Taig minilathes - anybody heard of them?

[kiwigeo]

Im looking for a mini lathe for turning up lute pegs and other small work.

Carbatec stock Sieg brand lathes and I was seriously looking at them but Ive just come across Tieg brand lathes:

http://taig.com.au/index.php?main_page= ... cts_id=449

Anybody heard of them or know anything about them?

Cheers Martin

[Lillian]

It looks like a mini metal lathe. Lots you could do with that.

[Alastair]

Hi Martin,

Not something I have seen in my turning life, but might suit you because of versatility.

Without seeing the scroll chuck and toolrest, I can't comment on the w-turning suitability, but rpm and rest of specs seem promising.

Will definitely handle metal, and lot of other functions.

I would just be wary of the "jack of all trades" scenario.

[Nick]

Never heard of them but for what you are getting for your dosh I suspect this originated in China & made to order. Chinese lathes can be an up and down affair, some made to very good quality & others not worth wiring a plug to (we got a big lathe here at work (600mm swing) that had 3 bucket loads of casting sand still sitting in the gearbox that had to be shovelled out before it was turned on! I wasn't part of that purchase fortunately).
If you can, go eyeball the lathe, first check the overall finish of the thing then check that anything that slides or turns is firm with no slop in the slideways and minimal backlash in handles & threads (when you turn the handle does it go for a while before you feel any loading of the thread?). Check the chuck/s for smooth action during closing & opening the jaws, the most important area for a lathe in order for it to work with any accuracy is the headstock bearings(and the downfall of many cheaper branded lathes), get hold of the chuck & try pushing/pulling it sideways then try the same thing down the length of the lathe....any movement other than a tiny amount of free movement or slop.... tread lightly! When turning tapers or even shafting you don't know when the chuck will move away from your cutter If it is indeed a true model/mini lathe then the headstock should be good (modelers work requires good consistant accuracy).
Even ask to see the manual that comes with it! If you aren't that familiar with lathes then you will rely on the manual to carry out maintainence on it, if it is in 'Chinglish' then even simple servicing can become a head scratching experience. Also check what the availability of spares & backup service is like, no good if you're in the middle of turning a batch of lute pegs & you have to wait 4 months for spares to arrive from Bejing.
If you can't eyeball it then try doing a search for reviews or searching forums for any reports by others who have owned one. For what you want it to do, if it ticks all the boxes in the fit, finish & spares column then I'd say it would be more than adequate though.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks chaps.

I actually got onto the Tiegs via a Youtube video on turning lute pegs Lundberg style. The video maker was using a Tieg and it seemd to do the job. He did make a comment that the live centre he bought was a bit dodgey and he ended up going back to the centre that came with the machine.

The Siegs get a good review and they're marketed by Carbatec so getting them serviced might be easier than for the Tiegs which come from a supplier in Sydney.

Cheers Martin

[peter.coombe]

Martin

Any reason why a metal turning lathe? I know nothing about Lutes, but I have turned Hurdy Gurdy pegs on my Woodfast mini lathe without any problems. Also have turned small mandolin strap buttons, and a few other small wooden thingies. It was just a matter of getting a chuck with jaws that would hold small pieces of wood away from the body of the chuck (I bought a Vicmarc), and some appropriately small wood turning tools. Then go for it and watch the wood disintegrate due to having no idea what I was doing. Ha, practice makes perfect, and proper shaping of the tools and I was turning away quite successfully. Just make sure you wear a safety helmet and visor. Turning small wood items is tricky, but not all that difficult once you work out how to do it. The Woodfast lathe runs as smooth as silk. Woodfast used to make them in Adelaide, but nowadays their machinery is made in China to Woodfast specifications. The motor on mine has a made in Chine sticker, so I assume the lathe was made in China. Still quality gear, I have no complaints, but Vicmarc are made Australia. You can get a mini wood lathe for less than half the price of what you are looking at, but then you can't use it for turning metal.

Peter

[DarwinStrings]

I wondered the same thing Martin, mind you any excuse to add a new tool to my collection is good enough for me. If you don't want a new tool it is possible to turn items in your drill press, I don't know what a lute peg looks like but it may be doable. Just set up a rest and something to pin the opposite end of the piece to the chuck with then jab an old chisel at it. Still that is a handy looking little tool there.

Jim

[kiwigeo]

The decision to go with a minilathe?

1. space in my garage/workshop. I dont really have alot of room for a larger machine.
2. a metal lathe has a tool holder that can be set up to follow a metal pattern sitting behind the lathe bed. This allows quick production of identically shaped pegs.
3. I have no interest in turning large items and theres more chance of me wanting to do small metal jobs in the future.

Thanks for the input Peter and Jim.

[Mike Thomas]

Emco Unimats are excellent small metal working lathes, similar size to the Taig I think, and made in Austria. They have been around for years, and have a very good reputation. They are available in Australia, but I haven't a clue what they cost, probably more expensive than the Taig.

[Nick]

Unimats are excellent lathes Mike & up there with the Myford IMHO but hopefully not the same price tag!

[kiwigeo]

Unimats handled by this company:

http://lathesonline.com.au/estore/index ... th=1_70_88

Unimat 4 is a candidate. Prices arent over the moon either.

[Mike Thomas]

I hope they're still made in Austria

[kiwigeo]

I hope they're still made in Austria

Produced in Taiwan from 1990 onwards apparently

[Puff]

For an option there is the Fonly lathe. http://www.btinternet.com/%7Etwo.mm/art ... lypt1b.htm Very basic homebuilt stuff but you could build it in a day and use a cheapo set of carving chisels for your tool steel stock. Modelmakers get some pretty precision stuff out of them.
For smaller reproduction work such as bridge pins and tuning pegs you could grind/have ground your own cutter blade just as for the spindle moulder.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks Puff.

The site is for 2mm modellers......youre not one of 'em model train nutters are you?

[Allen]

Lee Valley use to sell Taig stuff back when I got their catalogues regularly when I was still in Canada. I've never used or seen their gear, but I've never been disappointed with anything I've bought from Lee Valley.

[Puff]

No I don't do model trains I just got to the plans through Google when I was looking for a smaller option than firing up the big lathe for small work. Six foot bed for a bridge pin or a bit of hardwood dowel for plugs was a bit over the top. Set up with a keyless chuck and given a reasonably light touch is a quick and simple solution that takes up very little room.

[kiwigeo]

No I don't do model trains I just got to the plans through Google when I was looking for a smaller option than firing up the big lathe for small work. Six foot bed for a bridge pin or a bit of hardwood dowel for plugs was a bit over the top. Set up with a keyless chuck and given a reasonably light touch is a quick and simple solution that takes up very little room.

Its a nifty little machine and the link has been saved.

[Puff]

Here's some more if you want to go closer to a jewelers lathe but it will be a tad more time consuming and a bit less portable. http://www.vintageprojects.com/machine- ... lling1.pdf