Best small, precision, full featured lathe ever ?

dennh · Nov 28, 2006

In the 5" to 7" range, what's the best small lathe, full featured (quick change gearbox, power longitudinal and cross feeds, etc.) lathe ever made?

Schaublin, small TOSs, etc. are nice but no QC or separate power feed shafts, etc.

If there aren't / weren't any, why not? Was the instrument lathe user a different breed, not needing such silly conveniences

Den

Milacron · Nov 28, 2006

Hardinge HLV-H too big ?

toolmkr · Nov 28, 2006

I want one of those ornamental lathes in my office.

Best, small lathe: HLV or 10EE. Mori 850 (my favorite).

I'm sure others out there have good experiences with other machines.

Milacron · Nov 28, 2006

Sam, he said 5 to 7 inch range. Even the HLV-H is 11 inch swing as I recall, so I probably should not have mentioned it...Monarch 10ee even more.

But I suppose there aren't many "full featured" lathes smaller than 10 inch swing because what's would be the point really ? Since one can do the tiniest work on a Hardinge HLV-H...why go "smaller" from a manufacturing standpoint ? Probably cost about as much to build a 7 inch swing full featured lathe as it does an 11 inch swing one.

rivett608 · Nov 28, 2006

That is simple..... but I'm biased..... RIVETT 608

Milacron · Nov 29, 2006

Isn't the 608 still out of his stated 'range' ?

rivett608 · Nov 29, 2006

only by a little..... it is a 8" swing with less over the carriage..... but it does have both power feeds and QC gear box....

JRouche · Nov 29, 2006

Well heck, my little Cummins 7x12 of course
http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,876.htm
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Info/minilathe_compare.php

If there aren't / weren't any, why not?

Dunno, good question. Maybe the cost would not justify the small size so the 10 or 11 inchers got to be first inline to be a full featured lathe. JRouche

dennh · Nov 29, 2006

I was thinking of smaller (and lighter) than the HLV-H.

Why wouldn't you find full featured machines in the smaller Schaublin sizes or smaller yet, in the Levin sizes? These machines do the same operations so why not a threading and feed box and other goodies?

Spud · Nov 29, 2006

If you mean swing over cross slide the Weiler Primus is 5.9 inches.
In the below link it looks like it has a QC gear box.Dunna about power feeds; what say Weiler experts?

http://www.rijtuigen.net/hobby/metaalwerk/htmlen/weiler/008-primus.htm

Link also has a homebrew Deckel Fp1 cnc conversion.

Weiler USA primus

http://www.weilerusa.com/416.html

The above link shows a metal base version but there is also a bench top version.

chinahand · Nov 29, 2006

How about German made 8" Spinner ?

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Dave Boyer · Nov 29, 2006

As to the "Why Not" for a company to invest in a really top quality full featured machine it is going to have to perform over a wide enough range of work to pay for itself. I used a long bed 10-EE a lot when I was an apprentice, but generally on work under about 3"-4". Anyting larger went on a bigger machine, a 14 WAA Monarch[16.5" swing over bed] or a larger Eastern European lathe. The smallest lathes I have run into in industry were 9" South Bends and they were usually used for stuff under an inch or for turning carbon EDM electrodes.

BobWelland · Nov 29, 2006

This is what you want:

Fanuc Robonano

Is it a lathe? Is it a milling machine? Who knows; who cares - it has 1 nanometer resolution :eek:

Look at the nice attachments!

And it is for SMALL work:

BOSATSU-head

Cheers,
Bob Welland

PS. rivett608, think of what you could make with this monster!

Lca078 · Nov 29, 2006

If there aren't / weren't any, why not?

I think it's because the handles and levers would be too small for most machinists

Seriously though, unless you're talking about a bench-top lathe, I don't see a need for a small lathe that is not ergonomically easy to use. It's easier to use a full size lathe all day than a small lathe as the controls are more naturally laid out. By full size, I'm referring to machines like the HLV and 10EEs as opposed to benchtops. As much as I love our 9" SB, it is uncomfortable to use compared to the 10EE just because it's knobs and wheels are small.
I'd much rather use a machine a little too large than a machine a little too small when it comes to ergo.

Milacron · Nov 29, 2006

Small ? Features ? We got yer stinkin features right here mate !

Dave A · Nov 29, 2006

How about a Wade 8A. As I recall, they were full featured and rather petite.

donie · Nov 29, 2006

Right on D Thomas! looks like a real lathe. Dont see the quick change box but you cant have it all it seems.

BobWelland · Nov 29, 2006

Nice Don

I assume by the bottom pic that you have one of these?

Very old school.

Cheers,
Bob Welland

Chris999 · Nov 29, 2006

I guess I'm wondering if this is an academic question or are you looking to buy the ultimate bench lathe? The Myford is nice, has a wide accessory range and is still made but lacks the geared head and power cross feed. Some smaller Emco models are also ok.
The Wahli gets full points for coolness but lacks the power feeds.

My guess is that the lack of available lathes in this range point to a marketing problem.
To produce a small lathe with all the features of a 10-13 inch model it would cost nearly as much as the larger lathe and possibly more as it's hard to get the required hardware into a small package. Few would be willing to part with the cash as most bench lathes would seem to be purchased by home shop users. The ROI just isn't there.
On an Academic level though, I'd like to see more stuff like Don's Wahli!

mmambro · Nov 29, 2006

Chris,

My Myford Super 7B from built in the late 1980's does have a power cross feed and has a back gear. I don't know if the power cross feed was dropped as part of Myford's recent redesign.

Mike

Best small, precision, full featured lathe ever ?

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