Taig and Sherline

[dennisa49]

Hello,
I would like to buy a micro lathe. There seems to be two mentioned most often. Sherline and Taig, with Taig being the higher priced of the two.
Is there a major difference between the two? Both good and bad?
Or in fact is there a make that I have missed.
Thanks,
Dennis

 

[gus]

Hi Dennis,
Sherline and Taig will be good for a beginner but within a year or so your projects will need a bigger lathe. I went for a Sakai 360 lathe with 4'' chuck. I was eyeing a 3'' Chuck Machine and decided to one size up. LMS and others offer the 7 x 14 Lathe which comes with 4 '' Chuck.

With the Sakai Lathe, my most recent engine built was the Nemett-Lynx I.C. Gas Engine which was a very unforgiving engine with tight tolerance.

 

[dennisa49]

Thanks Gus,

I should have mentioned I am in Australia, nice place to live, however limited lathe supliers.
Pretty much stuck with Sieg in the mini range.
regards
Dennis

 

[Cogsy]

Hi Dennis,

I'm in Australia too but I know nothing about the Taig or Sherline. I started with a Sieg C3 and I was quite happy with it's performance, once I'd followed the online tutorials about cleaning and setting it up properly.

I've since purchased a larger lathe which allows me to make bigger parts but even though it was 2-1/2 times the price of the Sieg, it's not more accurate and is certainly more difficult to use.

If I was starting again, with what I know now, I'd still buy the C3. Then I'd fit a quick change tool post and do the cam-lock tailstock mod.

 

[gerritv]

The biggest issue with the Taig is its small cross feed travel. At 1.75" it makes use with a milling attachment challenging. As a lathe I love it, perfect for a condo sized machine shop.

I have a Taig lathe and no milling machine yet :-(

Gerrit

 

[///]

...
I've since purchased a larger lathe which allows me to make bigger parts but even though it was 2-1/2 times the price of the Sieg, it's not more accurate and is certainly more difficult to use.
...

Hi Al, may I ask the make/model of the larger lathe you purchased?
I have had a C3 for close to a decade now I think, and I really want to upgrade/upsize.
My workshop space is very limited and the choices over here, as you know, are a bit limited.
If your lathe is on my shortlist, based on your review above, I'd look at it with a more critical eye.
Cheers.

 

[Cogsy]

Hi Al, may I ask the make/model of the larger lathe you purchased?

I purchased my lathe from a deceased estate as it was cheap, and it was all I could afford. It's a Hafco AL-280P combo (although I've never engaged the milling portion and I doubt I ever will). I don't think they sell them anymore so it won't be on your shopping list. I wouldn't hesitate to talk anyone out of buying this lathe, especially for the price they sold for when new. Of course now I'm stuck with it until I can afford something better (probably never) but I can still make parts with it.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[///]

Cheers Al.
Actually, I recall looking at that lathe back when I purchased the C3, I remember thinking it was an unusual looking beast.
Sounds like I was fortunate it was out of my budget back then.
Cheers again.
I'm pretty sure I have decided on an upgrade, the Sieg SC4.

 

[canadianhorsepower]

The biggest issue with the Taig is its small cross feed travel. At 1.75"
Gerrit

Taig did change there cross slide set up. With the new type and the rizer kit you can turn 4 inch . I love mine

 

[gerritv]

Taig did change there cross slide set up. With the new type and the rizer kit you can turn 4 inch . I love mine

I love mine too but the cross slide travel is still only 1.75" according to their web site? Sherline has 4.25" which makes for much better milling on cross slide.

gerrit

 

[canadianhorsepower]

I love mine too but the cross slide travel is still only 1.75" according to their web site?

the old style did not the new one
check these specs

 

[///]

Don't confuse swing over cross slide with cross slide travel.
Even then, the same site (Carter) lists the travel as 2.25"

 

[dennisa49]

Hello,
Not much mention of the Sherline, are they lacking around the edges?
Or simply not as popular as the Taigs?
Regards
Dennis

 

[goldstar31]

I think that both are a bit like my Unimat clone- somewhat lacking in the real world of model engineering. I've got a Myford Super7B with- almost all the goodies - and a lot more than most have heard of today. I rebuilt it out of a wrecked one that had been run on mahogany dust in the gear box and had jammed and smashed most of the gears- by a butcher of engineering.

I think that what is important to a beginner is the wealth of information which remains in print. As far as the Myford is concerned, it may not be the best or anything like that, but there are so many additions that can be added and without scaling or altering and usually for very little outlay.

Clearly, I have no idea of just how much or how little a newcomer is prepared to spend but I must remind them just how much supplementary kit one needs to progress. Today, I am sorry to say, has a set of sales people who want to sell the often hapless beginner a lathe with a three jaw chuck which is nice but hopeless for the run of the mill turning of model engineering. By( buy) all means a 4 jaw independent chuck. It may be difficult to set up but it will hold the odd shapes which are part and parcel of our hobby.

Spend your money wisely- and enjoy

Norman

 

[kuhncw]

Hello,
Not much mention of the Sherline, are they lacking around the edges?
Or simply not as popular as the Taigs?
Regards
Dennis

To me, the Sherline is not lacking in any way for a lathe of it's size. It is well supported by a wide range of accessories and does a fine job. I have a 13 inch Sheldonlathe and a Sherline lathe in my shop and use them both, depending on the job.

The Taig is also a well made lathe. I've not used one, but I do have a Taig mill which is very capable for a machine of it's size.

If either the Taig or the Sherline lathe fit your projects, budget, and space, both will do a good job. I prefer the Sherline lathe as the motor comes attached and has speed control included. I prefer the Taig mill over the Sherline as the Taig is a bit larger and better fits my size of projects. These are my opinions.


Regards,

Chuck

 

[Wizard69]

Hello,

I would like to buy a micro lathe. There seems to be two mentioned most often. Sherline and Taig, with Taig being the higher priced of the two.

They are the most popular and those focused on the hobby market.

Is there a major difference between the two? Both good and bad?

I have neither so I can't say other than to look at their respective web sites. The two lathes seem to be balanced competitors however Taig makes a much better mill from what I can see.

Or in fact is there a make that I have missed.

That depends upon your budget, but if that isn't a problem then consider Schaublin, Levin and other high end manufactures.

There are numerous variants of watch maker lathes out there many of them available used for a song. I consider both the Sherline and the TAIg to be in this class though a little more capable. Grizzly has a Micro lathe available. Proxxon has such a lathe. Cowells is another manufacture of really nice machinery, the prices are stiff but far more reasonable some of the alternatives.

Honestly you should also consider something bigger the so called 7 x XX lathes are very good deals if you are willing to tweak them a bit. However since I don't know what your exact interests are I can only suggest that a bigger lathe may be desirable.

Thanks,

Dennis

 

[Wizard69]

Hello,

Not much mention of the Sherline, are they lacking around the edges?

Nope, it is a very good lathe when used with in its capabilities. I've seen such in large machines shops equipped with large Hardinge manual machines no an assortment of CNC machines. The fact is the Sherline would not have remained on the market for as long as it has if it didn't fill a legitimate need.

The question you need to ask your self is if this is the right machine for your interests. That isn't always an easy thing to address. If budgeting is no problem buy a micro lathe and something ten inches or greater in swing. However if room or budget means only one lathe I'd have to suggest carefully considering if the lathe might be just a bit on the small side.

Or simply not as popular as the Taigs?

Regards

Dennis

Taigs are sold all over the place. Partly because they offer a dirt cheap entry solution from what I can see. Given that there are a lot of Sherline machines out there, a forum like this is not a good place to judge popularity.

 

[gus]

I tend to agree with Wizard. Please go into this site ------deansphotograhica.com. I am impressed so much could be done on Taig. My DIY 3'' Rotary Table came from same site.

 

[Wizard69]

I tend to agree with Wizard. Please go into this site ------deansphotograhica.com. I am impressed so much could be done on Taig. My DIY 3'' Rotary Table came from same site.

Hi Gus.

I had problems finding that site, ended up finding something here: http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/projects.html. The site behaves funny, but the link I gave above seems to work for the project page. Finding anything else is a pain.

As for the Taig it has a good reputation for a very low cost machine. People just need to be aware of the other options out there for a very small lathe. Personally it is too small for me if I was stuck with one machine.

 

[Lathejack]

Hello Dennis and all.

I have also recently been thinking of buying a new micro lathe to use in the comfort of the house, and it was either the Taig or Sherline I was considering. They both seem to be pretty equal in terms of quality and capability, and both have an enthusiastic group of users.

I already have two much larger lathes in my home workshop, one of which is a Chinese geared head lathe. I have nothing against Chinese machinery, but for the new micro lathe I have decided to avoid a small Chinese machine and go for something with faultless quality and possibly better reliability, but which I can still afford.

The Cowells ME90 is lovely, and more closely follows full size design, but it is in a different league with a price tag to match. I almost bought a used one recently with many accessories, but was finally put of by the damage on the bedways in several places caused by the use of a hacksaw.

While comparing the Taig and the Sherline, I notice that the Taig uses a lever operated tailstock and a rack and pinion to drive the carraige. The Sherline uses a feedscrew operated tailstock and a centrally mounted leadscrew to drive its carraige. I also liked the all metal construction of them both, no plastic bits such as handwheels.

The Chinese made Sieg C1 lathe, although slightly larger, appears to be based on the Sherline design in places. With a very similar carraige and cross slide, tailstock, topslide, bed and base and with the centrally mounted leadscrew.

It would be interesting to know what you decide in the end. I haven't made my mind up yet, but I slightly prefer the Sherline at the moment.