Shopmaster turnado lathe

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11-29-2018, 04:34 PM
SB5C

Shopmaster turnado lathe

Hello everyone,

I’m a cnc machinist, programming/ operating a ProtoTrak 1630 lathe. I love the controls and ease of programming on this machine.

However, I am now looking to expand my own shop and buy a cnc lathe of my own. I am limited in what I can buy given that I am working in a basement of an apartment building. Bringing any piece of machinery is difficult at best, and I can’t even think about bringing a ProtoTrak or anything like that.

So I am very intrigued by the Turnado. It’s definitely the size and work envelope I’m looking for. My priority would be to make 1.5”-2.5” dia X 4”-10” long brass and aluminum decorative objects. My tolerance is within .005” (although .001” is nice).

My concerns about the machine:

Made in China with a 3 year warranty. It seems like 3 years is a long time for a company to suspect there might be issues with their product. Especially considering the amount of time it might take for parts to come from China to the USA.

Mach3. I bought a 1400$ cnc “kit” and had to (try) to configure mach3 myself and was never successful. I would be so annoyed if this machine is not “plug and play.”

I really would like something I can depend on, but I am limited by what I can bring into my shop. This machine SEEMS like it would be the right application for me, but I am hesitant to believe that it will be something I can depend on for daily use.

Please let me know what you all think.

Thanks
11-29-2018, 06:09 PM
Jim Dawson

Re: Shopmaster turnado lathe

Quote:

Originally Posted by SB5C

Made in China with a 3 year warranty. It seems like 3 years is a long time for a company to suspect there might be issues with their product. Especially considering the amount of time it might take for parts to come from China to the USA.

Looking at this from the other side, that may mean that the company has enough confidence in their machine that they don't think it will break in 3 years. :)
11-29-2018, 08:37 PM
SB5C

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Dawson

Looking at this from the other side, that may mean that the company has enough confidence in their machine that they don't think it will break in 3 years. :)

Fair enough. I guess in life things that seem too good to be true, are just that. To me this lathe seems great for 6,000$. I’ve been watching all the YouTube videos on this machine and I’m becoming more convinced it could work out for me.
11-29-2018, 08:52 PM
Jim Dawson

Re: Shopmaster turnado lathe

Well at least they have a US based distributor, so somebody to scream at if things go south.:D
01-30-2019, 06:24 PM
RussellCofID

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Dawson

Well at least they have a US based distributor, so somebody to scream at if things go south.:D

A very important consideration for an expensive machine!
01-30-2019, 06:36 PM
CL_MotoTech

Re: Shopmaster turnado lathe

I would hope that they would provide a Mach 3 setup .xml file since they've assigned all the ports and pins to the control hardware. It would be silly not to.
01-31-2019, 12:32 AM
kevbo22

Re: Shopmaster turnado lathe

I purchased one in Sept. Waiting patiently for it to arrive. Id be happy to update you here in this thread when I do receive the machine. Yes it should be pretty much a "plug and play" machine setup with mach3. I plan to convert mine to mach4 shorty after I receive it. They do have a pdf on mach setup for the machine however here: https://www.shopmasterusa.com/wp-con...FOR-MACH-3.pdf that may help you, it may not. I posted just so you have the info if you did need it.