I've come across a Luxcut 1136B lathe that's for sale, and I was wondering if anyone is familiar with them. I've Googled it to death without much success, except to learn that it came from New Zealand. Any ideas as to quality and/or availablity of parts etc.?

Does it look like this

I just happen to see it in a classified add for sale. Didnt say were it was made

Here's my thoughts

your first lathe is a learner (assuming this is your first purchased) and you will do bad things to it...

if it ran very well, I would think about it, if the price is right... if it's chinese the price would have to be very low, but taiwanese it would just have to be low.

on parts, you can bet your bototm dollar that if you googled the lathe and didn't find much, you can bet your bottom dollar you can't find parts

jeffe

quote:

on parts, you can bet your bototm dollar that if you googled the lathe and didn't find much, you can bet your bottom dollar you can't find parts

Agree, since you are farther north, I dont know what is available to you. I would go with Grizzly for China made, most of the Taiwan machines are ok, and if you can afford it, a new US machine would be great.

Here is a pic of my Taiwan lathe I picked up a few months ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Tumbleweed:
I've come across a Luxcut 1136B lathe that's for sale, and I was wondering if anyone is familiar with them. I've Googled it to death without much success, except to learn that it came from New Zealand. Any ideas as to quality and/or availablity of parts etc.?

Don't you know that the lathe is one machine that supposedly can duplicate itself? You will learn a lot if you make the parts yourself.

quote:

Don't you know that the lathe is one machine that supposedly can duplicate itself? You will learn a lot if you make the parts yourself.

That is very true. I have a jig that came with my 9" SB lathe that the owner made, and a new half nut.

quote:

Originally posted by gsp:
Does it look like this

I just happen to see it in a classified add for sale. Didnt say were it was made

My first lathe was a JET 12x36PY belt driven model that had the exact same controls as this one and looked exactly like that except it was green. Other than having to change belt positions, that was a great, sturdy lathe.

The lathe pictured looks a bit short to me.....

I'd say any gunsmith lathe must have at least a 1 1/4" hole all the way thru the head stock and the ability to turn a barrel 30" long while the tailstock with it's chuck or live center still on the lathe.

This one pictured looks like it couldn't turn a 20" barrel.....

Most lathes today include in the purchase price a 4-Jaw chuck and a steady rest.....both of which I consider very important.

The model he was looking at is 1136b
I would guess it is a 11"x36" belt drive.

If a person was determined to rebarrel. A 9"x36" would do the job. Buy a barrel already turned, threaded, and long chambered. Finish head space with the lathe between centers.

quote:

Originally posted by malm:

Don't you know that the lathe is one machine that supposedly can duplicate itself? You will learn a lot if you make the parts yourself.

Hi, Malm -

You probably can do that, but I always heard it was a Mill that could most easily duplicate itself. I'd sure hate to have to cut gears and some other parts on a lathe....though with a milling attachment it could certainly be done.

Best wishes,

AC

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
I always heard it was a Mill that could most easily duplicate itself. I'd sure hate to have to cut gears and some other parts on a lathe....though with a milling attachment it could certainly be done.

I've heard that too, however, the basic milling machine is not capable of doing single point threading, nor, can it turn intricate cylinders and tapers. The lathe can do all of that and more. The lathe can thread, turn and machine flats. When I make custom sight bases and scope mounts, with a milling attachment, I regularly use my lathe to radius the bottoms for the various barrel and receiver diameters. It is a piece of cake to use the lathe for that type of work.

quote:

Originally posted by gsp:
The model he was looking at is 1136b
I would guess it is a 11"x36" belt drive.

If a person was determined to rebarrel. A 9"x36" would do the job. Buy a barrel already turned, threaded, and long chambered. Finish head space with the lathe between centers.

Actually, there are two of them coming up on an auction sale near here in about 10 days - one is an 1136B and the other is marked 1136A. I haven't seen them first hand yet, and I don't know what tools and/or attachments may be available with them.

You mentioned seeing one in a classified ad. What was the asking price on that one? I'm wondering what price range these things should fall into. Sometimes you get great deals at auctions, and other times bidders can go right off the deep end. I'm just looking for a ballpark idea.

Lathe

here is the link

it says 24" between centers.....and does not come with a 4-Jaw chuck or a steady rest.

Personally I'd not want it for gunsmithing.

It does have 1 3/8" thru hole however which helps a lot.

If you never want to contour a rifle barrel it would work for most things, but at $1,850 I think it's too much money. We bought our 14 x 40 lathe from Harbor Freight. It is exactly like the Jet, Birmingham, and several other names but cost us less than $3500 delivered. It came with 3 and 4-jaw chucks; steady and follow rests and a face plate. We added DRO, Aloris toolpost and a collet closer. We’ve had a couple minor issues with the electronics but managed to fix them ourselves. Also had the cast part that holds the on/off lever break but I made a replacement out of scrap aluminum which works way better than the original. All-in-all we’re very pleased with it.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by malm:
M first lathe was a JET 12x36PY belt driven model that had the exact same controls as this one and looked exactly like that except it was green. Other than having to change belt positions, that was a great, sturdy lathe.

My lathe is a Jet BDB 1340 and the controls are identical to the Luxcut shown. Mine came with 3 and 4 jaw chucks, face plate, steady and follow rests and was delivered to my door for just under $3,000.00. Today I would rather have a gearhead but this lathe has served me well and will continue to do so for a good while. Jim