Wild_Bill wrote:
Bill, I'd recommend asking a well-informed company representative to
confirm any published features or specs for any machine purchase.

Agreed. The main question now is cross power feed on the belt driven
lathe. If absent, it might reduce my interest.



For my hobby level use, with occassionally made-to-sell parts, the
larger machines would be overkill (disregarding base model price), and
require much more space, but also more expensive accessories.
The 900+ pounds of the bigger machines would be manageable, but I
wouldn't want to have to move one of those machines more than once, but
if I needed to make big parts for profit, the 9x20 lathe would be a poor
choice.

Individual and combined weight is a consideration. Since the largest
lathe I am considering weighs around 1000 lb, it's not too bad. In
eventually moving beyond my mill-drill, it might be more of a factor in
the decision.


I've often felt that I'd make more parts for numerous types of stuff
that interests me, if I also had a little 7x10 or 7x12" lathe to use, in
addition to my other 2 machines.
Big piles of chips are a feeling of accomplishment, but if I just need a
small piece of hardware (bushing, spacer, standoff, knurled nut etc), I
could easily acomplish those small items without much effort at all..
pull up a chair, and have a finished part in a few minutes.
While the price of these little hobby machines was hovering at less than
$400 or so for several years, I saw one last week at the local TSC store
for $500.

It is a possibility. Another crazy idea would be to buy a 3-in-1. In
addition to a lathe, it would give me the option of doing quick milling
setups to rescue something more elaborate on my mill. Depending on the
size and complexity of a part, I will sometimes square an extra block
for a "run" as a buffer against having to tear down and rebuild a setup.
If it is all vise work, I usually won't bother, but for vise or RT
vs. a table setup, it sometimes makes sense to buy some insurance.

I could be wrong, but I do not see myself owning two lathes. Keeping my
mill-drill after getting a bigger mill is a distinct possibility.



I believe most users that have the piston style Phase II QCTPs are happy
with them, although some HSM types will insist that the wedge style (or
a true Aloris) are the only ones they would use.

Many of them make a living at this, so it is understandable.


I think that $90 (for the series 100) seems almost too cheap, but
they're made well, certainly many times more reliable than the HF model
from India that I bought and tried to use.
I have both styles of the P II series 100 posts, and the fit of the
holders is very good on both of 'em.

I might start with a piston on the grounds that it beats shimming, and
replace it later if it drives me nuts. If any piston owners want to
warn me off, feel free.



If you end up getting the 12" lathe, you might want to ask some owners
of that model if a series 100, or the larger 200 series is better suited
for a machine that size.
Sometimes there are issues with the toolholders being positioned at the
bottom of the post, to get the cutting edge of larger cutting tools
positioned on the centerline of the workpiece.

Anybody? So far, I recall mostly discussion of the spindle and speed
changes.



I suspect that some folks are happy with cheap, and that a cheap tool is
better than a quality tool to some of them, even though the cheap tool
is frustrating to use.
At the other end of the spectrum are the ones that feel that the only
tool they will ever own must be capable of lasting many lifetimes.
If I were several decades younger, and was machining for my income, I
would (and did) certainly have a different opinion about tools and the
minimum level of quality and dependability, particularly when my
wages/income were dependent upon reliability of tools I purchased.

The P II RT that I have is the horizontal-only model (stand it up, and
the oil runs out),

They didn't tell me that. One more selling point for the H/V table - I
hadn't heard that, I just saw it as a something that was fairly cheap to
add and might be useful.



For multiple parts, I'd probably just use the 5C spin index.

I do not have a dividing head (other than the RT), which was another
factor in getting the HV table.

Bill