Regarding the Sincere lathe.

[tele447j]

Hi everyone, new guy here. I purchased Bob’s videos about 2 months ago, and they really sucked me into the whole world of watch/clock making and repair. Over the last couple of months I have purchased numerous books and tools as well as a number of cheapo practice pocket watches. This spring I plan on building a small watch shop, and in the following months/years I will continue gathering tools and practicing.

I’m at the point where I’d like to get a lathe – I plan on purchasing it some time in the next couple months. I have read a number of threads here discussing lathes, and both Bob and David Pierce recommend the Sincere lathe from China. I like the idea of the Sincere lathe, as it seems the company sells all of the lathe accessories that are needed to make watch parts. But that’s where my confusion begins: I’m fairly familiar with a woodworking lathe, but have never used a metal lathe and I’m not familiar with milling attachments, etc. Could you fellas please let me know what attachments I would need to purchase for the Sincere lathe to be “essantially a complete watchmaking machine shop for around $2000.00 dollars”, as David Pierce put it

Another thing that I would like to inquire about is the Taig lathe. Am I correct in thinking that the Sincere lathe is too small for clock parts, and that the Taig lathe is too large for watch parts? If that’s correct, I suppose I will have to save up for a Taig lathe as well!

Thanks guys,

Nathan

[chris mabbott]

Hey Nathan, welcome to the forum..

Well, I have neither the sincere nor the taig, but there are a few chaps here who do, and I’m certain that they will chime in to offer advice. I won’t say anything as I know that too many opinions only cause confusion and I can definitely relate to the “Which model to buy” dilemma 😆

Please keep us posted though for future reference, I would be interested in hearing your review of the model you choose..

[bernie weishapl]

Hey Nathan. I have the Taig lathe and it is like the old saying. You can turn small on big but ya can’t turn large on small. I also happen to have a Jewelers lathe. If I could only have one I would have the Taig. I have made a couple of staffs for watches on it. I make a lot clock parts on it and do a lot of repivoting with it. The jewelers lathe struggles at times when trying to repivot some bigger clock wheels. I bought mine from here. http://www.positiveflow.com/taiglathe.htm

I also bought every attachment for it including the milling attachments. I also bought the ER-16 collets. They are pretty doggone accurate. Anyway that is just my opinion. I have used a sherline and it is a good lathe but by the time you add all that attachments it is about double what I paid for the taig.

I haven’t used or seen a sincere. So can’t comment on it.

[tele447j]

Thanks for the welcome, Chris, and thanks for not confusing me even more!

Bernie, that’s great to hear about the Taig lathe. There’s a local store that sells the Taig lathe and all the accessories, so I will have to compare the price between it and http://www.positiveflow.com/taiglathe.htm
Thanks for the link.

I will also keep my eyes open for a used WW lathe in good condition, but I imagine it could be difficult trying to locate all of the accessories for it. Purchasing a new lathe with everything included sure seems like it would simplify things.

[david pierce]

Nathan,
Before buying an expensive machine it is a good idea to access your machining needs, budget, floor space, power requirements and the availability of accessories and repair parts. The Sincere Lathe is a great machine but it is a Geneva style lathe designed primarily for small watch parts. When used for this application it can do a wonderful job turning out highly finished precision microscopic parts. A larger lathe can offer a more powerful motor, a more efficient drive system and will have the ability to take larger cuts. This can be expecially important when turning a larger part or drilling with the tailstock. I personally do not believe in a one size fits all concept for machine tools. You probably gathered that from looking at the pictures in Chirs’ post called PRODUCT REVIEWS. In the end you need machinery that will do the job you need done, so the first step is to think about what you need to make. Machines are made to work within a certain range of part sizes and trying to push them outside of their intended purpose can be a frustrating experience.
david

[tele447j]

Thanks for the sound advice, David. I would like to eventually build my own pocket watch, regardless of how long it takes to realize. I’m mainly interested in the Sincere lathe because it seems to have most of the tools needed to make watch parts. I figure if I jump right in and purchase the Sincere, I will end up with a versatile machine that can take me from the beginning stages all the way to a fully completed watch, without having to buy numerous machines inbetween or hunt down rare accessories.

[david pierce]

Nathan,
It is a great machine, it is still manufactured, and best of all it is affordable. There are still a few companies that manufacture watchmaker lathes and as far as I know they are Dixi (Bergeon), Star, Horotec and whoever makes the Sincere/Vector. The Bergeon, Star and Horotec lathes are extremely expensive. The Sincere and the Vector are the same lathe except the Vector comes in a nice wooden box and is claimed to be “reworked in Germany” whatever that means. I personally think that it is the usual sales hype that is used to jack up the price of the product. The Sincere Lathe is a wonderful machine that will do a great job for you if used for watch size parts.
david

[mcbeech]

Full info on the Sincere Lathe and accessories can be found linked form this post:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1473

I’ve had mine for a few months and am very happy with it.

[david pierce]

McBeech,
Some of the accessories you can get for this machine are the milling attachment a drill press conversion kit, slotting table, file guide, graver tool rest and an extra long bed. The X/Y cross slide came with mine. The only accessory I could not find was a beer bottle opener so I had to give up drinking beer. For small parts this machine is hard to beat. Did you get their motor?
david

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