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Post by norfolkboy on May 26, 2009 20:56:22 GMT
Usual question, any recommendations for a small model making lathe?
Looking for something 'cheap' but dont want the cheap & nasty type...
Chester seem to do a good range but are they any good?
Ian
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Post by spamcanman on May 26, 2009 22:08:19 GMT
Chester and Warco are Ok, it's the old saying 'you get what you pay for'
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on May 27, 2009 8:38:00 GMT
G'day Ian
I am the happy owner of a lathe directly equivalent to the Chester Conquest. The lathe is not perfect but has a number of features that the slightly larger machines do not have. There is a Warco version with a better tailstock, that would be a big improvement.; I would get one if postage wasn't so dear. There is another Warco of the same size which is manufactured by Wiess which appears to be better quality but lacks tumbler reverse and although variable speed relies on belts for changes of speed ratio.
I have read good things of Arc Eurotrade.
One think about the Mini-Lathe is the number of support groups and the ease of getting spare parts. It is not a Myford but it is compact, operationally flexible and spares are readily available. Looking at the design and reading around leads me to suspect it originated in Eastern Europe as a lathe designed for schools.
I have second lathe which I will bring home when I have more room but I am sure I wll always find a use for the little lathe.
Any lathe is only as accurate as the nut holding the handle.
Regards
Ian
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Post by ettingtonliam on May 27, 2009 8:54:55 GMT
it depends what you want to do. I have Chester Conquest, and its fine for work up to about 1 1/2" dia, which is what I bou8ght it for. A couple of times I tried bigger work on it, when my large lathe has been unavailable. Its unsuitable for large work because the electronic speed control has no torque at low speeds, and anyway the motor overheats when used at low speed for extended periods. So, if you are planning to do cast iron flywheels or loco wheels, you will be disappointed. This isn't a criticism of the chester Conquest in particular, all the small lathes wityh electronic speed control are the same. When I use it for the work I bought it for, its fine, accessories are cheap and readily available, and its just about portable so I'm allowed to use it in the utility room, which is heated , in winter, rather than the shed, which isn't!
Regards
Richard
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Post by ron on May 27, 2009 9:07:31 GMT
Hi Ian
I've had a Warco BV20 for 4 or 5 years now, very good value for money, I've used it for several Stuart Turner engines, a Simplex and various other things not ME related, I think most of the suppliers probably sell the same model with their own brand name on it so go for whoever offers the best deal at the time.
Ron
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DaveW
Active Member
Posts: 23
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Post by DaveW on May 28, 2009 18:22:30 GMT
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Post by northerner on May 31, 2009 19:28:47 GMT
Hello A friend is looking to buy a mini lathe & bought the new book in the workshop practice series no 43 The Mini Lathe by David Fenner. He has found it very interesting One thing it makes a big thing of is getting one with American made circuit boards not the original chinese ones. He looked at the ones at Harrogate & was thinking of buying one but I adviced him to do some reseach first. regards John
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Post by baggo on May 31, 2009 20:00:56 GMT
My brother has the Sieg C3 from Arc Euro and that has been fine after 2 years use. However, a member of our club has the Machine Mart version and his third circuit board failed recently  . I don't know if the MM and the Arc Euro are the same board however. Fortunately, I repaired 2 of his faulty boards for him at considerably less cost than a new one (£80? from MM) and the one now fitted is still going strong. I did replace the failed output Mosfets (they are what go pop in the boards) with higher spec devices than the originals though. In theory, the originals can handle the voltage and current but in practice they can't take the current if the motor stalls or slows under heavy cuts. John |
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simonwass
Part of the e-furniture
Cecil Pagets 2-6-2 of 1908. Engine number 2299. Would make a fascinating model....
Posts: 472
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Post by simonwass on May 31, 2009 21:13:32 GMT
Fortunately, I repaired 2 of his faulty boards for him at considerably less cost than a new one (£80? from MM) and the one now fitted is still going strong. I did replace the failed output Mosfets (they are what go pop in the boards) with higher spec devices than the originals though. In theory, the originals can handle the voltage and current but in practice they can't take the current if the motor stalls or slows under heavy cuts. John Hi John, Sounds like a task a suitable write-up wouldnt go amiss on? What to change, with what, from where, etc, with pictures! I have a very limited knowledge on true electronics, I love relays though, but I did manage to find how to repair my parents 'touch lamps', the ones that dim through sucessive touches. The triacs blow when the bulb blows, the originals are only rated at 250v so I bought some 400v ones and they are fine, and the lamps still work so I must have done something right! For my car (the one which runs on cooking oil), I designed a circuit which dealt with automatically controlling the oil system, levels, temps, pumps, timed purging, etc. It ended up using 14 relays  but it does work.     I was told a single PIC would handle it but my knowledge of PIC's extends only to their name ;D |
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Post by baggo on May 31, 2009 23:02:13 GMT
Nowt wrong with relays Simon. I spent 20 odd years installing and commissioning Strowger telephone exchanges after I joined the GPO (as it was then).
The problem with all these electronic gadgets is that they are built to a price and use the cheapest components that will do the job (just!).
The motor driver boards in these lathes use 2 mosfets in parallel in the output to get the required 300W handling but under heavy load one takes most of the current and it fails (usually goes short circuit). The other one is often ok but it pays to replace them as a pair.
If anyone has one of these boards that has failed, pm me and Ill send them the details on how to repair them. Not difficult if you can use a soldering iron. Otherwise send me the board and I'll do it for you. The mosfets I used came from RS components who I deal with on a regular basis.
John
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steam4ian
Elder Statesman
One good turn deserves another
Posts: 2,069
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Post by steam4ian on Jun 1, 2009 6:57:32 GMT
G'day John (northerner)
I have made a bit of a study of the minilathe and its manufacture.
Some facts
They do not all come out of the same factory.
There are at least two indentifiable manufacturers - SIEG and Real Bull seem to be the most obvious
The Real Bull uses a US made control board, KB Electronics, which uses SCRs as a phase control and not MOSFet in PWM.
From my observations the KB boards are intended for light industrial use and used in other equipment; hence the quality.
Well set up, as it is on my lathe, the controller is self limiting on overlaod and fuses or active devices will not blow.
From what I have seen the Chester Conquest is a Real Bull version.
Warco may be Real Bull or may even be a better variant (Weiss).
Real Bull differences:-
Heat treatment sign on RH end of bed.
Square not H shaped saddle.
Ball oilers on the saddle and way wipers.
Lead scew extends at RH end with retaining nut, ball oiler in bearing.
Thicker apron with ball race on shaft of travers hand wheel.
Two retaining nuts on feed screw dial of compound slide.
Motor size, 12" lathe 400W, 14" lathe 550 watt.
4mm square keys in change gears not 3mm, this means gears from LMS need keyway filing out.
See! Same but different.
Good luck
Ian
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ace
Statesman
Posts: 528
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Post by ace on Jun 1, 2009 7:56:34 GMT
Hi
To add my experience of the Machine Mart version of the mini lathe I would say that apart from all the trouble I had with the fuse that kept blowing or the duff variable speed switch that was either slow or fast no in between, it was a great little machine for the work I wanted it to do. The precision was not that bad either after a few adjustments. I only changed it because I acquired a Myford ML7. One mini lathe web site I found described changing the electrics on the MM model for the Chester version which is what I did and it worked great just wasn't big enough for the jobs I had in mind.
ace
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Post by northerner on Jun 3, 2009 19:54:25 GMT
Hello Ian Thanks for the comments I have printed this thread off & will pass it on to my friend. You never know he may even join this forum though he is not a ME. Thanks again to everybody who has posted information on this site regards John
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Noddy
Statesman
Posts: 672
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Post by Noddy on Jul 7, 2009 10:19:49 GMT
Chester and Warco are Ok, it's the old saying 'you get what you pay for'I found that out when I bought a worn out portass lathe... I later got an unworn ML7 for the same price. K |
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. I don't know if the MM and the Arc Euro are the same board however. Fortunately, I repaired 2 of his faulty boards for him at considerably less cost than a new one (£80? from MM) and the one now fitted is still going strong. I did replace the failed output Mosfets (they are what go pop in the boards) with higher spec devices than the originals though. In theory, the originals can handle the voltage and current but in practice they can't take the current if the motor stalls or slows under heavy cuts.
but it does work. 