Thread: Request for up to date lathe advice

I really like the look of the optimum from machinery house seen one close up and they are nice I like the top speed advantage and the dovetailed top slide so as a milling slide could be attached etc Back tool post

I don't see the issue with top slide travel at 110 as you can re position the tool post etc. not an issue to worry about I see the optimum as a replacement for the English Market ML7 etc and have seen the advertised in the uk mags

Just my thoughts

Good luck with it Bruce

Originally Posted by Aussie Bruce

I

I don't see the issue with top slide travel at 110 as you can re position the tool post etc. not an issue to worry about

Good luck with it Bruce

I know for sure that the toolpost on the Paramount lathe does NOT mount on the T slots (edited/corrected) - it has separate bolt holes. This seems to be the case on some other Chinese lathes this size - pay to check.

The T slots are pretty useless IMHO and simply weaken the cross slide. You can easily drill and tap the cross slide if necessary.

The Paramount lathe and the rest have reverse tumbler, except the Ozme store lathe does not (from memory).

Spare parts/support will be an issue from any of these suppliers, excepting maybe the H&F affiliate.

I remember a couple of people on this forum being unhappy with the AL250G fit and finish.

Rob

Tee slots guys. Coffee hasn't started to work and you had me scratching my head for awhile lol
Well at least I hope thats it... or I need more coffee

Stuart

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Tee slots guys. Coffee hasn't started to work and you had me scratching my head for awhile lol
Well at least I hope thats it... or I need more coffee

Stuart

Yes, you're right Stuart. Cold weather has frozen my brain.

They're too small and facing the wrong way - whatever you want to call them.

Rob

Welcome to the forum Mick.

Unfortunately in this size range the choices aren’t the best:.
The Optium has an auto feed that works on change gears; but, ther are pretty good quality,,
The Halfco AL-250 is just plain bad quality and as you say will only ct metric threads; but, Hafco offer excellent service and backup,
There are some issues with support and communication from ozmestore and there is no where to inspect so you’d be buying sight unseen.
Paramount lathes aren’t the best quality, but are certainly better than the AL-250, I’ve heard nothing bad about Paramount machines so they could be worth a look.
Ausee offer the Sieg C8, without stand, for $2k and they do seem pretty good quality and have some excellent features. I have heard of some issues with Sieg mills, but not with Sieg lathes.
If I was looking, I’d head straight for the Sieg: separate drive for auto feed, power cross feed, quick change gearbox, good quality; good thread range, good backup, and, you can get one from Ausee minus those useless stands for $2k. Ozmestore also sell them, with the useless stand and probably a few other bits and pieces, for around $2.8k

I've found T slots excellent they allow you to position the compound at any point and the amount of meat surrounding the area is more than enough to offset any perceived weakness. The quality of the Optium is a far better build than the rest, perhaps with the exception of the Sieg - I haven't had a close look at them.

I'd put service and support above most things.

I'd personally go with H&F if I had the choice, now I've never dealt with them with machines but I figure you've probably got a better chance of getting some sort of service out of them if things were not up to scratch/parts etc and they aren't going anywhere any time soon. Wouldn't touch ozmestore for a big purchase. Trinkety tools worth only a few $$ sure, but a substantial purchase. Forget it. You want somewhere that in the worst case scenario - you can walk into.

I also wont recommend the AL-50 either, I've looked at them locally and they are horrible. I still like my Hercus 9a. I've never seen the Optimum, but I have to say my Optimum BF20L mill is poor with a major fault.

Don't buy anything from Ausino Engineering Supplies who also advertise on ebay and gumtree etc and sell Optimum. Just walk away, you'll get screwed in the event of something going wrong.

You're in a tough price point. Sorry I can't help anymore.

Edit: Sorry, changed the AL250 to AL50. I haven't seen the 250, only the 50GA.

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_f...l250g&_sacat=0

Originally Posted by Mick14

Hi,

I know this topic is frequently posted, but am seeking some advice with some new lathes on the market. I have just finished saving for a lathe and associated tooling. I currently live in Canberra, but move around every two years or so due to work. Because of this I am seeking a lathe less than 200 kg and have a budget of around $2000 (for just the lathe, I have extra for tooling). I don't have any specific projects in mind, but would like to get as much capacity as possible within the weight budget.

I bought a mill from Titan a few years ago and am not happy with the fit finish, so am very keen to get advice before I proceed with this. I would love to go for something old an second hand, but will save that until I can buy something heavy. Right now I am not convinced that the old hobby lathes offer enough value for what they go for, and I would prefer not to have to drive to collect anything if I can avoid it.

The options I am looking at are:

10x22 lathe from ozmestore. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Quick-Cha...item51d188571b

Looks same as grizzly G0602 which is very popular in US. I am concerned about likely limited support/warranty from the ebay store, but as far as features go this looks like the best bet at this point. Also like that it comes with stand/4 jaw chuck unlike other options.

Optimum TU2506V from Hafco. http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L689

I am concerned by the small cross slide travel (110mm) given that this lathe has a 250mm swing. Surely this would mean that parts cannot be faced above 220mm or so?

AL250G from Hafco. http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L149

I do not like the lack of imperial threading as one of the projects I have in mind requires them. I am also concerned about poor reputation over the years.

FI-610 from paramount browns. http://www.paramountbrowns.com.au/ha...tand-610mm-bc/

The short cross slide travel (110mm) for a 280mm swing also concerns me for this lathe, but does have larger swing, and comes with 4 jaw. This is also at the upper limit of weights that I can go for.

I am also open to any other options/suggestions.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Mick.

I have not yet seen an Optimum lathe first hand. That said, if I was in ypor shoes and had to choose a budget hobbylathe from your shortlist, I would choose the Optimum. I had a look at the German site, and indeed they state 110 mm cross slide travel. But I wonder if that may be a print error. Beecause the smaller Optimum 2406 and the even smaller 2306 hve both 120mm cross slide travel. And the larger 2807 has 160mm cross slide travel. Maybe you want to visit an H&F store and measure this for yourself. Or maybe we have a member that could clarify this. For me, 110mm is looks like a printing error.

But before taking money in your hands..... have you considered something like a used old Hercus 260? It is 170kg plus the stand, so well within your weight limit. Me personally, I have Hercus 260 and think it is better value than any new lathe in your list. Depends on price and condition though, a worn out rust Hercus is no match for a new Optimum. Chris

Originally Posted by Mick14

Hi,

I know this topic is frequently posted, but am seeking some advice with some new lathes on the market. I have just finished saving for a lathe and associated tooling. I currently live in Canberra, but move around every two years or so due to work. Because of this I am seeking a lathe less than 200 kg and have a budget of around $2000 (for just the lathe, I have extra for tooling). I don't have any specific projects in mind, but would like to get as much capacity as possible within the weight budget.

I bought a mill from Titan a few years ago and am not happy with the fit finish, so am very keen to get advice before I proceed with this. I would love to go for something old an second hand, but will save that until I can buy something heavy. Right now I am not convinced that the old hobby lathes offer enough value for what they go for, and I would prefer not to have to drive to collect anything if I can avoid it.

The options I am looking at are:

10x22 lathe from ozmestore. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Quick-Cha...item51d188571b

Looks same as grizzly G0602 which is very popular in US. I am concerned about likely limited support/warranty from the ebay store, but as far as features go this looks like the best bet at this point. Also like that it comes with stand/4 jaw chuck unlike other options.

Optimum TU2506V from Hafco. http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L689

I am concerned by the small cross slide travel (110mm) given that this lathe has a 250mm swing. Surely this would mean that parts cannot be faced above 220mm or so?

AL250G from Hafco. http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L149

I do not like the lack of imperial threading as one of the projects I have in mind requires them. I am also concerned about poor reputation over the years.

FI-610 from paramount browns. http://www.paramountbrowns.com.au/ha...tand-610mm-bc/

The short cross slide travel (110mm) for a 280mm swing also concerns me for this lathe, but does have larger swing, and comes with 4 jaw. This is also at the upper limit of weights that I can go for.

I am also open to any other options/suggestions.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Mick.

I have not yet seen an Optimum lathe first hand. That said, if I was in your shoes and had to choose a budget hobbylathe from your shortlist, I would choose the Optimum. I had a look at the German site, and indeed they state 110 mm cross slide travel. But I wonder if that may be a print error. Beecause the smaller Optimum 2406 and the even smaller 2306 have both 120mm cross slide travel. And the larger 2807 has 160mm cross slide travel. Maybe you want to visit an H&F store and measure this for yourself. Or maybe we have a member that could clarify this. For me, 110mm looks like a printing error.

But before taking cash in your hands..... have you considered something like a used old Hercus 260? It is 170kg plus the stand, so well within your weight limit. Me personally, I have Hercus 260 and think it is better value than any new lathe in your list. Depends on price and condition though, a worn out or rusty Hercus is no match for a new Optimum. Chris

Bottom speed range for a lot of those machines is way too high for safe threading unless you have really good reflexes, never thread to a shoulder or into a blind hole, or always thread in reverse ie away from the chuck.

I'd be looking at how to drop the bottom speed by a factor of 3 to say 50 rpm for threading if the slowest was 150 rpm.

Out of the lathes listed above, I'd go for the AL-250G with the caveat that as I haven't had my hands on one, I can't judge quality, and geared head lathes better have really well made gears or they'll be noisy and the gear imperfections will show up on the work.

I expect I'll be taking a trip to H&F in a bit over a week so I'll take a look over their offerings & twiddle the knobs.

PDW

Hey Guys,

Thanks heaps for the speedy replies and the welcome. I guess I should add that I am happy to tweak the lathe, spend time sorting it out. This is a good opportunity for me to learn. I am happy to do things like adding reverse tumblers etc. On that note, has anyone seen a change gear addition to the Al250 that would allow imperial threads? the 60 to 63 or 120 to 127 conversion is what I am thinking, but would it fit? May be too much of a reach.

I don't suppose anyone has had a look at the ozmestore 10x22 lathe in the past? I think I read somewhere that they were happy for inspections at the warehouse facility. If anyone has I would be very grateful for any assessment on the quality etc.

Sacc51 -
Thanks for the tip to the Sieg c8 at Ausee. They are out of stock at the moment, but I think I will get in touch and see how they are looking time wise, and whether they do deals. They are currently listed at $2175 so I will need to get an idea of freight as well.

Auskart -
Thanks for the heads up to that auction. I will keep an eye on it and see if the price may be low enough. May be worth putting up with the issues and limitations.

Aussie Bruce -
I am not sure I understand your comment about being able to move the tool post on the Optimum. If you moved it out so that you could cover the whole part would you not then be limited in how much material you could face - ie. you wouldn't be able to reach the centre of the part as that would require 125mm of travel rather than the 110mm available? It is more than possible that I have misunderstood the facing operation though, so please let me know if I have.

Also, when you saw the optimum up close did the cross slide/compound assembly look a bit flimsy? From the pictures it looks this way. In particular the cross slide looks quite thin, but I can't be sure without seeing one in person. Unfortunately I have limited ability to get up to Sydney at the moment. The local distributor (M&G Industrial - brilliant) only has the AL50, AL250 and AL320 on display.


Thanks again for your help.

Mick.

This one is good but.....

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Emco-Maxi...item4d337c8cc8

it's 3X your budget and - IMO - probably 2X its actual value. Might be worth $4000 with the milling head at absolute tops but I don't think I'd pay it. His asking price is way too high.

I have a Maximat 11 which is the next generation after the V10P. I almost never use it as I prefer my Chipmaster but it is a very fine lathe. If I ever have to scale back my machinery collection to something that'd fit in a small space, I'd keep the Maximat 11 and my Romanian toolroom mill.

PDW

Hey CBA and PDW,

Thanks for the extra comments, you got in while I was drafting my last reply.

I hope that the cross slide travel is a typo, it doesn't seem to make sense to me.

PDW it would be awesome if you are able to have have a glance at this if you end up dropping in to the store. Very keen to here all the independent feedback I can.

Cheers,

Mick.