Am I happy with the TL-1? Not entirely. I had a very nice 16x40 lathe with a gearbox. It had so much torque, I could have mounted this TL-1 in it and turned it. I didn't need that torque very often but I no longer have that option with the TL-1.
The TL-1 has very limited X travel (8"). To call it a 16" machine is stretching. I was setting up the tool post just last Friday. I carefully set the Dorian so it could potentially
just make it to the edge of the envelope. When I was all done and had spent 30 minutes setting up all of the tools, I discovered that the drilling block couldn't quite make it to centerline.
I had to break it all down and start over. For comparison: my old 16" machine had 21" of X travel.
Yes, I run coolant. Yes, it's a mess. The biggest loss is from coolant running down the tool block and off of the operator side of the machine. I made a stainless steel backsplash and tray to fit under the toolpost. It catches most of it and redirects it back to the center of the machine. It really needs a bead of sealant because coolant still runs under the tray and escapes. It still fixed
most of the problem.
As for the rest of it, I'm not entirely happy with the flatness of the machine. It arrived with a 0.003" twist in the bed (
see this thread). Torrance wants to come out and realign the head and tailstock to the twisted bed. I want the twist to go away. I'm stalling things and parking it on three legs hoping that the casting will go back to 'flat' and realignment won't be necessary.
I'm not optimistic that the casting is going to relax anymore and I'm not happy about tweaking the head and tailstock to match a twisted bed. That just means that it'll be straight in exactly one setup. I'm not sure what's going to happen yet. The HFO has absolutely been on top of this but it's a crappy situation and nobody wants to face the reality that replacement may be the only option (not even good for me since I have to go through the installation and setup process again).
And with all of that said, is there something else I would rather have bought? Nope. It's a very nice machine for the money. I love the control.
If I had to list what I don't like:
- I wish they had an optional (and retrofit-able) planetary gearbox spindle for it. I see this as a very nice package for lots of varied work but it's weak for doing larger diameter, hard materials (threading a 10" piece of stainless for example). I haven't had a problem...yet.
- Add 3-5" of additional X travel so you can actually use it without moving the tool post. 12" of travel doesn't make a 24" swing machine. It makes it a 16" machine that can use a variety of tools without moving the tool post.
- I'd like to see folding handles on it. The new machines have really stubby handles but they can still whack you good if you're not watching.
But these things all cost money. Haas does everything to cut costs on it and they're evident when compared to your VF-2. For example: the pendant lacks the backstop bracket that keeps the control from over-rotating. It doesn't come with a notepad holder. It doesn't come with the shelf on the bottom of the pendant.
Lots of little things like that mean that they can keep the cost down...which is the primary attraction of this machine in the first place. How's that for a summary?
Edit: See attached for a pic of the dribble tray I made for under the toopost.