Quiet Clausing 13" lathe

I run a 13" Clausing Colchester "Mark 3" in here at work . Nice machine ! We also have another 13" Clausing that is a bit newer but less ridged . Also have 2 15" Colchesters and a 15" Harrison which are all nice . Only a fool would not want any of these lathes in their shop . :rolleyes:
 
Thank you to those who provided positive and reassuring feedback today. I had just spent 90 minutes "browsing Clausing lathes" and then one of my searches turned up the thread I referred to on the P. M. site.

My sentence,
"I like the RPM approach better than the RFD approach", should have been
I like the RPC approach better than the VFD approach
I'm sorry for any inconvenience; I think I was somehow-exhausted at the time I wrote the message.

Surely my next step has to be to learn what a "reeve's drive" is. I've seen that terminology show up a few times now. I don't mean to alarm anyone, but I started reading Harold Hall's book on milling machines yesterday.. ;) Having watched all of his YouTube videos, I think "This Old Tony" has taught me alot about milling machines already. Of course, I'm sure the expression, "the devil is in the details", is apt. I already know what "parallels" are-ha.

Bill_729
 
When you re comparing new machines is totally different to comparing 40 yr old machines where one is a 2 shift production job,and the other came from the army stores,or a doctors basement and is unused for 37 of those years....There is no doubt that a 1980 Colchester was a better lathe than a 13x36 Taiwan now...........but it may have cost the same dollar price 39 years ago that the 13x36 costs new now.See what a car cost in 1980,.....in 1980 I paid $10,000 near enough for a Colchester Triumph 2000........and a lot extra for chucks,a taper attachment...(nearly never used).....and a $1000 extra for a special transposing dial on the cross travel...........I reckon I was mad in those days,but money was easy to make ,and easy to keep too.............
 
john.k said:
When you re comparing new machines is totally different to comparing 40 yr old machines where one is a 2 shift production job,and the other came from the army stores,or a doctors basement and is unused for 37 of those years....There is no doubt that a 1980 Colchester was a better lathe than a 13x36 Taiwan now...........but it may have cost the same dollar price 39 years ago that the 13x36 costs new now.
Click to expand...

Since you suggested the question (and I think there are alot of people who face it!), which would you rather buy, a 30-40 year old Colchester (not visibly worn out) or a new Chinese lathe ("Grrr"), without hardened gears? I have no basis for knowing, but I'm thinking the Colchester is likely to outlast and outperform the new one. FWIW, the Chinese one is 2HP 220v, and the Colchester is 5HP 3-phase, and heavier. Harold Hall writes, in his book on mills, "it's better to buy a bit more than you'll think you'll need". :)

Cheers,
Bill_729
 
My CC was certainly not babied through at least some its life, evident by the paint wear on the headstock and chip guard, but it appears to have been well lubricated and thus is still accurate and smooth running. Every machine should be evaluated by its condition not just its history. A lathe from a production shop but well cared for could be in much better condition than a lathe from a school that suffered multiple crashes and was poorly lubricated. Of course there are some good Chinese lathes that will do a decent job and with proper care last reasonable life, especially for hobby use. But a Colchester is a machine designed for serious industrial use and built to a very high standard of quality, when new, there would be no contest compared to a Chinese machine.
 
Colchesters were never the top lathe 30 , 40 or 50 years ago.........a good lathe ,but never of the same standard as the best.......Mazak,Weiler,Monarch,Le Blond,DSG,Holbrook,etc.....but despite the ups and downs of 600 Machinery Group,the name survives intact where most of the others dont.
 
Nicest lathe I've ever run was an American Pacemaker . Maybe 48"x 240" . Had a very nice tracer attachment on it and I turned many a lot of Worthington pump shafts on it over the years . Once again , it's a matter of choice as I've operated all of the above and still prefer the Clausing Colchesters in the 13"-17" swing . :dunno: Some of us like Corvettes , others Ferraris .
 
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Yep. And some prefer Land Rovers. :cool:
 
I have been spending "far too much time" on ebay. I noticed a Clausing Colchester 12vs made in 1988. Was it likely made in England, or not (or made with asian parts)? Would this model have "hardened gears"? To facilitate my shopping and interest, can you help me narrow down the time frame when a 13" "Colchester lathe" would have "hardened gears"? I'm presupposing that if one is buying an asian lathe without hardened gears, then it would probably be better to buy a new one. P.S. There is a video on the history of Colchester on YouTube which is pretty good; I don't have the title handy but it probably isn't too difficult to find it. On the other hand, an owner's manual for these lathes is generally difficult to find (for free), and isn't likely to answer my question anyway. Though I did find a manual for a 17", "8000 Series" which was informative to me. Thank you!

Bill_729
 
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