Is your 280mm swing Gear Head lathe made like this?

[jdm23]

I'm looking at this type of machine and trying to find if there is a manufacturer really stands out.
Yesterday I was sent these pictures, the electrical is acceptable, but the motor - label misspellings aside - appears to be of a very old type, and the change gears quadrant, with cast iron pulleys smack dabbed in primer paint, deep grove twin belts, and a general feeling of roughness, are not impressing at all.
It is difficult to get good pictures of all the details that matter, but I will keep trying.






I know that Warco is the most popular brand in the UK for this type of lathes, but there could be others, as there are many manufacturers for that In China.
So, if you have a lathe like this and could take pictures, or tell how the lathe is made in the bad or good details, that would help me in my search of a decent quality product, if it exist at all.
I must say also, I'm not looking to import a single unit only, and I know well that you get what you pay for.

 

[sdelivery]

When buying a machine tool. Buy for characteristics not fit and finish.
These are not automobiles These are TOOLS.
This said it is hard to pick a machine tool without testing it and seeing where it's strengths and weaknesses are.
Virtually all the mid price down machines start life in an Asian country where the bed, slides and other main components are poured and Machined then assembled. It is generally painted during this process for corrosion protection, the level of paint depends on what the "manufacturer" specifies.
Depending on what manufactures specs are it will wired or shipped.
Received by a "manufacturer" it goes through the balance of assembly and electrical assembly.
Virtually all the "dirty" work being done out of the USA.
Some looking you will see several currently available lathes that look nearly identical.
More than likely the castings or even the. Basic lathe cam from the same foundry.
All that said Leblonde has great support for their product line and that includes parts.
When servicing any machine, parts and technical support are key.
Just my opinion.

 

[jdm23]

When buying a machine tool. Buy for characteristics not fit and finish.
These are not automobiles These are TOOLS.

I'm OK with this concept, however in my experience with Asian machines, that is now extensive to multiple units completely taken apart, repaired, and revised in all details. when you see cheap parts or materials, poor fitting, and lack of important features (traverse and compound slides lock screws is an example) then you know from the get going that is there is not much hope to find positive elements

Virtually all the "dirty" work being done out of the USA.

That is, in China. We in Europe are in same situation.

All that said Leblonde has great support for their product line and that includes parts.

I have seen the Leblonde lathes on YouTube.
In my country we used to have not less than 20 makers of comparable machines being made and exported all over the world.
Now they have long closed down, or transformed in makin very heavy and very sophisticated machinery.
With their weight and original cost at least 10 times the one of the type I'm referring to, I don't think that any fair comparison is possible.
And I appreciate that the reputable dealers like the one above mentioned do their best to go beyond warranty coverage to support their products.

That being said, anyone with the specific lathe in title, bed length can be anywhere from 500 to 815mm, so we compare apples to apples?

 

[markba633csi]

Are you looking to import machines on a regular basis? If so you should talk to Matt at Precision Matthews and find out who
he buys machines from and the difficulties of dealing with Chinese quality control

 

[pontiac428]

When I was in the EU, I looked long and hard at small asian imports like that. I found Bernardo, Holzmann, and Optimum all import similar machines with similar features at a similar price with a similar level of satisfaction rating from buyers. Since the brand name manufacturers aren't actually manufacturing anything, I could only see a difference in price and access to support.

 

[jdm23]

Are you looking to import machines on a regular basis? If so you should talk to Matt at Precision Matthews and find out who
he buys machines from and the difficulties of dealing with Chinese quality control

I know about Precision Matthews, again from YouTube. I believe that they deal mainly Taiwan made machines, which surely have a better reputation than the ones from PRC. In all events I would be uncomfortable as a total nobody to ask an established firm on how to deal with supplier, or any other business practice.

Incidentally, my concern is not about quality control properly called. That is a measure of how much production deviates from an accepted standard, not good the standard unit is. But if someone does a poor execution of copying something, buys the cheapest component, and takes shortcuts during manufacturing, he will have no trouble in consistently delivering crap. Always a consequence of aiming to offers something for the lowest price, undercut competition and sell more at a greater margin. A good example of this approach is VEVOR.

Again, all I was trying to get from with this topic is to find if anyone has a 2800mm swing, Gear head lathe (Chinese of course) and is willing to share some pics and comments. If that can't happen, it's all good, and thank you for your attention and comments anyway.