New lathe choices in Canada

Crankit

Well-Known Member
Thanks Crankit - Travers certainly has a large selection of machine tools. Looks like something there for everyone. With it shipping from the US, I would want to check if duties, brokerage fees, shipping costs etc would apply.

ShawnR - I am in Muskoka (Central Ontario), and currently have a 1940's era Atlas, and while it is in fairly good shape for its age, it just lacks weight and rigidity. I have been keeping an eye on Kijiji for some time, looking at older iron, but most of the stuff that comes up looks like it would be a project. If I were to consider one of the older N American machines, (which is very unlikely at this point), I would really want to be familiar with the history of the machine and know the owner. I have King and Craftex machine tools that have held up well over the years, however, in both cases they are of Taiwan origin. The Chinese seem to have upped their game in recent years, but if I were to buy one, much like a used machine, I would prefer to see it in person, turn all the cranks and check it under power. This should drastically reduce unpleasant surprises when it is shipped and uncrated.

@boilerhouse
I buy from Travers occasionally and they have shipping charges starting at $14(under 5lbs)and up with no import fees...ships Purolator
 

Dabbler

ersatz engineer
@John Conroy The tailstock was also 'upgraded' to MT4, and the compound was beefed up a little. Both 636 lathes should be fine for most hobbyists, I think...
 

Chipper5783

Well-Known Member
Don't try to hard to create an external purpose. Get a lathe that works well for you, then you can count on one happy customer. If you get some others, or the "build it and they will come" concept works out - well that is a bonus. If you, as that one customer, are satisfied, then that is great.
 

John Conroy

member
Premium Member
Check out this one...anyone know anything about YUWE products?

The video was a good run through on it. Standard features for anyone used to bigger machines probably. Not sure if pricing is US or Can$ but will email them. Wish I could find some small job to justify this thing......need a purpose other than making youtube projects....:rolleyes: ;)

https://stancanada.com/collections/preowned-lathes/products/yuwe-l1440

We talked about that one a while back, it looks very much like the C0626A that Modern sells. Looks like a good deal.
 

boilerhouse

Ultra Member
I was going to mention the YUWE but I saw that this deal was discussed on another thread. As mentioned, no 4 jaw chuck, no faceplate or centers, and I don't believe either the video or specs mentioned anything about metric change gears. (maybe just an oversight?). But still seems to be a good deal. Stan Canada talks about free shipping, but I am not sure if this applies to higher end models, or across the board.

Crankit - thanks for the follow up comment re Travers
John - I went through your thread on the 1440 purchase. A good roadmap for any new lathe purchase.
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Almost new lathe in Edmonton, King Canada 14x40 Same one as sold here at auction a few weeks ago. I quit bidding when it got over $4000 as I did not know the condition and could not see it before buying it. It is bigger than what I wanted too so not perfect. In hindsight, maybe I should have kept going. The bids were going in pretty fast at the end which means they were set to autobid and not sure how high it would have gone for. I think it hit $4800.

But another one in Edmonton, 2 hours on it. no taxes. ......

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-tool-other/edmonton/king-canada-metal-lathe-14-x-40/1549720989
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
We talked about that one a while back, it looks very much like the C0626A that Modern sells. Looks like a good deal.

Do you mean the 626 is the same as the YUWE? You guys are happy with the 626 or 626A so it sounds interesting. I seem to be fixated on a 12x36. When do you stop upping size? :confused: I am really just looking for the features generally associated with bigger machines, not a bigger machine. I did find out the KC 12x36 is discontinued so now their machine in that league is the 1440 too. The 1236 is still available. My local supplier upped the price by $400 based on the list price on KBC, which shows out of stock now.

Sagas are us, by Shawn....:rolleyes:

Don't try to hard to create an external purpose. Get a lathe that works well for you, then you can count on one happy customer. If you get some others, or the "build it and they will come" concept works out - well that is a bonus. If you, as that one customer, are satisfied, then that is great.


Those are good words Chipper. I have spent most of my life, usually, justifying actions, financial or otherwise. Nerd at heart. This sounds like a, dammit, just buy it situation. A new lathe is in my future, when it feels right. Research is good.

Thanks all.
 

John Conroy

member
Premium Member
Is the Yuwe the same as the C0626A? Good question. It seems that lots of vendors source their machine tools from the same Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers. The exact level of quality control and quality components is up to the vendor to specify. Vendors like Modern tool and Precision Matthews have good reputations for demanding the highest levels of QC and better components such as high end spindle bearings etc. I was told by Matt at Precision Matthews that he spends a significant amount of time in China overseeing the manufacture of the machines he buys. Vendors that buy large quantities of machines have the ability to affect the QC of their machines. How does the QC of a Modern Tools machine compare to a Yuwe or King Canada machine? I can't answer that. When i bought my new lathe I considered a few different vendors including Modern, Precision Matthews and KBC. I chose Modern for a number of reasons. I was able to see the machine run in their showroom and the fact that they are a local business with a solid reputation were also factors. They also delivered the machine to my home and placed it on my garage floor at no extra charge.

Things like that could also have an effect of someone choosing the Yuwe machine or the used King on Kijiji. Is Stan Canada willing to deliver the machine for the stated price? Does the buyer have the means to pick up the used machine and deliver it to their shop with no damage? If not how much will it cost to have that done?

When I bought my first used CanTek 1440 lathe I bought it from a local business. It was loaded into the bed of my truck by a very sketchy forklift rigging move that should have made me more nervous than it did.. I unloaded it my self with an engine crane without too much drama but it only weighed about 1200 lbs total and I seperated the lathe from the base so the heaviest lift was less than 1000 lbs and able to be done with the crane arm extended to max length. A heavier machine would have meant needing help to get it home.

There are a lot of factors to consider and what is a great deal for one person is not for another based on their location, ability to handle loading/transport/unloading, or confidence in the machine and seller.

The used King machine is very similar looking to the Yuwe and the C0626A and comes with quite a few accessories but it's not a steal of a deal. In my opinion it is decent value if it's as shown in the pics and not covered in rust.
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Is the Yuwe the same as the C0626A? Good question. It seems that lots of vendors source their machine tools from the same Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers. The exact level of quality control and quality components is up to the vendor to specify. .....................

There are a lot of factors to consider and what is a great deal for one person is not for another based on their location, ability to handle loading/transport/unloading, or confidence in the machine and seller.

The used King machine is very similar looking to the Yuwe and the C0626A and comes with quite a few accessories but it's not a steal of a deal. In my opinion it is decent value if it's as shown in the pics and not covered in rust.

Good information John. Thanks for typing all that. I knew or figured that one factory supplies many resellers but did not know that within that factory, different variations may be developed. That makes sense. Many machines look very similar.....but then something is slightly off.......that explains it.

Very true on the different needs for different folks. It would be nice to go to showrooms and look get the impression but not possible for me. That is why I value and respect all of the input I can get on these forums. It is very helpful.

I agree on the King Canada in Edmonton. Not a stinker of a deal but if as advertised, no taxes, local pickup...probably pretty decent.

Cheers,

Shawno
 

Crankit

Well-Known Member
Woods Creek Workshop did some Youtube videos on repairs he had to do on a Jet version of the 13x40
 

historicalarms

Ultra Member
Personally I would give that King Canada machine with 2 hrs time on it a more thorough inspection than a similar machine with a fair bit of use.
My reasoning is that i would look strongly for "jam up/crash" damage with a "maybe very new operator" with only 2 hrs experience made a boo-boo...just suspicious why someone would buy a machine costing that much money and only find 2 hrs work for it.
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I just found this thread which I have not seen before. It has good info in it.

https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/looking-at-new-lathe-opinions-and-options.818

Good to see the number of members here that use the 636. Dabbler stated that in a post but I did not get it. Now I get it.

I talked to the Ontario sales guy for Modern Tool and he gave me a quick price of $8500 for the CO626N. He is supposed to put a quote together with details and then we discuss further
 

Dabbler

ersatz engineer
One telltale about 'is this lathe the same as that lathe' question is the QCGB. Of course even the Modern lathe is different in just about every shipment, but what I think is important is that it is 'essentially' the same lathe. I think the King is closer the the current 636 than the older 636 is.

The main difference is the 'Colchester' gear changing mechanism on the King, which I would rate a little better than the 'two lever' version that Modern sells.

I noticed the new King lathes have exactly the same headstock gearing controls as the Modern, they are very probably the 'same lathe'. Thing is, you can order a container of then with just about any quality level and feature you want. There will be differences between them, but Frankly it won't matter to you too much. At least not in setting a value for the lathe.

Here's a pic for comparison:

cache_400_300_3_100_100_16777215_IMG_0564.jpg
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
mmmm....that looks like it would work. If it was within say 4ish hours, I would go look at least but it is 16 hours one way. Says it must be picked up.

Are you just picking on me cause I live in tim buk tu?......:D

Thanks for thinking of me. I am trying to be patient before "just" buying one of the ones previously discussed. Over analyzing the H___ out of it of course! In the meantime, still making chips so all good.

Counting on this......but I also have a wanted ad running so someone might answer that.

SM lathes come up quite a bit in on kijiji. one will show up with your name on it!
 

Chicken lights

Forum Pony Express Driver
mmmm....that looks like it would work. If it was within say 4ish hours, I would go look at least but it is 16 hours one way. Says it must be picked up.

Are you just picking on me cause I live in tim buk tu?......:D

Thanks for thinking of me. I am trying to be patient before "just" buying one of the ones previously discussed. Over analyzing the H___ out of it of course! In the meantime, still making chips so all good.

Counting on this......but I also have a wanted ad running so someone might answer that.
Where are you again? Thunder Bay?
 

ShawnR

Ultra Member
Premium Member
So, the only reason I have been upselling myself on lathe size is to get away from the manual change gears and maybe be able to cut left threads (why? I don't know, sounds cool)...
Power cross feed might be nice too and these sort of features come with big boy machines so I have been upping the want list but, realistically, I have never not been able to do a job cause my 10x18 was too small. The length does get tight sometimes. But in doing that upsizing right to 1440, I glossed over this one....

https://www.moderntool.com/products/modern-cq6128x660a-lathe-11-swing-26-between-centers/

Does anyone have one?

It has, I think, all of the features I want. It should be the same quality that Modern Lathe users here have been happy with. So it has stirred an interest.

Edit...looks like to change spindle speeds, one has to mess with belts......that would be a step backwards, imho although you can pick tool feed by switching the knobs. A unique combination of controls....

It would be cool to have a 1440 sitting in my shop, but 1 inch pieces on it does sound like over kill....but still cool ...:rolleyes:
 
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