1340 Lathes

Hopefully the right place to ask...

My company is looking to purchase a decent lathe for some small turning work we need to do. We have to machine some bushings at time of install and each is different. After a case study, we decided it made better sense for us to purchase a lathe vs sending the work out to a machine shop. That said, my production engineer has identified a Matthews precision 1340 with some options like a DRO. I'm the supply chain manager, so I'm in charge of finding/quoting/buying. My budget is just south of $13k, but that needs to include a mobile work cart too. Any advice on options other than the MP?

Thanks!
Kevin

Metal lathes are one of those things that range in price AND quality from fairly low to very high. I don't have experience with any of the models currently sold in that price range. I know you could get a Chinese made lathe in that size for less than half of your budget and then get about half of that back in resale if it did not have the accuracy needed. Putting a metal lathe on a mobile cart may not be a good thing for accuracy if that is what the cart is for.

Kevin, what diameter & length are the bushings and what are your tolerance requirements? Will you be turning ID or OD, or both?
In my opinion, a DRO on a lathe is a waste of good money, money better spent on tooling.

Kevin, small, accurate work under 2" in size is best done on a tool room lathe like a hardinge, or a monarch lathe. Either of these used in good condition will be better then any imported lathe you could buy.

An engine lathe like you describe, 14x40 would be an engine lathe that is designed to make larger machined parts, but can do small work also, as long as you have the higher RPM capability on the lathe 2-3000 rpm.

The quality of the spindle bearings, and the ways of the lathe being hardened, ground , and scraped are good things to look for.

I have not used the South Bend lathes made in America, but they look like a good lathe in general.

In that size range (13x40, 14x40), you'll find two price ranges on new lathes: $4500 to $6000, which will be made in China, and $8500 to $13000 or so, which will be made in Taiwan.

re: buying a used American-made lathe: this will depend on where you are in the US, and you don't list your location. There are places where you can easily find a used, American-made lathe in good condition in this size range, probably for between $2K to $6K, depending on tooling - and then there are places in the US where you can't find a lathe in this size range easily at all. Here in Wyoming, I can find lathes far larger than 13x40, (I'm talking lathes that are from 8,000 lbs on up to 20K pounds) but I can't find a 13x40 easily at all. The other thing you should know is that, unless you know how to evaluate a lathe, you could easily buy a pig in a poke. Most people I meet who want to buy old American iron don't understand how much you have to learn to evaluate a used machine in the field, often while not under power, and without instruments.

I ended up buying a Sharp 1340 variable speed lathe; it's been an OK lathe for my gunsmithing operation.

As for your machining operation: Is this the only part you're planning on machining this bushing? Do you need a lathe that is 13x40, or, if you're not worried about machining something larger, you could be looking at a smaller, benchtop lathe.