Best 10" lathe?

[ChazzC]

So Sharp considers $30K - $60K “affordable?”

I don’t think Harding HLV-Hs are available new any more. Same with Monarch 10EEs.

The Monarchs can be factory reconditioned to like new, if you find a used one.

There are Hardinge clones available new. Here is just one of them:

View attachment 51320

1118H Toolroom Lathe | Sharp Industries Inc.

Our high precision toolroom lathes are ideal for small parts especially for those that requires threading. Affordable, easy to use, and offers very high.....

sharp-industries.com

They cost a lot.

The HVL-H knock offs start at about $30k. Depending on the details, if you wanted, you could probably double that. Now a 10EE you may be able to get new, but it would be a little pricey (add another zero) - guessing that if you paid enough, they would tool up just for you.

Monarch 10ee lathes are available, stripped for about 130K USD. The Taiwan company Royal made HLV - H lathes (most parts interchangeable) for just over 60K$. that's why I said "if you can afford it".

I'm a strong believer in buying a good used lathe, Best value for the money, and in many cases the way to get the best lathe period.

Is space a serious limitation?

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

I have noticed quite a few people have Busy bee lathes. Are they good quality? Or is it they are just the easiest for people to get a hold of new? I can really only name 2 brands that I can walk into a store and buy, at least in Saskatchewan, Craftex (busy bee) or King Canada. I guess I also know of precision mathews but I think that would need to be ordered in from the states so you need to really trust that you know what you want since you can't lay hands on it first.

 

[DPittman]

I have noticed quite a few people have Busy bee lathes. Are they good quality? Or is it they are just the easiest for people to get a hold of new? I can really only name 2 brands that I can walk into a store and buy, at least in Saskatchewan, Craftex (busy bee) or King Canada. I guess I also no of precision mathews but I think that would need to be ordered in from the states so you need to really trust that you know what you want since you can't lay hands on it first.

While the 10x22 Asian lathes are all similar, they are not all the same. At the time I purchased mine, I felt it had the options I wanted (primarily variable dc motor and power crossfeed) that others did not. However some of the alternatives also had a larger spindle pass thru hole that mine did not, so I gave up that.
Precision Matthews lathes are very similar to Craftex lathes but may have a bit more presale inspection done to them? However I have read many reports of excellent after sales service with Precision Matthews and that is completely opposite of what I've learned ro expect from Busy Bee.
The US/Can dollar exchange rate and shipping makes PM lathes generally more expensive than other Canadian options.

 

[DavidR8]

@DavidR8 You have a 'neighbour' (in Nanaimo) that also has your model; He has made an excellent spindle blank for machining new back plates. If you need it, I can text you his contact info.

That would be grand John!

 

[Bandit]

I think the biggest thing is to figure out if your making hammer handles or high speed turbines, and then how big the hammer handles/turbines are going to be.
A bigger, used lathe is often cheaper then a new small lathe. Remember it does need to be moved to where you want it, new or used, big or small.
Measure the area you are going to put it, possibly lessen it by a1/4 to a 1/3 so you can operate it, and get out of the way if/when things go south.
Power is often a problem, you have single, or 3 phase, 110, or 220 volt,not often 360, 440, 640 or?. Are you willing/able to convert power? And are you willing/able to spend the money, know someone that could do the work, or are you able to?
If you buy new, the power will be right there on it as to what's needed. Used, could be a circus, to figure out.
It can come down to what's available in your area, the biggest thing can be " the gotta have that one", no matter what.
Welcome to the "if only, and the wow if I had that" CLUB.

 

[ducdon]

Major difference between the small 10” bench lathes and the bigger lathes is which operating mechanisms are missing. I figure three major criteria decides which lathe I buy next.

Belt speed change or gear box

Quick change gear box for threading or change gears

Bolt-on lathe chuck or quick change spindle

I’ve owned a Grizzly G0516 10x21 belt drive, Busy Bee B2227L/CX708 10x18 gear head, and a Grizzly G4000 9x19 belt drive. The B2227L is my current machine, the constant changing of belt position on the belt-drive lathes drove me nuts. The B2227L doesn’t have a quick change threading gearbox, but adding an ELS system was relatively painless.

Problem with all of these is the chuck mounting. I’m jealous of lathe owners who have machines with proper DI-x lathe mounting.

If I was buying a new lathe today I’d probably be looking at the Precision Matthews machines. Going a bit bigger than your criteria, their 11x30 has a DI-4 chuck mount, power cross feed, quick change gear box for threading, AXA tool post. I’d be willing to give up a gearhead speed control system for power cross feed and DI chuck mounting. YMMV

I don't know the lathes mentioned and of course have never used them. I do agree that on any future lathe I might own a Quick Change gearbox would be essential. I made the mistake when I bought my my Modern Tool 14X40 that because it was a gearhead and had selectable feeds it would cut any thread I might choose. WRONG For threading its still a change gear.

 

[DavidR8]

One thing to consider is that the bigger the machine, the bigger the accessories and cost.

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

I think the biggest thing is to figure out if your making hammer handles or high speed turbines, and then how big the hammer handles/turbines are going to be.
A bigger, used lathe is often cheaper then a new small lathe. Remember it does need to be moved to where you want it, new or used, big or small.
Measure the area you are going to put it, possibly lessen it by a1/4 to a 1/3 so you can operate it, and get out of the way if/when things go south.
Power is often a problem, you have single, or 3 phase, 110, or 220 volt,not often 360, 440, 640 or?. Are you willing/able to convert power? And are you willing/able to spend the money, know someone that could do the work, or are you able to?
If you buy new, the power will be right there on it as to what's needed. Used, could be a circus, to figure out.
It can come down to what's available in your area, the biggest thing can be " the gotta have that one", no matter what.
Welcome to the "if only, and the wow if I had that" CLUB.

The problem with used and the reason I asked about new is that there isn't a good used market for everyone. It is based on where you live and I can tell you that in Saskatchewan it is a very small and expensive market. Where as with new it is similar across the country. Also it doesn't matter how good old iron was when it was new if its worn and clapped out learning can be very frustrating especially if do to being new you didn't know that the used machine was worn out.

 

[Dabbler]

I purchased my 3800 lb 9X49 mill in B.C. 900 km away.

Things can be shipped. There are a lot of good deals in Calgary and Edmonton areas. A trailer and a long drive gets you a far better value than new.

I also agree that new is far better - if you can afford the price. New has the same downfalls as used. There is a lot of new junk on the market, particularly in the smaller machines. By the time you hit 15" and above, just about any lathe will be amazing. I've gone and jury rigged a bunch of small lathes that were not capable of taking a chip, or keeping good accuracy. It was a struggle to work with them.

There are a lot of SB9a lathes out there, which are great lathes to learn on. they are no Monarch or Hardinge, but get the job done. The BB 12X37 is a capable machine. Any of the 14440 lathes available has the potential to be a great machine. There are a few other brave souls in Sask that have great machining knowledge, and might help check out a lathe.

If you try to buy a Toronto, Calgary or lower mainland lathe, there are a lot of guys available to help. You are not alone.

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

I purchased my 3800 lb 9X49 mill in B.C. 900 km away.

Things can be shipped. There are a lot of good deals in Calgary and Edmonton areas. A trailer and a long drive gets you a far better value than new.

I also agree that new is far better - if you can afford the price. New has the same downfalls as used. There is a lot of new junk on the market, particularly in the smaller machines. By the time you hit 15" and above, just about any lathe will be amazing. I've gone and jury rigged a bunch of small lathes that were not capable of taking a chip, or keeping good accuracy. It was a struggle to work with them.

There are a lot of SB9a lathes out there, which are great lathes to learn on. they are no Monarch or Hardinge, but get the job done. The BB 12X37 is a capable machine. Any of the 14440 lathes available has the potential to be a great machine. There are a few other brave souls in Sask that have great machining knowledge, and might help check out a lathe.

If you try to buy a Toronto, Calgary or lower mainland lathe, there are a lot of guys available to help. You are not alone.

I drove to Edmonton about a year and a half ago to buy a used milling machine. But it does add to the cost for sure. I am not against buying used at all. All my lathes and mills have been used. They all have also had compromises to have to live with as well. That being said I am not sold on used being the best option unless the right one happens to come up for the right price.

 

[lucsimoneau]

What made you switch from the King Canda lathe to the Craftex lathe?

The KC lathe was taking up too much space in my small 1 car garage and the weight of the machine was starting to sink into my wooden sub floor. Also, didn't need something as big for my needs. Decided to downsize

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

The KC lathe was taking up too much space in my small 1 car garage and the weight of the machine was starting to sink into my wooden sub floor. Also, didn't need something as big for my needs. Decided to downsize

Other than size have you notice much of a difference in the quality of the two brands?

 

[phaxtris]

I think a 12" lathe is really the best hobby sized lathe for general use, 10's are popular but 12's are leaps ahead in capability on average for the more affordable Asian machines

Not referring to the high end 10's, like a Harding

The best lathe is probably the one you can afford and has the capability to do the work you want to do

 

[Chipper5783]

I drove to Edmonton about a year and a half ago to buy a used milling machine. But it does add to the cost for sure. I am not against buying used at all. All my lathes and mills have been used. They all have also had compromises to have to live with as well. That being said I am not sold on used being the best option unless the right one happens to come up for the right price.

I think as you have said, that if you are buying new you have lots of choice, you can spend a lot, you can spend not too much (depends on your definition of a lot or not too much), you don't have to hurry, you can change your mind (until you actually make the purchase), you can dither back and forth on given features etc. Obviously there may well be issues (depending on how much you spend, how reputable the brand and all of that) - exceptions aside, you generally get what you pay for.

Buying used, there are still a lot of options available (arguably more than with new machines) but I think a big difference is that the opportunities come up one at a time. You have a choice, to buy or let it pass. You may later learn that a machine you passed on was actually a very good deal as far as what you were looking for - but that opportunity is gone. I live in central Alberta and have picked up ~10 machines in the last 12 years, pretty well all at scrap metal prices - but that has been my interest, my hobby - I like fixing up old machines (not actually that old, late 50's to late 90's). These were all machines that others deemed to not be worth repairing. Now they work well. Truth is that I've spend way more time messing around with these very ugly looking machines than actual machining - but that is my form of entertainment. You don't need to go quite to the bottom of the barrel - however, a decent 10" to 12" swing lathe is exactly what a lot of folks are looking for, so expect to pay well for a decent used one.

You have not said what your hard constraints are (foot print, weight, power, price, must have features)? I suggest if you get something a bit up in quality then you will get to appreciate it, and it will sell on well when you are done with it. If you stay in the hobby a long time and perhaps acquire other machines a quality little lathe will always have a role to play (I have 4 lathes, the 11" Standard Modern Utilathe is the most modest of the fleet, it still gets used regularly because it is a good machine). The Precision Matthews PM-1236T "Ultra Precision" looks nice. Dressed up a bit, in CAD$ probably get it for about $15K. For me, I'd like to see a lower bottom end speed - if that were a problem you could swap in some sort of variable speed motor arrangement. Sort of like there being no such thing as a "perfect" lathe, I suggest starting with something that has good bones (whether new or used).

 

[Bandit]

So I guess as you have a 10 in. Atlas, and that is/seems to be doing 99% of what you want, that would seem to be the size you want/need, you likely never have a lathe that will do 100% of what comes through the door. As you feel that "doing very precise work" would even be better then perhaps that means a new lathe, as a used no wear lathe or "like new" is a hard find.
So decide what you want with the new lathe, power feeds on both axis, taper attachment, head stock bore size, quick change gear box for power feeds and threading with a built in or manual change for imperial/metric, electronic read outs for speeds and measurement, and so on. 3 and 4 jaw chucks, with quick change D type mount.
Tick the boxes, see whats out there from the new supppliers and where it is at. "Just" need to pay the bill.
The above is an idea of what I would be getting if new.

 

[BaitMaster]

When I was looking for my lathe as a fresh machining newbie (still a newbie, just not fresh, starting to stink a bit) basically what it came down to was what was available in my area and what I could afford.

“Best” would be what was said with the 10ee in perfect shape or a Hardinge…. For us mortals that don’t have a small fortune sitting around to equip a garage, it’s always a compromise. I bought my lathe because it was 1/2 an hour drive, and package dealed with a crappy old round column mill I then rebuilt.

Now I have an old lathe that works and a round column mill that works, and I’ve had a ton of fun.

Of course the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side and I could spend 25k$ on new machines in a quarter of a heartbeat, but alas.

In my opinion the best lathe for the home shop is the one that you actually get and use and enjoy. It’s great fun. This feature or that isn’t going to make or break your machining journey. There’s almost always work arounds. And sometimes you learn a whole lot doing work arounds which helps in the long run.

My 2c.

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

What is out there for brands/suppliers in Canada for new. And more specific to my own curiosity what brands/suppliers are available in or around Saskatchewan. The only two I know of other than ordering online are Craftex and King Canada. I am not in the market but one day would like to be in the next few years.

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

I think as you have said, that if you are buying new you have lots of choice, you can spend a lot, you can spend not too much (depends on your definition of a lot or not too much), you don't have to hurry, you can change your mind (until you actually make the purchase), you can dither back and forth on given features etc. Obviously there may well be issues (depending on how much you spend, how reputable the brand and all of that) - exceptions aside, you generally get what you pay for.

Buying used, there are still a lot of options available (arguably more than with new machines) but I think a big difference is that the opportunities come up one at a time. You have a choice, to buy or let it pass. You may later learn that a machine you passed on was actually a very good deal as far as what you were looking for - but that opportunity is gone. I live in central Alberta and have picked up ~10 machines in the last 12 years, pretty well all at scrap metal prices - but that has been my interest, my hobby - I like fixing up old machines (not actually that old, late 50's to late 90's). These were all machines that others deemed to not be worth repairing. Now they work well. Truth is that I've spend way more time messing around with these very ugly looking machines than actual machining - but that is my form of entertainment. You don't need to go quite to the bottom of the barrel - however, a decent 10" to 12" swing lathe is exactly what a lot of folks are looking for, so expect to pay well for a decent used one.

You have not said what your hard constraints are (foot print, weight, power, price, must have features)? I suggest if you get something a bit up in quality then you will get to appreciate it, and it will sell on well when you are done with it. If you stay in the hobby a long time and perhaps acquire other machines a quality little lathe will always have a role to play (I have 4 lathes, the 11" Standard Modern Utilathe is the most modest of the fleet, it still gets used regularly because it is a good machine). The Precision Matthews PM-1236T "Ultra Precision" looks nice. Dressed up a bit, in CAD$ probably get it for about $15K. For me, I'd like to see a lower bottom end speed - if that were a problem you could swap in some sort of variable speed motor arrangement. Sort of like there being no such thing as a "perfect" lathe, I suggest starting with something that has good bones (whether new or used).

You sound like me though I have only had 3 lathes in the lats 16 years. I got the atlas, from the late 30's to early 40's, for $250 and drove 2 1/2 hours to get it then spent a couple years learning how to rebuild it and acquiring the replacement parts to get it going. Then I got a W.F. and Barnes no13 with a 6 foot bed from the late 1800's. I spent a couple years working on that and making lots of parts for it. Then as I was finishing up the W.F. and Barnes a friend gave me a McGregor Gourlay lathe from the 1800's with one small catch it was completely dissembled and had been for a few years. So I sold the Barnes and started piecing the McGregor Gourlay back together. It's actually in pretty good shape especially given the year. It is pretty much done just finishing up the last of the motor drive and figuring out the power feed. I also spend more time fixing old machine than I do on machining projects. That's kind of why I would like a new lathe one day so I can not have to always be fixing it or figuring out how its supposed to work.

 

[BaitMaster]

Ok.

Modern tool has a good reputation and they have a large lineup. They have some high precision models made in Taiwan instead of china that are 25k+ for a 1440 size machine.

New MODERN 14″ Swing, 40″ Between Centers, 2″ Bore, C0636A x 1000 (1440) Lathe for Sale at Modern Tool Ltd.

MODERN 14″ Swing, 40″ Between Centers, 2″ Bore, C0636A x 1000 (1440) Lathe SPECIFICATIONS: • SWING OVER BED 14” • SWING OVER CROSS SLIDE 8.3” • SWING IN GAP 19.3” • SWING IN LENGTH OF GAP 8.3” • CENTER HEIGHT 7” • ADMITS BETWEEN CENTERS 40” • SPIN...

www.moderntool.com

This link is for their Chinese 1440 that has a good reputation. Last time I checked for a quote it was 10900$ ish plus gst.

They have this 11x26 lathe made in china, I’m not sure of the price.

New MODERN 11″ Swing, 26″ Between Centers CQ6128X660A LATHE for Sale at Modern Tool Ltd.

Specifications: • MAXIMUM SWING DIAMETER OVER BED 11 • MAXIMUM SWING DIAMETER OVER CROSS SLIDE 6 ½ • MAXIMUM LENGTH OF WORKPIECES 26 • TAPER OF SPINDLE BORE M.T. NO. 4 • HOLE THROUGH SPINDLE 1 • RANGE OF SPINDLE SPEEDS 150 – 2400 rpm (60Hz) • 125-...

www.moderntool.com

There is also “standard modern” in Canada, think 25k plus.

Then there is the American suppliers you can import like Grizzly and Precision Matthew’s.

The line of lathes known as “sunmaster” have a really good reputation with the pro machinists I know. They are available through modern tool in the west or HH Roberts in the east. But think 25k+.

That’s what I know about new lathes around here.

 

[YotaBota]

When I bought my milling machine last year there was a Sharp 1440 that was supposed to be coming available but I've never seen it listed. It is a MY2004 that I was told had less than 20 hours use so it's more or less still new.

If that would interest you I can make an inquiry as to it's status. It's in southern BC around Midway. I don't know what the asking price would be but the mill was about a third the cost of buying new.

From what I was told the mill and lathe were bought at the same time and then personal problems left them untouched for years but stored well. My mill is just like new with only 10ish hours on it so the lathe will be the same.

https://www.sharpmachinetools.com/