|
Author
|
|
CNCadmin
Site Owner
Registered: March 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 4361
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $800.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Heavy duty construction, hardened ways, smooth operation
|
|
Cons:
|
No drill chuck included
|
|
The machine came in a large crate, and everything was well packed. Once a set-up the lathe on my bench I cleaned and oiled everything. I chucked up a piece of 2\" dia steel and a bit, and wow no perfect finish on the metal, no chatter, and a smooth finish. The machine does not have variable speed but you can change the speed by changing the gearing, much like you would for a drill press. So far I have not adjusted a thing and the cuts are perfect.
------------------------------
Thank You,
Paul G
Site Owner-Webmaster-
Administrator
www.rfqwork.com
www.cnczone.com
www.welderzone.com
|
|
|
|
eferg
Registered: March 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 7
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Bed and slides are precise - no slop as with other imported mini-lathes.
|
|
Cons:
|
Motor sometimes will trip reset button when starting. Wish it had varible speed.
|
|
I\'ve had this lathe for a year. Also purchased the precision 5C collet chuck. It\'s a great value. Unlike other import mini-lathes, this one needs no adjustments or modifications. Just clean up the shipping grease and go to work.
I wish it had varible speed, but in actual usage I\'ve done all my work on one speed setting.
Ed
|
|
|
|
John Labutsk
Registered: October 2004
Location: usa
Posts: 15
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Excellent fit and finish
|
|
Cons:
|
None
|
|
I have had my 8x14 for over a year now. Its extremely ridgid and provides excellent finishes. It is literally 3 or 4 times the machine that my HF 7x10 is. It runs smooth and vibration free with a 3 jaw. I also have the lathemaster 5c collet chuck. After I had it for about a month the motor died. I called and left a message at lathemaster and less than 48 hours later I had a brand new motor on my door step. The lathe now has about 800 hours of run time on it and its just as sweet as the day I got it. I plan to add a tread mill motor for variable speed like James Green did in the Lathemaster group on yahoo. But I have been using it so much I haven\'t had time to shut down and do it. I liked it so much that I purchased a second 8x14 to add cnc to. This lathe is as good as it gets as far as import lathes in its category are concerned.
John
|
|
|
|
|
fignoggle
Registered: January 2006
Location: usa
Posts: 43
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
weight, solid construction
|
|
Cons:
|
belt changes required
|
|
by all accounts, the 8x14 is identical as the harbor freight 8x12 - just a different method of measuring (yet again from hf).
i bought my lathe after reading balsaman\'s review of the 8x12 (his was one of a few reviews at the time). i also have a hf 7x10 and there is quite a difference between the two. it\'s good to be able to chuck a 1.5\" dia. round bar into the stock chuck and take 0.040\" cuts (can do more, but this works quite nicely). changing belts is a pain. adding a qctp (i added a phase 2 qctp) and it\'s much easier to use.
you may want to change the nuts and bolts that come with this lathe as my two compound t-bolts stripped. after adding a variable speed setup and reverse gear, this should be a very usable machine good for threading and quick speed changes for different materials.
------------------------------
Mini-Mill Kits and Plans - http://www.fignoggle.com
Sieg X3 and Super X3 Mill Information - http://www.superx3.com
|
|
|
|
|
sanddrag
Registered: January 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 114
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $430.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
wieght, size, power
|
|
Cons:
|
none really
|
|
Got mine from Harbor Freight. It is identical to the lathemaster except it doesn\'t come with some of the accessories. Got it on sale, used a 20% coupon, and got the manager to give me a deal on a 2 year warranty. Out the door (with tax) it was only $430 total. What a steal! This is no enlarged 7x10. It is a whole different machine. Makes very nice cuts right out of the box.
|
|
|
|
|
machinechick
Registered: November 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 55
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $869.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
ability to remove stock quickly, repeatable, accurate, rebuild not required, not a "kit", hardened ways
|
|
Cons:
|
how the chuck attaches to the spindle arbor is awful, I replaced the spindle with one from a Sieg C6 so I could have the faux cam lock system
|
|
This is a great lathe, paying extra to Lathemaster was worth it to me to get the back splash, drip pan, steadies, chucks, faceplate and service of Lathemaster. After suffering through a 7x14 this lathe is a winner capable of doing some real work.
|
|
|
|
|
concombrefrais
Registered: February 2008
Location: usa
Posts: 5
|
|
Review Date:
|
Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $436.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Great finish straight out of the box, many oil ports, smooth... very cheap for what you get
|
|
Cons:
|
no variable speed
|
|
I bought this lathe on the first of january 2010 from harbor freight. I had a 25% off discount, which explains the low cost. Shipping was free to the store and I got the lathe less than 10 days later.
I had a little taig lathe before that and the difference is quite striking! This one is much sturdier and powerful (The taig is a great little lathe, especially to get into metal working). I don't think it is possible to make the machine vibrate and the finish is amazing, even on steel with deep cut. The one possible complain would be the absence of variable speed. On the other hand it allows for more torque, which is in practice more important. It is not difficult to change the belt speed either.
I am pretty strong but could not move it on my bench alone. I did it with only one friend though but I would recommend three guys rather, we have only one back! I was a little worried that I would get a different lathe since the one in the hf catalogue looks slightly different. I did not get the one on the picture but rather a copy of the lathemaster. It has metal handles, dual prismatic rail and hardened ways.
In brief, I recommend it highly, amazing quality for the price.
PS: and it came with all the accessories on the pictures except the 4 jaws chuck, faceplate and the back splash.
|
|
|
|
|
CNCzone.com-The Largest Machinist Community on the net!
;)
;)
;)
