MICROLUX 7 x 14 - opinions

[sn4il]

Hi.
I'm looking to get my first lathe ever, mainly to make few parts for my hobby (rc boats, tanks etc).
I dont have any experience with lathes so far and looking for honest opinions on this product:
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares...oduct&ID=82710
Has anyone convert it to cnc?
Should I bother with it or should I get something bigger like this one:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0602

I'm limited to 1 phase, 110V.
Thanks for all opninions and advices.
Max

[in2steam]

Its always hard for someone else to say what you need? but I have several sayings you can never have enough machine(or room), and the right tool for the right job. There are more cases were I needed a larger machine to do my project then a smaller one to do it better(this does happen). I have the 9x20, I got a really good deal with all the mods done to it, I have not heard much about the 10x22 but it appears to be a brother of the 9x20. Truthfully I would get the smaller one as they hold there value, I think the sieg products(c1,c2,c3,c6) are of better quality then the other style I was recently told that the 8x14(lathemasters) lathes are not sieg built but they are better then the 9x20's.
IMHO these are how I would purchase

A hardinge(got money?)

An Atlas 10 or south bend 9 (good luck) these are nice easliy fixable machines with good resale value, if you can get one in useable condition.

the sieg c6 (10x22)either through grizzly as go516 as the combo lathe with the x2 mill or through I think it was cummins for $750,

10x22,9x(19)20(g4000) jet etc. these are only ahead of the 8x's because of the swing. They need several mods to make them work, well at least the 9x20 does.

8x14 lathemasters, HF

the taig excellent machine I love mine.

the sherline

the 7x10(c3) lots of options for these many fit the 8x14's also

Just my opionions
chris

BTW you are not completely limited to 1 phase 110, you can buy drives that do go into 3 phase 220 that run off 110 single phase but you are limited to the size of about 1HP. Also you have the DC option to 90VDC.

[Visual Echo]

I saw this link elsewhere on this site... he uses this lathe:

http://www.sover.net/~snowleop/cnclathe/

[xiphmont]

It's a Sieg C3, and is pretty much like all the other Sieg tools. Decent materials and a combination of well made parts and almost comical quirks/defects. You come to expect this sort of thing from Sieg. If you're not worried about treating it as a sort of mostly complete kit (some re-assembly and random parts required) then you're all set.

I recently bought one myself. In the first week of using it a few hours a night:

The tailstock clamp lever snapped off the very first time I used it. It snapped so easily I thought at first I'd just forgotten to tighten it properly. But no, it broke...

The paint on the gearbox cover appears to be soluable in cutting oil. Most of it has dissolved off at this point from me touching it when I had oil on my fingers.

The tach died. Since I'm an EE I decided it wasn't anything I couldn't fix and tore in. Although it uses silkscreened PCBs it looks like it's all hand-soldered together and whoever assembled mine was really bad at soldering. They'd completely melted several plastic-cased parts. Replacing a display LED and a driver chip fixed it.

The other annoyance is that the gibs are damned near impossible to adjust without half tearing the machine apart (at a minimum pulling off all the guards, apron and feed screw to have any access at all to the screws).

...so there you go.

Monty