I am slowly getting ready to get a CNC Lathe.

I imagine that our buget would be around $60K when it's all set and done.

I was tinking Haas, Hurco, and Femco, maybe Hardinge. I'm not so sure what to look for.

I've been a mill guy for my whole CNC career. I'm fine on a manual lathe. Just not sure what kind of options shoulg be considered. I'm not looking for anything Big. Nothing that we would need a crane to load parts with.

What type of work? Shafts, castings, barfeed for production, how big, how long, threading, ......????

One thing I can say is that I find the Haas Toolroom lathes with the toolpost in a conventional location much easier to set up for quick one-off jobs than a typical rear turret tooled CNC lathe.

I don't know if the auto toolpost is available one anything larger than the TL2 but it is a great help even with only four tools.

I was waiting for an answer from you Geoff. I was thinkning something in the SL-10-20 Range. It will be for production Stuff eventually. Like I said I don't want to do stuff that requires a crane to load the machine. Smaller end. At the same time something flexable enough for a job shop environment.

I've seen your setup, and your barfeeders. Slick!!!! Have they proved reliable? I've not heard much good about the Haas Supplied barfeeders.

I'm looking for comparisons between the brands. I know Hurco is new to lathes. And there are a few guys out there with Femco machines. Just looking for opinions.

I'm happy with the VF-3 I got just less than a year ago. The only issues I've had were software related, and that's to be expected with a new version of the control. Just wish they'd speed up the refresh rate!!!!! Drives me a bit bonkers sometimes.

I was waiting for an answer from you Geoff. I was thinkning something in the SL-10-20 Range. It will be for production Stuff eventually. Like I said I don't want to do stuff that requires a crane to load the machine. Smaller end. At the same time something flexable enough for a job shop environment.

I've seen your setup, and your barfeeders. Slick!!!! Have they proved reliable? I've not heard much good about the Haas Supplied barfeeders.

I'm looking for comparisons between the brands. I know Hurco is new to lathes. And there are a few guys out there with Femco machines. Just looking for opinions.

I'm happy with the VF-3 I got just less than a year ago. The only issues I've had were software related, and that's to be expected with a new version of the control. Just wish they'd speed up the refresh rate!!!!! Drives me a bit bonkers sometimes.

Software issues set aside you already have a HAAS so why not stick with them. You already have experience with their controls too. If you need a better machine go with the Hardinge Talent or Quest.

Toby,

I also have experience with a few differnt Fanuc's from antiquated(3000C) to pretty much up to date 16 and 18i.. I've also worked with Yasnac I80 and J300 and some bastardized GE controls. Even had a stab at Siemens 840D.

SO control isn't a huge thing for me. I'm looking @ the total package. I haven't seen much Hardinge in my travels around here, and didn't pay too much attention to them @ IMTS as I was there shopping for Japanese Horizontals.

Toby,

I also have experience with a few differnt Fanuc's from antiquated(3000C) to pretty much up to date 16 and 18i.. I've also worked with Yasnac I80 and J300 and some bastardized GE controls. Even had a stab at Siemens 840D.

SO control isn't a huge thing for me. I'm looking @ the total package. I haven't seen much Hardinge in my travels around here, and didn't pay too much attention to them @ IMTS as I was there shopping for Japanese Horizontals.

Would you consider Mori Seiki, Nakamura-Tome, Methods Matsuura, Ikegai, Dainichi??? These are the Best of the Best when it comes to Quality Machine Tools.

http://www.methodsmachine.com/Machines/Nakamura/default.aspx


Cheers!!!!:)

The place I was working @ bought a $1,000,000 FMS from Matsuura. I'm pretty familiar with their Horizontals MAM-500-PC11 and ES-450, and H-Plus 300. Nice machines. Nak is a beauty, but I don't have the $150k to drop on a little lathe. If I had my choice, I'd probably go the Mori route, but budget plays a big role. Being a young 2 man shop, this kinda dictates the Haas/Hurco/FEMCO/Hardinge Route.

Haas is Ok It's familiar.

Hurco - I thinks their Lathes are too new, and their controls just ooze cheap.

FEMCO - Looks good, I've heard some good things, and not many bad. Durga Option looks ultra kewl.

Hardinge - Not heard much at all really.

Gimme some feedback boyz!!!

....Gimme some feedback boyz!!!

SL10 with the Big Bore option, Tailstock, High Volume Coolant Pump, Chip Conveyor and maybe a few other things I can't think of now.

Then when you find it doesn't work out I will take it off your hands for a modest discount :D .

P.S. You can omit the tailstock if you don't need it...I don't either.

The place I was working @ bought a $1,000,000 FMS from Matsuura. I'm pretty familiar with their Horizontals MAM-500-PC11 and ES-450, and H-Plus 300. Nice machines. Nak is a beauty, but I don't have the $150k to drop on a little lathe. If I had my choice, I'd probably go the Mori route, but budget plays a big role. Being a young 2 man shop, this kinda dictates the Haas/Hurco/FEMCO/Hardinge Route.

Haas is Ok It's familiar.

Hurco - I thinks their Lathes are too new, and their controls just ooze cheap.

FEMCO - Looks good, I've heard some good things, and not many bad. Durga Option looks ultra kewl.

Hardinge - Not heard much at all really.

Gimme some feedback boyz!!!

Hardinge is a Tough Machine and Comes Standard with a Fanuc Control.

COme on!!!! There must be some one with a Horco LAthe or someothers out there. Help me out guys.

I am one of those guys with over 20 years experience, but, unfortunately, it is all in one place. So I don't have as much experience as many having the same number of years in the business.

Of the machines you listed, I am only familiar with the Hardinge lathes. I started on CHNCs (no longer have any), but we soon went to the Hardinge Conquest lathes. All but one of ours are barfeeds with the exception of the EMAGs which load from prisms. Two with tailstocks, the rest with subspindles (again except EMAGS). The oldest (has OT control) is about 20 years old and still going strong. Several of our lathes run from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Would run more of them, but it is hard to find anyone willing to work nights.

Don't know what kind of work you will be doing. Our 51 Conquest (another OT control, and older machine) is set up with a 2-jaw chuck, and I don't think its tailstock has ever been used. However the oldest Hardinge is running with the tailstock as I speak. It doesn't get used often, but is indispensable when you need one.

About my only dislike with the 42 series is the limited distance between the main spindle and the subspindle/tailstock. The 51 is much better in this area as it is a bigger machine. I have nothing to do with purchasing, so I don't know if any of these models would fit within your budget. Sorry, but I've never checked online either.

We are currently running 10 Hardinge lathes. Most of them with 18 controls. I would suggest the 18 or 21 control. The OT doesn't have an equal sign so you can't change variable values from within a program on the control. I can't understand why any control would be purchased without Macro B option. Hardinge lathes come with a deep drilling subprogram that works very nicely. Don't let Hardinge know, but I use it on all our Fanuc controlled lathes. :D I also use their safe index subprograms on all the lathes that will work the same way.

We run 8 other brands of lathes, but you didn't ask about any of them.

Almost forgot. We have had to rebuild the turret on one of the T42 lathes twice after switching to water. Finally went back to oil. No problem since. However the other T42 purchased at the same time hasn't had this problem, and is still running with water based coolant. The one running water is a Big Bore (20C collet) and has broken the belt that drives the subspindle several times. (Subspindles all use 16C collets.) The one with turret problems has only broken a couple times. I think you can get a heavy duty belt which is what we did. They will still wear out over time. Both these machines run 2 shifts.

The Hardinge barfeeds have good and bad points. 12 and 6 footers are available. You can only load one bar at a time, and it needs a 30 degree chamfer on the pusher end. The bigger the material the slower the maximum RPM. Max RPM varies depending on which length barfeed you have. Hex material is run slower yet.

Good point is open the collet and material is instantly pushed against the barstop. Put contol in manual to open collet with push button, and there is no pressure against the bar, unlike the IEMCA we have on one Hardinge. Lost some meat on a finger learning that! :nono:

Other quick change barfeeds can be set up to leave the pusher inside the spindle for faster barfeeding. Tried it a couple times, but didn't like the results. Too often the pusher would start whipping, so we retract all ours to home position. Makes for longer cycle times, but is much safer.

Edit. Forgot to mention that I much prefer the Hardinge collet set up. We are running some Daewoo Lynxes with 16C collets. Daewoo uses an adapter, and the collet sticks out several inches in front of the wall. Two problems with this set-up. First is chatter. The adapters are more prone to it with smaller parts. I don't care what the office people say about how sturdy it looks! Second is holding power. I can make .08/.09 D.O.Cs at F.01 in 52100 all day on the Hardinges without the bar pushing back. (This is on the 42 series.) For the Daewoo Lynxes I went to G71 canned cycles anytime there is very much material coming off. Have to keep the cuts to no more than .05 DOC. .06 is enough to push the bar back. I often will go into the .03s and increase the feedrate to F.012. Drill feedrates have to be kept way down also.

Sorry for the length of the post. Get me started, and I can't shut up. :(

Have you checked out Ikegai, Nakamura-Tome, or Dainichi?

ja, I've checked, and they are about double of what I can pay.

Buddy just bought a Nakamura for around $150K Femco is around $60K Haas maybe even a bit less.

I have no doubt that the Japanese machines are like totally kick a$$. But I need something with a decent ROI.

If I can do the same part in the same time @ the same level of quality on a Haas as someone with a Mori, who has lower overhead?

ja, I've checked, and they are about double of what I can pay.

Buddy just bought a Nakamura for around $150K Femco is around $60K Haas maybe even a bit less.

I have no doubt that the Japanese machines are like totally kick a$$. But I need something with a decent ROI.

If I can do the same part in the same time @ the same level of quality on a Haas as someone with a Mori, who has lower overhead?

That would be nice but I really don't see that happening.

First off, Boxed ways have more Rigidity than Linear.
Second, Japanese Machines are made with Strict Tolerances and Quality Assurance.

Third, If this was possible everyone would Dump their Japanese Machines for the others.

You want Quality, you have to pay for it.

If your starting out, get what is in your budget for now and upgrade later.

I'm not looking for a who's who of Boutique machines. I'm look for a comparison of what I mentioned in an earlier post. I have a VF-3 Vert. I'm extremely happy with it. I'll get more when the work load dictates it.

The contest is about who makes the most money not who has the most expensive machines!!!!!

Personally I'd rather have a bunch of Haas machines and a Porsche in the Drive way, than a bunch of Japanese machines and a Toyoto in the Drive.

Thats just me.

....The contest is about who makes the most money not who has the most expensive machines!!!!!

Personally I'd rather have a bunch of Haas machines and a Porsche in the Drive way, than a bunch of Japanese machines and a Toyoto in the Drive.

Thats just me.

Oh I don't know...it could be me too. But you can keep the Porsche I will take a largish 4 x 4 so people yield to me at intersections. :)

I'm not looking for a who's who of Boutique machines. I'm look for a comparison of what I mentioned in an earlier post. I have a VF-3 Vert. I'm extremely happy with it. I'll get more when the work load dictates it.

The contest is about who makes the most money not who has the most expensive machines!!!!!

Personally I'd rather have a bunch of Haas machines and a Porsche in the Drive way, than a bunch of Japanese machines and a Toyoto in the Drive.

Thats just me.

Well if you drive those machines as hard as I drive the ones at work you will be replacing your HAAS in about 5 years. Not to mention that those Japanese Machines will Triple your Haas output.

Hmmmmmm..... That seems like more profit for a Ferrari purchase. Personally I look for long term investment, not the quick few dollars.

Well if you drive those machines as hard as I drive the ones at work you will be replacing your HAAS in about 5 years. Not to mention that those Japanese Machines will Triple your Haas output.

Hmmmmmm..... That seems like more profit for a Ferrari purchase. Personally I look for long term investment, not the quick few dollars.

I could replace my Haas's in five years, they have more than paid for themselves and produced a profit. And I think you exagerrate with your "triple" but even if it is correct you have put about triple the money into purchasing the the machine.

If the type of job you are doing requires the extra precision that you get from an expensive machine over a Haas then there is no choice that is what you get. But if the parts can be made on a Haas you could be better off having three of them turning out parts for the same total investment. And if one machine goes down you have only lost one third of your capacity not all of it.

I could replace my Haas's in five years, they have more than paid for themselves and produced a profit. And I think you exagerrate with your "triple" but even if it is correct you have put about triple the money into purchasing the the machine.

If the type of job you are doing requires the extra precision that you get from an expensive machine over a Haas then there is no choice that is what you get. But if the parts can be made on a Haas you could be better off having three of them turning out parts for the same total investment. And if one machine goes down you have only lost one third of your capacity not all of it.

Excellent point Geof. That is the answer that I was expecting from big_mak.

There is another reason too, can you give the answer to the next reason Geof????

Excellent point Geof. That is the answer that I was expecting from big_mak.

There is another reason too, can you give the answer to the next reason Geof????

I'll bite...what is it?

I'll bite...what is it?

Bite??? I hope not. I though you had manors LOL.

The second reason is Tax Write Offs LOL.

I figured a successful business man such as you would have this within the top 3 of your list for buying a new machine.

...I figured a successful business man such as you would have this within the top 3 of your list for buying a new machine.

No this does not enter into my decision but I will agree that a lot of 'business' people do let the aspect of tax write-offs influence their decision. Sometimes their reasoning, I think, is spurious but other times there is some validity.

When you are financing a machine the tax write-off aspect can give you a short term benefit because the write-off is based on the purchase price.

As an example let's say your tax write-off is 30% of the purchase price in the year of purchase and you have a pre-tax profit of 30 grand burning a hole in your back pocket. And the spectre of having to hand over a large chunk of that to your Uncle Sam in taxes.

So you run out and find a spiffy machine with a 100 grand price tag, run down to your friendly banker and put your house up as security for a loan of 70 grand.

Now you have the 100 grand, can buy the machine and get the 30%, i.e. 30 grand tax write-off. So you have no tax spectre and you have converted a 30 grand profit into a 100 grand machine which sounds pretty good.

However, you are on the hook for the 70 grand loan that was negotiated in a hurry at an interest rate of 8% a year for the next ten years for a total of about 28 grand in interest.

So suddenly your 30 grand tax saving has been eaten away by a 28 grand interest charge.

Yes you do have the machine and if you can keep it busy you might make a lot of money.

But, and this is the big BUT if you do not have work lined up for the machine you might be in a bit of doo doo. Banks are funny about getting loans repaid; remember over the next ten years you are paying the 28 grand in interest plus the principal for a total of 98 grand.

It is really difficult to say whether your tax saving was a benefit or not.

I don't have the foggiest idea because I pay cash for all my machines and I only buy them when I have a need for them.

Thanks for the additional information. I'll keep these in mind if I ever buy a Machine.

On that note, this is the main reason that keeps from buying a Machine LOL.

All of these factors are very important.

So, Big Mak, what is your conclusion?
Haas, Deawoo, Nakamura-Tome, Ikegai, Dainichi, Hardinge, or ..........???

Oh, I forgot to as you a question Big_Mak, what type of parts do you make and what alloys do you machine???

These are also important factors in purchasing a machine.

boyz boyz. You've gone off here.
I've seen A nakamura down for a week because the cheap fuji drives they used went bust. I've seen a matsuura spindle be replaced twice in a year from tickling aluminum. All machines will have something go wrong at some point. How much would it cost to replace an Okuma spindle vs a Haas Spindle??which could you get faster? getting you up and running and making money again?

Every machine in the market pretty much has it's place. For a new guy on the block, a bank is much more willing to finance a cheaper machine. Once you've built up a business and show a willingness to pay the money back, they'll gladly loan you more money.

Most banks would rather loan you money to buy a dump truck than a machine tool. Been told that to my face. Haas' financing may not be the cheapest, but they will finance start ups. Hell you don't pay, I'm sure there is a long list of people looking for relatively young second hand Haas machines.

Haas is good for people in my area. The service center is close if you need them. Mori is a few hunderd miles away Nakamura is a few thousand. They have one service guy here. but that's it. So really you go with what you got. You can't just say Im goona go with Machine X because it "Never Breaks" and the service guy is 500 miles away. Odds are it will be down, and you are a day away from getting service let alone parts. I've been there. And I've seen a few worried owners in my time, because they can't make delivery due to a break down. These were high end snooty shops with Jap Boutique machines. The name on the sheetmetal didn't help them there at all.

I got's my Haas, and it hasn't missed a delivery yet. I have heard onlly good things about the Femco Machine HL-25E. I like the idea of the Turret within a turret allowing you 23 tools set up. Maybe you should check it out.
http://www.femcousa.com/cnc-machine-tools/cnc-lathe-HL-25DurgaVideo.asp

Toby,

Anything and everything. Jobbing right now, until my products take over.

www.liquidmetalguitars.com is a customer of mine. you can check out my work there.

Toby,

Anything and everything. Jobbing right now, until my products take over.

www.liquidmetalguitars.com is a customer of mine. you can check out my work there.

NICE!!!!!!

Your best bet would be to get a machine that handles a wide range of tight tolerance and comercial.

The Hardinge Quest fits that bill, unless that is the line for hard machining.
The control is a Fanuc, which the Haas and many others are based off of.

Cheers!!!!!!:)

Come on there's got to be some FEMCO users here to give some feedback?

Come on there's got to be some FEMCO users here to give some feedback?

I haven't heard anything bad about FEMCO. Actually I have heard of them being good machines for someone that is starting out. As for miniature machines the RHINO is the best. It comes with a Fanuc 0T Control and will fit on your Desk in your office.

What will you be machining and to what Tolerances????

Just jobbing in the begining. Anything that comes our way. Eventually aluminum components for our own products. Maybe a tiny bit of titanium and stainless, but for the most part ally.

What apeals to me in the FEMCO with the durga, is the ability to leave a bunch of tools set up, and not have to rearrange the turret everytime you have a new job.

Is this the case? That's the question that I'd like to have answered from the Durga owners.

I'd like somethign a bit more versatile than a desk top machine.

Have you checked on a Mighty Viper?

Mighty seems to have a shorter distance between centers, thus less versatile than the FEMCO. FEMCO also has that sweet DURGA turret option. I havent' seen anything comparable out there. You should check it out!

Mighty seems to have a shorter distance between centers, thus less versatile than the FEMCO. FEMCO also has that sweet DURGA turret option. I havent' seen anything comparable out there. You should check it out!

What ever you do Do Not Buy Mighty Machines!!!!!!! My friend has a Mighty Mustang Mill. Since day one the Tool Changer was ripped off the machine during Tool Change, the Spindle Belt Drive was Skipping during Tapping, and just last weekend, Ball Screw Failure. Here are some pics of the Ball Screw. What a Piece of CRAP!!!!!!!!

If you buy one, Good Luck!!! You would be better off with a HAAS Tool Room Lathe with an Automatic Turret.

Toby, I get it! They weren't even in the Running.

Toby, I get it! They weren't even in the Running.

Have you checked into Fortune??? I wish someone with a FEMCO Lathe would post some information for you. They seem like an ok machine.

Have you checked into Fortune??? I wish someone with a FEMCO Lathe would post some information for you. They seem like an ok machine.

Stop trying to distract him!!!! I told him what to get in Post #8 :D

Alternatively he can come and drool over my TL2 with full enclosure and auto toolchanger that I am ordering for my home shop.

Stop trying to distract him!!!! I told him what to get in Post #8 :D

Alternatively he can come and drool over my TL2 with full enclosure and auto toolchanger that I am ordering for my home shop.

I told him what not to get in Thread #32:D

You must be a Rep from HAAS LOL;) Just kidding. Seriously, he might be better off with a HAAS Lathe to start with, then expand to Better Machine Tools.

That is of coarse if he wants too;)

Thanks for the input boys. MAybe all the FEMCO guys are too busy counting the money it's making for them. Hope so.

The thing with the FEMCO is that DURGA Turret option. It just says lower setup times to me, because I wouldn't be rearranging the turret all the time, which I've seen guys do in a lot of short run production shops.

SO Geof now when you retire your kids will keep you doing R & D in your basement?

.....SO Geof now when you retire your kids will keep you doing R & D in your basement?

Not exactly a basement :) :

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=17256&d=1145498901

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=17719&d=1146458085

You need some epoxy down on those floors mate!!!! Looks like you just squeeked it in under the ceiling!!!!!

Nice little Hobby Shop!! That TL-2 will go nicely in there.

My only thing with Haas is that TSS will get their share. Anyone from western Canada will know who I'm talking about.

Two inches to spare coming under the doorway.

On a serious note regarding your choice of lathe (I can be serious occasionally).

I have not seen pictures of your FEMCO DURGA Turret but you mention something about a turret within a turret. To me that sounds like it might be awkward to setup and might be one that needs close attention to tool positioning and holder clearances. You might find you can get by without moving tools around as often but when you do have to do it you may take a longer time than with a simpler tutrret design.

One thing I have found with the bolt-on holders on turrets is you can leave tools in the holder and simply record the X offset. It is very quick to switch holders and they go back very close to the same position so only having twelve positions is not too much of a limit.

Here is a link to the Video

http://www.femcousa.com/cnc-machine-tools/cnc-lathe-HL-25DurgaVideo.asp

FEMCO guys where are you? All I want it some input, or are you trying to keep that thing a secret?????

Big Mac,

That looks like a pretty good machine. The only questionable issue is the Rear Turret. I'd be a little sceptical because if it takes a little bump it may lock everything and cost too much to have someone to repair.

Other than that it looks pretty solid and productive. That Fanuc Control is a good one too.:)

I have had a bit to do with a single Femco machine. We had one in our shop for about 10 years 7 years ago.. One of the few machines we have had in our shop that didn't ever need spindle bearings changed. It was a C axis lathe with a live spindle and it performed as required. We did have a few problems with the spindle clamp and eventually retired that with the live spindle option (5 years old). As a lathe it held size well but was a bit under powered. The gibs wore a little faster than other brands we used to do the same work in our shop (2/3 the time span). Never had any turret or hydraulic problems during the time it was in production. It was however slower than the Mazak M4 it replaced and was down cycle time wise about 8-15 seconds over a 3 minute job (Not using the C axis). It was used to machine castings that needed to be jogged so this was never really an issue for us. It had a Fanuc control and the documentation was good for a Taiwanese machine of that era. It was only retired due to a chuck coming apart and smashing all the electronics from the inside out. I have only ever seen or heard of the one machine in person but it was an honest machine that didnt give as many problems as our higher performance machines.
I would be a bit concerned about the DURGA turret though, the money would probably be better spent on more tooling and holders as it doesn't take to long to change over with only minimal set up. But I suppose it depends on what you are machining.
Good Luck with your choice.
Daza

Toby,
I have a Mighty Mustang C-42 I bought new in June 1999. I've had a couple of problems with it, including that same ball screw failure, which was just barely inside the one year warranty thankfully. I can't believe they don't lock those nylon pieces into the nut. If I were to install another one, I'd atleast wrap safety wire around each one to keep it in, but how rinky dink. Other than that though, I have been very happy with my machine. I am wondering about his tool changer problem. Regarding the belt skipping, I have had belt slack problems but that was because of crashing the machine, which shifted the motor and caused slack in the belt. It can also cause spindle orientation noise problems. I have solved more problems with this machine than I can remember and I'd be happy to freely share my experience with your buddy. One of the biggest improvements I made was at about one year. The limit switches on the Y axis were the lowest and kept collecting coolant and the return springs would rust and finally fail to return ( repeatedly). They appeared to be sealed, but somehow coolant kept getting in. Finally I decided whatever coolant came in would be going out. I drilled a 1/8" hole in the bottom of the switch box and have never had the problem since. Eventually, I did the same thing with the junction box below the right back side of the machine table. It was collecting water and electrolysis was going on at 310 volts DC between the box and the amphenol connector on the X axis. Drilled a 1/4" hole and problem solved. I'm not sure if other users run coolant so much, because it seemed like I was educating the factory on this issue. Sorry for the long write up, but I spent many hours discovering these problems and the solutions are easy.

Dave

Nakamura or a supermax will be my next machine, I ran both, also ran Hitachi seikes sence they came out with the 20 sII. I helped do service, set=up and training on hitachi's as well( they are out of business now).
The Htachi was the hottest and fastest thing out for a while, I eneded up buying a yci supermax for slug work. the Hitech turned barfeed. The supermax was such a good accurate and strong machine it blew the hitech away so I bought another one.
My serial number on the hitech 20sIII was 00002 Thats probally why I had major problems with it, hitech was good about it and fixed it.
I realize there is a difference between the 2 , the hitech was linar guides and the supermax was box way. However the turrets on the hitech sucked bigtime and the clutchs popped all the time in the z axis.

The supermax for me was one of the best running Machines out there, tolorance was right on the money everytime. and repeat ability was right on.
the one we just ran slugs on were anywere from 3" to 8" dia. primarily it was 9310 gear steel. we ran 2 12 hour shifts. I ran very heavy cuts and big 2" - 3" drills we ran Aircraft gear parts for ACG Corp. (boeing Parts) before all that work went to mouge. we ran approx 10,000-15,000 lbs of 9310 and 4340 a month.
We tried them on a test run on haas, wouldnt cut the part in half the time, and put way to much load on the machine so we didnt buy one.
I have nothing against haas I think they have one of the best mills on the market in there price range. but they have a long way to go on there lathes ( as of 2 years ago last time I looked).
I will probally look at them again here in the near future as I am thinking of getting a mill turn lathe for my next one and I hear they make a pretty nice one. but I need to do some looking first. Other wise I am just going to buy another mill and a supermax lathe.

One of my neighbors had a Nakamura, that machine was very strong ( we did the same work).
As far as the control we ran ot controls on our supermax's. its a 2 axis lathe there is not really very much needed on a control for turning round parts. the OT control had plenty of canned cycles.

the support I got from supermax when I needed it was right there and then. They also flew out on 2 occasions due to one of my employees crashing the machine pretty bad and actually breaking the geneva drive in the turret.

For a job shop I would stick boxed ways as you never know what you will run. one day it could be inconel the next alum. speed won't make too much difference on a lathe unless its a long bed. the main difference it will make though is on reaction time of your operators in a crash.
I would run a 8" chuck 6" are really nice and have more RPMS however the thru-bore is smaller and the jaws are smaller ( lots smaller) its easier to go down in size than up. plus with a 6" machine you don't get the HP needed to turn a 8" part if you have too ( we had to do that a few times cause our 8" chuck machines were tied up).

like someone mentioned above it all depends on what type of work you do.

Lathes do wear out much faster than mills so keep that in mind. there are a few reasons for it. taking heavy cuts and knocking a part out of the jaws even a couple of times does take its toll. plus taking heavy cuts over time takes its toll.