I just bought an LTD. While the machine overall is extremely heavy, large castings, decent general machining work (machining to make the machine, not machining as in using it) the overall quality of the machine is so MISERABLE as to make it useless without further modification.
The cross feed and micrometer feed are useless, cant hold 005, surface finish is horrible. Although they say to run the feed 'out and back' to compensate for the play, that doesnt work, the tool bounces around on the loose threads. It is NOT enough to remove the play from the cross feed because the mic feed is just as bad.
Contrary to their instructions, it is NOT sufficient to just spray the Cosmolene out with WD 40, mine was so filthy dirty with debris including metal shavings that I tore it completely down, cleaned all the parts and took about 1/4 cup of dirt and metal shavings out of the mechanisms. The gear box on the front apron had cast iron flaking off and faling into the gears, I had to take a screwdriver and knock off what was loose from a thin sand casting.
Shims between cross feed table and bed badly warped, had to repair them. Stripped/bent screws on the tool holder, had to turn the screws straight to get them to hold a tool without it jumping when tightened.
Multitudes of errors in the owners manual, difficult to read, difficult to figure out how to set the threading gears up.
Im in the middle of major modifications that should bring it out to 3-4 place accuracy. Its about what I expected for Chinese junk.
There was also a SHOCK HAZARD, the ground wire screw hidden behind the metal junction box behind the lathe chuck was screwed down onto a PAINTED surface, and that is NOT a ground. Ive done engineering to both UL and TUV file requirements and that kind of mistake is NOT acceptable.
Smith has refused to respond to the shock hazard issue, as they have not responded to any contact Ive made since they got the money.  |