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Need some info on buying a lathe

Rockchuck

Rockchuck

Silver $$ Contributor
I found a place sales@toolsequipmentssupply.com that has a lathe. There overseas in Indonesia. Have anybody used them before. Does anybody know what I would need to do from the customs stand point to get it here if I was to get one. I have lots of questions and lost on this subject.

Ed
 
I think you have to be licensed to import this into the country so you would have to pay a company to do the importing and arrange to pay the tariff for you. It's not impossible to do but it would be much easier to buy one in the US. Probably less expensive too.
 
Assuming you are looking for a lathe to do barrel work, I would suggest checking the used machinery market. A 14" chuck diameter would be my choice. There are several brands made in the USA and England that I would recommend. A 4- jaw chuck is what you want, probably don't need collets or a taper attachment. Look at lathe in their work clothes, not all painted up. If you buy one, have it set up by an experienced machine installer and get it properly leveled. This is just a short answer to a multi sided question. Tooling needs is a whole nother question. Learning to make (grind) HSS tooling is another skill to develop. None these skills are brain surgery but take practice. Carbide tooling is nice but has another learning curve as far as choices.
 
the PM 1340GT the 1440GT and the 1640 all come from Thailand, not chy na

Anything that PM sells that has a T after the number is from Thailand
 
clowdis said:
I think you have to be licensed to import this into the country so you would have to pay a company to do the importing and arrange to pay the tariff for you. It's not impossible to do but it would be much easier to buy one in the US. Probably less expensive too.
Click to expand...
You do not have to be licensed to import but yes it's a pain to import regardless. You can do it yourself but if you don't know the procedures and blindly have something shipped you run the risk of CBP (Customs Border Protection) snatching up your stuff and burying it in red tape and you may never get it out. It would be best to hire a broker but even then you'll have red tape to deal with. A shipment value of $2500.00 and over CBP requires a broker anyhow. I don't know what import duty from Indonesia is but if it is classified as a Most Favored Nation then the duty would be in the neighborhood of 4% of the value. Duty can also vary with what you are importing. I import some stuff and it can be a pain to setup and you still have problems now and then even if you do everything correctly. If it were me on a big ticket item like a lathe I'd do what others suggest and buy something from a US dealer.
 
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14” is the swing, not the chuck diameter. Swing is the distance from chuck centerline to the ways of the bed.
The diameter of the hole through the middle of the headstock is an important dimension. U want the bbl to fit through there.
 
Swing is actually the total diameter of a part a lathe would accommodate so roughly twice the dimension from chuck center-line to bed. The most common chuck diameters you tend to see on 12-14" lathes used for gunsmithing I'd say are 6" and 8" . I use an 8" 4 jaw and a 6" 6 jaw on my 13" Rockwell for barrel work. I will also use a cat-head/spider at times too.
 
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USMCDOC said:
Nez has the 1340GT right?
Click to expand...

Sorry, not a 1340GT, mine is a special order from Taiwan, not in PM Website catalog. It is a PM1440TV, identical to the Eisen 1440EV, except for the DRO. The DRO on mine was installed by PM, a rebadged DRO PROs model

www.ebay.com

EISEN 1440EV Precision Lathe, 5HP, DRO installed, Heavy Cast-Iron Base | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for EISEN 1440EV Precision Lathe, 5HP, DRO installed, Heavy Cast-Iron Base at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

I do like it a lot, fairly rigid with the cast iron base. The 5HP motor driven by 7.5HP Yaskawa VFD works real well.

Resized_20200329_222205.jpeg
 
Bamban said:
Sorry, not a 1340GT, mine is a special order from Taiwan, not in PM Website catalog. It is a PM1440TV, identical to the Eisen 1440EV, except for the DRO. The DRO on mine was installed by PM, a rebadged DRO PROs model

www.ebay.com

EISEN 1440EV Precision Lathe, 5HP, DRO installed, Heavy Cast-Iron Base | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for EISEN 1440EV Precision Lathe, 5HP, DRO installed, Heavy Cast-Iron Base at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

I do like it a lot, fairly rigid with the cast iron base. The 5HP motor driven by 7.5HP Yaskawa VFD works real well.

View attachment 1303178
Click to expand...
that's a saweet rig there now!
 
Bamban said:
Sorry, not a 1340GT, mine is a special order from Taiwan, not in PM Website catalog. It is a PM1440TV, identical to the Eisen 1440EV, except for the DRO. The DRO on mine was installed by PM, a rebadged DRO PROs model

www.ebay.com

EISEN 1440EV Precision Lathe, 5HP, DRO installed, Heavy Cast-Iron Base | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for EISEN 1440EV Precision Lathe, 5HP, DRO installed, Heavy Cast-Iron Base at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

I do like it a lot, fairly rigid with the cast iron base. The 5HP motor driven by 7.5HP Yaskawa VFD works real well.

View attachment 1303178
Click to expand...
found your thread over on HM..
 
Precision Matthews imports a good product.

I have a 1440gt and I love it. Cuts a good finish and it's a solid lathe.

However, in my case, their customer service is less than desirable
 

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I have bought a lathe from Grizzly.
I have bought a lathe from Precision Matthews.
My brother bought a lathe from Jet.

20 years later then Grizzly and Jet are still running.
13 years later the PM is still running

It seems to me you want someone between you and overseas suppliers.
The receiving inspection of Outfits like Jet, Grizzly, Precision Matthews, and Harbor Freight are probably all fighting all day long with factories and warehouses in China.
 
stymie12000 said:
Precision Matthews imports a good product.

I have a 1440gt and I love it. Cuts a good finish and it's a solid lathe.

However, in my case, their customer service is less than desirable
Click to expand...
I own this lathe. It is fantastic! I just bought a PM 1054 Mill. Very happy with it as well.
 
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