I agree – Slimbridge is not too far from here so I shall make a point of going there with my lathe hanging around my neck

But how many here could use a "good modern lathe" as it is unlikely to have any handwheels

I don't know about blingy lathes but anybody can take photos with 10 grands worth of camera kit, and it's dead easy to take a very good photo these days with no effort at all, especially with digital photo manipulation.

But making stuff out of metal and plastic is a lot harder to do.

That's why people will gravitate to the easier hobby of photographing ducks!

There is a market for good quality lathes and they are made in Taiwan not China. In the USA Precision Mathews supply some Taiwanese made machines and they are very good quality, with a correspondingly higher price than Chinese made lathes. Myford lost the plot when they stopped making the 254, which could have been developed into the modern blingy lathe, I think they should have binned the traditional Myford lathe years ago. And I think Harrison M300 (and other models) lathes are now made in Taiwan too?

Ian

Myford – pah. Chinese – pah. Handwheels? Who needs 'em. Be different:

Andrew

Addendum: I do have a Myford, but it ain't a lathe.

a lathe is a lathe is a lathe, the problem lies with the "idiot" using it

Martin P

It's still easier to take a good photo than it is to make a steam engine!

When photography was one of my hobbies (40+ years ago), a couple or three decent transparencies from a 36 roll of film was typical (even good) if the frame was not posed. With negatives, one could enlarge just part of the photo to improve the final positive, so rather more forgiving than transparencies.

With ten grands worth of kit these days, one should be able to literally take thousands of frames, discard most, photoshop a few and finish the day with one or two or even a few memorable images.

I ‘messed up’ one piece today, with my mill. Not important as I’ll likely get it right next time – tomorrow, Sunday, perhaps next week. With wildlife there may not be another photo opportunity. Rather different scenarios, I would suggest.

I agree with Neil, but that does not always apply. My SLR was still a manual wind-on camera, back then. The different lenses were as important as the camera body – and then there was the film processing and printing to do later…

RMA Plus one for Excel Taiwanese lathes. Mine is from the 80s and still good.

Interesting topic……

I have noticed a similarity between the expensive camera owners and the 'bling' lathe fraternity. I would defend a persons right to spend his money any way he wishes, however, I'm minded of the American landscape photographer (Ansel Adams?) Who said; "there's nothing worse than a sharp photo of a blurred subject"…….

I personally know of at least four sparkling expensive lathes which are the pride and joy of their owners but which are basically never used for anything serious. Two weeks back I was shown a 'washer' that had been turned on a Schaublin 102 lathe that was a different thickness across it's width and when I brought this to the attention of the 'turner' was told that it did'nt matter and had been made quickly "without any thought"…..

Edited By Hopper on 17/01/2020 19:50:12

I've not considered Excel lathes before, so after a quick Google I found a few vendors selling a 330×1000 single phase Excel lathe in the UK for just over £7000. Little bit bigger than a myford more suited to a bigger workshop or toolroom, but if you are in the market for a quality bit of kit what's not to like? I saw a Myford top of the range ML7 for sale at a model engineering show for 12 grand!!! I know which one I would buy!

Ian

Give them time. Japan started out making junk in the occupation years. Didn't take long.

And China already makes superb equipment, but it usually bears a label like BMW,