Any comments on the Harrison M250 lathe? 1997, 750mm bed version?

Ian,

I have a 20 year old M250 and I love it. One reason might be that it so
much better than the lathes I had before. Replacement parts are expensive,
at least here in the US. After replacing the start relay I found the
problem could have been corrected with a simple adjustment. Ouch! Other
than that problem it has been 100% for two year. The machine came with a
set of 5C collets and a closer. It was my first experience with collets and
they work great. Oh yes, it came with a DRO too. Frankly, the Harrison
was such an upgrade from what I was using before it is hard for me to be
objective.

Rich

"Ian Robinson" wrote in message
...
Any comments on the Harrison M250 lathe? 1997, 750mm bed version?

"Ian Robinson"
Any comments on the Harrison M250 lathe? 1997, 750mm bed version?


I have used an M250 almost every day for the past 9 years at work. I have
also used Colchesters, Myfords, Schaublins, Lorch, TOS and various
Chinese/Taiwanese machines. The Harrison is a good lathe. Though not as good
as a Schaublin ( possibly only a Hardinge would equal that ) its a mile
ahead of any Chinese machine I've used and more sturdy than a Myford. Its a
bit noisey at high speeds and the quality of finish on some parts that dont
affect its accuracy is a bit rough for a machine in this price range. But
I'm just picky !

It has reasonably good 'feel' when taking cuts by hand but I'd prefere the
saddle wheel wasn't so highly geared. Its a bit too coarse for me. Because
it has a geared head you sometimes get a geared pattern coming through on
some work when attempting fine surface finishes. The head runs in an oil
bath and so is low maintenance. One small complaint is that the cross slide
handwheels ( on my 1996 version anyway ) are not balanced. A smaller handle
attached at 90 degrees to one side of them can cause the wheel to turn
slightly in certain positions and can be annoying. I'm going to modify mine
one day.

Overall, if you can get an M250 in good condition it should be a good buy.
And I think the factory has stopped making them now - you can only get the
M300 which is bigger.

Hope this helps,
Dean.