# Opinions on C0636A lathe



## chupac (Apr 25, 2021)

Hello,
Looking to upgrade my lathe and considering the Modern Tool C636A-1000 lathe or one of the Precision Mathews 1440 lathes. 
To get a similar PM lathe would end up being a lot more. $1000usd just for shipping.  

Anyone have experience with the C636A-1000 lathe? 
Good - bad?  
Is the 2HP motor big enough?

Thanks
Antonio


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## cuslog (Apr 25, 2021)

I had one of their 0636 lathes from about 15 years ago - bought it brand new, used it quite a bit, did a lot with it. Not a bad lathe, not a great lathe, depends on your budget and your intended purpose. A "great lathe" could be 5 or 6X the cost of the 0636. On that particular lathe, (The one I had) it always annoyed me that to switch from power feeds to threading, I had to open up the end cover and change out 3 spur gears (with 3 different wrenches) cut threads and then back again to get power feeds back again - I'm told that on the current ones, there's been some changes to the gearbox to address that situation.
The one I had was 2hp 230V single phase, I could take a .050" cut (.025 per side) with a fairly aggressive feed (in steel) - it would do more but then the motor was straining.
For hobby level work and considering the price, I think they're actually pretty decent and Modern is pretty decent to deal with, I've heard that they might even deliver for you N/C. 
PS: the one Modern sells is probably made in the same factory as all the other Chinese clones - though each importer may specify some different options / specs.


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 25, 2021)

I have a C0636A (bought new in 2017), it is my go-to machine and as an amateur hobbyist, it will be many years before my skill exceeds its capability.  As a comparable, it is part for part identical to the PM1440E-LB -- as in identical.

I purchased mine from Modern, and the batch I bought from had the 2hp motor swapped for a 3hp (they said they did the entire shipment after a couple of failures in the same batch -- just saving them the service call).   

My only complaints with the machine are 'advertised' speeds and gear-box configuration.

The speed selector indicates top speed of 2000rpm.  As delivered, the machine did 1675rpm, which I narrowed down to a single gear in the headstock.  Modern figures the factory used a different gear to accommodate the larger bore.  Not sure if this was a limited issue for the batch.  If speed is important to you, I'd have Modern run it up and test it.  The fix for me was to change the pulley diameter from the motor.  I now have the top-end speeds matching, but the low range are slightly faster.  It was one of the other.

On the gear box, you WILL be changing gears if you want to cut any variety of threads.  Yes you can cut different pitches with a single gear selection, but to cut standard common/fine threads in the 3/8, 1/2, 7/16, 5/8 and 3/4 range will have you changing gears more often than you think.

The pros for the C0636a:   Well equipped (DRO/taper-attachment/3 & 4 jaw, steady/follow-rests etc.,   Free delivery (Calgary),  serviceability from Modern (vs. King/Busy Bee etc.),  and a physical throat to choke if there were issues vs. email/phone.  (there were none).    I decided to buy new as a way to hedge wear/abuse issues on buying used -- this is a foundation machine for me.  I bought used on my mills, because I haven't decided which size/style I'm after yet, but the lathe was something I was pretty dialed in on.

Now, there are different variations of C0636  lathes out there, the 2" spindle / D1-5  didn't show up until the newer batches.  The older C0636 had the ~1.5" / D1-4 configuration.   @Janger and I recently compared threading setup and his C0636 (older model) had way more options for threading (has setup for module).

My assessment here is based on never running a heavy/high-precision monster such as a Colchester, Monarch etc.   but I have run smaller, lighter lathes and can appreciate the difference between those and the C0636a.

As for accuracy, I consistently find that my issues are operator/tooling/technique based at this point, and probably will be for many many years.


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## Janger (Apr 25, 2021)

Like Kevin said I have the C0636A/1000 too but older than Kevin's. I stepped up from a 12x36 craftex and this machine is quite a bit better. It's as accurate as I am and is generally a good machine. some quibbles...I have a partially faulty relay somewhere and occasionally have to give the housing a whack for it to turn on.   The gears do have to be changed with the various imperial threads. The metric ones are all accessible with just lever adjustments on the gear box. Clearly this lathe was designed for metric and imperial is an add on. I wish we could just go metric on everything. Unless you are really fussy I don't think you'd be unhappy with the C0636. Changing levers usually also involves manually spinning the chuck to get the gears to mesh. It has a lot of features smaller lathes don't. Powerfeed and threading are both usable without gear changes. The power feed is in both directions on the carriage and on the cross slide. New ones come with DRO mine didn't. 2HP seems like lots for me. I can take a bigger chip than I'm comfortable doing. It has a cam lock spindle so you can run it backwards without risking the chuck spinning off. My spindle bore is smaller than Kevin's which I sometimes find annoying (it's something metric and just under 1.25"). The compound and carriage dials are only marked in imperial. The cross slide has imperial and metric. The older ones like mine have more threading options (module and dia..something). There is a carriage lock. The price of the new ones has gone up a lot. If I was shopping for a new lathe I'd be looking at electronic lead screw options if available and a DRO. 

I guess I would add it's not a leblond or anything fancy like that. Decent and not too expensive.


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## Janger (Apr 25, 2021)

How much does Modern want for the 636 these days?


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## YotaBota (Apr 25, 2021)

Don't know where you are or what your max budget is but this SM1440 would be a contender as you could trade up. It's only two years old so it won't be cheap but no gear changing.
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...kent/lathes-for-exchange/1562667859?undefined


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## cuslog (Apr 25, 2021)

Janger said:


> How much does Modern want for the 636 these days?



When I bought mine (about 2005 or so) IIRC, it was ~ $4,800.00 - 2hp, 1.625" spindle bore, no DRO.
I inquired with Modern ~Oct. 2020 and it was ~$8,000.00 with 2.0" spindle bore and DRO , no stock at the time, couple months wait. 
Not sure where they're at now, web site doesn't give a price.


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## Dabbler (Apr 25, 2021)

I have a 6036 as well - looks like it might be between Janger's and Kevin's.  8 inch chucks.  Mine had been improperly lubricated but the bones are very good.  Much more rigid than my 12X37, and has way more threading options.  Mine has Module and Diametrical pitch on my threading options.  

Tailstock is pretty puny on these lathes (my 12X37 tails stock weights 2X as much).

It is a decent machine.  Rigid enough for good work, not too big for a hobby lathe.


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## Darren (Apr 25, 2021)

YotaBota said:


> Don't know where you are or what your max budget is but this SM1440 would be a contender as you could trade up. It's only two years old so it won't be cheap but no gear changing.
> https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...kent/lathes-for-exchange/1562667859?undefined



Thats a pretty sweet lathe. If its anything like my SM1660, it'll cut any thread, standard or metric just by turning the knobs. They probably want a lot of money for it though. I'd bet 12-15k


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## chupac (Apr 26, 2021)

Janger said:


> How much does Modern want for the 636 these days?



Thank you everyone for the responses.  

New they are $8900+tax.  
Not cheap anymore.  

I grew up using high quality lathes & mills.  Problem is I do not have space for a larger machine nor the funds for a $25k machine. 
Trying to find the best smaller lathe for around $10-$12k. 
This seems to exclude me from anything not built in China. 

Located in Calgary and seems nearly impossible to find used smaller equipment here.  

The PM-1440LB From precision Mathews would be $11 landed without taper attachment.   
Not sure if there is any benefit going that route.  

Thanks for the replies


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## Darren (Apr 26, 2021)

If your budget is 12k, I'd seriously be looking at that standard modern above or similar. It is a much better machine than any import.


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## kevin.decelles (Apr 26, 2021)

chupac said:


> The PM-1440LB From precision Mathews would be $11 landed without taper attachment.



As I noted, I believe the PM1440E-LB is the C0636A, simply renamed.  I've compared the parts lists for that lathe and mine, and it is identical.  The PM manual is awesome though, I use it instead of the crappy one that came with my lathe.  The feeds/speed charts are identical etc.


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