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Best 10" lathe?

M

Megar arc 5040dd

Super User
I am curios what people think the best lathe to buy for the home machine shop is? I know this is a loaded question with a lot of possible variables so I will narrow it down to 10" swing lathe that can be purchased new either in Canada or from somewhere that will ship to Canada. I say 10" because that seem to be a really common size that you can get both high end and lower end in that size. And I say new because the used market varies so much across the country, some places have lots and some have very few, where as new is open to everyone. Maybe give what you think the best would be and what you think the best for the price is. Do you prefer a machine with variable motor speed or a gear head? All opinions are welcome and there really are no wrong answers.
 
I don’t think Harding HLV-Hs are available new any more. Same with Monarch 10EEs.

The Monarchs can be factory reconditioned to like new, if you find a used one.

There are Hardinge clones available new. Here is just one of them:

1725329583873.webp



sharp-industries.com

1118H Toolroom Lathe | Sharp Industries Inc.

Our high precision toolroom lathes are ideal for small parts especially for those that requires threading. Affordable, easy to use, and offers very high.....
sharp-industries.com sharp-industries.com

They cost a lot.
 
I'd love to have a Hardinge or Monarch too but that ain't going to happen in this life time. I have an Asian 10x22 and for what it cost, I have been very happy with it. If it was stolen today I'd probably buy another or possibly a bit bigger if it was going to be my only lathe.

Variable speed with a dial is very nice and worthwhile. Smaller 10" lathes are going to be belt driven.
 
The HVL-H knock offs start at about $30k. Depending on the details, if you wanted, you could probably double that. Now a 10EE you may be able to get new, but it would be a little pricey (add another zero) - guessing that if you paid enough, they would tool up just for you.
 
DPittman said:
I'd love to have a Hardinge or Monarch too but that ain't going to happen in this life time. I have an Asian 10x22 and for what it cost, I have been very happy with it. If it was stolen today I'd probably buy another or possibly a bit bigger if it was going to be my only lathe.

Variable speed with a dial is very nice and worthwhile. Smaller 10" lathes are going to be belt driven.
Click to expand...
What brand and model do you have?
 
I had an old King Canada CT-1440B which I've just sold and bought a new CX706 from the BusyBee sale which is on right now. In the process of setting up the AXA QCTP on the machine and purchased a few tools, live center and keyless drill chuck to put in the MT2 tailstock. Price drop made it interesting.
 
RobinHood said:
I don’t think Harding HLV-Hs are available new any more. Same with Monarch 10EEs.

The Monarchs can be factory reconditioned to like new, if you find a used one.

There are Hardinge clones available new. Here is just one of them:

View attachment 51320


sharp-industries.com

1118H Toolroom Lathe | Sharp Industries Inc.

Our high precision toolroom lathes are ideal for small parts especially for those that requires threading. Affordable, easy to use, and offers very high.....
sharp-industries.com sharp-industries.com

They cost a lot.
Click to expand...
I know what my dreams are going to be made of tonight.
 
“… the best lathe for a home machine shop”. You need to provide considerably more information. For example: what do you hope to do with the lathe, what are your hard constraints (size, weight, power), what are your must have features (i.e. spindle bore, speeds, center distance, gap or not, head stock depth), what are your nice to have features ( for example, can you push out on dimensions, is price a big issue (of course a new beautiful little lathe for $5 is preferred)). Are you stuck on just one lathe? There is no “perfect” lathe, different lathes will have different features and capabilities - so you can cover more bases with multiple machines that have different features.
 
Monarch 10ee lathes are available, stripped for about 130K USD. The Taiwan company Royal made HLV - H lathes (most parts interchangeable) for just over 60K$. that's why I said "if you can afford it".

I'm a strong believer in buying a good used lathe, Best value for the money, and in many cases the way to get the best lathe period.

Is space a serious limitation?
 
lucsimoneau said:
I had an old King Canada CT-1440B which I've just sold and bought a new CX706 from the BusyBee sale which is on right now. In the process of setting up the AXA QCTP on the machine and purchased a few tools, live center and keyless drill chuck to put in the MT2 tailstock. Price drop made it interesting.
Click to expand...
What made you switch from the King Canda lathe to the Craftex lathe?
 
Dabbler said:
Monarch 10ee lathes are available, stripped for about 130K USD. The Taiwan company Royal made HLV - H lathes (most parts interchangeable) for just over 60K$. that's why I said "if you can afford it".

I'm a strong believer in buying a good used lathe, Best value for the money, and in many cases the way to get the best lathe period.

Is space a serious limitation?
Click to expand...
I would agree but depending where you are located for some people a good condition used Monarch may come up once every 5 or 10 years and have a price tag to match. Also in places where used lathes just aren't as common finding one in good condition can be tough to find. Even harder for new comers to the hobby that don't know if something is actually in good condition or not.

For me personally I have a 10" atlas from the late 30's - early 40's. Size wise it does 99% of what I need however condition wise it has seen better days. When I bought it 16 years ago I didn't know the first thing about what wear is normal and what is excessive. As I have gotten better at machining over the years I have slowly learned to deal with its wear but it is a pain in the but and didn't always make for a fun experience learning. Now that I am older I find myself thinking about how nice it would be to have a new lathe with no wear. I feel doing very precise work would be even more enjoyable. Not only that but on the prairies good used lathes are expensive and don't come up as often as out east.
 
Major difference between the small 10” bench lathes and the bigger lathes is which operating mechanisms are missing. I figure three major criteria decides which lathe I buy next.

Belt speed change or gear box

Quick change gear box for threading or change gears

Bolt-on lathe chuck or quick change spindle

I’ve owned a Grizzly G0516 10x21 belt drive, Busy Bee B2227L/CX708 10x18 gear head, and a Grizzly G4000 9x19 belt drive. The B2227L is my current machine, the constant changing of belt position on the belt-drive lathes drove me nuts. The B2227L doesn’t have a quick change threading gearbox, but adding an ELS system was relatively painless.

Problem with all of these is the chuck mounting. I’m jealous of lathe owners who have machines with proper DI-x lathe mounting.

If I was buying a new lathe today I’d probably be looking at the Precision Matthews machines. Going a bit bigger than your criteria, their 11x30 has a DI-4 chuck mount, power cross feed, quick change gear box for threading, AXA tool post. I’d be willing to give up a gearhead speed control system for power cross feed and DI chuck mounting. YMMV
 
My 12x37 lathe is pretty much perfect; separate power feed and lead screw, and power crossfeed. Only drawback is the wacky threaded spindle. In fairness, it's hardly a drawback as I rarely have need to run the spindle backwards.
 
@DavidR8 You have a 'neighbour' (in Nanaimo) that also has your model; He has made an excellent spindle blank for machining new back plates. If you need it, I can text you his contact info.
 
I agree that a 12X37 is a perfect hobby lathe. Enough of my work is much larger, and requires more rigidity and horsepower, hence my other lathes.

I still do a lot of work on my 12X37 lathe!
 
The only complaint I have about my South Bend Heavy 10L is that the belt has to be split to make it over the pulleys. I have a 1HP 3 phase motor with VFD. One day I will add a motor to the cross slide but with the taper attachment it's not a big deal. I haven't engaged the gear box for years as the ELS does what I need with just a 270 oz-in and 2:1 pulley.
And the other big down side of this 1945 lathe is the bed is a bit worn. If I had a brand new lathe of that quality I'd probably wonder why I kept the SB but really so far it's done everything I want.
 
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