Reply To: How to tell the spouse

[david pierce]

Ddhix,
I like wine and beer drinking, when can I come over? What do you want to use the lathe for? Watch lathes are more accurate but lack the ability to take heavy cuts. If I needed a lathe strickly for clocks it would be a TAIG. It is accurate, affordable, has a large steel bed for its size and has a massive quiet induction motor. Universal and D.C. motors sound like kitchen mixers. You can also purchase a headstock with an ER-16 collet spindle for $115.00. The basic lathe is under $500.00. The best watch lathe for the money is a Sincere/Vector. It is an extremely accurate Geneva design watch lathe paterned after the Bergeon lathe. You can check out these machines by going to Youtube and Ebay and taking a look. For a milling machine I like the “small” bench mill sold by Harbor Freight. It uses industry standard R-8 collets and end mill holders and is a fairly heavy industrial quality machine. It is a heavier duty machine than the Sherline or Taig mills.
david