CAD CAM EDM DRO - Yahoo Group Archive

Re: Chinese Lathes.

Posted by ballendo@y...
on 2001-04-23 07:54:23 UTC
Chris,

Nice post.

I sure wish I could figure out how the Asian MFRs decide which tool
to "copy". It seems that they do a good job of copying the faults,
and that often, the machine chosen as a "master", is not the better
design. The 9x20 class of lathes is a good example. The compound
slide design is flawed on the original "compact 8" made by emco-
maier. This bad design is carried over to the "new" lathe. Wish
they'd copied the south bend line!

Other times the design is ok, but depends on a "better" material,
or "better" assembly/fitting to work well. In some of these cases
there is little to be done but accept the lower quality. A point of
example would be the "kurt" copy mill vises.(sold by enco and others
for about a hunerd bucks) The design of the Kurt is great, but the
poor materials/finish used in the copies results in a poor vise, tho
still quite usable IF one accepts the difference...

Ballendo

P.S. I LIKE twin "pins" on the compound! And some VERY expensive
lathes have 'em...

> The situation here seems to be multifaceted.
>
> One facet is that, there is an eager hobbyist market for functional
> machines at prices which make it hard to produce anything of real
> quality.
>
> Another, which the above quote comes closer to in my mind, is the
> kind of shoddy design, implementation, and workmanship that shows
> up in even higher priced machines.
>
> For example, a lab at MIT recently bought a bunch of shiny new top
of
> the line and doubltess pricey versions of the same basic 13x40
> gearhead lathe that is available everywhere at any price/quality
level
> you could choose. Or so it looks in the marketing literature. The
> power feed lever of one of these machines fell off in my hand! It
was
> held on with two sorry looking set screws, fixed in place by jam
nuts,
> bearing in little divots cut on either side of another piece. Get
> real! This is the kind of thing one expects on a $1995 hobbyist
> machine - but it's no better on the pricey one because the basic
> design is flawed. You see it in other things, too - little
> handwheels, dual crank pins on the compound so you can't really turn
> it, etc...
>
> So I guess we have to accept that they don't make them like they
used
> to. Now what? Will our grandchildren rescrape our South Bends?
Will
> the developing world learn to make well thouht out machinery? Will
> we continue to buy and improove the current lathe kits?
>
> Probably all of the above...
>
> Chris
>
> --
> Christopher C. Stratton, stratton@m...
> Instrument Maker, Horn Player & Engineer
> 22 Adrian Street, Somerville, MA 02143
> http://www.mdc.net/~stratton
> NEW PHONE NUMBER: (617) 628-1062 home, 253-2606 MIT

Discussion Thread

Art Fenerty 2001-04-19 13:58:28 UTC Chinese Lathes. ballendo@y... 2001-04-19 20:38:29 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Sven Peter, TAD S.A. 2001-04-20 05:45:48 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Chinese Lathes. Marcus & Eva 2001-04-20 07:56:27 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Chinese Lathes. hexagon@o... 2001-04-21 19:16:20 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Art Fenerty 2001-04-21 20:12:20 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Sven Peter, TAD S.A. 2001-04-22 06:08:22 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Art Fenerty 2001-04-22 06:55:39 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. hexagon@o... 2001-04-22 08:38:01 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Tom Eldredge 2001-04-22 08:58:48 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Carol & Jerry Jankura 2001-04-22 10:38:19 UTC RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Art Fenerty 2001-04-22 11:36:29 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Sven Peter, TAD S.A. 2001-04-22 12:33:19 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Sven Peter, TAD S.A. 2001-04-22 12:38:45 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Sven Peter, TAD S.A. 2001-04-22 12:44:16 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. hexagon@o... 2001-04-22 16:55:26 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. dougrasmussen@c... 2001-04-22 17:46:55 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Art Fenerty 2001-04-22 18:03:15 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Jerry Kimberlin 2001-04-22 18:57:30 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. stratton@m... 2001-04-22 20:01:44 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. ballendo@y... 2001-04-23 06:10:29 UTC Chucks was Re: Chinese Lathes. ballendo@y... 2001-04-23 07:09:22 UTC it's a 7x10 was Re: Chinese Lathes. ballendo@y... 2001-04-23 07:54:23 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Joe Vicars 2001-04-23 08:22:55 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. Smoke 2001-04-23 09:11:27 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. indigo_red@q... 2001-04-23 10:42:14 UTC it's a 7x10 was Re: Chinese Lathes. ballendo@y... 2001-04-23 11:45:03 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. hexagon@o... 2001-04-23 13:04:19 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Smoke 2001-04-23 14:59:36 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. ballendo@y... 2001-04-24 03:52:47 UTC Import tool experiences was Re: Chinese Lathes. Tom Eldredge 2001-04-24 06:23:37 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] it's a 7x10 was Re: Chinese Lathes. hexagon@o... 2001-04-24 14:24:52 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Alan Marconett KM6VV 2001-04-24 15:13:47 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Carol & Jerry Jankura 2001-04-24 16:21:33 UTC RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. dave engvall 2001-04-24 17:04:42 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. dave engvall 2001-04-24 17:09:41 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. JanRwl@A... 2001-04-24 18:49:52 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Chinese Lathes. rocketsmith@n... 2001-04-24 21:58:57 UTC Re: Chinese Lathes. Tim Goldstein 2001-04-24 22:26:38 UTC Pictures of Bridgett being delivered Donald Brock 2001-04-24 22:57:27 UTC Re: Pictures of Bridgett being delivered tauseef 2001-04-25 00:56:24 UTC Re: Pictures of Bridgett being delivered Alan Marconett KM6VV 2001-04-25 10:46:15 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Pictures of Bridgett being delivered JanRwl@A... 2001-04-26 18:57:40 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Pictures of Bridgett being delivered Tim Goldstein 2001-04-26 20:13:31 UTC RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Pictures of Bridgett being delivered JanRwl@A... 2001-04-26 20:34:00 UTC Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Pictures of Bridgett being delivered Tim Goldstein 2001-04-26 20:59:48 UTC RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Pictures of Bridgett being delivered Garry & Maxine Foster 2001-04-27 11:16:55 UTC RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Pictures of Bridgett being delivered indigo_red@q... 2001-04-27 12:11:52 UTC Re: Pictures of Bridgett....More Pictures!! machines@n... 2001-05-02 18:09:26 UTC Re: Pictures of Bridgett being delivered