Contemplating a small lathe...

[Tremelune]

Actually, that was all very helpful.

"Jeff" and "Rod" at Bayshore Auto are two of the guys from Big Dog. I spoke with Rod today. Everyone I spoke with seemed very friendly.

They ran out of lathes, but there are more coming in "on the boat" that should be here by the end of the month. Rod told me they would ship them out the next day.

This hasn't been an unpleasant experienced, but I think I've been more lenient than most. Nice guys, but they need to get their poop together if they expect the business to be sustainable. I guess time will tell along with the overall fit and finish of the machine.

 

[reptiles]

Any thought on wood?

Greetings,

I've been watching this thread with interest.

I just have one question... would these lathes also turn wood?

I hate to spend $400-600 on a wood lathe (1/2 or 3/4HP 12x20 Jet or similar) then also buy a metal lathe if I need one later.

Regards,

Mark

 

[will]

Re: Any thought on wood?

Greetings,

I've been watching this thread with interest.

I just have one question... would these lathes also turn wood?

I hate to spend $400-600 on a wood lathe (1/2 or 3/4HP 12x20 Jet or similar) then also buy a metal lathe if I need one later.

Regards,

Mark

You can turn wood on any metal lathe, but, you can't turn metal on a wood lathe ( under most circumstances ) If you are going to use wood chisels, you have to get a tool rest for the chisels. I turn all my wood on a metal lathe, I just use it like it was very soft metal. I use the carriage to hold my tools. There are places that will sell the wood tool rest for a lot of metal lathes.

You will get a much bigger wood lathe than a metal lathe for the same money. The wood lathe does not have a carriage, and a lot of other items that a metal lathe will have.

Check out Grizzly for comparisons of metal and wood lathes.

 

[Clark]

I have paid for 5 metal lathes.

Lathes are like boat, guns, and lots of other things.
When buying, transporting, or storing, the smaller the better.
When using, the bigger the better.

 

[StrikerDown]

My 1440 is quite easily moved by one person(ME):

:poke:

 

[mototraxtech]

My 1440 is quite easily moved by one person(ME):

:poke:

Thats really cool and when I get a shop I would like to do that but how do you level it.

 

[Clark]

The machines in my shop that I have on wheels:
Delta 14" Bandsaw
Delta 10" table saw
Delta 6" jointer
Lincoln 200Amp TIG welder
Welding table
Precision Matthews 1236 lathe
Altas 12x36 lathe
Rockwell 21-100 vertical mill
[Boeing surplus] elevator table
5' tall antique bank safe

I had a girl friend 35 years ago that weighed 90 pounds. She came from a small family that had to reach consensus before they could move furniture.
I came from a family that each male could pick up and throw a sofa, but I can't throw a lathe, so I need wheels so I won't need help.

 

[Databyter]

I used to run lathes in several aerospace manufacturing companies years ago. Actually I went to school for it(It was called machine tool technology I think).

If you have never used one before I think it's important to really think about safety. Lathes don't look very dangerous, but actually they can be.

I'd recommend looking for some kind of a basic lathing tutorial to show you the techniques.

When you use it make sure to keep hair and sleeves well cuffed and tied up out of the way. It only takes one to mistake wrap you up and mangle you. The smaller lathes will probably stop before they mangle you too bad, but it will definitely ruin your day.

Also when your changing tooling etc, make sure your in neutral and preferably power off. Check your setup before you start it up, if you have tooling in the way of the chuck, a common mistake, the chuck won't know it and you'l have a broken tool, and possibly shrapnel.

Also, a really common mistake is leaving the chuck key in the chuck. It sounds stupid, like something you would never do, but trust me you will do it, so always have the habit to check for it before you power up. I don't know how far a small lathe can throw a key but I've seen some holes in aircraft hanger roofs from some of the mid sized ones, it can really dent your face too.

Not trying to preach at ya too much, but it's worth thinking about, also I wouldn't let your kids near it (assuming you have any) until you check em out on it.

If you have a buddy who knows lathes more than you do invite him over to check out your new machine and give you a few tips. Otherwise take it slow and just focus on not injuring yourself.

I know your a mechanicaly inclined guy or you wouldn't be interested so I know you'll have alot of fun and it is addicting!

In fact although it's been years, I'm aching to get back on board one of these machines!

BTW can you do threading on these smaller machines posted on the thread? I scanned through and didn't see anything specific.?

 

[StrikerDown]

Thats really cool and when I get a shop I would like to do that but how do you level it.

But if I level it I can't take it for a walk around the block! :ohgeez:

Sorry, Here is the thread that shows the whole lathe set up:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=230731&page=3


Mike,

Good post. We don't talk about safety with these beasts much when we are at the keyboard. Safety is always good to be reminded about, thanks.

I have a rule that I will never take my hand off the chuck key until it is returned to its storage spot. in other words if it is in the chuck my hand is on it and if I need the hand for something else the key comes out of the chuck! period.

Note to self, this applies to the four jaw also!

I don't use the 4 jaw often and the other day the rule was violated! :ohgeez:Fortunately I was turning a short taper on the back side of the work piece to keep the compound away from the chuck and thus the rotation was in reverse. Judging by the dent in the back splash it would have gone through the Honda windshield! :o

My father used to say that familiarity breeds contempt... he was right!

 

[stinky]

This is great info for dumb newbs like me. I'm hoping to scrounge up the $ for an SC-2 http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Reviews/Sieg SC/SC2.htm in the spring or summer. Then I'll have to buy tooling. argh.

Regarding your question, I don't know about the other lathes, but with the high-torque brushless motor I sure the SC-2 should be able to do threading without any trouble.

I used to run lathes in several aerospace manufacturing companies years ago. Actually I went to school for it(It was called machine tool technology I think).

If you have never used one before I think it's important to really think about safety. Lathes don't look very dangerous, but actually they can be.

I'd recommend looking for some kind of a basic lathing tutorial to show you the techniques.

When you use it make sure to keep hair and sleeves well cuffed and tied up out of the way. It only takes one to mistake wrap you up and mangle you. The smaller lathes will probably stop before they mangle you too bad, but it will definitely ruin your day.

Also when your changing tooling etc, make sure your in neutral and preferably power off. Check your setup before you start it up, if you have tooling in the way of the chuck, a common mistake, the chuck won't know it and you'l have a broken tool, and possibly shrapnel.

Also, a really common mistake is leaving the chuck key in the chuck. It sounds stupid, like something you would never do, but trust me you will do it, so always have the habit to check for it before you power up. I don't know how far a small lathe can throw a key but I've seen some holes in aircraft hanger roofs from some of the mid sized ones, it can really dent your face too.

Not trying to preach at ya too much, but it's worth thinking about, also I wouldn't let your kids near it (assuming you have any) until you check em out on it.

If you have a buddy who knows lathes more than you do invite him over to check out your new machine and give you a few tips. Otherwise take it slow and just focus on not injuring yourself.

I know your a mechanicaly inclined guy or you wouldn't be interested so I know you'll have alot of fun and it is addicting!

In fact although it's been years, I'm aching to get back on board one of these machines!

BTW can you do threading on these smaller machines posted on the thread? I scanned through and didn't see anything specific.?

 

[65535]

This is great info for dumb newbs like me. I'm hoping to scrounge up the $ for an SC-2 http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Reviews/Sieg SC/SC2.htm in the spring or summer. Then I'll have to buy tooling. argh.

Regarding your question, I don't know about the other lathes, but with the high-torque brushless motor I sure the SC-2 should be able to do threading without any trouble.

Threading doesn't require a whole heck of a lot of torque, the insert or bits used remove very little material in a pass, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[darkzero]

I have a rule that I will never take my hand off the chuck key until it is returned to its storage spot. in other words if it is in the chuck my hand is on it and if I need the hand for something else the key comes out of the chuck! period.

Good practice Ray, I like that! BTW, reviewed your thread again, awesome lathe & I like your set up!

On my 8x14 I luckily only once had the key fly. :ohgeez:Don't remember what exactly happened but luckily the key was on the side of the chuck facing the front rather than sitting on top so the key didn't fly across the garage. It only bounced off the chip pan leaving a big dent but that was still planty of impact to scare me into learning my lesson. Sometimes bad experiences are the best ways to learn. :o

Then I got the Bison & the Bison key has the nice feature of self ejecting but I could never get used to using it with the spring so I removed it from the key. I did the same thing when I got the bigger Bison for the new lathe. One good thing about the new lathe is the chuck guard, can't turn on the spindle without letting the chuck guard down which automatically forces me to take the key out even if I do forget.

The keys in shop class are huge (long & heavy) & there has been plenty of times where I've seen the instructor scold someone about leaving the key in the chuck. I'd really don't want to see one of those fly!

 

[Databyter]

Threading doesn't require a whole heck of a lot of torque, the insert or bits used remove very little material in a pass, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

What I'm wondering about isn't so much the power, as you say you only bite what you need to, or can.

I was wondering if the smaller lathes usually come with the worm gears for threading. They add alot of weight and some complexity, and require some kind of auto feeding, so I wasn't sure if this was a standard option for sub size lathes. Frankly I never did much threading in Industry, but for my current interests I would need one that can do the job.

 

[StrikerDown]

What I'm wondering about isn't so much the power, as you say you only bite what you need to, or can.

I was wondering if the smaller lathes usually come with the worm gears for threading. They add alot of weight and some complexity, and require some kind of auto feeding, so I wasn't sure if this was a standard option for sub size lathes. Frankly I never did much threading in Industry, but for my current interests I would need one that can do the job.

I can't speak to all small lathes, but some do come with change gears that you manually swap out to cut different threads. Look at their spec sheet before purchase to determine if the one you are interested is capable of the thread pitch you need.

 

[danreetz]

I learned most of my machining skills from old books and the videos you can rent at http://smartflix.com/ -- they have everything you need to get started. Highly recommended.

 

[65535]

Usually unlike a mill with precision ballscrews the lathe's Y axis. Is driven by a threaded rod that is powered by a takeoff gear from the spindle and can be geared the the required ratio to the spindle for different thread pitches. Then a half nut is used to engage the carriage on the rotating rod.

Not all work that way but most do.

It's not that common to find them used on small lathes, but they are available around 8x and up.

 

[gadget_lover]

All the 7x10 (heck, 7x anything) based on the Seig lathe have change gears, a lead screw and halfnuts. I've cut lots of threads on mine.

Daniel

 

[65535]

You're right meant to say 7x. All these lathes seem huge to the one I have in my room. Little unloved taig still needs a motor.

 

[will]

My little ENCO 7x10 does threading very nicely..

 

[Tremelune]

Finally.