mc900 or mc1100

[robatman]

Well after 6 months of living in denial with a GMC, and producing a few things i'm happy with.....
SHMBO has surprised me by giving the go ahead for a new lathe.

it seems at my budget (under $500), the generic models mentioned above are the only options worth considering.

I would be interested to hear if the marginally bigger motor of the mc1100 is of any value, (i could easily manage to stall the gmc if i was taking an aggresive cut in green wood)

I dont need the extra bed length, but am uncertain if the extra swing will also make a diff.

thanks
Robert

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

IMHO, which to buy depends on what you envisage yourself turning in the next year or two.

The extra bed length doesn't really make much difference, (it's not like you can turn a leg for a 4-poster bed in one piece with the extra length ;)) and the extra swing-over is more or less negated by the fact that both will handle outboard turning. Who really spindle turns 3' tall telephone poles?

If you expect to be turning mostly items in the say, 12" dia. or less size, the MC-900 is fine. It'll handle the occasional larger pieces, but that's not what it's built for. Where the MC-1100 is better (and the extra li'l HP counts) is when you're regularly spinning up large pieces of wood, usually in outboard mode. Even then, I wouldn't expect it swing a 3' diameter log. :roll:

So, you planning on turning big from the beginning? Get an MC-1100. Don't really know yet? The MC-900... Trust me, smaller pieces of wood suitable for turning are a LOT easier to come by. And cheaper. Either way, you'll still be drooling at pics of the bigger Vicmarcs or Oneways or... :D

[hughie]

[Well after 6 months of living in denial with a GMC, and producing a few things i'm happy with.....
SHMBO has surprised me by giving the go ahead for a new lathe.

it seems at my budget (under $500), the generic models mentioned above are the only options worth considering.

I would be interested to hear if the marginally bigger motor of the mc1100 is of any value, (i could easily manage to stall the gmc if i was taking an aggresive cut in green wood)

I dont need the extra bed length, but am uncertain if the extra swing will also make a diff.

thanks


Robert,

The difference is only important if your going to do big bowls. Also the longer bed is handy when doing bowls so that you dont bang your elbow on the tailstock.

As I leave my live centre in it most of the time. I find the extra length of my MC1100 very good. saves the elbow :aargh: . :D

The other concern if the unwanted movement you get out of the MC1100 headstock when turning big-ish blanks that are out of balance.

If you do a search of the forum there have been several posts on how to minimise this.

For me the more swing the better. It allows for more room to place homemade steadies and the like, also it gives you more capacity into the future. Very important, considering the addictive nature of this craft :D

As for motor size it was ok for me, but then I am not familar with the GMC motor capacity. I would not go for less than 1hp on any lathe used for bowls etc. Pens, well you could just about do it with a 1/4hp washing machine motor I suspect.

[ss_11000]

i find the mc900 motor a bit weak at times so i would go the 1100 if you could afford it.

cheers

[Wood Butcher]

Another thing with the MC1100 is that the headstock can slide along the bed as well as swivel, so with large work you can put the headstock in the middle of the bed to give maximum stability for larger pieces.

[cx500]

Hare & forbes - mc900 & 1100 both have 1 hp motors.--don

[robatman]

Thanks guys,
Thanks for the replies, its good to get tips that you dont notice in the catalogues like sliding headstock and balance with bigger blanks.

It seems the differences are there, and i was leaning towards the mc900 with the saving going towards a supernova 2 chuck.

I havent really got an idea of the size of bowls i may turn in the future, but as Skew says outboard may take care of that.

After these replies i guess it might be 1100, although cx500's post re same size motor from H&F, just has me hesitating a little!!

Can someone confirm H&F have the same size motor??

Robert

[col2]

Hi Robert

My H&F MC900 clone (called WL18) came with a 1HP motor, where the Carbatec version had 3/4 HP (550 Watts). However the H&F motor is an open case - it draws air (and sawdust) through the motor, where the Carbatec motor was enclosed in an alloy casing. It is still relatively easy to stall it with cuts that I do not consider particularly heavy, especially at higher speeds.

The other difference is the H&F came with a 1" x 10 TPI headstock thread where the Carbatec uses M30 x 3.5 TPI. I don't think it matters when you are using it, but it might influence you in terms of chucks, faceplates etc if you are looking to move on to say a Technatool or Vicmark later on.

I've had mine 3 or 4 years now - it is still better than I am, although I have taken to running it with the belt cover off to reduce the amount of sawdust that cloggs up the belt speed change mechanism, and I periodically need to pull the headstock back into alignment with the tailstock. I use a Vicmark VL100 scroll chuck with shark jaws on the WL18 - I reckon the good quality chuck is more important than a high quality lathe, for the things I am turning.

cheers, Colin

[rodent]

Ive had a Mc 1100 for 5 years now 185 mm over the bed and the extra 1/4 hp make's a lot of extra options avalable .just wait till the shavings are up too your knees . oh and as for stalling ive stalled a vicmark with a 2hp motor .if you wanna you can ,I did it to prove a point .6 months latter my freind matt broke three chisels off .its not what id recommend but the 1100 will see you through many turning changes .WHAT TO TURN NEXT?

[hughie]

Robert,
On my MC1100 ex H&F I found the fan cover to the motor restrictive so I chopped the grill out [tinsnips] and extended the cowling down over the motor [about 2/3s and cardboard will do] to force the airflow over the motor. These motors run real hot and I was not comfortable with heat build up, periodically I blow the motor down with compressed air to remove any dust build up.

I agree with Colin and the dust build up, but I guess this is part of the maint thing that every lathe has need of in some way shape or form. Also the belt supplied will most likely chew out asap, its a shocker for quality, replace it with a locally made one and it will last just fine.

The design is fine but the manufacture or quality control aint the best. But it will do as good a job as turner operating it will allow.