Hudy Lathe V block vs Bearing

[super__dan]

I know this was talked about a while back but as the website grows I would like new opinions.

What do people reckon is better the V blocks or the BB type Hudy lathes. Personally I have a fair amount of experience of using a BB lathe (not mine though) and always thought it was excellent, but in the past a lot of people suggested the V blocks would be better.

I'm going to actually by one soon so need to decide which to go for.

In addition I believe there is a new type out, something to do with a centre shaft for less vibration? Anyone know any more?

Dan

[NumanR]

I have the LRP lathe which has ball races fitted, I clean the bearings regularly, and have never had a problem with it. I think its all down to regular cleaning and if anything happened to damage the bearings replace them before you cut again.

[Ben Turner]

Yes i agree with you on that Mark, but with v blocks you dont get this problem, so i would go for v-blocks.

Ben

[MattW]

If I was going to part with cash for a new lathe i think i would go with V blocks every time. I think that ball races would become inconsistant as they got older. I was using one fitted with ball races that belonged to a friend. I was struggling to get a finish that i considdered good enough.

[PDW]

V blocks are the better technical solution. Once sat in the Vs, the armature will find its natural centre, and it cannot move axialy during operation.

Ball bearings suffer from the inconsistency of the bearings, wear in the bearings, and the copper dust getting squashed between the armature shaft and the outer race. When very well cared for, there is no real diffrence in the two. Nonetheless, the V block is the best solution.

Rounded shapes in the blocks are the worst of both worlds, and should be avoided. HTH :)

[Doomanic]

I have a Hudy BB lathe which is about 2 years old.
It gets properly cleaned every week and still cuts as well as the brand new V-block lathe I set up for a customer last week.

One thing I will say abut V-block lathes, they are very noisy!