Welcome Swarf Chasers and Railroad Buffs!

The Annisquam Granite Company Railroad supports the AGC quarries here on Cape Ann. Our machine shop is set up to repair/replace/rebuild all our locomotives and rolling stock. This includes small Baldwin, Porter, and Shay locomotives, and primarily flatcars for rolling stock. We also maintain the aging truck fleet comprised of REO Speedwagons in 3/4 and 1-1/4 Ton capacities as well as the derrick systems and steam donkeys. <g>

Our shop contains an assortment of elderly but lovingly cared for American machine tools: lathes, mills, shapers, presses, drills, power saws, woodworking equipment as well as some newer vintage welders and sheet metal tools. Much to my embarrassment I recently added a bright red Chinese-built lathe and some other ("orange colored") tools. These pages include a review of my ownership of this Harbor Freight 8x12 Lathe #44859.

In the interest of helping other owners of the HF 8x12 and those making decisions on lathe purchases I also include the results of my research into this lathe model and some comparison data between the 7x, 8x, and 9x Asian lathes. For comparison to classic small American lathes the table includes the Atlas/Craftsman 6" & 12" and the South Bend 9" lathes.

I will be talking about some of our other machines and there will also be included here some modifications that I did. Some other owners can accessorize and improve their HF 8x12 lathes if they wish to follow my lead. I take no responsibility for any use of the material herein; it's up to you to determine suitability and usefulness as well as safety.