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Small tool room lathe recommendation

Xyzz

Plastic
Joined
Mar 23, 2020
I’m looking for a small to very small toolroom lathe.

I bought an import 8x16 grizzly, and have quickly realized it is nearly useless.

Decades ago, I used a Hardinge and appreciated the low runout collet and 6jaw, quiet, and variable speed. Smooth, precise, fast, and efficient.

Now when I search for small tool room lathes, I either find more Chinese low functioning stuff, or these machines that take up too much space. And are fully shrouded/CNC.

Does anything exist like this? Maybe I should try to find a used hardinge? Would I just inherit a rebuild effort?

I’m near San Diego- maybe there is a remanufacturer here?

What do you guys think?

Jon
 
In that size range I would definitely be looking for a used Monarch 10EE. Nothing better has ever been built! Just my $.02

I was gonna say - Monarch 0EE. My friend owns two Monarchs. One is a 20" X 72" and the other is a 10EE. He has let me use the 10EE on occasion and in my humble opinion that's the one that I would look for. Sure, they are old, but that's no reason not to look for one. There is a lot of help on this site for the 10EE's.

When I bought my mill, there was a 10EE in the same warehouse. Sure wish I had the money at the time.

My next bet would be to get my friend to leave his 10EE to me in his will, but he's younget than I am. LOL.
 
In that size range I would definitely be looking for a used Monarch 10EE. Nothing better has ever been built! Just my $.02
Ick. Clunky.

Hardinge is obviously the hot dog here but in small and pretty nice and a price a normal human can pay, 13" late-model Clausing Colchester. The Regal LeBlond is okay too but that servo-shift thing sucks if it's the little thumbwheel-kinda thing near the feed rod. Harrison so-so but better than Grizzly by a thousand percent. Feeler made Hardinge copies that are nice. Sharp too, maybe ?

Near you, make them an offer

FEELER FTL-618 TOOL ROOM LATHE HLVH COPY | eBay
 
No way on the Sharp option, worked with a few and they all have problems with very poor build quality. i.e. Tailstock won't stay put when locked no matter how its adjusted, had to re-grind the one at work (1440V model) to fit the ways. Oil ports fall out, can't take a decent cut in steel without chatter, compound gibs have to be so tight its almost impossible to use or chatter is horrendous, have to lock apron when facing or don't get a flat face.

Just steer clear of sharp lathes, they make a decent Bridgeport-style mill though.
 
Is it possible to buy an as-new 10EE? Otherwise he'd be in for a long sad story on how to
rebuild one.

HLVHs can be purchased as-new from a couple of re-builders. Instant lathe, just add money!
 
I never had good luck with 3 jaw chucks holding concentricity. If you can deal with 1.00" being max turning diameter I would say a Hardinge DV-59 would be your best bet.

I have seen them for $500-$1000 with few attachments. Most attachments can be gotten. I have 2 of them and they have no runout issues after 50+ years of use. Very accurate machines.

I also have a Sheldon lathe with 3 jaw chuck and worm gear for turning/single point threading. It came out of a trade school 25 years ago. I have rarely used it due to the spindle running out too much. Could be a bearing issue or the spindle shank being bent slightly (I'm leaning this way). It can be rebuilt and is heavy for a smaller toolroom lathe. I would sell it if interested.

My DV-59's run great and I would never sell them. Very good machine to have access to.
 
I never had good luck with 3 jaw chucks holding concentricity. If you can deal with 1.00" being max turning diameter I would say a Hardinge DV-59 would be your best bet.

I have seen them for $500-$1000 with few attachments. Most attachments can be gotten. I have 2 of them and they have no runout issues after 50+ years of use. Very accurate machines.

I also have a Sheldon lathe with 3 jaw chuck and worm gear for turning/single point threading. It came out of a trade school 25 years ago. I have rarely used it due to the spindle running out too much. Could be a bearing issue or the spindle shank being bent slightly (I'm leaning this way). It can be rebuilt and is heavy for a smaller toolroom lathe. I would sell it if interested.

My DV-59's run great and I would never sell them. Very good machine to have access to.


Beautiful machines, I looked at one before I got my Emco.

Pretty "specialized" tho? Only 9 x 18", and no threading?

edit: saw the OP bought an 8 x 16 so maybe he is looking for something in this size...
 
Is it possible to buy an as-new 10EE? Otherwise he'd be in for a long sad story on how to
rebuild one.

HLVHs can be purchased as-new from a couple of re-builders. Instant lathe, just add money!

Monarch still advertises them.
Last I heard, new ones were $120,000???

Reason I like the Monarch: The threading is unbelievably fast, easy & accurate. And I REALLY like how the 10EE can remove metal at (comparably) workhorse levels, not just dainty fiddling. For a small, accurate tool room lathe, I can’t imagine settling for anything else.

Just my humble opinion.
 
Two others that might be worth looking at:

Weiler. Very nice, very german, probably very expensive

Southwestern Industries/ProtoTrak. You can use these as either a manual lathe or as a CNC with conversational or G-code. They are compact and work pretty well. They are surprisingly inexpensive.
 
No way on the Sharp option, worked with a few and they all have problems with very poor build quality. i.e. Tailstock won't stay put when locked no matter how its adjusted, had to re-grind the one at work (1440V model) to fit the ways. Oil ports fall out, can't take a decent cut in steel without chatter, compound gibs have to be so tight its almost impossible to use or chatter is horrendous, have to lock apron when facing or don't get a flat face.

Just steer clear of sharp lathes, they make a decent Bridgeport-style mill though.



The mills are ok for the first five years. The head will start to make noise after a while. They also shortened the Z axis ways, the knee hangs below the ways when it is all the way down.
 
Monarch still advertises them.
Last I heard, new ones were $120,000???

Reason I like the Monarch: The threading is unbelievably fast, easy & accurate. And I REALLY like how the 10EE can remove metal at (comparably) workhorse levels, not just dainty fiddling. For a small, accurate tool room lathe, I can’t imagine settling for anything else.

Just my humble opinion.

When confronted with this choice, I ended up going with a new Weiler lathe...comparable specs to the Monarch, more modern electronics. FYI, Monarch Lathes sells 10EE refurbished, 10EE new, and is also the main Weiler distributor in USA.
 
I don't own one, but from what I hear on the forum, Babin does very nice Hardinge rebuilds and builds an HLV-H clone

Babin Machine Tool

That is the particular re-builder I am thinking of, thank you.

As somebody who has operated both of those types of machines, the 10EE is indeed the Big Dog in the room, but
the HLVH is quite nimble indeed. The now come with encoder-operated leadscrews for inch/metric.
 
To those who recommended the 10EE, would you choose a 10EE over an HLV-H? If so, why? I haven't operated either, but it looks to me like the 10EE isn't as versatile.
 








 
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