Who has one? Recommendations of brand? Sold a guitar recently and thinking about hunting down a mini lathe to turn my heads and cylinders and what not.
Harbor freight? Old craftsman?
Or should I just blow money on more go fast parts on the next treats sale?!
Life altering decisions here folks.
I've had a Harbor Freight (Sieg) 7 x 16 for years and am quite happy with it. (Yes, a 16" bed can be special ordered, and it's well worth it.) Plan on spending at least as much as the lathe costs on tooling to make it useful.
The 7" swing might be too little for turning heads & cylinders though.
Thank you! I was wondering if it would be...
Is the swing the total diameter of the part your turning or from the center of the chuck to the bed?
Your probably cheaper too just buy go fast parts but there is something about making your own go fast stuff that is just so worth it. I vote Harbor Freight lathe... but take my opinion with a grain of salt as i have never used a lathe before. I will say based on Dave's history of fabricating that his recommendations should be pretty solid. He does excellent work.
Maybe a mill would be more suitable for what I was thinking.
I want to get this one in my area but just cannot swing the price. Even if I did do it I have no place at all to put it in the garage. I had a unit just like this as a kid at home. It was a great machine.
It would be a long trip for you but a nice machine.
https://duluth.craigslist.org/mcy/d/10-inch-sears-metal-lathe/6720591465.html
The swing is the diameter, and as a practical matter you really can't use the whole distance. Some bigger lathes have a "gap bed", which gives a bigger swing right up near the headstock.
A mill might be a good solution - I've got one of HF's "mini" mills and it also works great. But again, budget lots of money for tooling :-)
Those old Sears things are pretty to look at, but as I understand it they suffer from shitty headstock bearings and other problems. Not very good for precise work...
Lathes made in the mid 20th century will be more accurate and reliable than most consumer-grade products on the market today (imo, and unless you have several thousand to spend). I wouldn't go smaller than a 9" (which is what I have, South Bend 9", circa 1942). Keep your eyes open for quality names on Craigslist; Monarch (probably not cheap, or small), Logan, South Bend, Rockford, etc. I nabbed mine for $1k, with tooling, motor, turret, chucks, oil, even a part washer - great deal.
> Gabe Mustane Wrote:
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> Maybe a mill would be more suitable for what I was thinking.
Iv seen guys use lathe that make the mill looking like its wasting up space in the shop.
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> > Maybe a mill would be more suitable for what I was thinking.
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> Iv seen guys use lathe that make the mill looking like its wasting up
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WTF are you even saying
Lathe before mill every time!
you can even do some small-scale milling with a lathe.
I personally favour old (or even ancient) industrial machines over brand new DIY stuff
Try and get something that has a heap of tooling/accessories
specifically; 3-jaw & 4-jaw chucks, face plate, chuck for tailstock.
A quick change tool post with a selection of tools is a great bonus.
I consider myself lucky to have got one with a HUGE load of accessories, including a milling head that sits over the saddle. cost me £3k though!!
www.lathes.co.uk is a fantastic source of info
I've just a had a look at HFs offerings...… nice toys, but you'll soon be disappointed when you want to actually make a component!!
You can always post pics here of potential purchases, looks like a few of us can point you in the right direction.
best of luck!
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I really don't know because I cant use a lathe or mill that great. But Iv seen guys do stuff with a lathe that blows my mind that I only thought was possible with a mill. I never seen anyone use a mill as a lathe
Oh, there's a lot of over-lap in what you can to with the two machines.
I could only imagine, The stuff my local machine shop guy thinks of. You can not teach someone to think the way a machinist thinks. Truly inspiring to watch some take a block of aluminum and make a part out of it
I have a sieg 7x14 with a 4-Jaw 5" chuck. The harbor freight, grizzly, and microlux 7x lathes are all made by sieg. Watch out for the harbor freight 7x10: it's really only 7x8, which is short for drilling operations. The sieg mini lathes are great for small parts and anything aluminum, brass, or palstic. Turning steel or cast iron at 6" diameter is pushing it. If the head has a center spark plug hole its pretty easy. I have turned puch heads no problem. A sieg can produce parts as accurate as your ability. Eventually I'd love to find a tool room size lathe, but for the price paid I don't regret the sieg at all.
Awesome info guys, thank you much!
What do you guys think of this?
https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/d/mini-lathe/6724554326.html
> Gabe Mustane Wrote:
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> What do you guys think of this?
> https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/d/mini-lathe/6724554326.html
Full disclosure, I've no experience with this particular model. That said, I've also heard form several unrelated sources that many of the plastic components (gears and such) needed to be replaced with metal substitutes after approx. 8 to 12 months (of moderate to heavy use). Have also heard complaints about vibration, accuracy, and precision that stem from similar causes; the size will almost certainly, at some point, become a limiting factor. The general consensus seems to be that while most enjoy these machines (Central Machinery, HF, Grizzly - all clones of one another - probably made in the same factory), upgrading is inevitable (for those that stick with it).
If you know this is something you're going to enjoy (most moped people will; did you like Lego's as a kid?) then shoot for something between 7" and 10" (and get an older model - they are better machines). Plus, by the time you buy tooling posts, tools, bits, centers, chucks, etc. you're going to be about $1000 deep anyway.
I guess it really depends what you want to do. If you're looking to turn pens, art-type pieces, or make bolts, this will probably be awesome; cutting moped stuff on thi will require a lot of ingenuity, mod-ing, and additional parts. If I were you, I'd shoot for THIS. Should be able to talk the seller down a hundred or two, plus you'll get a chuck, post, and tooling.
Actually, scratch that. For $850 - Get this!
https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/d/south-bend-lathe/6720847787.html
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> Actually, scratch that. For $850 - Get this!
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How hard is it to take care of these older ones? I found this one too and it's a little more affordable and more complete it looks like.
https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/tls/d/1929-south-bend-16-lathe/6697189420.html
That also looks like a winner. I'd certainly take it for that price.
The thing about quality made forged / milled cast iron + steel (unlike cheap plastic) is that, as long as it's cared for, it'll run the same on day 36,500 as it did on day 1 - if not better.
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