Guys, I am looking at purchasing my first lathe, I've been looking at a number of them over the years, and now I finally have the shop space to do it in. Being my first, I have no accessories, or pretty much anything lathe related, which I know can be a Big expense to fit out one if it is missing bits and pieces.
The reason I mention this, is that I found a SAG 20 at a local mfg plant that is selling off some of it's less utilized machinery, and one item they had listed was a SAG 20. I have heard of Graziano before, and I understand it to be a well built machine, pretty uncommon, and from what I have read, once warmed up, a bit noisy.
The machine they are selling appears to be in about average condition for it's age, but the big thing that got me interested was the fact that it came with a bunch of additional items, and even a cabinet to put them in. Things like steady rests, tool holder and tooling, collets, drill chucks, even from the looks of it a few spare parts.
So, my main question and reason for posting here, is when I go down to look at it, what should I be looking for, other than the obvious wear and/or damage to the ways (which have those interesting covers on them) and rocks in the blender kind of noises from the gearbox? I listened to a couple youtube videos of some Graziano lathes running, even one SAG 20, so I have a little bit of an idea as to approximately how noisy they are, but what else would some of you experienced Graziano owners suggest I look out for?
The price I feel is fair for everything that they include, and the thought of a one stop shop for a lathe setup is very appealing. They probably aren't the latest, top of the line tooling, but at least it will be a fairly complete set of items, so I can get started learning without having to go out and buy a bunch of expensive bits and pieces. I can always upgrade the items I find that I use regularly, with top of the line products, but for learning purposes, I would think these should be good enough to start with.
I don't know if it comes with a manual or not, is Graziano even still in business to purchase one from? How is parts availability? They sound like they are built very sturdy, so if well taken care of, should give many years of good performance. Ideally, if I ever get into the Youtube thing I'd probably like to have a quieter machine, but there's always room for a 2nd one down the road, maybe a DS&G, a Monarch, something top of the line I'd think would be a bit quieter due to their high precision construction?
Well, feel free to enlighten me with all I should know and what to look out for before I head down there, so I can be as prepared as possible when I look at it, and can avoid any nasty surprises. Thanks!
The reason I mention this, is that I found a SAG 20 at a local mfg plant that is selling off some of it's less utilized machinery, and one item they had listed was a SAG 20. I have heard of Graziano before, and I understand it to be a well built machine, pretty uncommon, and from what I have read, once warmed up, a bit noisy.
The machine they are selling appears to be in about average condition for it's age, but the big thing that got me interested was the fact that it came with a bunch of additional items, and even a cabinet to put them in. Things like steady rests, tool holder and tooling, collets, drill chucks, even from the looks of it a few spare parts.
So, my main question and reason for posting here, is when I go down to look at it, what should I be looking for, other than the obvious wear and/or damage to the ways (which have those interesting covers on them) and rocks in the blender kind of noises from the gearbox? I listened to a couple youtube videos of some Graziano lathes running, even one SAG 20, so I have a little bit of an idea as to approximately how noisy they are, but what else would some of you experienced Graziano owners suggest I look out for?
The price I feel is fair for everything that they include, and the thought of a one stop shop for a lathe setup is very appealing. They probably aren't the latest, top of the line tooling, but at least it will be a fairly complete set of items, so I can get started learning without having to go out and buy a bunch of expensive bits and pieces. I can always upgrade the items I find that I use regularly, with top of the line products, but for learning purposes, I would think these should be good enough to start with.
I don't know if it comes with a manual or not, is Graziano even still in business to purchase one from? How is parts availability? They sound like they are built very sturdy, so if well taken care of, should give many years of good performance. Ideally, if I ever get into the Youtube thing I'd probably like to have a quieter machine, but there's always room for a 2nd one down the road, maybe a DS&G, a Monarch, something top of the line I'd think would be a bit quieter due to their high precision construction?
Well, feel free to enlighten me with all I should know and what to look out for before I head down there, so I can be as prepared as possible when I look at it, and can avoid any nasty surprises. Thanks!