Reply To: sherline lathe

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Kenton,
Yes Sherline is very good for most clock work. The real plus for Sherline is the relatively low cost for tooling. Additional tooling for the Sherline is far less costly than watch lathe tooling.
I used to go to the Sherline plant in San Diego when I lived there. I was very impressed with their quality control. Their products are machined to fairly close tolerances. If purchased with a collet closer and set of collets and a T-Rest it’s good enough for most pocket watch work. These machines cost only a fraction of the price of a new Jewelers/Watchmakers lathe and are hard to beat at that price for general clock repair work. I believe they still come standard with a 3 jaw chuck, tailstock chuck and cross slide. You would most likely need to buy these separately or pay alot extra if you purchase a used watchmakers lathe. A watchmakers/jewelers lathe can do all that a Sherline can do and much more when it comes to more precise watch work.
I personally wouldn’t hesitate purchasing a Sherline lathe for general clock repair.

Hope this helps Kenton,
ENJOY!
Bob