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Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Engineering Techniques and Materials. => Topic started by: Garabaldy on January 23, 2009, 07:49:36 pm

Title: Clarke CL300M Metal working lathe
Post by: Garabaldy on January 23, 2009, 07:49:36 pm
I have been offered a 2nd hand one of these for £200 i havent seen it yet but i am considering it.

What do you guys think?  Is it a good deal?  from what i can tell its had very light use too.

Title: Re: Clarke CL300M Metal working lathe
Post by: portside II on January 23, 2009, 09:46:30 pm
To be honest with you Gary , i cant see much difference with the clarke and the one from chester ,which i have  apart from £146. . they both do the same job and with modern technology and materials will probably satisfy you as long as you keep to the set parameters (no big stuff) .
Now if the lathe your looking at has been looked after by a competant opperator then you cant go far wrong as it wil have been cared for and will be set up for you .
You have to weigh the pros and cons .
daz
Title: Re: Clarke CL300M Metal working lathe
Post by: wideawake on January 23, 2009, 09:56:38 pm
Hi Gary

Given that the new price looks to be £460 then I'd say go for it.  If it's got extra tooling so much the better!   I've had one of the Chester version for several years, though I've not been able to use it much recently.   As Portside says, stay within it's limits and it'll do a reasonable job.

Cheers

Guy
Title: Re: Clarke CL300M Metal working lathe
Post by: Bunkerbarge on January 23, 2009, 10:48:01 pm
If it's had very light use and been looked after it's a great deal.  I have the equivilent Chester and it's a lovely lathe but does need a little care and attention when first setting it up.

Look for signs of rust on the bed, chewed fastenings and other signs of abuse and if you can't see anything wrong with it I would go for it.  Mine cost about 450.00 but that has digital readouts on the slides and a digital speed readout but they are all the same basic machine.  If you do encounter problems you can buy every individual spare you need from littlemachineshop.com in California.
Title: Re: Clarke CL300M Metal working lathe
Post by: brianc on January 23, 2009, 10:54:41 pm
I have been offered a 2nd hand one of these for £200 i haven't seen it yet but i am considering it.

What do you guys think?  Is it a good deal?  from what i can tell its had very light use too.


I have one of these myself and I`m very pleased with the results achieved so far,so I personally would recommend them :-))
The major problem with this type of lathe is the plastic gears used....so its a matter of just taking your time when turning.
Strip these gears and its a bit of a pain replacing them {:-{
check out this site....loads of informations on setting up(I would say this is essential) and simple modifications...well worth a look, just remember all these Chinese lathes are basically the same and just sold under different names
www.mini-lathe.com/