>Remember when you could get a high quality lathe from Australia for well under $4,000? Since April, numerous increases in shippings costs and a highly devalued dollar is making importation of these fine lathes impractical. I just checked the exchange rate after getting another notice from my freight company of yet another increase in freight rates and realization set in; it is impossible to import this lathe at the present time. Is it time now for a high quality American made lathe?
>Not sure the Woodfast lathe fits your definition of a good quality lathe from Australia, but it is very cheap from Harbor Freight. Very odd that Harbor Freight would carry a name brand quality lathe. Craft Supplies does not sell this exact lathe but you can check their catalog for sort of a comparable Woodfast.
Until about a week ago Harbor Freight also showed the C1000 swivel head Woodfast lathe for $999.99. Not listed on the website anymore for some reason. The big one below is $1849.99.
So even with the huge decline in the USD-AUSD exchange rate, and higher shipping costs, you can still get an Australian made lathe very cheap in the USA. You just have to shop around and not go with the boutique tool dealers.
>If Delta were smart, now is the time to introduce an American-made lathe, consolidating features of some of the best lathes, and pioneering afew more.
>The Serious lathes were manufactured in Taiwan. That leaves the Nichols as the onlt serious lathe made in the USA.
The Serious lathes were USA made up until late 2001 or so. They were USA made when I saw them at the Minneapolis AAW meeting in July 2001. They were also priced a little bit more than the comparable Oneway lathe. Seemed like an odd business practice to charge a bit more than the famous name brand Oneway lathe. I'm guessing this business model did not work too well for sales. So then Serious started having the cast iron work done in Taiwan and lowered the price down to about $3000 instead of $4000. Then I think Serious stopped or sold out the lathe making part of the business, not sure on this.
I believe there are a few other more or less custom USA lathe makers. Doesn't Ellsworth have a Thompson(?) lathe?
>You are correct in your time-line. But the "were" is still valid. Except for a couple prototypes, his current stock of lathes were made in Taiwan, and when those are gone, that's it.
His problem was that the lathes from the Taiwan manufacture took so much rework to bring them up to his standards that the end cost was more than if he had continued making them in Portland. He is doing the necessary work on every lathe and selling it at a loss.
It is a very good lathe, the price is reasonable, and they are in stock. I haven't talked to a single owner who had a complaint about either the quality of the machine or the service that was offered from Serious. Every machine will have been fitted and checked before it is shipped. From that, we could probably conclude that it is a US lathe with the personal touch of a US shop.
Serious will continue to make and offer their turning tools for sale, and I would recommend them to anyone who wants a heavy-duty lathe tool. His scrapers are the most massive on the market, and that makes them a very stable tool.
The lathe was a labor of love. His basic business is a steel warehouse, and when the lathes got to be no longer cost effective, he had to quit. The lathe business is still for sale, and it has been a rumor that there are "serious" negotiations with a "serious" buyer.
>I suppose now I'll have to wait a couple more years to be able to afford a high quality lathe. Well, guess I better start treating the 1236 right, or it may be a long ride.
