Comments on: Watchmaker’s Lathe - Made in China? http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/ A mechanical watchmaker in a digital world Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:29:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: c brandram jones http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-3003 c brandram jones Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:52:54 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-3003 hi i have lorchs wahli schaublins boley lathes and work as a self employed restorer and have used these chinese watchmaking lathes ,I found with a small amount of fettling like gently stoning the slides so they glide(the same way you used to run in a car engine ) you will find they will give you good results and offer fantastic value for money but you will have to have the ability to know how to finish these lathes ie the differences how skodas use to be and how they are now under vw these lathes are good but need time spent on them to take them from a cheap tool to a well running machine but they are built well enough to become a good machine when they come out of china the have not had enough spent on their final assembly but then that is how they come in at the price they do ! rather than you pay for a vector lathe , so if its all you an afford and are starting out and need a watchmakers lathe with gear cutting ability it offers fantastic value and would advise you to get one and when you have gained your knowledge and wisdom in horology and purchased a levin on a schaublin you will thank me for this advice and will have sold on this cheap chinese lathe to some other up and coming horology student , it is suprising how many skoda drivers smiling for they have worked out they might not be high fashion they drive around in a good car that is cheap and hold there value owing to there good build quality ,these chinese lathes are cheap but are not badly made the just need a small time spent on them to work nicely but most of the second hand old parts that are of the same price of lorch wolf jahn boly are worn out and need rebuilding which is much more difficult and costly (I have ben there)go for it and good luck hi i have lorchs wahli schaublins boley lathes and work as a self employed restorer and have used these chinese watchmaking lathes ,I found with a small amount of fettling like gently stoning the slides so they glide(the same way you used to run in a car engine ) you will find they will give you good results and offer fantastic value for money but you will have to have the ability to know how to finish these lathes ie the differences how skodas use to be and how they are now under vw these lathes are good but need time spent on them to take them from a cheap tool to a well running machine but they are built well enough to become a good machine when they come out of china the have not had enough spent on their final assembly but then that is how they come in at the price they do ! rather than you pay for a vector lathe , so if its all you an afford and are starting out and need a watchmakers lathe with gear cutting ability it offers fantastic value and would advise you to get one and when you have gained your knowledge and wisdom in horology and purchased a levin on a schaublin you will thank me for this advice and will have sold on this cheap chinese lathe to some other up and coming horology student , it is suprising how many skoda drivers smiling for they have worked out they might not be high fashion they drive around in a good car that is cheap and hold there value owing to there good build quality ,these chinese lathes are cheap but are not badly made the just need a small time spent on them to work nicely but most of the second hand old parts that are of the same price of lorch wolf jahn boly are worn out and need rebuilding which is much more difficult and costly (I have ben there)go for it and good luck

]]> By: greg http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-1393 greg Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:02:28 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-1393 Boley lathes are super too, but the Levin and Derby WW models are number one in my book. Good luck hunting down what you want! Boley lathes are super too, but the Levin and Derby WW models are number one in my book. Good luck hunting down what you want!

]]> By: J.Peter http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-1144 J.Peter Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:23:55 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-1144 Hey Greg, Thanks for the information on Tianjin, China. I knew that the lathe I was looking at was a knock off of the Vector lathe which is Chinese made for a German company. One can only hope that the German quality control keeps those lathes up to pretty nice standards. I haven't bought anything for my home shop yet. I will probably go for a WW or a Boley at some point. The appealing aspect of the chinese lathes is they come with a ton of attachments for the price. I want a face plate, a three jaw chuck, a six jaw chuck, a milling attachment and a drilling tailstock plus a full range of collets, a cross slide with several tool posts so I can do some real manufacturing work on my lathe. Hey Greg,
Thanks for the information on Tianjin, China. I knew that the lathe I was looking at was a knock off of the Vector lathe which is Chinese made for a German company. One can only hope that the German quality control keeps those lathes up to pretty nice standards.

I haven’t bought anything for my home shop yet. I will probably go for a WW or a Boley at some point. The appealing aspect of the chinese lathes is they come with a ton of attachments for the price. I want a face plate, a three jaw chuck, a six jaw chuck, a milling attachment and a drilling tailstock plus a full range of collets, a cross slide with several tool posts so I can do some real manufacturing work on my lathe.

]]> By: GREG http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-1062 GREG Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:28:14 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-1062 Tianjin, China is where this lathe comes from. Tianjin City and the surrounding area, is the center of the watchmaking industry in China. Ironically, the Tianjin watch movement factories are actually operated with 100% Swiss and German machines that mass produce the wheels, pinions, staffs, and bridges. The Chinese Government who are the majority owners of these factories, buy the best in the world to produce their own parts. The lathes mentioned here are all copies of German or Swiss machines..for the local China repair shop and export market. Better to buy a used 8MM Levin or even better a Derbyshire lathe on Ebay for much less than $1,000. Then you can always get WW collets and repair parts and add accessories when they come up for auction. Then you own the best. Tianjin, China is where this lathe comes from. Tianjin City and the surrounding area, is the center of the watchmaking industry in China. Ironically, the Tianjin watch movement factories are actually operated with 100% Swiss and German machines that mass produce the wheels, pinions, staffs, and bridges. The Chinese Government who are the majority owners of these factories, buy the best in the world to produce their own parts. The lathes mentioned here are all copies of German or Swiss machines..for the local China repair shop and export market. Better to buy a used 8MM Levin or even better a Derbyshire lathe on Ebay for much less than $1,000. Then you can always get WW collets and repair parts and add accessories when they come up for auction. Then you own the best.

]]> By: Douglas Smith http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-196 Douglas Smith Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:03:56 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-196 At F.W. Derbyshire , Inc. we have a tradition of building the finest quality instrument lathe anywhere. In 1918 we bought the American Watch Tool co. and have made Webster/Whitcomb and Magnus collets ever since. The original Webster/Whitcomb (W/W) collets are 7m/m nominal od on the thread x .625 m/m pitch . You will not find a better lathe anywhere and you will will find the cost far below the numbers you have cited for the American built Lathe. Douglas Smith F.W. Derbyshire , Inc. At F.W. Derbyshire , Inc. we have a tradition of building the finest quality instrument lathe anywhere. In 1918 we bought the American Watch Tool co. and have made Webster/Whitcomb and Magnus collets ever since. The original Webster/Whitcomb (W/W) collets are 7m/m nominal od on the thread x .625 m/m pitch . You will not find a better lathe anywhere and you will will find the cost far below the numbers you have cited for the American built Lathe.
Douglas Smith
F.W. Derbyshire , Inc.

]]> By: J.Peter http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-158 J.Peter Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:16:28 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-158 Dave, St Paul uses Vector lathes which are made in China also but under contract of a German company which oversees quality control. The people I have talked too say this is a knock off of that lathe. The vector lathe is an acceptable lathe, but it certainly isn't the best thing on the market. Dave,

St Paul uses Vector lathes which are made in China also but under contract of a German company which oversees quality control. The people I have talked too say this is a knock off of that lathe. The vector lathe is an acceptable lathe, but it certainly isn’t the best thing on the market.

]]> By: Dave http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-155 Dave Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:33:03 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-155 The St. Paul Technical Collegte uses these lathes and attachments in their watchmaking school. I happened to see them a couple of weeks ago. The instructor advised that they are perfectly satisfactory for instruction, but commented that he wouldn't want to spend 8 hours a day on one. They don't have the finish of a european lathe, but I would rather have one of these that an old abused Peerless. The St. Paul Technical Collegte uses these lathes and attachments in their watchmaking school. I happened to see them a couple of weeks ago. The instructor advised that they are perfectly satisfactory for instruction, but commented that he wouldn’t want to spend 8 hours a day on one. They don’t have the finish of a european lathe, but I would rather have one of these that an old abused Peerless.

]]> By: Kirk http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-71 Kirk Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:37:55 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-71 I bought a set of the larger chucks because Sincereclocks said they are 8 mm. The chucks fit into my Levin lathe but not my Peerless. The threads are not 275 tpi so I let them sell me a draw bar to match their threads, it came too short but they made me another one. The quality seems fair but I wish they would make them on the universal, WW pattern. He seemed interested in doing this and asked many questions, in the end, he said it would be too big of a project for them to make the parts WW type threads. I bought a set of the larger chucks because Sincereclocks said they are 8 mm. The chucks fit into my Levin lathe but not my Peerless.

The threads are not 275 tpi so I let them sell me a draw bar to match their threads, it came too short but they made me another one.

The quality seems fair but I wish they would make them on the universal, WW pattern. He seemed interested in doing this and asked many questions, in the end, he said it would be too big of a project for them to make the parts WW type threads.

]]> By: Kirk http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-72 Kirk Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:34:07 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-72 Too bad the chinese lathe isn't made on the same pattern as the WW. Too bad the chinese lathe isn’t made on the same pattern as the WW.

]]> By: Horst http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-73 Horst Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:11:53 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/02/18/watchmakers-lathe-made-in-china/#comment-73 From all I know, dont touch. From all I know, dont touch.

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