Hey folks! I need to purchase 2 manual lathes for the shop. I currently have a used Kent USA 11x18, and a well used Monarch EE (roughly 10x20). In the past I’ve owned everything from grizzly bench-top lathes to Lodge and Shipley 25ft lathes. Unfortunately my Jet 14x40 didn’t survive my move from Oregon to Texas. A machine restoration company ended up buying that one after it took a spill off the moving truck. I’ve decided not to purchase that particular model again because of some nitpicks I had with it. But I did find that a 14x40 is the perfect size for my needs. The monarch is great for making small parts in a collet, but simply isn’t long enough (or set up for) a lot of the barrels I work on. I plan on selling the Kent because it just doesn’t fit my needs, and buying 2 more 14x40 lathes. I just keep getting lost in the details while I search through my options.

Some of my musts are: 5HP or more, foot brake, coolant ready, large range in RPM (I find myself needing everything from 250-3000) and lots of threading options (metric, inch, diametric etc..). I really prefer gear driven, but I’m torn on whether I want a variable speed (as in VFD) motor. I also intend to purchase with DRO’s on them. I like my lathes built heavy and stout so that is a consideration too.

Do any of you guys have recommendations for brands or specific models that you’ve had good experiences with? Any brands/ models you would stay away from? What is your ultimate/dream lathe in this size?

(Since I know someone will bring it up, I have CNC too but I prefer to keep those running production and use manual for customer jobs.)