HoSS Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I'm looking for a lathe. Something mid to large, capable of machining some bigish bits. (Volvo hubs) I would prefer decent engineering to new carp, although i did look at some new ones. Any views on Colchester Bantam? e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140961360692?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Other recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Colchesters are okay in general, though you might struggle with the swing on that bantam... I prefer the student or Truimph. I don't like the new ones, sheet metal is no substitute for the castings they used to make the old ones from. Weight is your friend on a lathe. There are a few thread in here about lathes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean f Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I have a Harrison M300 which has been fine for me, I think it is basically the same as the newer Colchester Student, when I looked it up it seemed about even which one people thought was best, probable based on which one they were used to. Also of course it comes down to condition pretty much like the argument about which is best the 200tdi or the 300tdi engine lots of views and no clear answer. Don't forget anything this sort of size is likely to be 3 phase, if you don't have a 3 phase supply this is something which would need to be looked at, there are various ways to sort it out, covered in another thread on here, none of them a cheap or easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 I am a fan of Harrison Lathes, I learnt my trade on an M390 and that was a brilliant machine, the M400 my mentor worked was very old and very good (probably more the bloke that worked it than the machine). There was a Harrison M300 at college that I used a few time and that wasnt bad either. I've also worked on a Colchester Bantham, it was old and worn but did the job. A Colchester Master 2500 that I was semi responsable for knackering the head bearings in and also a Triumph 2000 that had obviously been abused in the past and now showed it. The Student 1800 at work is IMHO a pile of junk, it lacks any rigidity.... wont bother you in your shed, bothers me when i'm in a rush to make swarf! When buying a lathe, the important stuff is it runs smooth and quiet, it turns straight (no taper over 4 - 6 inch length) faces are square to the diameters and that the slides dont get tight when turning near the tail stock or on big diameters. And the more tooling you get with it the better, tooling is not cheap! Dont get drawn to a carp lathe with DRO's and such like, for mucking about in the shed there not that important, a decent set of slips, a bed stop, a marker pen and a hand dial is plenty... I do it that way sometimes in Industry or when making bits for my train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Hancock Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dean-smith-and-Grace-lathe-/291027557095?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item43c2981ae7#ht_253wt_958 Much better quality than a Colchester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 Yeah i saw that DSG have on watch The Harrisons look good, i will keep an eye for those too How would you check accuracy/condition when buying, i presume kicking the tyres isnt enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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