The PM-1236T vs PM-1340GT dilemma

Thanks for the input all. Still not decided. Have till Monday to make a decision.
 
They are essentially the same lathe except that the 1340GT has a hardened and ground spindle and gears, while the 1236T does not. This translates to a longer service life and quieter and more accurate running over time. If you are not in a high volume setting then this may not matter to you because I doubt you would see a difference in performance. Keep in mind that most American "old iron" lathes did not have hardened spindles and gears and they have lasted for decades.
 
I would think that properly ground and hardened gears would 'print' less than those that are not. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but my 1340GT with the VFD pushing a 3-phase motor (smoother than a single-phase) can put a mirror surface on a turned part if I do everything correctly. :)

My lathe does not run every day. Sometimes it may not even run once in a weeks time. Other weeks I'm on it 4-5 times. But I wanted the more robust spindle and gears on a decent quality lathe so the darn thing outlasts me. I can't afford to replace it. :)
 
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My first lathe was a brand new 12X37 made in Taiwan Althought I've turned some really big things on it, it didn't part all that well, and the threaded spindle limited me on some projects. I even swung 4"X2"X3" aluminum billets off-centre with the 4 jaw chuck, and managed to do good work. However the belt change and the parting problems and smaller bearings that heated up quickly limited my lathe time and was a pain... (750 lbs 1.5 HP)

So I bought a used 14X40 gear head with a D1-4 camlock spindle. Chinese made, instead of Taiwan in the 12X37. Other minor shortcomings, but a good lathe nonetheless. More (sorta) than I would need. However it was used harder than I do, and not maintained at all. Lots of fixin' to do. (1600 lbs, 3HP)

THEN I got a chance on a used 15X60 LeBlond 7.5 HP at 3400 lbs in showroom condition. A bunch of easily corrected quirks, but a real solid lathe. But will I sell the other 2? Probably the 14X40 (once it is fully fixed), as it is now redundant. The 12X37 has a LOT of tooling, including 3 different tool posts, and even if it is a pain to use, I still love my first machine tool. sigh. The guy I bought the LeBlond from used his SB 9A right until the end, even with the LeBlond right beside it. Goes to show that small lathes can be great, even when you have a bigger one.

Moral of the story: if all things are (nearly) equal Buy the Best quality you can afford.
 
If you have room for it.
if you have the deeper pocketbook for it.
Get the bigger one.
Lessons learned by an old man.
 
Thanks for the input from everyone. The guidance based on hands on experience is very valuable. At this moment, If the 1296t was a 2hp, I would be ordering it for sure. I have some concern adding a VFD to the 1.5hp motor could be short on power in the lower range on the 1296. So,,,,, decision still not made, but leaning 1340GT.
 
When I have this dilemma, I choose the more expensive option.
 
One thing to consider if you plan on doing a VFD is you can get a wider range of RPMs by upgrading the motor to an inverter type. They run around $300-350 for a 2HP. I'm looking at the same 2 machines and I've considered buying a single-phase 1236T and running it for a while that way. Then when I feel up to tackling the VFD install I could throw on the 2HP 3-phase inverter motor.
 
I thought about this too. Actually looking at 2hp motors now for that instance and price checking. My question doing this, are the rest of the components in the electrical box of sufficient size to handle the change from 1.5hp to 2hp motor?
 
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