinking it would be ideal until I restored my bigger lathe and what a lovely present to receive.
I would never own another Clarke product if this lathe is an example what I could expect? The Clarke lathe is surprisingly accurate but is only designed to scratch metal not cut metal; I quickly learnt it's limits; being used to big industrial lathes I thought I'd put on a light cut of 60 thou (1/8" on diameter) and thought this is a decent little lathe but after a few cuts the lathe expired in a cloud of smoke?
I had not only burned out the flimsy circuit board but the motor also. Perhaps I should have read the instruction manual first because now reading the manual maximum cut is stated at 10 thou which is a scratch? I've since spent around £200 upgrading this Clarke lathe adding a counter-shaft and much more robust servo motor so now it takes a good cut but I dare not engage the plastic geared power feed. I'm possibly being very unkind and harsh but I would never ever buy another Clarke lathe and once I sort out the new linkage to start/stop this Clarke I'll sell it because I don't want a lathe I don't trust.
Heavy second-hand lathes are a much better buy but beware because these can be scrap as I know only too well having recently lost around £1,000 on two rare Myford's I bought unseen? Never buy a lathe unless inspecting it first. A friend has just bought a very old heavy duty lathe unseen through eBay and I've never in 50 years seen a more abused lathe where a previous moron has attacked it with a welder and even ground a lump out of the bed. Such people should be banned for life from even looking at a lathe because they have no mechanical soul? My friend has now got the lathe running and perhaps for the limited turning he intends to do on it the lathe will suffice but will never give much joy or pleasure?
I recently bought the Lorch Schmidt who's full restoration is comprehensively covered in another thread but having been so badly bitten by the two scrap Myford's I inspected this Lorch very closely before handing over cash and this time my pocket influenced the price I paid not my head. The Lorch was very noisy and looked incredibly rough but I used this for bargaining keeping the price very low; I had already set a fixed price in my head knowing this time I would walk away if the seller wanted more? It was hard but interesting work restoring the Lorch which proved to be a gem under all the dirt and is now a delight to own.
INSPECT BEFORE BUYING. Many lathes have missing parts and might have non standard (not Morse) tapers or mandrel nose thread making buying items very difficult if not impossible. Any tooling with a lathe is a bonus assuming the tooling is included in the deal. Is the lathe single phase and if not has it got a 3 phase motor which can be connected in Delta allowing it to be coupled to a VFD (inverter). Variable speed is a luxury and just another complication which will prove very expensive if it goes wrong. "V" belt drive is better than flat belt drive; are there obvious signs of abuse; look at the bed area near the chuck which suffers most wear and will most likely have a number of battle scars. Do the controls move freely without slack and does the mandrel turn without roughness. There is so much that can cost serious money to put right on an old lathe so be very careful.
My own feeling is that Myford's are over priced unless of course when I sell them and they go for a pittance; as you say David it depends what the lathe is bought for and it would be silly to buy an industrial Colchester when a much smaller lathe would do the work but bear in mind the old saying that a big lathe will turn small work whereas a small lathe won't turn big work? Big lathes like a Colchester with a 5HP main motor in low gear can be highly dangerous to a novice; big lathes have killed or pulled arms off so need treating with respect.
Many owners of small variable speed Clarke lathes wish they had never bought the lathe when the motor or circuit board expires and to buy another motor or circuit board won't guarantee the lathe will be any longer lasting?
I visit Rufforth Auto Jumble and for a few events I used to see a Myford stand but the lathes and accessories were never priced so I never bought from the strand. The stand hasn't been there for the last couple of events; if I've got to ask "how much" I don't usually bother?
Right I've rambled on long enough but if you do decide to buy a lathe Robin be on the alert because there is a lot of scrap out there and even brand new small hobby lathes aren't in my pinion much use unless you have lots of time to scratch metal; good luck.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
