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SC
 
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Default SMART & BROWN 1024 - should I purchase?!

Hiya all, first post here - have to say this seems a strangely 'nice' group!

Anyway onto the point. I have the opportunity to purchase a Smart & Brown
1024 lathe.

Couple of points..... I 'do' engineering on a daily basis - repair and
fabricate parts for industry - in all manner of materials -
wood/cf/ali/steel.
I'm an EE by trade but got bored with it!

I need some parts fabricating from ali for ME! Basically - those firms I do
work for are running 24/7 on contract jobs and for the few that aren't -
well they want £40 per part. So I figure if I could get a lathe for sensible
money it's a better option.

Lathe I've looked at - well I've fell in love with it! Serious bit of kit
with just a couple of problems. Slides are great (as new even) but their
screws are worn - well, not the screws but the thread in the block. Due to
the heavy construction I was unable to see if the thread is actually cut
into the slide itself or into a block which is fixed to the slide. I'm
guessing the former (in every case?). I've been mulling solutions over in my
head - there is currently about 1/4 turn of play - seems a lot - can it
really be the block thread that is worn? If it is I'm thinking along the
lines of sacrificing some travel and welding some new blocks with freshly
cut threads onto the ends - if you follow!

But I'm thinking that is not the problem.

But I'm sure I'm wrong! What a quandry!

So - anyone have experience of these machines - where the fault may be
found?

The handle to screw has 0 play (and is geared)...

Cheers for any insight!

Scott