Baleigh machinery

[Kevin54]

As a few know, I am looking at lathes for one to purchase. I've decided just to get a new lathe instead of hunting all over the nation for a used one that would be a decent lathe for the money. I've looked at a JET in person and it actually a nice lathe. I've spoke with a rep from Grizzly. I'm on the fence about their lathes. Although the one I've inquired about is actually one of the better sellers of their lathe. I asked him about customer service and the trouble people have with them. He was straight up and told me that although they do try and give the best customer service possible, there is some problems when it comes to replacement parts. They don't keep a lot of parts in stock, and if someone needs something, then Grizzly has to place an order over to China or Taiwan, get the part made, wait to have it shipped over, so on and so forth.

I also looked at Baleigh lathes online and spoke with their rep by e-mail. It sounds like they have a good lathe and good customer service. I've not had the opportunity to know anyone with any Baleigh machines other than Machine Punk with his Baleigh bead roller, shear combo.

Is anyone else familiar with Baleigh Machinery? This is the lathe I'm looking at http://www.baileighindustrial.com/lathes/metal/pl-1236E-DRO.php

 

[Blk88GT]

There is some reading to be found on yellowbullet.com

I have no experience with them but there is a lot of negative feedback.

 

[merr6267]

Yeah,the Baileigh dude was spamming the yellowbullet.com board for months. He did it in a casual way so as to make people think that he was a regular car guy who just happened to sell stuff for Baileigh.

He even went as far as to promote made in USA. Then the feces hit the oscillator. I don't remember the details well, but you could seach the forum. Warning, yellowbullet is unmoderated, and definitely now work safe.

Take care,
Phill

 

[Imcrazy]

I saw a post about the Bolton Hardware lathes recently. I know they are Asian built. The write-up did get me to thinking about the advantages of new asian over a well used old and/or questionable American lathe. From what I have seen some of the ones for sale around here on Craigslist look a little flakey and missing a lot of the tooling. Replacing all of the tooling would put quite a dent in the price difference.

There is quite a bit of write up on the CQ9325 pros and cons over at practical machinist forum.

Just something to think about. I haven't decided what I am going to do and I am sure I have a lot less experience than you guys do.

 

[NASTYZEN]

Looks good...but is it?

 

[bobcatdan]

The guy next door has a grizzly, just like you, gave up looking for a good use one. He likes it, but it can't cut 1/2 by 13 thread.

 

[Kevin54]

There is some reading to be found on yellowbullet.com

I have no experience with them but there is a lot of negative feedback.

Yeah,the Baileigh dude was spamming the yellowbullet.com board for months. He did it in a casual way so as to make people think that he was a regular car guy who just happened to sell stuff for Baileigh.

He even went as far as to promote made in USA. Then the feces hit the oscillator. I don't remember the details well, but you could seach the forum. Warning, yellowbullet is unmoderated, and definitely now work safe.

Take care,
Phill

That's a shitload of reading. I'm about halfway through it. It all started out though when the OP wondered where his machine was, then **** hit the fan by every one else. Total time spent on YB so far, 1:45. Total things learned in that time, 1. All the members on YB really doesn't like Baileigh.

 

[milkovich]

What do you need the lathe for?

 

[bobcatdan]

Pretty sure Kevin is a retired machinsit and lathes are cool.

 

[Kevin54]

What do you need the lathe for?

So I can make some round parts

Pretty sure Kevin is a retired machinsit and lathes are cool.

Exactly. I need something to to keep from getting bored.

 

[Provincial]

So I can make some round parts



Exactly. I need something to to keep from getting bored.

Kevin, you should get an Atlas. American made, inexpensive, lots of tooling available, and best of all, it will fill the days of your retirement making many light cuts!

 

[Kevin54]

Kevin, you should get an Atlas. American made, inexpensive, lots of tooling available, and best of all, it will fill the days of your retirement making many light cuts!

I have a small Craftsman which is the same as the Atlas. It's just too small for me. There's a place in Columbus, Ohio, about 45 minutes or so from me callec Industrial Machinery www.industrialmachinery.com They're brand of lathes is CUTMASTER and are new. They also deal in used lathes. Hardinge, Rockwell, Clausing. One thing, if I buy a new lathe, I get a lot of the tooling that is needed. Three & four jaw chucks, drill chuck. Here is one that I am looking at http://www.industrialmachinery.com/...e=product_info&cPath=824_820&products_id=4867 If I buy a used lathe and if it doesn't have most of the tooling, when you have to buy a 3 jaw or a 4 jaw chuck, you're looking at a few hundred bucks right there.

With this place being in Columbus, I can go over and look at what they have, which will make picking one out a little easier. And if I happen to get a new one there, I can get parts there. According to the guy I spoke with they've been in business since the 30's.

The only thing I don't like is that they don't have online prices. They might have a price on some of the small, used tooling, but anything of any size or new machinery, you have to get in touch with them for a price.

 

[firebox40dash5]

Baliegh spams the hell out of another board I'm on, too. Same MO, he posts stupid threads in the off-topic forum that are thinly veiled ads for Baleigh. At least he pays to be a site vendor, but if you're a good vendor there, people will sing your praises for you, instead of you having to repost stupid youtube vids to try to look popular. I've never dealt with them, but that's my take on them.

 

[woody 73]

Kevin Hi we talked a little about IM in columbus in our last pm the place is a large old factory with a lot of the old fluorescent lights, and the salesmen will hit you like a ton of bricks moving at the speed of light. They do push the cutmaster very hard (must be a lot of profit for them). Not sure how much tlc those old used american machines get that they are selling???

On my last visit the old southbend looked like it was on a death bed but the saleman did the kicking tire routine, I still think it was dead

I know everyone pushes old american steel but I do hear nice things about the jet company from all my woodworking friends.

PS: what gives at that yellowbullet site; wow did they spend much time behind bars or something???

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

Yeah,the Baileigh dude was spamming the yellowbullet.com board for months. He did it in a casual way so as to make people think that he was a regular car guy who just happened to sell stuff for Baileigh.

He even went as far as to promote made in USA. Then the feces hit the oscillator. I don't remember the details well, but you could seach the forum. Warning, yellowbullet is unmoderated, and definitely now work safe.

Take care,
Phill

they are always having contests
Baleigh guy is on the HAMB all the time

 

[BWS]

JMO,but you really need to be willing to travel.I think thats a hold-up for alot of folks?Obviously having a truck or trailer.

>Money...cash is king.

>Patience....with realistic timeframe goals(I can't wait forever,theres parts to be made)

>Research to know what equip represent the best values,and when considering pac-rim...who's rippin off whom.

>Networking with friends....two guys looking is better than one.

My take on Baleigh is a bit different than others.We do enough industrial design here as part-N-parcel of the daily grind that I tend to view them from that perspective.Would give them a solid "B" on their designs.Money dosen't mean too much....well,at least how their mkt'ing dept would see it.IOWs,yes price point is a huge mkting factor,its just too easy to pick through co's little BS regarding it.No,theres other factors more important than just PP.

Like comparing cars....a little.They all run good when new?Lets run a race when that POS has 100k on the clock.Machinery and heavy equip is sorta the same....runs good when new.How does this capital investment work within the scope/service life of it,and of your shop?

We have a HUGE difference here.Theres a mint,rub your **** on it 1940's USA xyz machine sitting and working right next to Taiwan's finest bootleg version.But the reasons are what works here.Thats where mkt'ing depts fall short.And its because only you can make those sorts of decisions.

 

[Kevin54]

I have a truck, I can always rent a trailer, I don't mind driving, but I don't like to do all three only to come upon a POS that doesn't even come close to what the seller was representing. I've been around mills and lathes all my life. I've ran lathes from Large Clausings, and Southbends down to the little Craftsman. I've ran large Cincinnati Mills that you had to stand on top of them to change out tooling, to CNC, Bridgeports, and little HF POS.

I'm torn between a good used lathe to a new lathe, but I have a price I want to stay around. Since I no longer work and on Disability, the money situation has tightened up quite a bit. So I want to get the most for my money without having to put a lot of money into something, I'd love to have a Toolroom Lathe along with another for doing larger parts, but money-wise, that's just not feasible.

And if going with a new lathe for my budget, it's going to be a China made or Taiwanese made machine. There's no getting around that. So with that, after racking my brain cells looking at this and that, and talking with different individuals, it looks like it's going to probably boil down to getting a JET lathe.

This is the JET that I have been considering from the beginning. It's a 13" x 40" Bench Lathe with the optional stand tossed in as a freebie. Plus I can get free shipping on it to the house, so that's a few hundred in savings right there. It is not anything that would get ran on a daily basis. Even at work, there were many times our lathes sat for a week or so without running, but the mills ran continuously.

Of all the lathes I have inquired about, both on here and with other individuals around that I know, when it comes to new lathes that are affordable for the average person, the JET brand is about the only one that most, if not all, think is a good lathe.

 

[toolchaser]

Kevin you know enough about machinery to spot quality where it counts, I have found the JET stuff to be higher priced versions of the UTF (Universal Taiwanese Factory) products sold under many different names.
I have a Rockford belt sander that is EXACTLY the same as the JET model but retails for considerably less. I don't know if JET holds their products to any higher quality standards than the others. The MSC house brand machines seem to be ok for imports, and have good support through MSC. I'm not opposed to import machinery (thats what I started with) but I feel a lathe is probably the machine that most shows the difference between import and U.S. / E.U. as far as function.

 

[BWS]

+1 on toolchaser's observation of Jet's pricing of UTF's.

And I ain't bashin Jet.We've been on both sides of their equip here.Some examples doin exactly what they're 'sposed to and other pcs being absolutely not worth the effort to turn it on.And money had NOTHING to do with it.

And BTW...there was the exact lathe in your pic....about 10 minute drive from me that was going for 1k$ less than advertised new.It was used for about five minutes before shop/individual went **** up.....just sayin.

 

[milkovich]

So I can make some round parts

I was asking if you need a specific capacity, to cut certain threads, hold tolerances for gunsmithing, need attachments for milling/taper/CNC/etc. I should have known better then to ask.

Enjoy your chinese lathe.

 

[Provincial]

One factor to consider is that this machine is going to be used by only one (very experienced) operator. That means a lot it terms of how it will hold up. I don't expect you to crash the carriage into the chuck or chuck something into the lathe to use a 4-foot cheater to unscrew a stuck nut. I saw two identical 14x40 Spanish lathes purchased in the early 1970's. One went to a job shop (repairs) where it was used by a number of operators and the other to an automotive machine shop with a single owner/operator. At the end of five years, the job shop machine was worn out and wouldn't hold any reasonable tolerance. The owner machine was still like new.

Keeping the machine clean and well-oiled is a major factor in reducing wear. I keep my lathes covered with an old bedsheet when not in use. That keeps dust and dirt from getting on the ways.

If you can, keep your machine tools away from any area where welding is done. Wire feed with gas or TIG are much cleaner that stick or flux core wire, but still seem to put out abrasive dust.

If you have the time to wait, don't forget government sales. Often the government surplus machines have been run little or not at all. And they are usually heavy-duty american-made machnes.

 

[Kevin54]

I broke down today and ordered the JET. After speaking with the company Tool-Plus, Jeanne Savelle who is wife of the owner added another discount to it. So I popped for the JET. With free shipping, it saves a few bucks there also.

For what I will use it for, I'll get quite a few good years out of it. My friend that has one, had owned it for 7 years and he has had zero problems with it. He was also a Toolmaker.

And if I find later on that this will not suit my needs as far as size, I guess I'll just have to go shopping again. I can't think of anything right off where I would need a huge lathe. Quite a bit of large round things can be made or modified on a mill too. I guess I'll find out here in the near future.

Hopefully I'll have the electric run this weekend. I have a friend that's an electrician at the shop where I worked and he's going to come over and wire things for both the mill and the lathe. Then I can make me some chips!!!

 

[cmandp]

Cool. Enjoy your new toy!

 

[RCStocker]

Jet makes great machinery. I have 6 of their wood working machines.
Grizzley is so so. I have some of theirs as well. I have a metal lathe and mill combo and I hate it. Not because it is an all in one. HF has the same lathes as Grizzly.
Jet owns wiltion tool and are very good quality.
Now for the bad news. All thier small lathes are serious problems. They don't have a slow enough speed to turn threads. The drop to around 130 to 160 rpm. To cut threads you need to get down to aroudn 60 to 80 rpm.

You are wrong in not wanting a good used one. There are a lot of fantastic old lathes out there. Atlas maid thier own and for Craftsman. I have 2 of them and they are great and the steel it very good. They run smooth and are very common and easy to find parts for them. There are a lot of great brands Southbend is a nother good small lathe. You can find one for under a thousand dollars that will be mint. Your chances of getting a lot of extras with it is a pluss when buying used.

If you are going to buy a larger lathe I would go with Jet. I like thier woodworking machinery much better than I do my Delta machines. I have a Unisaw and a 10 inch Jet.

 

[BWS]

Cool deal Kevin.....at the very least you set it up to cut metric threads and whatever else?Then snag an old US,workhorse(P&W,L&S,ect,ect)for really hoggin material.

We're sportin a Z series Grizz(meehanite process'd bed)for exactly above,metric reasons.And theres a pristine Wade runnin collets right next to it,and a beater Clausing for all the unmentionables.Theres been a few old US lathes come through here for work(mostly shipping damage).Above has seen us servicing them with only a very few complaints.

I have friends with some really big lathes,and there are instances when we get their help....but its rare.Good luck,am sure your lathe will be a great addition to your shop.I spent an hr or two makin parts on ours this am.

 

[Kevin54]

Jet makes great machinery. I have 6 of their wood working machines.
Grizzley is so so. I have some of theirs as well. I have a metal lathe and mill combo and I hate it. Not because it is an all in one. HF has the same lathes as Grizzly.
Jet owns wiltion tool and are very good quality.
Now for the bad news. All thier small lathes are serious problems. They don't have a slow enough speed to turn threads. The drop to around 130 to 160 rpm. To cut threads you need to get down to aroudn 60 to 80 rpm.

You are wrong in not wanting a good used one. There are a lot of fantastic old lathes out there. Atlas maid thier own and for Craftsman. I have 2 of them and they are great and the steel it very good. They run smooth and are very common and easy to find parts for them. There are a lot of great brands Southbend is a nother good small lathe. You can find one for under a thousand dollars that will be mint. Your chances of getting a lot of extras with it is a pluss when buying used.

If you are going to buy a larger lathe I would go with Jet. I like thier woodworking machinery much better than I do my Delta machines. I have a Unisaw and a 10 inch Jet.

Oh, no doubt. But most of the good old ones are always on the other side of the Continent. Believe me, I have looked at lathes for the last few years, but just can't find one I could justify buying. And when i did run across that rare one, I was piss poor broke at the time. I'm still that way now, but opportunity let me have the chance to get a lathe. Like I said before, we'll see how this one works out and if it doesn't, I may have enough pennies saved up to get another. When a person isn't looking for something or one doesn't need it, that's when the good one shows up cheap. I'm hoping that may be the case with me. At least I hope so.

I'd like to get a few other pieces of machinery to add into my collection. I'd like to have a good surface grinder. A manual grinder would work but I have a heck of a time running one because I can't crank the handle with my left arm. But I bet I could teach momma to do it. I just won't tell her until I find one. I still have to watch where the coin goes though as I'm not so certain that I'm not going to have one more surgery on my arm. And in a few months, I have to start paying more for my insurance until Medicare kicks in, then I have to pay for Supplemental for me and the wife. Once things get settled a little bit, then I know what I can and can't do. This is the first year in roughly ten years the dust has started to settle somewhat. With parents, my surgeries, the wifes cancer, her surgeries, parents, my cancer scare, parents passing away, surgeries again...........Whew!!!!!! Things have just now started to slow down a little bit.

 

[larry_g]

Good on you. Now that you have ordered a machine you will find them hanging in trees and people trying to give them away.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[toolchaser]

A surface grinder can be had cheap if it's a manual model, most shops can't justify dedicating a man (or woman) to crank &turn for long periods. I picked up a used MSC 6x12 for $250 and was shocked what they retail for. It's not that hard to rig up an auto advance cam for the manual machines.

 

[Kevin54]

Good on you. Now that you have ordered a machine you will find them hanging in trees and people trying to give them away.

lg
no neat sig line

Yep. That's when you start hearing..." All you had to do was ask" No doubt, they'll be a dime a dozen now.

A surface grinder can be had cheap if it's a manual model, most shops can't justify dedicating a man (or woman) to crank &turn for long periods. I picked up a used MSC 6x12 for $250 and was shocked what they retail for. It's not that hard to rig up an auto advance cam for the manual machines.

Great find on that. It just makes me sick at all the equipment my our shop got rid of and no one was allowed to have it other than outside bidders.

A few years back, well maybe a little more than a few years, we DID have an auction on some equipment. Another company bought us and actually was updating some equipment. I went to the auction, but where I lived at the time, I couldn't have any machinery. I just didn't have a place to put it. There were 8 Bridgeports. The first two went for $500, the next three went for between $300 and $500. The last three did not sell because the table cranks had been robbed off of them. Now these Bridgeports had some age on them but had been regularly maintained. The auction was getting ready to shut down. The guy running the auction asked if anyone was interested. No one wanted them. A coworker walked up and made an offer. Three Bridgeports without table cranks, in great shape other than that............$35 frickin' dollars for all three

It's hard to beieve what companies do at times. Now, all of out old machines, racks, cabinets, tooling, either hits the roll-off's or is offered up to outside companies to buy. Employees are not allowed to have it. The company is afraid that if it goes to an employee and you lose a finger, arm, or eye, they would have a lawsuit on their hands. So it goes to an outside scrapper as scrap machinery or scrap material.

 

[JWILL]

Ive never used any of their lathes however I have used their tubing notchers. If I were in the market for a lathe I dont know that Id be looking at new ones as much as an older used model maybe even larger than what I needed by a bit. Just my two cents.

 

[NOZZLEMAN]

Baleigh is absolute **** and their customer service is equally ****. Never touch them

 

[Thumper68]

Kevin do you still have the Jet and if so how has it worked out for you?

I'm finding myself in the same position and have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to buy new to get what I want at a price point I can live with.