Need help deciding between PM-1440GT and PM-1340GT

neigy

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It seems that the 1440GT has a slightly larger Spindle Bore, and a slightly longer spindle length, and can spin a 14" stock as opposed to 13" of stock over bed, uses D1-5 Camlock instead of D1-4 Camlock, it is a few hundred pounds heavier which can add to rigidity, but other than that I'm not seeing anything else which distinguishes the 1440GT from the 1340GT to really justify the price difference of $3,000.

Am I missing something? There has to be a reason that I'm overlooking which puts the 1440GT in a class of its own...But what?

Thoughts?
 
I have a 10” Logan, a nice lathe, and volunteer at the local railroad museum, where I use a 16” Monarch. I realize that bigger is not really better...so much harder to even move the tailstock left and right, or reaching around the four jaw chuck to use the two key technique. And chuck changes...forget it!

We are getting a 24” LeBlond. Wow! But some of these rail wheels need to be trued up occasionally, so there is a reason to go bigger.

For home use, I realize that 13” to 14” is not that dramatic, but unless I had some clear need for a bigger swing, I would save the money. Really, 10” covers 99.95% of my personal stuff.
 
This has been previously covered in several postings.
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/1340gt-1440gt.67669/#post-566185
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/pm-1340gt-vs-pm-1440gt.46442/

It is not necessarily just looking at the dimensions, but everything adds up. I have a 1340GT, and it is a very nice lathe, but at times it would be nicer to have a heavier lathe to take deeper cuts, or have a larger spindle bore, as 2" in this size machine is very uncommon. If I added a cast iron base to mine larger motor, etc. it would quickly add up to the cost of the 1440GT. If I wanted to go bigger I would get a RML-1440 at 2X the price and over 2X the weight. It all boils down to what you will be doing and the budget. A heavier machine will be much more rigid
 
You can do smaller work in a larger lathe, but not vice versa; personally, I use a 19" swing lathe for most all the work that I do, but do appreciate a small lathe for small work, and also have a 9" Monarch.
 
I think you will find that D1-4 spindle mounts are waaaaaay more common than D1-5. So your used pickens will be better with the 13 inch lathe.
 
I had the same conflict,but went with a 1340gt, I felt price difference was substantial.
When you add a quality collet chuck, VFD, gates belt, machined sheaves, toolholders w. inserts, well that is another $2k plus.
Neither of these lathes are super heavy duty like a clausing colchester, mori seiki but fit a price niche and can do quality ten thousands inch tolerance work,out of the box(crate)and are new with proven support.
 
First, they are both great machines for hobbyist work. Second, what do you see as your future needs for this lathe? Is weight, Spindle Bore, D1-5 Camlock important to you? I personally went with the 1440 GT as someone in this post said, "buy once, cry once." I am glad I made the purchase of the larger machine with greater flexibility and expansion of my needs. Not had much need for the larger swing (yet), but the power and stability is a joy along with the larger Spindle Bore. Enjoy whichever machine you choose, Matt and crew at Precision Mathew are great people to deal with and help you make the right decision for you.
 
I've always tried to tell newbies go as big as you can afford, it saves in the end so many times there back saying my machines not big or strong or long enough. So do yourself the favor go big , get the extras in a year or so after you know the machine. Doing some work can pay the difference or buy the extras everyone has to have. I don't know how I've lived without dros but I've done tons of machining without them for forty years.
 
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