Thread: Vicmarc VL100 accuracy is supriseing

Hi ya, Thugpipe...welcome to the asylum!!

Good test you did there. Certainly shows that Vicmark is synonymous with quality.

Originally Posted by rsser

Al, doesn't a 5/8 gouge slow it down? ;-}

Not too much....

thanks!

as for your speed issue well the cheap solution is to find a 1140rpm motor on ebay, by my calculation that would get you down to about 456rpm on the lowest speed. But my best advice is to just keep an eye on electric motors on ebay and eventually something should come along cheap enough. My first variable speed setup was a dc drive with a 3/4hp leeson motor $90 the drive was $50 shipped both off ebay. Just keep an eye on ebay and you can get set up cheap.

BTW my current EVS setup minus the elaborat motor mounting system was actually pretty cheap considering. The motor was $125 off ebay and the VFD was $199 from driveswarehouse.com and with less than $25 of extras you could be running in style on 110v. If you want to set either system up let me know I would be more than happy to help.

hey so while I have the attention of some of you vl100 owners I was wondering if any of you have a reasonably new VL100 and could take a picture of the indexing pin on it for me. I was looking through the latest vicmarc manual and in the belt changing section there appears to be a new indexing pin in some of the pictures so I am curious. The indexing pin is one of the few problems I have with the lathe although I have made a new one for mine that fixes the problem.

Well, thugpipe, I bent my indexing pin on Little Vic. I've been using it all the time to lock my spindle while I removed or put on the chuck. The one time I turned it on without releasing the indexing pin, it bent. I know... I know... there's a reason its called the 'indexing pin' instead of 'spindle lock', but you know how we occasionally screw up... or am I the only one that does that?
Now I have to wait until I return from this next trip to overhaul it. Mine is plain jane... nothing but the pin and a little circlip, I guess, holding it in place; I'll have to order a new one.
I'm interested in what you did to modify yours....
I could do a repair WIP, if anyone's interested.
I'm going to be out of pocket for a couple of weeks, and I doubt if I'll have internet where I'm going, so I'll have to check back on this thread later.

well allen dont feel so bad i have done that same thing more than once

i just got a reply from the good people over at vicmarc and they have updated the indexing system to be very similar to the modification I made to mine.

Attachment 134243

That could be very good news to you because they now have done the really hard part for you, making the pin system. if i am not mistaken you could drill out and tap the old indexing hole the same way i did to my lathe(if you check the pictures you can see the lathe on my drill press) and just screw in the new pin. Although you can see the new pin clearly in the exploded view of the latest manual there is no part number listed for it, it will have to talk to vicmarc to see if you can get one. if i had not already made my mod i would try to put in the new one

well guys you know those wonderful american prices I told you about on the VL100 they are a thing of the past. I was just on the phone buying some stuff with the woodworkers emporium guys and they told me they have stoped importing the VL100 because it has become too expensive (i.e. About $1000 for the bench mount) and they only have one left instock and that is a new old stock one that was from before the size increase so it actually only has a 200mm(8") swing and can't take a bed extension and that is what they want $471 for

it was a good run while it lasted and I am glad I got one when I did, you can bet your ass I am never parting with this little machine.

I just think it is so sad that a machine like this can't compete with a taiwanese or chinese product of severely lower quality due to the cost associated with a factory in a first world country. Well at least there still are a few companies making high quality machines out there but for how much longer before you see the first chinese vicmarc? Wait already happened (beaver anyone)

Yes, with the Aus.$ hitting 93US cents I guess the importers now have to pay real money.

well the exchange rate explains the cost in relation to the ausie cost but I just wish that either it could cost little enough that it could be competitive or that people would be a little more descriminating and and save up to spend more on a quality machine. The more tolerant the market gets to low quality the worse the overall quality of machines in general get. At least here in USA I have seen most machine manufacturers QC go down the toilet and watched the basic materials and construction get cheaper and cheaper. Thanks global economics!

Originally Posted by Thugpipe

I just think it is so sad that a machine like this can't compete with a taiwanese or chinese product of severely lower quality due to the cost associated with a factory in a first world country. Well at least there still are a few companies making high quality machines out there but for how much longer before you see the first chinese vicmarc? Wait already happened (beaver anyone)

And that was short lived once Victor could not control the QC
Dont see many of them about.

I may be wrong, but I think the Vicmarc castings are done in Thailand.

They are checked over here and the unsuitable ones are discarded while the others are machined for production..

Whether any other preliminary work is done Os I know not.

Originally Posted by artme

I may be wrong, but I think the Vicmarc castings are done in Thailand.

They are checked over here and the unsuitable ones are discarded while the others are machined for production..

Whether any other preliminary work is done Os I know not.

The beaver one was completely produced overseas with some other outside influence,

As you say the normal castings are produced os in thialand and then all the rest is done in house to their own standards which gives them full control and can discard if not happy.