- Joined
- Aug 16, 2017
- Messages
- 150
pontiac428,
As I have noted before, these lathes aren't rare, but are certainly less common in the hobbyist world. That has kept the amount of information limited and that was why I started this thread. Production-wise, I know from conversations with Webb, they alone imported 3500 units, add the Yuasa variant and any other rebadged models and I would say a minimum of 5000 made it into the country. The rugged design, coupled with the fact that most of these came in between 35-40 years ago and are likely still owned by the original companies makes for a small number in the non-commercial sector.
I'm just a bit eccentric and have a bizarre streak that drives me to assess the construction/design of anything. After owning and often dismantling numerous lathes, this one struck me as a well thought out design even with some of its simplistic quirks. On top of that, it has proven to be the smoothest cutting lathe I have ever used and I am comparing that to my previous Graziano SAG14, which was a wonderful machine (just unnecessarily long).
The other deciding factor that applies to me, is the fact that I am dealing with a very limited shop space and there are other lathes that will equal or exceed the abilities and features, but require a footprint I am not willing to deal with. I have great respect for the Monarch 10EE and love the Art Deco design, but the footprint of the headstock area is not really a comfortable fit in the space I have.
I wish you well on making a decision to undertake the journey for a lathe in unknown condition. There is enough industry in your area that could mean something worthwhile might pop up locally, so the decision to wait is up to you. If you should take the plunge and join the ranks, I think you will find that there are some great people that can help you out. I will warn you that if you should wind up with a broken component, consider that parts support is non-existent beyond mass produced items such as bearings and you may have to fabricate any machine specific parts.
Entropy stops for nothing, but if you can locate an example in reasonably sound condition, you should expect good service coupled with minimal maintenance within the limited use by a hobbyist/prototype operator.
Mark
As I have noted before, these lathes aren't rare, but are certainly less common in the hobbyist world. That has kept the amount of information limited and that was why I started this thread. Production-wise, I know from conversations with Webb, they alone imported 3500 units, add the Yuasa variant and any other rebadged models and I would say a minimum of 5000 made it into the country. The rugged design, coupled with the fact that most of these came in between 35-40 years ago and are likely still owned by the original companies makes for a small number in the non-commercial sector.
I'm just a bit eccentric and have a bizarre streak that drives me to assess the construction/design of anything. After owning and often dismantling numerous lathes, this one struck me as a well thought out design even with some of its simplistic quirks. On top of that, it has proven to be the smoothest cutting lathe I have ever used and I am comparing that to my previous Graziano SAG14, which was a wonderful machine (just unnecessarily long).
The other deciding factor that applies to me, is the fact that I am dealing with a very limited shop space and there are other lathes that will equal or exceed the abilities and features, but require a footprint I am not willing to deal with. I have great respect for the Monarch 10EE and love the Art Deco design, but the footprint of the headstock area is not really a comfortable fit in the space I have.
I wish you well on making a decision to undertake the journey for a lathe in unknown condition. There is enough industry in your area that could mean something worthwhile might pop up locally, so the decision to wait is up to you. If you should take the plunge and join the ranks, I think you will find that there are some great people that can help you out. I will warn you that if you should wind up with a broken component, consider that parts support is non-existent beyond mass produced items such as bearings and you may have to fabricate any machine specific parts.
Entropy stops for nothing, but if you can locate an example in reasonably sound condition, you should expect good service coupled with minimal maintenance within the limited use by a hobbyist/prototype operator.
Mark
