Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzy16
I wanted to see what you guys thought of this lathe. it's only a mini but I really don't plan on doing anything big and for the amount i'll probably use it I don't want to drop a heap of money on one.
but just let me know what you think about this
http://www.hobbytools.com.au/proxxon...athe-fd-150-e/
thanks Buzzy |
Buzzy, my first impression of this lathe is to keep looking.
Looks like it will do almost anything a lathe should do, but I'm confused about which axis is which.
Following is a quote from a ship building forum on this model; "The cross-slide has to repositioned by clamping it to the bed. Which means that the longest piece you can cut is not the bed length between the centers as in other lathes, but only the travel of the top-slide". This is a giant "red flag" for me.
One of the things missing in the spec is the horsepower (kw) rating of the motor. Smaller HP = more cuts to obtain the dimension you want. Another thing I would be concerned with is the aluminum ways. They could be a wear problem over time, and over tightening of the tailstock could distort them. If you plan on cutting any threads, this lathe won't do them, as it doesn't have a lead screw. I'm not sure if you generally work with inches or mm. If you typically work in mm, there won't be any problems, otherwise you will have to convert between the two standards. Pay close attention to the maximum travel of each. Finally, they call it a "precision" lathe, but never say how precise it is.
Try to search for this, or any other lathe you decide to purchase, and see what others have to say about it.
If you can live with its limitations, go for it. Otherwise spend a little more and get a lathe with a lead screw, carriage, cross slide, and compound slide.
Rob