is this lathe any good Birmingham YCL-920/1126 Series Lathes
 

im looking for a lathe would like to buy a new one. trying to find a ok lathe not the best but some thing i can do good work on.will be doing a good amount of thread cutting. would like to to be a a smaller one cause im low on room in shop.

Chinese 9x20 lathes
 

Rich,

YCL920 looks identical to most Chinese 9x20 lathes as sold by Horror Fright, Enco etc. I used to have the Enco version, got it on sale for $700 or so. AFAIK, they are all made in the same factory. Birmingham version looks to be nicely tooled, which probably explains why they want more $$.

Nice things about it:
It's very light. I was able to install it without help.
You can either bolt it to the bench or get a metal stand
It has a gearbox, no more messing with gear charts

Not so nice:
It's very light. Light cuts only. Don't expect tenths accuracy.
I am not so sure the leadscrew was inch. My threads felt just a hair off. Didn't matter as I always chased with a die afterwards.

The build quality was typical Chinese - indifferent, but functional. With light cuts, it produced nice finishes.

As small lathes go, it's good value for the money.
I wound up selling it. It was too big for small jobs like trimming/neck-turning brass and too small for barrel jobs.

LT

lathes
 

Hi,

You can find information about Birmingham lathes at Birmingham Lathes

It gives you Birmingham dealers,specifications and contact details

Hope this is of some use
RP