home shop lathe

[shooterdon]

Even a small lathe is very useful. I bought mine used 15 years ago after a guy realized it was too small for what he wanted to do. It was 2 months old. A Jet 9x20. Paid $750 for it with a bit of tooling. A new one will likely be $3000+ now.

Figure out what 95% of the jobs you need to do require and make that your minimum size.

If you can be patient, I think quite a few will be available the used with companies in trouble and hobbyists dying off.

 

[WinterDeere]

I appreciate all the posts of big old vintage iron. I had a shop full of 1000 - 2500# machinery when I moved into this place 12 years ago, which made moving real fun. But over the last decade I've sold most of it off, making room for cars, tractors, sailboats. So, not looking to jump back into a big lathe, I'm definitely in the "bench top" class here, Enco, Jet, Eastwood, the Griz.

No one has mentioned Vevor, but they're all over the interweb with < $1k benchtop stuff. Too new to have many opinions out there?

Again, since I do so much work with commercial machine shops, I can always get them to do anything that won't fit on my own machine. I just don't want to be running to one of them for the dozen small things that come up every year.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I appreciate all the posts of big old vintage iron. I had a shop full of 1000 - 2500# machinery when I moved into this place 12 years ago, which made moving real fun. But over the last decade I've sold most of it off, making room for cars, tractors, sailboats. So, not looking to jump back into a big lathe, I'm definitely in the "bench top" class here, Enco, Jet, Eastwood, the Griz.

No one has mentioned Vevor, but they're all over the interweb with < $1k benchtop stuff. Too new to have many opinions out there?

Again, since I do so much work with commercial machine shops, I can always get them to do anything that won't fit on my own machine. I just don't want to be running to one of them for the dozen small things that come up every year.

Some Vevor is good some is bad. The are building for certain markets, and their quality and quality controls Vary greatly. Some they make, some is rebranded from other manufacturers.

If you go with Vevor, be sure to buy from someone who will let you return it, if your not happy.

 

[rangerfredbob]

For import stuff look into littlemachineshop.com they spec the best (above the Grizzly spec) for the same machine, most of the Seig lathes are made in the same place with a different color of paint... we have one of their 9x16? lathes at work, it's a pretty nice unit and at $1600 when we got it the price wasn't too bad... I have a 7x12 Seig labeled as Speedway Series back from the Homier tool truck sales and you can make a lot with that little guy...

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I got my lathe in trade for milling some logs for a guy,

It's a European made, Turn Master 12 X 30 gear drive.

It's in great shape...

SR

 

[WinterDeere]

Nice! Any issue adapting to cut UN threads on that, or is that not something you're doing?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If that question was aimed at me, I only use the lathe occasionally, and I haven't used it to cut any threads....yet.

I'm really just a wanna-b machinist, my dad was the real machinist.

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Here's a better pict. of the controls,

SR

 

[WinterDeere]

Looks like you could still do UN threading on that SR, eg. DB4 for 1/4-20. Not sure I follow the W X Y for what appears to be metric pitches, but no matter. Very cool!

 

[LD1]

Looks like you could still do UN threading on that SR, eg. DB4 for 1/4-20. Not sure I follow the W X Y for what appears to be metric pitches, but no matter. Very cool!

The symbols around the WXY as well as on the UN thread pitches appear to correlate to changeable gearing inside the headstock

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Looks like you could still do UN threading on that SR, eg. DB4 for 1/4-20. Not sure I follow the W X Y for what appears to be metric pitches, but no matter. Very cool!

I really should learn how to run it better; I just don't seem to take the time to do so. I have about $600.00 into it...

I also got my Solberga drill press from him too,

Another trade for milling lumber... I use it when I need to do some serious drilling!

SR

 

[NoTrespassing]

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[1 of U]

i have a SB 13 & a Jet mill
there are good machines to be had just have to look , and dont be afraid to travel for a good machine , the machine are a investment to yourself .
Jake

 

[GeneV]

I bought a Precision Mathews lathe two-three yrs ago. 14x40, 2" bore, DRO's, variable speed.
The cost has gone up. You can find good, low cost lathes around. Just a waiting period to find one.
I'm very happy with mine, and Matt is really easy guy to work with.
I always hated the small bore machines. At my old job we bought a Precision Mathews 16x50, 3"bore, DRO's
not variable but now we can cut metric threads. Before I would bring home any threading work needing done.
When the office people found out, they started looking to buy the company one.

I got a PM knee mill, and I'll attest they're pretty good machines for the price. Taiwan built. And yes, Matt was pretty good to deal with...I had an issue with the mill and he made it right w/o any hassles.

 

[solo machine]

I really should learn how to run it better; I just don't seem to take the time to do so. I have about $600.00 into it...

I also got my Solberga drill press from him too,

View attachment 777579

Another trade for milling lumber... I use it when I need to do some serious drilling!

SR

Check out the hobby machinist forum.

 

[solo machine]

Id rather buy vintage stuff if its still tight. If it isnt.....look into rebuild kits if available. '''

I have a monarch model k. 16x54. Weighs about 4200#. I consider it about the perfect size for doing odd tractor pins and bushings and what not.
View attachment 777357

Way back in senior year, we got to tour Monarch in Sidney, Ohio. The floor was interesting, 4x4's on end. You could see where a casting was dropped, and new 4x4's were put in. Good machines, to bad they shut the doors.

 

[GeneV]

Personally, I love old steel when it's well maintained or restored. I've seen some really nice Bridgeport mills for instance, with their ways grounded/scraped, quills replated, new screws, just everything tight and nice and smooth. But mostly, I've seen old clapped out machines, needing lots of work. The o/p sounds like he's not looking for a project, he wants to get started turning.

So WinterDeere, what's your budget for this, anyways?

 

[WinterDeere]

Way back in senior year, we got to tour Monarch in Sidney, Ohio. The floor was interesting, 4x4's on end. You could see where a casting was dropped, and new 4x4's were put in. Good machines, to bad they shut the doors.

"End grain parquetry". It was an ideal floor for foundries, as well as all other sorts of industrial applications. Last place I saw it was the floor of the train cars used for the incline plane in Johnstown, PA. Very tough, and very stable WRT changes in weather, versus other types of wood flooring.

So WinterDeere, what's your budget for this, anyways?

Was really just thinking of some < $1k benchtop thing for now. Like I said, I've been selling off larger machines to make more garage space, and still have access to machine shops, so this is really just for minimizing trips to a machine shop for small jobs.

Here's an example: You may have seen my thread on "the thumb". That job will probably require me to center-drill some pins or bolts for grease journals. The pins would probably be 3/4", and my drill press chucks are all 1/2". So, to do this on a drill press, I'd have to buy a larger chuck to either replace the one I have, or more likely hold it in the one I have, and then set up a second chuck on the table to hold the drill bit, so I can grab the pin in the chuck on the quill and drill it to depth for the grease journal. A small benchtop lathe would turn this job, and others similar to it, from a science experiment into a pretty quick job.

 

[Rustyiron]

WinterDeere I see you're in PA. I get Lancaster Farming (weekly paper) and there's always a machine shop auction in there. I think that I've seen them for sale in PA tractor supply's.

 

[Hoss710]

Manicubid Has them at auction in PA and OH all the time. I have a full ( cnc and manual shop at home ) I use to work for a cnc company doing repairs and installations ( my territory was from NY to VA and Tennessee from time to time). I still find them for sale from time to time.