There are but you don't want to know the prices.

Here's one of the premier European brands advertising in our magazines.

**LINK**

They are supposed to be very nice, but command a premium compared to far-Eastern lathes of similar capacity.

Neil

I believe Boxford still make a manual lathe. I don't know the price but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a five figure sum.

If you're good enough, you can make parts to fine tolerances on any machine, even a mangle.

Worn machines are frustrating places for the beginner to learn.

Neil

Are'nt myford making new machines?

Myford are in fact making new Machines themselves so to speak.

Been in there quite a few times and had decent conversations with them and yes they build up on site. Much material and sub con machining is still sourced UK. Their finishing is to a much higher standard than overseas but is certainly reflected in price.

The operation and range is very limited compared to their previous structure. They were very busy last time I was in.

Colchester, and probably other 600 group companies get their lathe beds from Taiwan at the foundry of the Wey Yii corperation. I have one of their own brand lathes, it's a 13" x 26" belt head, back geared lathe, with 1.5hp single phase motor, when I got it twenty years ago, I could have bought three of them for the price of a Myford Super 7, it was also cheaper than a Myford clone that the supplier had just got in, and the clone was way ahead of Myford with a large bore spindle, a heavier bed by quite a few kilograms, and the salesman said that in his mind it was a better machine than that English thing (his words).

Here's a rare view of my machine, don't worry the chuck is suspended on my over head hoist. Also you can see my home brew oil cap just behind the chuck, it is made from a flip top tooth paste tube, and replaces the rubber bung.

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 08/02/2016 10:20:25

How about a nice modest bench lathe …from schaublin… price probably would make ones eyes water. Or a second hand hardinge which the factory will still restore/rebuild even though they don't make new ones any more.. should come out at deep pocket prices with transport. There's a secondhand one for sale in spain on the for sale list at £5K and I;d hate to guess hardinges rebuild price +shipping….

Or is it just me that daydreams…?

Crossed over with pgk pgk there

Good to see great minds think alike.

David

For a rebuild second hand one of these would be nice to have **LINK** , Niko.

Maybe you should try this mod to the tailstock. Several members on MEM have Hardinge machines for model making

Unless the OP comes up with some idea what is going to be made there isn't anything other than a very simple answer.

Wabeco and Emco or Boxford but only at a one size. Boxford prices – reckon on circa £12k maybe 15k plus. More variation on the other 2. Design wise those can be a bit lacking in areas depending on the actual model.

However China do make some decent lathes as do TOS, or did but they aren't the sort of thing that model engineers generally buy and the price and these days size will reflect that.

Schaublin – the only certainty about those is that even worn ones that don't deserve the name any more still fetch high prices. This is true of other mainstream makes as well, they are just cheaper in comparison, Hardinge too. All of them really.

There is one used lathe that I feel can be found in very good even perfect condition if some one takes their time looking. The Myford Speed 10 or even the later ML10 with the same bearings. Like many others they just use a pair of taper rollers for the headstock bearings which will put a limit on the finish that can be achieved reliably. To do better things like DSG's are needed – if they still make this type. The only ones that definitely do is Schaublin as far as I am aware. Both makes are likely to see a considerable amount of work before they are likely to appear on the used market and in practice few people need the initial performance levels these machines have. There is a UK source of recond's schaublins but if done fully they are still rather expensive.

On the other hand a file and emery cloth etc can cure all sorts of ills. Some styles of lathe bed such as Myford 7's cause more problems as they wear. Modern prismatic beds are a lot better but a lot depends on them having an ideal width for the size of lathe.

Maybe I should add that my training gave me a totally unrealistic idea of what lathes can do but I do understand why.

John

–

Edited By Ajohnw on 08/02/2016 13:45:58