Reply To: Small lathe

[david pierce]

Mclark,
Paul is spot on with his post. Watch and clock making is not much different than other machine shop issues in that there is no one machine that is going to be a solution for all machining problems. My recomendation is still the Sincere Lathe for watch parts because the equipment is very good, it is new, accessories are available, and the stuff is currently affordable. When you go with the older machines you will find that obtaining accessories can be spotty and expensive. There are a number of older watch lathes out there that have tailstocks that don’t line up with the head stocks. The Sincere comes with a collet holding lever tailstock and it lines up. The cross slide works perfectly. The milling attachment is still less than $300.00 and it works perfectly. They offer a conversion kit to turn the lathe into a precision drill press at a low cost. If later on you want to make larger parts you can always buy a larger machine. I also have a TAIG and I like it as well. It can take a lot more abuse than a smaller more delicate lathe and it has a lot more power, but it is also a bigger machine than the Sincere.
david