Jet 14-40 ZX lathe = Chinese junk

[lapuser]

Well here I sit eating supper and thinking about replacing today for the second time the splined shaft the speed range gear clusters ride on. This lathe has been nothing but little constant niggling things like grade 1 fastners that strip out, screws and bolts that never stay tight on the tailstock and the apron. Coolant pump that I have never figured out where the leak comes from and just quit using it rather than have it slobber out on the floor. Jet has pretty well admited that the metalurgy of parts in the headstock are crap as they gave me a replacement splined shaft. The shaft twisted again when I was in a hurry and hogging off metal and it twisted. You see the Chinese can't be bothered to run the math and match the motor torque to output on the shaft and pick the correct material.

Reading today an article talking about how manufacturing is coming back to America because of things like this and I am going to put my two cents in.

I spent over $14,000.00 for this new with a Newall DRO on it and I could have bought a good used Haas TL2 for $10,000.00 more. The jet is supposed to be ISO 2001 but nothing fits off the shelf in most cases and if there is a taperd pin on a part for instance it will have to be hand fitted. And then there is the slow boat from China where you wait and wait when parts are out at the distribution center. The guy at the regional repair center in Nashville thinks they are crap and tells me stories about splined shafts twisted so bad he has to take a sawzall to them. When I complained about main bearing noise until lubricant finally splashed up there to quite them down this same guy says Jet told him to RUN this stupid thing for 30 minutes before taking a cut. Forced lubrication obviously being to high tech an item for their ISO 2001 lathe. Jet and China are a POS and I can only say they are better than nothing.

I will not under any circumstance buy Chinese again for any piece of equipment my business relies on. Now this is Mainland China I am talking about. My Taiwan knee mill has given me many good years of service. And I love my Haas VF3 but then you see they weren't made in China were they.

This fall I will have a nice Jet 14-40 ZX for sale when it is replaced with my upcoming TL2 and if you all know any masochists who don't know better or hobbiests that don't need better I can hook you up with one. No wonder Haas has an 11+ week lead time on new equipment right now.

[lapuser]

SO Lapuser just how did the rest of the install go after dinner? Well, I am glad you asked. The ISO 2001 Chinese precision splined shaft went in the bearings without to much polishing. And the precision ground splines were just fine after a couple of hours of layout blue and polish and fit, polish and fit, polish and fit. The center support bearing retaining ring grooves were cut in about 3/16" to far to the bed end of the shaft or this was made for a later manufactured version as the shaft 3 bolt external bearing cap at the bed end will not go in all the way now. You know what, it's good enough to work after I put a gasket behind it but you see what I mean about worthless manufacturing tolerances and practices?

[Delw]

lapuser
While its fun to laugh at people for buying chinese Junk, it really sucks to find out they spent over 14k for chinese junk. DUDE you just paid for the wages of 75 families, including there kids. for the next ten years.
at the very least you can consider yourself a humanitarian LMAO


Sorry couldnt resist.


The only way to get stuff back in america is to BANN importation of chinese products, that wont happen in out lifetime.

Delw

[lapuser]

No what I really did was pay for a few families and the exorbitant wages of the MBA CPA jerks that sent the jobs overseas so they could get larger bonuses for increased "profitability" by being middlemen instead of manufacturers.

[fizzissist]

The chinese invented the lathe, and have spent the last 3200 years trying to build a good one.

[cornbinder23]

I spent over $14,000.00 for this new with a Newall DRO on it and I could have bought a good used Haas TL2 for $10,000.00 more. .

HOLY %$#@!!!!
I bought this same lathe new from a company called stellar ind. and i only paid 6300 WTF and to top it off I have beat the @#$% out of it for 3 yrs now and have not had 1 issue with (except for that mysterious leak)
I use it in a maintenance setting with several inexperienced people running it I mainly turn SS and 4140
BTW mine does not have a dro
Sorry to hear about your issues though

JTCUSTOMS

[lapuser]

Mine is a lot older than that so perhaps they got some QA in there finally. You got a good deal for sure.

When this thing is running right it cuts a lot of threads and metal but they have worn me out with to many problems. I wish I had your story to tell. When it ruins your day to many times and you are making a living with it there is no second chance for the offender so I will never know by purchasing another if the recent models are better.

I looked for the Stellar web site and I think I found the right one in the Nortwest but they don't appear to be selling them any more. Did I find the right one?

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Is Standard Modern still being built? Was always a good machine built in Canada.

Dick Z

add: www.standard-modern.com added again: I called Standard-Modern and they are still building lathes in Canada. I also suggested they update their website.

[cornbinder23]

Mine is a lot older than that so perhaps they got some QA in there finally. You got a good deal for sure.

When this thing is running right it cuts a lot of threads and metal but they have worn me out with to many problems. I wish I had your story to tell. When it ruins your day to many times and you are making a living with it there is no second chance for the offender so I will never know by purchasing another if the recent models are better.

I looked for the Stellar web site and I think I found the right one in the Nortwest but they don't appear to be selling them any more. Did I find the right one?

Yep thats the right one, ferndale? I never saw it listed in their catalog but the rep was in my shop dropping off some tools while I was talking to another vendor about purchasing a lathe, needless to say I didnt have to do much in the way of bargaining as Stellar REALLY wanted the sale and the price was right, gotta say I like ambitious sales staff as long as I am getting the best deal i can get.
Also, I am a EXTREME ,buy USA or bye bye USA proponent, but it was not my money being spent

JTCUSTOMS

[Delw]

Is Standard Modern still being built? Was always a good machine built in Canada.

Dick Z

add: Standard-Modern Lathes Inc. added again: I called Standard-Modern and they are still building lathes in Canada. I also suggested they update their website.

Richard.
Thanks for that link and info, thats great news that something is still being built in Canada and the U.S.

Delw

[GITERDUN]

No what I really did was pay for a few families and the exorbitant wages of the MBA CPA jerks that sent the jobs overseas so they could get larger bonuses for increased "profitability" by being middlemen instead of manufacturers.

Actually, Jet was started in the Seattle area just after WW II by buying cheap Japanese chain hoists. They expanded their line over the years and moved to Taiwan and then China, they never manufactured anything here. The company was sold to a European firm about 20 years ago. Even though you are unhappy with the product, they never shipped any jobs overseas. In fact they created all the jobs of all the people who work for Jet and their distributors here in USA.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Delw, I e-mailed Standard-Modern and asked if the components were made "off shore". The quick reply was all the steel and castings were manufactured in Canada or the USA. The machines are completely built in their plant in Canada.

The US and Canadian military specify the S-M machines for use in their shops.

I'd say that's a fair recommendation.

Dick Z