I have been looking to upgrade my Southbend 9L since I now have a workshop. I have a small compressor, 220v RPC power and a big roll type door.
I do a fair bit of aluminum and a little steel. A few pulleys, shafts, housings, threaded parts and such, and because of diameter, sometimes the tailstock is a requirement. Mostly this is prototype work with 1-10 parts being made. My background is in industrial control, embedded systems and programming. I would like a CnC lathe for some shapes and the imperial/metric threading challenges. This is just a side hobby for occasional use.
Would a full-on QT8/QT10 type machine be too much for someone in my position? While I may be willing to spend up to 20k, I worry that serious machines would not be appropriate for occasional weekend use, ie coolant storage, memory / batteries going flat, maintaining proper lubrication etc?
Another option being considered is the Harrison Alpha 400.
Any thoughts?
I do a fair bit of aluminum and a little steel. A few pulleys, shafts, housings, threaded parts and such, and because of diameter, sometimes the tailstock is a requirement. Mostly this is prototype work with 1-10 parts being made. My background is in industrial control, embedded systems and programming. I would like a CnC lathe for some shapes and the imperial/metric threading challenges. This is just a side hobby for occasional use.
Would a full-on QT8/QT10 type machine be too much for someone in my position? While I may be willing to spend up to 20k, I worry that serious machines would not be appropriate for occasional weekend use, ie coolant storage, memory / batteries going flat, maintaining proper lubrication etc?
Another option being considered is the Harrison Alpha 400.
Any thoughts?