What metalwork lathe should I get to replace Sieg C3

[i2i]

If the boxford cud/bud/aud is the sort of machine size you're after you'll not go far wrong with them, and spare parts are always available for them. You can get them with feed gearboxes for a little bit more and well worth the extra bucks. Also they come with rear mounted motors like the s&b (sabel), which means it'll be a lot lighter without a stand.

[Jonathan]

If the boxford cud/bud/aud is the sort of machine size you're after you'll not go far wrong with them, and spare parts are always available for them. You can get them with feed gearboxes for a little bit more and well worth the extra bucks. Also they come with rear mounted motors like the s&b (sabel), which means it'll be a lot lighter without a stand.

How do you think they'll compare to a Harrison M300? If I had a lathe that as capable as that then I'd be very happy. By capable I mean able to take similarly heavy cuts, accuracy etc.

I'm undecided with the AUD/CUD/BUD since if I made it CNC then having the autofeed is just a waste. The extra cost of the better lathe would buy the stepper motors, at least. Then again I want to be able to use it normally, and I did use the autofeeds an awful lot at school. [But don't tell the health and saftey inspector that. They disabled them when he came round!]

[i2i]

It's a good lathe, but it's not in the same league as the Harrison M300. The M300 is a larger and stronger machine, built for industrial use from the start. I see what you mean about the feed gearbox if you're converting to cnc, and you can use Mach to manually machine with the jog feature via the keyboard. One point to consider is the cost of converting the M300 is going to be higher than the Boxford, due to the larger physical size of the machine. You're also going to pay at least double the value of a Boxford for the M300.

[i2i]

As far as accuracy is concerned they should both be similar, but wear is a factor on both as they will be fairly well used.