Mid America vs Cuesmith lathe

[Magictrat007]

First off I respect both companies and I’m sure they are both great. Just wondering if there are any significant differences or advantages and also if the tools are interchangeable. Like the automatic tip shaper on the cuesmith looks awesome. Can that be mounted on the MidAmerica ?? If I did go Cuesmith I would be looking at the midsize with large bore headstock. Either of the MidAmerica lathes would work. I plan on starting with tips and ferrules and shaft cleaning at first. Changing tips on both house cues and 2 piece.

 

[boogieman]

First off I respect both companies and I’m sure they are both great. Just wondering if there are any significant differences or advantages and also if the tools are interchangeable. Like the automatic tip shaper on the cuesmith looks awesome. Can that be mounted on the MidAmerica ?? If I did go Cuesmith I would be looking at the midsize with large bore headstock. Either of the MidAmerica lathes would work. I plan on starting with tips and ferrules and shaft cleaning at first. Changing tips on both house cues and 2 piece.

I bought a MidAmerica. It's a great lathe. That said part of me wishes I had gone with the Cuesmith. Not that there is anything wrong with MidAmerican, it's just that Cuesmith you can get a taper bar setup. If this is important to you and you don't want multiple lathes then this is important. Cuesmith also has thread cutting options.

 

[chuckpilegis]

They are both modified taig lathes so alot of the stuff is interchangeable
https://www.cartertools.com/ is a good site to check out taig

 

[keninar]

I picked up a MidAmerica about 8 years ago. It covers what I need to do - butts, shafts, tips, etc. Agree that the taper bar option on the Cuesmith would be a plus, but I get that done with a Taper Turning Live Center in the tailstock. This lets me quickly set up a taper without having to move the original tailstock. Vernier adjustment so sufficiently repeatable for my needs. This setup wont handle a pro taper, European only (at least in my small mind!). Hope this helps.

 

[Cuemaker Supply]

They are both great products but I am partial to the Mid-America of course. A Taper bar system is coming soon and will be able to be retrofitted to existing lathes. We have a lot of upgrades and new products in the works but there never seems to be enough time in the day.