As much as everybody likes old American iron, I think you made the right choice. That MSC lathe is the kind of lathe everybody wants: Geared head, high top speed, inch-metric, with a foot brake, not too large or small of a swing, cam lock attachment of the chuck. The list goes on and on . great score.
Thanks very much, it's really nice to hear that. Honestly I've been struggling with the decision since I made it. But you are making the same arguments I've been making to myself in my head, and that makes me feel like I have made a good decision. It really does feel like a "goldilocks" find for me.
Those castings wear many badges. They are everywhere. I’ve got one that I converted to 3 hp 3phase, it’s underpowered if you have the 2.5jp version, mine was anyways. The d1-4 cam lock spindle nose is light duty, parting is a challenge, but I’m used to D1-6 . Take it apart, change the poor fasteners , the cross slide and QCGB and headstock gears have contamination. Throw a couple neodymium magnets in every oil bath. Congrats on your purchase , have fun.
Nice score on the lathe... nothing better than DGS; I have a shop full. Not only do you find some like new gems every once in a lifetime, the well used stuff is imbued w/ the sweat, creativity & even, love of machining, from the previous owner. I look at some of the Dead Guy's Stuff I have, & think about the life it's lived, it's contribution to someone feeding their family, helping a war effort, creating everyday stuff, unique inventions or one of a kind dreams. Even after having some stuff for nearly 50 yrs, I'm still captivated by it's back story. I have a carbide scraper I bought at a garage sale in my early 20's. Didn't know what it was, but figured it would make a great gasket scraper, for $5. Used it for years while I worked in shops, dealerships & my own biz. A number of yrs ago, when I was learning machining from YT, I discovered it was the gold std carbide scraper for hand scraping ways on machine tools. It has a replaceable carbide insert, so a new one will make it like new. Even after yrs of my dis-use, it's a quality tool, so looks like it did when I got it; used, but not abused & cared for. I was telling my old shop biz partner about my discovery, (he'd used it, himself), & he asked the brand. I went to the shop & grabbed it, 'cause I couldn't recall. On the way back, I saw a name engraved on the back I'd forgotten about. My old friend had been telling me about stuff he'd just bought at an estate sale of a machinist our age, someone we both knew; a 3rd gen machinist in our hometown. Turns out the name on the back of the scraper was the 1st gen, patriarch. He'd moved down the street from my parents, late in life; right where I bought it from his widow during a trip home from college to visit my mom. I'm getting to the age where all my stuff is gonna be DGS before too long. Hope some of it gains the attention of a fellow appreciator. GeoD
Wow, that's a very cool story. I feel exactly the same way. I'm sentimental like that, and I have always had a love for history and things that are "older than I am". I was that kid in middle school wearing a Doors or Floyd T-shirt when everyone else had New Kids on the Block lunch boxes. 😂That's probably why I'm so drawn to the old machines and tools. I also often like to believe that when I use an old tool or machine, that it gives life to all of the folks in the past who came before, and used them to build the world we are so fortunate to inhabit.
@@hersch_tool Couldn't have said it better, myself. BTW, my wife works for MSC; has for 12-13 yrs. She is the person behind their search engine design & product title content. I know way more about MSC than is healthy. I also buy a lot of stuff from them 'cause of their amazing employee purchasing program; cost +10%, shipped to our door. It really is a great family owned biz; real good to their employees. Their YT presence is weak; I'd push them to support a channel for me, but they have a no spouse employment rule. If they supported me making YT $, it might get weird. I've been making, building, fabing & repairing for 50+ yrs; built houses, restored cars, owned & ran auto shops & built street rods & drag cars from thr ground up. Always wanted to learning machining, but it never happened. My wife starting w/ MSC was finally the catalyst. Got a Sherline lathe by happenstance 6-7 yrs ago & have improved it, 'hot rodded' it until it's fighting waaay above it's wgt class. Bought a mill this past summer, so I'm getting my feet wet, there. Most of my learning has been via YT; it's an amazing entity; think it's changing the world for the good. Later, GeoD
While there wasn't anything new to me in this video, that doesn't really matter. Your videos are well done. It just one little thing is learned then the entire time spent viewing was worthwhile. The comments about this lathe and Taiwanese lathes in general are dead on IMO. I sold a Taiwanese Jet and replaced it with a less capable Chinese lathe. I REALLY miss that Jet. I saw a lathe like yours with the Enco label on it in a commercial machine shop a few years back and knew instantly that it was the perfect machine for what I want/need out of a lathe. Unfortunately, as said, finding one is hard. Finding a good one is almost a Holy Grail search.
Thanks very much David. Making vids is a new thing to me and I'm just trying to get better every time so your comment is very encouraging. That means a lot, thank you. And yeah, I agree. This style of machine is a bit of a "goldilocks" for us small shop folks. Keep at it though, and eventually you'll hit paydirt. I got lucky on this one and had to drive a bit but it was worth it. You'll find your grail in time. 🙂
This video showed up in my suggested You Tube viewing list. That new MSC lathe looks like a winner. Hope it works out for you. In see your shop, I have comment to make to you. You have kraft faced insulation showing on your walls. This is an extreme fire danger. Kraft faced insulation is supposed to be covered with some kind of fireproof material, drywall, etc. You have a nice looking shop, hope it stays that way,
Thanks very much for your concern, it's very kind. I have fire extinguishers in every corner of the shop and try to always be aware of the hazards, and pay close attention while working, and while cleaning up every evening. I too get concerned about hot chips flying against the insulation. There are many hazards in a machine shop and we must always be vigilant, minimize as much risk as we are able, and manage the rest intelligently. And even then, we can't anticipate or prevent every eventuality. But we can do our best to be prepared, and have a plan for if something horrible does happen.
Thanks brother, yeah I have to say im fairly impressed with the Taiwan build quality. And thank you! That goes a long way, you have no idea. I'm brand new to this whole video thing, and am certainly my own worst critic, so your comment goes a long way to help me keep pushing forward and trying to improve. Thanks for that.
I have one of those machines. Have had for 20 or more years. not the best, not the worst. There is a fiber gear in the in the gear set. Make sure you keep the gear train teeth meshed. I broke a gear because the banjo came loose over time. I replaced it no problem through MSC's machinery parts sales and keep a spare just so it won't happen again. All in all it is a decent machine for the money and turns parts without much protest. It is not a heavy duty machine though, keep that in mind.
I have the entire gear set for this one, the change gears are still in the wrapping. There's no fiber gear anywhere on this particular model. My only complaint with the gear train is that they don't appear to be as hard as I would like. And the banjo locks in place with 2 large bolts, I can't imagine it working itself loose but I'll definitely keep an eye on it. I perform regular maintenance on all of my machines so I'll be sure to include that inspection for this one, thanks for the heads up. But yeah, it could be heavier. That being said, the video im working on is a project turned from 4140 pre-hard, the 3hp motor has shown no sign of protest and it seems about as rigid as I'd expect for it's size. It's certainly not my old 15" leblond though. I miss that machine... 😢
@@hersch_tool Nice, they must have made some improvements. The Big double gear on mine is Fibre or Phenolic. Perhaps it has a different gear set. Maybe you can show the end gears in a video. I would be interested to see what's there just for fun! Cheers
@@warrenjones744 Absolutely I can do that! I was chatting with someone else about doing a comparison vid between this lathe and an old south bend, I'll be sure to include some good footage and comparison of the gears in the vid. Might be a little bit but just keep an eye out for it :)
Great looking lathe. Mine is very similar to yours but it is one of the high dollar chineseium versions lol. I was sort of in the same boat except I was looking for my first good sized lathe for the shop. All the old iron local to me was either worn out or way over priced and missing half the parts. I ended up importing my own 14x40, that was an adventure in utself, and so far I have been pretty happy with it. Keep making the great videos!
Yeah, I've really learned a lot about the different types of machines since I first started. I wish I knew back then everything I knew now lol. But I'm really happy with this one. I have to admit though that I still regret selling that leblond. Honestly it was too big for my shop and selling it was probably the right thing to do. But I rebuilt so much of that machine, and I've still never used a lathe that was as buttery smooth as that old machine after all the repairs. Thank you btw! I appreciate the support and positive feedback, and I'll keep working on em!
That's a good-looking machine and looks nice and robust. I hope you get many hours of satisfaction out of it. I live in Thailand and hope to move soon so I might have to settle on getting a Chinese bench lathe. Some of them are getting a bit better in manufacturing quality now.
Thanks very much! I hope so as well. ANY lathe is better than no lathe :) The small Chinese lathes have enabled many people to have access to a machine tool when they otherwise wouldn't have had access, and that's a win in my book. I wish you much success, and great satisfaction in your machining projects, on whichever lathe you settle on.
Dont obsess over a tight fit on the register, having a tolerance allows you to bump the chuck true. The bolts by themselves are usually enough to hold the chuck tightly and make the register a nicety.
I hear what you are saying chrisstephens6673 but have to disagree. The point of having a register is to provide 100% location of part or device, the bolts are merely just for clamping, not advisable to bump around chuck for truing. I suggest to cut new register on the backing plate if you have enough material depth or cut back the error more to allow a new machined ring to register on backing plate, thus allowing chuck to register on new ring. We are practising machinist, regardless if professional or hobbyist. Should always take pride in holding tolerances. Great video!
@@joeg7755I know what you say is nice in theory but in practice a bump true chuck is the only way to get easy precision, short of a "grip -tru" or similar."centre-able" chuck. Making a tight tolerance register is a bit of a waste of time, for all practical purposes. But, like so much in machining it is entirely up to what you feel comfortable with as to how you do something. In my case the original chucks on my Colchester (D1-3) have no separate backplate, but all of collet holders and special chucks can be "bumped" true for virtually zero repeatable run out.
Appreciate the video - I'm shopping for new machinery now. It's great to see reviews on things other than Precision Matthews. I would love some American made machinery, but that is a minefield. Good machines are out there, but there is also the risk of acquiring a rebuild. Seems like there are numerous suppliers of lathes and mills that come from the same "base machine", but often have significant differences in functions and features. It's a potential minefield so the more info like this that is posted, the better for everyone.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback! Glad that my video could help out a bit. And yeah, many of the import machines are based on the same castings, but the machines built from those castings vary greatly in features and quality. I actually have a PM1030V as well, was my first machine. I also have restored a fair number of old American machines. Perhaps I could do a video comparing a Chinese (precision Matthews) machine, my Taiwanese machine, and an old south bend. I definitely have some experience I could share on the differences between them. 3 completely different categories of machine for sure.
@@hersch_tool That's exactly what I have learned - such a video comparison would be very educational for a lot of people. I have been comparing most brands of new machines, and I'm quite drawn towards a new Summit machine. Haven't quite finished my research yet, but getting there.
A geared head is very nice indeed. But a couple more gears would for sure give a little more granularity and Im wondering why they did it like this. But a VFD could probably solve that if necessary.
Yeah, you're reading my mind lol. At some point in the future I'd like to put a VFD on it and essentially make the motor "2 speed". This model lathe originally came with a 2 speed motor option, which essentially gives you a 1/2 option for all of the speeds you see on mine so you'd have from ~50 rpm up to ~2000. However, I'd need to rewire/replace the existing controls so that's a project for another day...
Nice lathe, I just bought the exact same lathe, waiting on it to arrive. I hope mine is as nice as yours. Did you use a VFD for 3 phase? If so, how did you wire it?
thanks, it's a good machine! i used a solid state converter from phase-a-matic because it has the gearbox in the head for the spindle speeds. So i didn't want to rewire the entire machine for really no reason. i use a VFD for my bridgeport though. i just wire the motor directly to the VFD, then wire the control switches directly to the low voltage control on the VFD. that way it works the way it's "supposed too" from the operator perspective even though it's doing something completely different behind the scenes. but again, you have a gearbox for spindle speeds in your new lathe, plus electric motor cutoff for the foot break, and the coolant pump... A VFD wouldn't be my first choice unless i was looking to run my motor as a 2 speed motor or something. congrats btw! you're gonna love it!
Thanks for the response. Wiring the control switches to the low voltage on the VFD is what I have researched. Is the phase -a-matic a static phase converter? I was going through the trouble of the wiring on the VFD to have lower spindle speed, since this one doesn't go below 100. @@hersch_tool
@@chrismac2264 yeah the phase-a-matic is a solid state converter. And that's what I mean by 2 speed motor, to double your speed selections for lower speeds. I had that on my list of future modifications but the more I've used the machine I am thinking that I haven't really felt like I needed it. Still might be cool to do though.
Got it, thanks. I appreciate the info and your video's. And for what it's worth, I think your drawings are pretty good..... Inheritance Machining is not human :)@@hersch_tool
I’m not really sure to be honest. I actually went and looked at a 13x40 gear head enco, got to run it and everything. It was made in China, and was a real hunk of junk. Looked like the ways for the cross and top slide had been shaped with an angle grinder. Nothing like this one. That being said I have heard people say good things about the old encos so I think they must have had different tiers of quality or something. I think this lathe might actually be made by vectrax and badged msc but I’m not certain.
Yep!!! This is an Enco.. depending on what this guy paid for it.. and I’m assuming not an arm and a leg.. it was a smart move. It won’t be as rigid as the old school stuff but it’ll do.
I'm still getting used to limping around on this peg, but I did get to keep the arm at least... 😉 And like I mentioned above, this one's much nicer than the Chinese enco that I used. But yeah, it's not even close to the big old leblond. That thing was an immovable BEAST, rigid as a granite slab.
@hersch_tool Sad to say, I was taken to lunch at what used to be the LeBlond factory in Cincinatti. I'd rather it was chunking out lathes instead of sandwiches for hipsters.
As to your favorability, I suggest you to show your face, because for every highly prefered channel I observed that guys show their faces and also add a cute pet for attraction. One more thing, Shooting from a larger room is much more appealing. (eg, cee Australia)
Thanks for the feedback! I get very nervous when turning the camera on myself, and just showing my hands really helps me to relax, and be more natural. But your advice is good and I will consider it in the future! Unfortunately, I don't have a large industrial shop like CEE, but their channel is excellent! I think I've shown my dogs in one of my vids, can't remember. I try to get them on camera but they aren't in the shop much because it's dangerous for them for walk around with all of the sharp metal chips, etc on the floor. Cheers!
As much as everybody likes old American iron, I think you made the right choice. That MSC lathe is the kind of lathe everybody wants: Geared head, high top speed, inch-metric, with a foot brake, not too large or small of a swing, cam lock attachment of the chuck. The list goes on and on . great score.
Thanks very much, it's really nice to hear that. Honestly I've been struggling with the decision since I made it. But you are making the same arguments I've been making to myself in my head, and that makes me feel like I have made a good decision. It really does feel like a "goldilocks" find for me.
@@hersch_tool iT WOULD BE GREAT if you actually mentioned what model it is...
@@Telephonebill51 IT IS PRINTED in large conspicuous letters directly on the front of the lathe, which is visible for the entire intro.
Those castings wear many badges. They are everywhere. I’ve got one that I converted to 3 hp 3phase, it’s underpowered if you have the 2.5jp version, mine was anyways. The d1-4 cam lock spindle nose is light duty, parting is a challenge, but I’m used to D1-6 . Take it apart, change the poor fasteners , the cross slide and QCGB and headstock gears have contamination. Throw a couple neodymium magnets in every oil bath.
Congrats on your purchase , have fun.
Nice score on the lathe... nothing better than DGS; I have a shop full. Not only do you find some like new gems every once in a lifetime, the well used stuff is imbued w/ the sweat, creativity & even, love of machining, from the previous owner.
I look at some of the Dead Guy's Stuff I have, & think about the life it's lived, it's contribution to someone feeding their family, helping a war effort, creating everyday stuff, unique inventions or one of a kind dreams.
Even after having some stuff for nearly 50 yrs, I'm still captivated by it's back story.
I have a carbide scraper I bought at a garage sale in my early 20's. Didn't know what it was, but figured it would make a great gasket scraper, for $5. Used it for years while I worked in shops, dealerships & my own biz.
A number of yrs ago, when I was learning machining from YT, I discovered it was the gold std carbide scraper for hand scraping ways on machine tools.
It has a replaceable carbide insert, so a new one will make it like new. Even after yrs of my dis-use, it's a quality tool, so looks like it did when I got it; used, but not abused & cared for.
I was telling my old shop biz partner about my discovery, (he'd used it, himself), & he asked the brand. I went to the shop & grabbed it, 'cause I couldn't recall.
On the way back, I saw a name engraved on the back I'd forgotten about.
My old friend had been telling me about stuff he'd just bought at an estate sale of a machinist our age, someone we both knew; a 3rd gen machinist in our hometown.
Turns out the name on the back of the scraper was the 1st gen, patriarch. He'd moved down the street from my parents, late in life; right where I bought it from his widow during a trip home from college to visit my mom.
I'm getting to the age where all my stuff is gonna be DGS before too long. Hope some of it gains the attention of a fellow appreciator.
GeoD
Wow, that's a very cool story. I feel exactly the same way. I'm sentimental like that, and I have always had a love for history and things that are "older than I am". I was that kid in middle school wearing a Doors or Floyd T-shirt when everyone else had New Kids on the Block lunch boxes. 😂That's probably why I'm so drawn to the old machines and tools. I also often like to believe that when I use an old tool or machine, that it gives life to all of the folks in the past who came before, and used them to build the world we are so fortunate to inhabit.
@@hersch_tool Couldn't have said it better, myself.
BTW, my wife works for MSC; has for 12-13 yrs. She is the person behind their search engine design & product title content.
I know way more about MSC than is healthy. I also buy a lot of stuff from them 'cause of their amazing employee purchasing program; cost +10%, shipped to our door. It really is a great family owned biz; real good to their employees.
Their YT presence is weak; I'd push them to support a channel for me, but they have a no spouse employment rule. If they supported me making YT $, it might get weird.
I've been making, building, fabing & repairing for 50+ yrs; built houses, restored cars, owned & ran auto shops & built street rods & drag cars from thr ground up.
Always wanted to learning machining, but it never happened. My wife starting w/ MSC was finally the catalyst. Got a Sherline lathe by happenstance 6-7 yrs ago & have improved it, 'hot rodded' it until it's fighting waaay above it's wgt class.
Bought a mill this past summer, so I'm getting my feet wet, there.
Most of my learning has been via YT; it's an amazing entity; think it's changing the world for the good.
Later,
GeoD
I learnt leveling that i havent seen any other youtube channel thank you very much. you are the best.
You are welcome! Thank you for watching!
While there wasn't anything new to me in this video, that doesn't really matter. Your videos are well done. It just one little thing is learned then the entire time spent viewing was worthwhile. The comments about this lathe and Taiwanese lathes in general are dead on IMO. I sold a Taiwanese Jet and replaced it with a less capable Chinese lathe. I REALLY miss that Jet. I saw a lathe like yours with the Enco label on it in a commercial machine shop a few years back and knew instantly that it was the perfect machine for what I want/need out of a lathe. Unfortunately, as said, finding one is hard. Finding a good one is almost a Holy Grail search.
Thanks very much David. Making vids is a new thing to me and I'm just trying to get better every time so your comment is very encouraging. That means a lot, thank you. And yeah, I agree. This style of machine is a bit of a "goldilocks" for us small shop folks. Keep at it though, and eventually you'll hit paydirt. I got lucky on this one and had to drive a bit but it was worth it. You'll find your grail in time. 🙂
This video showed up in my suggested You Tube viewing list. That new MSC lathe looks like a winner. Hope it works out for you. In see your shop, I have comment to make to you. You have kraft faced insulation showing on your walls. This is an extreme fire danger. Kraft faced insulation is supposed to be covered with some kind of fireproof material, drywall, etc. You have a nice looking shop, hope it stays that way,
Thanks very much for your concern, it's very kind. I have fire extinguishers in every corner of the shop and try to always be aware of the hazards, and pay close attention while working, and while cleaning up every evening. I too get concerned about hot chips flying against the insulation. There are many hazards in a machine shop and we must always be vigilant, minimize as much risk as we are able, and manage the rest intelligently. And even then, we can't anticipate or prevent every eventuality. But we can do our best to be prepared, and have a plan for if something horrible does happen.
Nice lathe, I've got a tiawan made milling machine and it's great, great video man, keep'um coming.
Thanks brother, yeah I have to say im fairly impressed with the Taiwan build quality. And thank you! That goes a long way, you have no idea. I'm brand new to this whole video thing, and am certainly my own worst critic, so your comment goes a long way to help me keep pushing forward and trying to improve. Thanks for that.
I have one of those machines. Have had for 20 or more years. not the best, not the worst. There is a fiber gear in the in the gear set. Make sure you keep the gear train teeth meshed. I broke a gear because the banjo came loose over time. I replaced it no problem through MSC's machinery parts sales and keep a spare just so it won't happen again. All in all it is a decent machine for the money and turns parts without much protest. It is not a heavy duty machine though, keep that in mind.
I have the entire gear set for this one, the change gears are still in the wrapping. There's no fiber gear anywhere on this particular model. My only complaint with the gear train is that they don't appear to be as hard as I would like. And the banjo locks in place with 2 large bolts, I can't imagine it working itself loose but I'll definitely keep an eye on it. I perform regular maintenance on all of my machines so I'll be sure to include that inspection for this one, thanks for the heads up. But yeah, it could be heavier. That being said, the video im working on is a project turned from 4140 pre-hard, the 3hp motor has shown no sign of protest and it seems about as rigid as I'd expect for it's size. It's certainly not my old 15" leblond though. I miss that machine... 😢
@@hersch_tool Nice, they must have made some improvements. The Big double gear on mine is Fibre or Phenolic. Perhaps it has a different gear set. Maybe you can show the end gears in a video. I would be interested to see what's there just for fun! Cheers
@@warrenjones744 Absolutely I can do that! I was chatting with someone else about doing a comparison vid between this lathe and an old south bend, I'll be sure to include some good footage and comparison of the gears in the vid. Might be a little bit but just keep an eye out for it :)
@@hersch_tool Yessir, I have subscribed and will be looking in the future.
@@warrenjones744 thank you!
Great looking lathe. Mine is very similar to yours but it is one of the high dollar chineseium versions lol. I was sort of in the same boat except I was looking for my first good sized lathe for the shop. All the old iron local to me was either worn out or way over priced and missing half the parts. I ended up importing my own 14x40, that was an adventure in utself, and so far I have been pretty happy with it. Keep making the great videos!
Yeah, I've really learned a lot about the different types of machines since I first started. I wish I knew back then everything I knew now lol. But I'm really happy with this one. I have to admit though that I still regret selling that leblond. Honestly it was too big for my shop and selling it was probably the right thing to do. But I rebuilt so much of that machine, and I've still never used a lathe that was as buttery smooth as that old machine after all the repairs. Thank you btw! I appreciate the support and positive feedback, and I'll keep working on em!
That's a good-looking machine and looks nice and robust. I hope you get many hours of satisfaction out of it. I live in Thailand and hope to move soon so I might have to settle on getting a Chinese bench lathe. Some of them are getting a bit better in manufacturing quality now.
Thanks very much! I hope so as well. ANY lathe is better than no lathe :) The small Chinese lathes have enabled many people to have access to a machine tool when they otherwise wouldn't have had access, and that's a win in my book. I wish you much success, and great satisfaction in your machining projects, on whichever lathe you settle on.
Thanks so much for your kind reply I will carry on watching your channels in future@@hersch_tool
Dont obsess over a tight fit on the register, having a tolerance allows you to bump the chuck true. The bolts by themselves are usually enough to hold the chuck tightly and make the register a nicety.
I hear what you are saying chrisstephens6673 but have to disagree. The point of having a register is to provide 100% location of part or device, the bolts are merely just for clamping, not advisable to bump around chuck for truing. I suggest to cut new register on the backing plate if you have enough material depth or cut back the error more to allow a new machined ring to register on backing plate, thus allowing chuck to register on new ring. We are practising machinist, regardless if professional or hobbyist. Should always take pride in holding tolerances. Great video!
@@joeg7755I know what you say is nice in theory but in practice a bump true chuck is the only way to get easy precision, short of a "grip -tru" or similar."centre-able" chuck. Making a tight tolerance register is a bit of a waste of time, for all practical purposes. But, like so much in machining it is entirely up to what you feel comfortable with as to how you do something.
In my case the original chucks on my Colchester (D1-3) have no separate backplate, but all of collet holders and special chucks can be "bumped" true for virtually zero repeatable run out.
Appreciate the video - I'm shopping for new machinery now. It's great to see reviews on things other than Precision Matthews. I would love some American made machinery, but that is a minefield. Good machines are out there, but there is also the risk of acquiring a rebuild. Seems like there are numerous suppliers of lathes and mills that come from the same "base machine", but often have significant differences in functions and features. It's a potential minefield so the more info like this that is posted, the better for everyone.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback! Glad that my video could help out a bit. And yeah, many of the import machines are based on the same castings, but the machines built from those castings vary greatly in features and quality. I actually have a PM1030V as well, was my first machine. I also have restored a fair number of old American machines. Perhaps I could do a video comparing a Chinese (precision Matthews) machine, my Taiwanese machine, and an old south bend. I definitely have some experience I could share on the differences between them. 3 completely different categories of machine for sure.
@@hersch_tool That's exactly what I have learned - such a video comparison would be very educational for a lot of people. I have been comparing most brands of new machines, and I'm quite drawn towards a new Summit machine. Haven't quite finished my research yet, but getting there.
@@StuartsShed excellent idea, I'll be sure to credit you for the idea whenever I get the video made ;)
Very nice lathe.
Thanks, I've been very happy with it
A geared head is very nice indeed. But a couple more gears would for sure give a little more granularity and Im wondering why they did it like this. But a VFD could probably solve that if necessary.
Yeah, you're reading my mind lol. At some point in the future I'd like to put a VFD on it and essentially make the motor "2 speed". This model lathe originally came with a 2 speed motor option, which essentially gives you a 1/2 option for all of the speeds you see on mine so you'd have from ~50 rpm up to ~2000. However, I'd need to rewire/replace the existing controls so that's a project for another day...
You deserve a comment! Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the comment! And thank you for watching!
I think a moment of silence is in order here.
You should update the info in this video to include a link to your newest upgrades to this lathe. I hope you do many!
That's a really great idea! I have a couple upgrade videos I can add to the description. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks👍
Nice lathe, I just bought the exact same lathe, waiting on it to arrive. I hope mine is as nice as yours. Did you use a VFD for 3 phase? If so, how did you wire it?
thanks, it's a good machine! i used a solid state converter from phase-a-matic because it has the gearbox in the head for the spindle speeds. So i didn't want to rewire the entire machine for really no reason. i use a VFD for my bridgeport though. i just wire the motor directly to the VFD, then wire the control switches directly to the low voltage control on the VFD. that way it works the way it's "supposed too" from the operator perspective even though it's doing something completely different behind the scenes. but again, you have a gearbox for spindle speeds in your new lathe, plus electric motor cutoff for the foot break, and the coolant pump... A VFD wouldn't be my first choice unless i was looking to run my motor as a 2 speed motor or something. congrats btw! you're gonna love it!
Thanks for the response. Wiring the control switches to the low voltage on the VFD is what I have researched. Is the phase -a-matic a static phase converter? I was going through the trouble of the wiring on the VFD to have lower spindle speed, since this one doesn't go below 100. @@hersch_tool
@@chrismac2264 yeah the phase-a-matic is a solid state converter. And that's what I mean by 2 speed motor, to double your speed selections for lower speeds. I had that on my list of future modifications but the more I've used the machine I am thinking that I haven't really felt like I needed it. Still might be cool to do though.
Got it, thanks. I appreciate the info and your video's. And for what it's worth, I think your drawings are pretty good..... Inheritance Machining is not human :)@@hersch_tool
@@chrismac2264 lol thanks very much. And yeah, dude is a frickin walking talking CNC machine. 🤖
How do I contact you?
You can send me an email, I normally check it at least once a day. Thanks!
So if MSC had not eaten Enco, it's competitor, this would be an Enco lathe?
I’m not really sure to be honest. I actually went and looked at a 13x40 gear head enco, got to run it and everything. It was made in China, and was a real hunk of junk. Looked like the ways for the cross and top slide had been shaped with an angle grinder. Nothing like this one. That being said I have heard people say good things about the old encos so I think they must have had different tiers of quality or something. I think this lathe might actually be made by vectrax and badged msc but I’m not certain.
Yep!!! This is an Enco.. depending on what this guy paid for it.. and I’m assuming not an arm and a leg.. it was a smart move. It won’t be as rigid as the old school stuff but it’ll do.
I'm still getting used to limping around on this peg, but I did get to keep the arm at least... 😉 And like I mentioned above, this one's much nicer than the Chinese enco that I used. But yeah, it's not even close to the big old leblond. That thing was an immovable BEAST, rigid as a granite slab.
@@hersch_tool it looks gorgeous and I bet it will be just fine..and yes MSC is noticeably better than Enco
@hersch_tool Sad to say, I was taken to lunch at what used to be the LeBlond factory in Cincinatti. I'd rather it was chunking out lathes instead of sandwiches for hipsters.
As to your favorability, I suggest you to show your face, because for every highly prefered channel I observed that guys show their faces and also add a cute pet for attraction. One more thing, Shooting from a larger room is much more appealing. (eg, cee Australia)
Thanks for the feedback! I get very nervous when turning the camera on myself, and just showing my hands really helps me to relax, and be more natural. But your advice is good and I will consider it in the future! Unfortunately, I don't have a large industrial shop like CEE, but their channel is excellent! I think I've shown my dogs in one of my vids, can't remember. I try to get them on camera but they aren't in the shop much because it's dangerous for them for walk around with all of the sharp metal chips, etc on the floor. Cheers!
@@hersch_tool I kinda like "This Old Tony" type of presentation. Talking hands LOL
For the algorithm
😉