[nophead00]

In the UK Axminster sell SIEG lathes. They look exactly the same as Clarke lathes that Machine Mart and Chronos sell apart from paint colour and name badges.

Does anybody know if these are the same lathes re-badged or if they are clones of each other? In particular are the tools and accessories interchangeable?

I am particularly interested in the Clarke CL250M which has a milling attachment. Axminster do SEIG C1 MK2 which looks the same except it has a back board and no option of a milling attachment. Other accessories like the compound slide are cheaper though.

[mulac321]

i'm pretty sure they are made in the same seig factory just different badges and colors. http://www.chesteruk.net/ also sell the lathe combo u have mentioned and a bit cheaper then machine mart will charge you for the combo. although a lot of people don't recommend combo machines for a few reasons such as sacrificing rigidity and the possibility that the milling attachment may be almost useless. also that lathe is very small u may be better of paying a little extra and buying the lathe and milling machine separately. this is what i am saving to do at the moment. http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/ sell the x1 micro mill with the large table on is for £265 which is the most reasonable price for it i have seen. i believe this is the same milling head included on the clarke lathe but with a proper x/y table. and in this ebay shop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/harryuk123 u can buy a 7x14 (bigger and more usable then the clarke lathe) for £320. hope i have helped.

[nophead00]

Thanks for the info. I got the Clarke combo from Chronos' ebay shop, which was a bit cheaper than Machine Mart and I got the accessories from the SIEG range at Axminster. They do seem to be compatible.

I realise the combo is a compromise but I don't have room for anything bigger.