After a short break from engineering due to normal life duties, I`m now back on track again. My workshop has been tidied over the weekend and I`m nearly ready to begin. I`ve got my nice boxford model A which has been a real work horse and has helped me get going in this hobby. Although I do have a nice little Boley watchmakers lathe, it really is small and with no cross slide, I am forced only to use a graver.
I put an advert on homeworkshop the other day for a little clockmakers lathe and a chap came back to me with a Toyo ML1 for £300.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/toyo/page3.html
It looks a cracking little lathe, a bit more than I can afford to pay but I`m happy to stretch to it if I can get some early Christmas money of my wife!!
However, I`m posting here for advice. Far too often I have jumped at machinery in excitement without thinking of the work required to get it going or the limitations of its use. I only want this lathe for small work, mainly clock sizes parts, arbors and wheel collets. Sure, I can already hear some of you telling me that my Boxford is capable of small work but when you sat at your workbench, I want a more comfortable machine than the big boxford to tackle these jobs. My main concern is the lack of accessories. It looks a well made machine but I`m concerned that I will miss the “missing” accessories. It comes with only a tool post, a 3 jaw chuck, live center and tailstock chuck. It doesn`t have a power feed but none of these machines do. It does not have the collet set which was made for this machine and it doesn`t have a faceplate. The headstock is an unconventional 1.5MT and the chuck is held in position with 3 alan bolts. A quick google brings up nothing in terms of accessories for this machine being sold so in my opinion, it looks as though the chance of getting parts is zero. But could a faceplate be made? Could an additional chuck be adapted to fit this machine? - even if this is the case, it starts becoming a project in itself.
Your thoughts would be really welcomed. I could not afford any more than £300 and when you take into account budget, it seems like for this money I`m getting a lovely machine. It just concerns me that I may end up with limitations in its use further down the line due to lack of accessories! Like I`ve just said, a Cowells with full suit of accessories would suit me just fine, but then I don`t have £2500+
Look forward to the replies! Just thought I`d ask before I dive into it.
Chris
EDIT: forgot to say that the standard hand wheels are not zeroing and the chap has made some new hand wheels which just need marking out. these are included.