Boxford TCL 125

[depronman]

I would say it’s a fair value for tcl160

The decision really comes down to your needs. Is a turret tool changer on your list of nice to haves
My person experience of cnc lathes (I have two a Boxford bud that I converted to cnc and an ORAC that I bought as a shell but in nice virtually unused condition and replaced all of the electronics) is that a good quality quick change tool post works well for me
The auto tool changer are good but come with there own limitations so it’s not as clear cut as it would seem at first
If you have a need to make hundreds of the same part then the auto tool changer is a must have but if you are mainly making 1 and 2offs then the manual quick change tool post is a better option if you are making 10 to 20 offs then personally I think the manual tool post is still the better solution
I bought into the QCTP with the splined tool post Swiss made originally. It allows for very accurate tool positioning and takes a few seconds to change tools I have 10 tool holders all pre set with tools that are shared between the two lathes all tools being stored in the tool table in Linux cnc
I can turn brass and ally and stainless steel all day long on the orac to tolerances of +/- 0.0005” and less with care. The tool repeatability is excellent

Also of note the 160 is a slightly larger machine than the 125 but from memory not my very much

Hope this gives you a little more info to base your decision on

One last thing to think about is the 160 working on original boxford electronics or has it been converted to modern drivers motion controller bob etc and if so is it locked to mach3 or open to other control software such as Linux cnc
If still on boxford electronics then at some point in the future it is likely to need to be changed over to modern electronics (stepper drivers, BoB or motion controller etc

All the best. Paul


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[Clive S]

The auto tool changer are good but come with there own limitations so it’s not as clear cut as it would seem at first
If you have a need to make hundreds of the same part then the auto tool changer is a must have but if you are mainly making 1 and 2offs then the manual quick change tool post is a better option if you are making 10 to 20 offs then personally I think the manual tool post is still the better solution
I bought into the QCTP with the splined tool post Swiss made originally. It allows for very accurate tool positioning and takes a few seconds to change tools I have 10 tool holders all pre set with tools that are shared between the two lathes all tools being stored in the tool table in Linux cnc

Very nicely put Paul

[Doddy]

Spoilsports!, just as I start to figure out how to integrate a baby atc onto my ml7 you’re saying don’t throw away the QCTP 🙁