lathes

[Paul 68Participant @paul68]

hHello Iam looking at buying a lathe in the next couple of months has anyone had experince with SIEG lathes particulary the C6, thanks

[Paul 68Participant @paul68]

[adyParticipant @ady]

I looked at siegs when I was searching for a lathe and spend a lot of time on fleebay.

I opted for a different unit because the C6 was a major purchase when I wasn’t sure if I was going to go all the way with her…so to speak.

 

C6s come up quite rarely on fleabay, and when they do bidders fight like ferrets in a sack over them, they hold their price well.

 

The main thing I would check up on with these foreign-jonny units is electrical issues, they have things like circuit boards and switcheroo stuff in them that other older style units never had.

After 20 years this kinda thing becomes a fire hazard, and a good lathe will last for decades.

Small hobby CNC stuff from the 80s and 90s pop up now and then and the insides look super-scary to me, they shout “I’m ready to start smoking”.

 

The lathe I use is 70 years old, it can still munch stainless steel and it only needs a motor with an on/off switcheroo which looks like it’s from the 60s.

[adyParticipant @ady]

There’s a good review here.

http://www.rulezman.com/workshop/ws/lathe.htm

 

Looks like the compound is pants.

 

You can make the tool situation better by making a toolpost which bolts directly to the saddle for heavy cuts and roughing out work, I used a big 4 inch billet of steel for mine and milled out slots for tooling, much stiffer and less fiddly.

 

The compound is still needed for any non-straight work though, tapers etc.

 

The bed has v-ways, which is good, the electrics are minimal, which is good.

The leadscrew is covered which is good.

The bed can take a milling unit which is good, don’t know if the milling unit itself is any good though.

This means you can divide on the lathe using the changewheels(you may have to make your own spindle locking mechanism though) and mill/drill, very good because of stiffness.

 

The v-ways are soft, bad.

 

Looks like a big hunk of metal which will last for quite a while, just watch those v-ways and when you get more competent you’ll find your own solution for the compound.

[adyParticipant @ady]

I just noticed that the saddle does not appear to have any t-slots, yikes.

 

This isn’t bad for a hobbyist, it’s catastrophic.

 

Crosslide t-slots open up all sorts of options and personalisation opportunities.

 

Whatever you get, the crosslide MUST have t-slots, holy smoke I never expected to see anything like that on an amateurs lathe.

 

Maybe it’s an optional extra…

 

Last thing is the headstock bearings, but you’ll only find out if they’re any good once you get the unit.

Tapered Cone bearings are my preference, easy to adjust for wear.

If roller bearings aint right an amateur is up the creek without a paddle.

 

An amateurs lathe needs to be pretty muppet proof, as this muppet can testify.

Edited By ady on 01/09/2010 10:51:38

[adyParticipant @ady]

This crossslide slots issue seems to affect a few imported lathes.

 

Here’s a chap who built his own for a 7×12.

http://www.wrathall.com/Interests/machining/T-slot_cross_slide6.htm

 

Combos like the sieg M4 combo seem to have t slots going widthways.

http://www.mini-lathe.com/m4/C4/c4.htm

Maybe the c6 combo is the same?

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

This is one of those design compromises. A cross slide with T slots has to be thicker, since the slots have to clear the dovetails and the screw. This reduces the available swing over the cross slide. OTOH of course, it makes the machine less versatile, which tends to matter to us amateurs.

 

regards

John

 

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

My last old lathe was an Atlas 10F, and the one that replaced it was a Chester Crusader. Neither has a T slotted cross slide.

Have I been doing something wrong for the last twenty years? Have I been unable to build something because of that ommision? I don’t think so.

 

Unless you are very lucky, you will never get a ‘perfect’ machine that has all the facilities you will ever require. You must compromise, and find the one that has most of the features that you think you will ever need, then adapt either yourself or your machine to do the things it can’t do straight from the factory.

 

To me, the main things I want are thread cutting, the ability to run backwards very easily, a power cross feed and a tailstock that can easily be offset and returned to it’s original position without it becoming a major project. Everything over and above that is a bonus.

 

This thing we do is, and always has been, a challenge to make the parts with what we have available to us. If you are unable to do that, I think knitting patterns are the only type you should be looking at.

 

This isn’t a plug and play hobby, like most modern things, but one where you have to use your brain, which if you are lucky, and like most people, is situated somewhere behind your nose and eyes and between your ears.

 

 

Bogs

[adyParticipant @ady]

But they don’t even seem to offer a decent t-slot crosslide as an optional extra???

 

These lathes are made and aimed primarily for the hobbyist and amateur markets.

 

Once you’ve had a lathe with a slotted cross slide you really wouldn’t want to do without it.

 

[Michael Cox 1Participant @michaelcox1]

I would not get hung up about a tee slotted cross slide. As someone else suggested you can always make one. I did this for a 7 x 12 minilathe see:

 

http://mikesworkshop.weebly.com/tee-slot-cross-slide.html

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I asked a similar question a year or so ago, drill and tap a few holes in the cross slide, suggest 6mm. Then bolt anything you want onto slide, works very well. You might find that clearance over the top slide is more useful than T slots, I do.

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

Ady,

 

“Once you’ve had a lathe with a slotted cross slide you really wouldn’t want to do without it.”

 

As suggested in the couple of posts above, they are definitely not a neccessity.

 

I will most probably be making a drop on adapter plate for my lathe, because in about another year, I have a large project coming up, and  I ‘might’ have to bolt something to the cross slide, but on the other hand, I might not have to. There are many different ways to skin a cat.

 

I for one wouldn’t use the ‘not having a slotted slide’ as an excuse for not buying a lathe that has all the other features on it that I required. That feature is way down the priorities list.

 

 

Bogs

[michael coleParticipant @michaelcole91146]

My second lathe was a C6 . Good basic and strong. and yes it did come with a slotted tee slide that bolted on to the cross slide. As mine came from ChesterUK try asking there.

 

Mike

[Paul 68Participant @paul68]

Thank you everyone for there replies I am in Australia so will have to look at sourcing the lathe from Brisbane the info given has been very helpfull

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Dear Marge,

I have 7 lathes in total of different sizes. Only one has a slotted cross slide and that one is virtually scrap and is not used any more.

 

I am very concerned that this lack of a slotted cross slide is holding me back in my endeavours to become  a perfect machinist.

 

So do I need to convert all these various behemoths to slotted cross slide operation or will it be OK to continue to operate  as a non perfect hairy arsed machinist.

 

Signed,

Lost from Long Eaton.

Edited By John Stevenson on 04/09/2010 00:06:17

[Billy MillsParticipant @billymills]

Dear John

(I’m sorry but your name IS John)

Dear JOHN

I don’t know how to tell you how misguided or un T slotted you have been for such a long time. Have you tried TSLOTS Anonymouse? they have a great deal of experience with people with small or mal-formed slots. 

 

Please do not feel that you have been missing a turn – although you have obviously been really turning in a second rate performance for a very long time. Oh I didn’t mean that you were short in tooling just that your Tnuts have nothing to do. Size has everything to do with it, as they say if your nuts don’t fit then you can’t screw anything down. Even if you have seven lathes.

 

I am sure that given time you can recover your performance and discover a new world that will be a   revalation or-in your case- turning over a new range of bits for screwing and cutting things up  with new T slots of your very own in private.

 

It is quite normal for people a slot short to look at images of other people’s slots on http://www.other peoplesslottedlathes.co.uk, it is a relativly harmless habit provided your Social Worker is aware – you have told her haven’t you?

 

Well, stiff upper lip now and get on with some work. It will do no good crying over your useless tooling, it is no substitute for real cutting fluid or propper slots. I hope that you are not considering anything foolish with a penknife John? it will take you for ever to slot yourself with such a wee tool. Leave that cutting fluid alone now, it will only make your slide slippery.

Well I have other inadequate underequipped people to deal with. If you find the pressure too much then call Samariturners, they may have a slot to fit you in for councilling.

 

Best wishes, speedy recovery -although few actually make it in real life,

Marge.

Good Luck.

Byeee.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Brilliant comeback, still giggling like an insane ijit. [ although that’s not hard ]

 

John S.

[Billy MillsParticipant @billymills]

GO TO BED NOW JOHN!

Marge

 

PS I have been dead for a number of years now so you must be a slotless old buzzard who used to read the Daily Mirror years ago. LEAVE THAT CUTTING FLUID ALONE IT WILL MAKE YOU GO BLIND.

 

BYeeeee

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

JUST FOUND ANOTHER ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

8 Lathes now, [ off to kip ]

 

John S.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Real men don’t winge about not having a t-slot. they chew their own out of the solid

 

 

 

 

Neil

 

 

 

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