tr6_guy

Lately I've been thinking of buying a comm lathe. With 3 stock motors and a 19 turn modified to maintain, it just seems like it makes sense to learn to maintain them myself instead of continually paying the LHS to cut the comm and install/break-in brushes.

Thing is, I don't really know much about them. There seem to be a lot of lathes available from various companies. Are any really much better than the others? Also, what accessories will I need? For instance, will the standard carbide tip that seems to come with all of them suffice or will I need a diamond bit?

Finally, what sort of power supply will I need? My charger is a Quasar Pro so, it can't really power a motor on a lathe like some of the higher end charger/power supplies can.

Thanks for any help.

dubble-m

iTrader: (4)

Hey tr6_guy,

Check out the Integy product line @ www.integy.com They have very good comm lathes at exceptional prices. I have the X-Mod Super lathe and it's worked great for me. Diamond bit's as far as I'm concerned are overrated. If you stick with the carbide bit and get it sharpened every now and then you should see good results. One problem with diamond bits are if you nick them for any reason the bit won't cut that great anymore and you could be out some hard earned cash to get a replacement. If you want something to power your lathe take a look at the Integy Dyno. It's not really a "true" dyno but you can use it to check your motors and power a comm lathe with its adjustable voltage source. All in all it's a great unit to have as well.

Hope this helps!

MM

Arun

I hope I don't get bashed for this , but...

I really like the Trinity Tru-lathe 3. Supposedly, it is an updated version of the old twisters.

calstarjig90j

iTrader: (2)

Many choices to choose from. I particularly like orion's quick set lathe over my hudy. If I had a chance to get another one I'd get orions. If you decide to get a lathe remember that there are two kinds. One's with v guides and the other with ball bearings. As far as power source. Folks use 4 cell packs or their chargers if it has that capability. Your best bet is to see what others are using at your track and find out the pros and cons to what they use. Its all a matter of taste and how much you want to spend.

DFroyd

iTrader: (6)

I purchase a Hudy Tech comm lathe with the v-guides about 4 months ago and it is great!! It wasn't a cheap purchase but with how much I've used it so far it's priceless. Go with the carbide tipped bit over the diamond bit at least for now. If you keep the bit sharp and set properly you will get very acceptable results. Plus if they do get dropped/damaged they cost about $4.00 to replace. I use the motor run in feature on a turbo 35 to power the lathe. Still haven't figured out all the functions, but what an awesome piece of equipment!! The motor run in allows me to adjust voltage to the slave motor. A lot of guys use a 4-cell pack to power the lathe. I was in the same boat you are with two trucks, a buggy, and other rc cars and purchasing the lathe has helped keep motors alive longer and performing better. Now if I could only bring the driving ability around I'f be in great shape!!

Speedie

I bought the cheaper Cobra lathe but with a diamond bit. I run it with just a 3 cell pack and an old stock motor for a slave. I take good care of it and keep it in a nice case. It works great every time. Spend as much as you feel comfortable spending and just take care of it and it will last you many years.

onnetz

instead of this starting all over again....
try this...

http://rctech.net/forum/showthread.p...ighlight=lathe