# Proxxon PD400



## Karlas (Jun 2, 2013)

Hi there all,

was wondering if any of you are familiar or aquainted to the PD400 lathe.

I am dreaming of aquiering some machines to work on.

Any information regarding quality and use of the machine in the hobby workshop.

Maybe a comparison with other small lathes ?

Any input greatly apreciated please ......

Karl


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## Alchymist (Jun 2, 2013)

Can't speak to the lathe, but I find the drill press to be the cat's meow for small precision work. If the lathe is anything like the drill press, it should be great for small parts. Doubt it's gonna make larger parts like a 7X12 or 9X18 or so import, but it should be accurate for small stuff. Big bucks though, Like all Proxxon stuff.

Oops, was looking at the PD230, not the 400.  The 400 is a somewhat bigger lathe, about a 7X16, but man the price, over 2700 US dollars, £1,794.00! Impressive spec.


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## gus (Jun 2, 2013)

Alchymist said:


> Can't speak to the lathe, but I find the drill press to be the cat's meow for small precision work. If the lathe is anything like the drill press, it should be great for small parts. Doubt it's gonna make larger parts like a 7X12 or 9X18 or so import, but it should be accurate for small stuff. Big bucks though, Like all Proxxon stuff.
> 
> Oops, was looking at the PD230, not the 400.  The 400 is a somewhat bigger lathe, about a 7X16, but man the price, over 2700 US dollars, £1,794.00! Impressive spec.




Hi Guys,

Tried a displayed unit-----PD400. Looks good. Was told,its made in Eastern Europe. Plan to buy one for Christmas.Quite a few units sold in Singapore.


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## Sleazey (Jun 3, 2013)

It is an excellent small lathe. It is strictly metric, and very well made in Austria.

Their customer service has been excellent, even sending me a replacement part for free 2 years after my warranty expired, because I did not discover the problem till then.

It has a full range of accessories, is very accurate, and has good power and torque for its size.

It is a very good lathe, but small.

I have used it for turning between centers, chuck work, threading, tapers using the compound slide, parting (no problems), plastics, aluminum, and steel. I have not tried wood on it, just too paranoid about sawdust promoting rust, nor have I done any tool post grinding.

There is a small milling machine that can attach to the PD-400 for more versatility, but I have not investigated it, as I already have a much larger mill.

Based on my experiences with the PD-400, I purchased their small moto-tool, the IB/E. It can run for long periods without overheating, unlike my Dremels, and is much more accurate.


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## aarggh (Jun 3, 2013)

The lathe in OZ is just too damn expensive, but the IB/E is brilliant, I changed over to the ceramic bearings and use mine for PCB work. Makes my Dremel look like garbage.

cheers, Ian


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## jack620 (Jun 3, 2013)

I can't offer any advice on the lathe, but I have the Proxxon LB/E which is the long-neck version of the IB/E. I made a holder for it which allows me to mount it to the toolpost for grinding and cross-drilling. I agree it leaves a Dremel for dead. If the lathe is as well made and the LB/E it will be very nice.


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## ShopShoe (Jun 3, 2013)

It is reviewed by a purchaser here:

http://thehobbyistmachineshop.com/cms/workshop/proxxon-pd400-lathe/section-1


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## /// (Jun 3, 2013)

From the link above:



> I was trying to hold back the carriage with the manual hand wheel while the carriage was being driven under motor power by the lead screw through these half nuts. The small gear(closest to the camera) that engages with the rack sheared a tooth. This is not a weakness as I was deliberately abusing the machine.


Erm.... 
What a (&^$%#@ idiot.


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## Sleazey (Jun 3, 2013)

He was purposely abusing the machine as torture test, since he was planning to import and resell them himself. Indeed, I bought mine from him directly.


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## Karlas (Jun 3, 2013)

A big thank you to all of you for your responses ..........

ShopShoe , thank you for this site, have just glanced through it now,
have to read it more thoroughly later.

Sleazey, glad to be in contact with one that is working with PD400.
I have not built any engines yet, lacking the machines to do the work,
have been dreaming for a loooong time and as I am almost through with my seventh 0 , and have retired. I am enthusiastic to make some dreams come true.
My interest is engines , steam/air, sterling, in fact anything that works.
When I have the machines, I would probably start with some Elmer´s
am also facsinated by the engines that Jan Ridders is making........

Would the PD400 be suitable for that kind of work ?
I would also be interested in the Proxxon FF500 mill.

 Karl


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## Sleazey (Jun 3, 2013)

I think you will find that the only aspect of the PD-400 that limits what you can do is the working dimensions. Within its work envelope, you can do any kind of work you need to good accuracy.

In the model engineering world, flywheels, RR wheels, larger gears and pulleys, are about the only thing that PD-400 wouldn't be able to handle.

Its swing is 6.69" diameter, between centers dimension is 15.75", spindle bore is 0.807".

So you can't gunsmith any .50 cal barrels, or elephant guns, but it will do small work very well, and very precisely.


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## gus (Jun 3, 2013)

jack620 said:


> I can't offer any advice on the lathe, but I have the Proxxon LB/E which is the long-neck version of the IB/E. I made a holder for it which allows me to mount it to the toolpost for grinding and cross-drilling. I agree it leaves a Dremel for dead. If the lathe is as well made and the LB/E it will be very nice.




Hi Jack,
Thanks for the feed back.Been thinking of the Dremel but will now go for Proxxon IB/E.

Been buying too much tools lately. Mostly Chinese-----Holtest Inside Mike Set,
Outside Mike and Starrett Digital Caliper(Made in China by Starrett China Plant).
So far so good. No complains yet.


Best Regards,

Gus Teng.


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## jack620 (Jun 3, 2013)

Hi Gus,
the Proxxon is worth it just for the fact that it is MUCH quieter than the Dremel. It is also much smoother. There's a Proxxon shop in the basement at 150 South Rd in Singapore.
Chris


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## cidrontmg (Jun 3, 2013)

Hello Karlas, the PD-400 is a fine lathe, quite expensive but very well built. You can start doing chips as soon as you plug the cord, whereas their Chinese lathes usually needs some changing, fixing, cleaning, adjusting, new parts, etc. Quite often there's a jeremiad of various ailments, sticking a sore thumb what should be done, but hasn't done them.
About Proxxon FF500 mill - IMHO it's way too small. And don't waste thinking about a PF400 Mill Drill head. You might think it's a handy and convenient, and it saves space... Forget it. It's simply a bad idea. 
Instead you might want to see the Optimum BF20 Vario, or even Quantum BF16 Vario. They are FAR better suited for your PD-400, it's a "mini-lathe", where the FF500 is a "micro mill". And their Opti BF20 is way cheaper. It's better balanced for PD-400 lathe and Opti BF20 mill, again IMHO.


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## aarggh (Jun 3, 2013)

gus said:


> Hi Jack,
> Thanks for the feed back.Been thinking of the Dremel but will now go for Proxxon IB/E.
> Best Regards,
> 
> Gus Teng.



Gus you may like the long neck version, depending on what your using it for. I have both and use them in a standard 20mm linear rail mount, on my cnc for PCB's. The long neck is handy so you don't have to lower the Z axis too low. But anyway, either model is just great, brilliant tools.

cheers, Ian


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## Tin Falcon (Jun 3, 2013)

IF your budget can stand the $2700 for a proxon you may want to also look at the Southbend 8 x18 from Grizzly tools current price around $2300 delivered in the US. 
a slighly larger envelope  twice the weight  twice the power, D1 3 spindle mount 1 1/8 spindle bore  a very solid well built bench lathe. 

http://www.grizzly.com/products/8K-8-x-18-Lathe/SB1001
Tin


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## DrBob (Aug 31, 2014)

Be warned that some of the accessories sold by Proxxon for the PD400 are not of the same high quality as the Austrian made lathe itself.  In particular the 4-jaw chuck that I bought is of greatly inferior quality.  It looks Chinese or worse, with sharp unfinished edges everywhere, and blemishes on the ground surfaces for the jaws which cause the jaws to jam completely.   I am raising this issue with Proxxon and will report back.  Another substandard accessory I bought is the parting tool holder. It has 3 screws to hold the tool, of which 2 were in holes tapped oversize so the screws ran loose instead of tightening.  I'm waiting for a replacement, which Proxxon agreed to supply.


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## gus (Aug 31, 2014)

Looks like Proxxon is sourcing some accessories from China and selling at ''Proxxon'' price and make good money from us with cheapy stuffs. 
Was still planning to buy the PD400 but I am now worried at paying so much and end up with a M.I.C. dud. Will keep my ear on the ground for ''Proxxon'' news good or bad.


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