Brand New LittleMachineShop Lathe Owner

[RB211]

My feelings about Sieg is that they make a product filled with features but fall flat on their face on things that really count. Have you blue printed any of the ways to see how good they really are? Is there enough metal in places where there really needs to be? Lacking in these areas you have issues you cannot overcome with more features. The HF 8x12 lathe is a fantastic lathe not made by Sieg that can compete with a South Bend 9” in terms of rigidity.
I do not compare anything to the 10EE, not even my Taiwan 12x36. It’s not a fair comparison, completely different classes. One is a Boston Whaler, the other is an Iowa class battleship.

[Bented]

What does "blue printed" mean?

[Doozer]

My feelings about Sieg is that they make a product filled with features but fall flat on their face on things that really count. Have you blue printed any of the ways to see how good they really are? Is there enough metal in places where there really needs to be? Lacking in these areas you have issues you cannot overcome with more features. The HF 8x12 lathe is a fantastic lathe not made by Sieg that can compete with a South Bend 9” in terms of rigidity.
I do not compare anything to the 10EE, not even my Taiwan 12x36. It’s not a fair comparison, completely different classes. One is a Boston Whaler, the other is an Iowa class battleship.

You get what I am trying to say.
I don't think anyone else does.
My post was about getting a decent lathe
in order to prevent new comers to the hobby
from getting frustrated with an import lathe.
HF or LMS it does not matter. The mechanical
design and engineering of these lathes is bad.
Real bad. They are not fit or scraped for bearing.
I referenced a SB 10" was way better performing.
And that is for design and fitting / scraping reasons.
The depth of cut without chatter tells the tale.
Compare this and that lathe, taking a cut is always
the answer. Trying to justify price among basically
the same import lathe, fruitless banter.
Get something that works.
A 10" SB lathe or a 12x36 class import lathe works
pretty well.
As for these tiny lathes, look where the headstock
attaches to the bed. (you have to pull some sheet
metal off). The bed is super thin. Like about 5/16"
where they join. This is flex city. It is a design problem.
Not good engineering. But they cover it with sheet
metal and no one sees it. Until they take a cut and
20 thousandths chatters like a bastard.
I am not trashing anyone's lathe.
I am saying if you don't already have a lathe,
buy something decent and be more happy.

-Doozer

[Bob Engelhardt]

My feelings about Sieg is that they make a product filled with features but fall flat on their face on things that really count. [etc, etc]

A useful reply to a thread "I'm thinking about a Sieg lathe". Not so much to this thread. In this thread it's just bashing the lathe that's already bought. Not nooby friendly.

...
The mechanical design and engineering of these lathes is bad. ...
They are not fit or scraped for bearing. ...
The bed is super thin. ...

I am not trashing anyone's lathe.
I am saying if you don't already have a lathe,
buy something decent and be more happy.

-Doozer

Yeah you are. And this thread is about a lathe that has already been bought, should-have's aren't useful to the OP.

[RB211]

What does "blue printed" mean?

Using a reference flat with blue ink to see where the contact points are on the ways, what hand scrapers do.
Every time some one does it, it’s a horror show with most Asian import hobby lathes.

[RB211]

You get what I am trying to say.
I don't think anyone else does.
My post was about getting a decent lathe
in order to prevent new comers to the hobby
from getting frustrated with an import lathe.
HF or LMS it does not matter. The mechanical
design and engineering of these lathes is bad.
Real bad. They are not fit or scraped for bearing.
I referenced a SB 10" was way better performing.
And that is for design and fitting / scraping reasons.
The depth of cut without chatter tells the tale.
Compare this and that lathe, taking a cut is always
the answer. Trying to justify price among basically
the same import lathe, fruitless banter.
Get something that works.
A 10" SB lathe or a 12x36 class import lathe works
pretty well.
As for these tiny lathes, look where the headstock
attaches to the bed. (you have to pull some sheet
metal off). The bed is super thin. Like about 5/16"
where they join. This is flex city. It is a design problem.
Not good engineering. But they cover it with sheet
metal and no one sees it. Until they take a cut and
20 thousandths chatters like a bastard.
I am not trashing anyone's lathe.
I am saying if you don't already have a lathe,
buy something decent and be more happy.

-Doozer

Yes, you and I are on the same wavelength on this. I speak from experience owning Sieg products in the past. The X3 mill is another horribly designed product by them. I have no choice but to think less of LMS for pushing Sieg products.

[mattthemuppet]

not sure it's been mentioned, but I wouldn't worry too much about power feed rates. Most work you'll be doing on that lathe will be short enough that moving the carriage by hand will work just fine. I did do some threading on my Atlas 618 (similar size) but never used the power feeds, just didn't have the need or the inclination to change the gears.

[Richard P Wilson]

Look, the guy is new to machining and has bought a lathe and is asking for help. Its no help to him at all telling him that hes bought a pile of c--p and would have been better off with some secondhand piece of good ol American iron. He is where he is, lets try helping him get some results with what hes got. Then maybe in a couple of years he'll be ready to upgrade. IMHO, learning on a possibly flexible little lathe teaches a lot about the necessity for sharp tools. It certainly did for me back in the day. Your beloved 10EEs will just hog it off whatever the state of the tool. No useful lessons to be learned there.
Same with power feed. When I was in school, c 1965, the lathes had power feed but the teacher wouldn't let us use it. Might have been because he didn't want us crashing the lathe under power, but what he said was that feeding by hand lets you know when the tool is cutting well and when it isn't.

[Doozer]

He's not married to his new lathe.
Maybe he will get frustrated with it and buy something good.
Maybe he will get frustrated with it and quit the hobby.
Both can be avoided by purchasing something better from the get go.

-D

[oxford]

He's not married to his new lathe.
Maybe he will get frustrated with it and buy something good.
Maybe he will get frustrated with it and quit the hobby.
Both can be avoided by purchasing something better from the get go.

-D

Or maybe he will use it and build some amazing things with it like so many others with these small lathes and mill/drills in the past have done.

[wmgeorge]

What I find amazing about this Thread is a lot (most) of these folks have never used any of the Sieg lathes from LMS and totally ignore what I said about the one I owned. Unless your real lucky to find a good one, the old iron is gone to scrap or to people who have rebuilt like I did and never plan to sell. I needed to sell and got zero for my time and lost my a$$ because folks like you did not want to pay a fair price. Put your money where your mouth is and buy the stuff when it goes up for sale. Instead you complain about the import stuff and knock down anyone who goes that route. I have a Grizzly 9x20 (19) and its great, its from China or Taiwan.

[RB211]

What I find amazing about this Thread is a lot (most) of these folks have never used any of the Sieg lathes from LMS and totally ignore what I said about the one I owned. Unless your real lucky to find a good one, the old iron is gone to scrap or to people who have rebuilt like I did and never plan to sell. I needed to sell and got zero for my time and lost my a$$ because folks like you did not want to pay a fair price. Put your money where your mouth is and buy the stuff when it goes up for sale. Instead you complain about the import stuff and knock down anyone who goes that route. I have a Grizzly 9x20 (19) and its great, its from China or Taiwan.

Devils advocate here. Have you used a much heavier duty lathe? 12" and larger? Old iron? None of us hate import hobby grade machine tools for the sake of hating them. I wish they were all superb and could compete with a 10ee for a great(used to be) price.

[wmgeorge]

Devils advocate here. Have you used a much heavier duty lathe? 12" and larger? Old iron? None of us hate import hobby grade machine tools for the sake of hating them. I wish they were all superb and could compete with a 10ee for a great(used to be) price.

You missed my post about the 1943 SB Heavy 10 I posted, please go back and read. What is a new person coming into this hobby suppose to do? I looked for over a year for the SB and then had to put a ton of my time and money into it.

FYI - Little Machine Shop who I have found to be a fair and honest vender, Was an advertiser on here and they (the owner) stops in from time to time. After all this trash talk who knows?

[Bented]

Using a reference flat with blue ink to see where the contact points are on the ways, what hand scrapers do.
Every time some one does it, it’s a horror show with most Asian import hobby lathes.

I see, put the lathe on a surface plate and adjust it from there.

[wmgeorge]

Bented that's a good idea. I bet none of the old iron would pass that test, my old SB might have as I found a near new bed and replaced my old clapped out one.