6" lathes

[Kludge]

Okay, so all the discussions here have given me feelings of total machine inadequacy as far as my top gun goes. That would be the Taig which can swing 4-1/2" over the bed before things get exciting. The small machines are fine and I love them to death and wouldn't mind going smaller someday (which I probably will with a modified Swiss turns) but I need to upgrade my heavy machine while keeping in mind budget and space.

Before anyone suggests one of the 7xSomething miracle machines from China with all the bells, whistles, doohickies, thingamabobs and built-in coffee makers, take a look at the machines I have. They're all pretty basic. No bells, no whistles, no thingamabobs and I still have to find my coffee maker on my own. This is how I like doing things, very much hands-on and taking my time. Cool accessories, like a homemade threading attachment I saw for a Taig that didn't use a power feed of any sort, can be added if need be. (Okay, yeah, I'll be changing over to a variable speed DC motor when I can but, for now, I'm happy with what I have.)

Sooo ... I've been looking at the idea of a 6xSomething lathe like an AA109 or the kit-built ones or something of that order. Even a basket case is pretty much okay; my 8 & 10mm watchmaker's lathes and the Unimat started off that way. They aren't perfect but they work as designed and, in the end, that's what counts.

My search locally has been a definite No Joy. eBay has been no help. The folks who have them either never heard of Hawaii or ship via the most expensive way they can find. I'm not sure which is worse. Craiglist and local classifieds have been useless and I think I'm out of miracles.

Oh, well. I'll think of something truly strange.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Stan]

Some others on this board set up a relationship with another member to reship goods when the seller refuses or overcharges for shipping to x place. This board has members around the world and there is much cooperation.

 

[Kludge]

Oh, yeah, Stan. They're all good people. Well, mostly. That guy in Hawaii's a bit of a headache now and again. ;D

Let me see what I can do to set up a fund so I can send cash money to someone to do the buy. It may wind up a digital promisary attached to payments. I wonder how many would trust that.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Tin Falcon]

Kluge between the the import 7 x and a AA109 I have to say the 7x is more usable. I have a 7x that gets much use and a couple of the old craftsmen that are project in the works to actually use,
A few comments about the 109
they have vintage character
most have a 4 jaw chuck only
spindle turns CCW only
the back plate is the face plate drive plate.
longitudinal feed is difficult to impossible to hand feed.
Tool post is rudimentary at best but can be fitted with a QC holder.
There are not dials or grads on the feed handles.
tooling is hard to find or expensive IIRC Zero Morse taper.
IIRC Taig or Sherline tooling will fit.
Tin

 

[cfellows]

I've owned a couple of the Craftsman AA109 lathes. They are curious novelties, but pretty limited in their capabilities (in my humble opinion 8)). The 1/2" spindle is too flexible. The front headstock bearing, while pretty imaginative for it's adjustment capabilities, would be difficult, at least for me, to replicate if it should need replacing.

I have an old article in Projects in Metal where a fella replaced the headstock on the AA109. His new headstock, which was basically a built up steel box, had a much larger spindle and accepted 5C collets. The spindle was made from a 5C spin indexer. He also mounted the lathe on a 1/2" thick steel plate to help stiffen the bed. It changed the lathe into a whole new animal which was much more accurate and rigid. I suppose it's collector's value was substantially diminished by the modification! :big:

Chuck

 

[Kludge]

Tin and Chuck, thank you for the information.

While the AA109 and kit form lathes were the only ones that came off the top of my head, I know there are others that are still just as basic. I just used them as examples.

Tin, as I mentioned, the newer 7x lathes don't make it for me. I way prefer very basic machines without all the finery but if there's a basic 7x that will fit the same space (and is cheeeeep), I'm all for it. Basket cases (and orphans) welcome.

Also, a lack of dials is a fixable problem as long as I know how much they advance in one turn.

Chuck, collector's value is useless in the shop so I'm not above modification as needed. (Collectors would be horrified at what I've sketched out for the Unimat. ) For example, the Taig has a 6" swing on risers but still suffers from a short bed. The spindle cartridge is a separate and fairly rugged piece just waiting to be used on other things which, interestingly enough, several people have done.

All: We all have our own styles and mine is to use very basic machines. This probably stems from learning on a Unimat DB-200 back when having a sabertooth tiger for a pet was all the rage plus using watchmaker's lathes which don't even have a feed screw other than the one on the cross slide. As a result, basic and usually undernourished machines are my "comfort zone".
Yeah, I know I'm weird but that's just one of the many things that make me so loveable. :big: :big: :big:

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[jack404]

Kludge

i have a gunsmith/ tinkerer friend in the "islands' there

he bought a lathe here

he said the $ exchange gave him bigger buying power a $700 AUD lathe here is $460 USD

which was cheaper than the mainland option of $595 plus shipping

the shipping was the same as from mainland US ( a couple bucks either way depending which way you send it)

he bought the 110/240 dual voltage switch one ( extra $25)

Kludge look where you get the spec you want, the best price , best shipping etc and someone here will help you out, not everything is cheaper from HF ( H&F in OZ)

The good folks here have and are helping me source stuff thats stopped being shipped outside the 48
1 item, IF the distributor here ever stock them, has gone from $60 AUD - to nearly $180 AUD
its $29.95 in the states ($43 and change, Oz) but my dealer stopping shipping outside the USA a few months ago..
carbide tool bits, US $12.85 ($18.95 Oz) at Travers in the USA, AU $125 plus tax here each plus delievry maybe $30.. grrrr

5 in bubble wrap and a USPS box is US $9 postage

i buy direct online with them now but needed a mainland US address to creat a account! even though the delievery and billing address is in OZ.. then moved my registration address to Oz later .. crazy..

and i am sure there are folks here who'd be happy to help you out too

its one thing as human beings that makes us different in a good way,

we do favours for each other

 

[cfellows]

There's a near new Jet 8 x 20 lathe on Craigs List here in Phoenix for $450. Ad says it includes chucks and other accessories. If I didn't already have a lathe and I wasn't moving next year, I'd be all over that for that price. Probably gone by now anyway.

Chuck

 

[lathe nut]

Kludge, I have two 109's, two HF 7X10, and the little 6" Atlas (that a nice little fellow), I had someone build me some hard shaft for the 109's and a few other things on them, that is what I started with, they will get the job done but not as fast, my choice in the small lathe is the Atlas, HF then the 109, good luck, just get something, Cando

 

[Kludge]

Chuck: Yeah, that's another problem. A few have got gone before I even see the ads. Since my absolute top priority is Noelle, my expendible cash is determined by her needs first with even silly things like food et al taking a second place position. I still need to get a few things like taps & dies, drills and a few countersinks or end mills to create what I need for ... closest example, socket head screws, I guess, even though mine aren't socket head. At the same time, building up a fund I can use to buy a machine in whatever form still needs to be handled.

Oh, one thing I didn't mention and I guess I should. One thing I don't need is a motor (or a table, for all that) which lightens the package a lot and should reduce the cost.

Jack: This is kind of how I want to do things, though ePay vendors don't usually ship to anything except PP verified addresses. (Kind of sucks when using that as a method of payment.) I'll figure it out one way or another but it will take a bit to do so.

Hmmm ... I wonder if Kona coffee or Macadamia nuts are adequate as bribes. ;D

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Kludge]

Kludge, I have two 109's, two HF 7X10, and the little 6" Atlas

Serious overkill. I'm sure you need the deck space used by one of these. ;D

just get something

I'm trying to! Honest! Even basket cases are welcome since thats how I got everything except the Taig and the Clisby.

There is something fantastically heartwarming (as in warm fuzzies) about working on a machine that I've put together from what started as a basic mess of rusty bits. It's kind of listening to a radial I've got blood and sweat in overhauling it lighting up for the first time. One of the best legal highs going.

BEst regards,

Kludge

 

[cfellows]

Kludge,

Seriously, would you consider buying an AA109 and building a new headstock for it? I think it would make a really decent lathe with a more robust headstock. And you might be able to buy one with a junk headstock or no spindle cheap.

Chuck

 

[Kludge]

Seriously, would you consider buying an AA109 and building a new headstock for it?

As long as I have enough of the cross slide and tail stock to build with, yep. No problem. As I said, basket cases are loved.

For example: My 8mm has a Peerless bed and headstock, a tailstock from another Peerless (after checking the alignment of the headstock & tailstock) and a Wolfe Jahn compound cross slide. When I got the bed & headstock, the headstock couldn't be turned and the working surface of the bed was a wreck. I eventually replaced the pulley on the headstock from yet another Peerless that was otherwise junk. Eventually I'll get around to replating the bed and support but it works beautiful as it is.

Hmmm ... thinking reflectively ... I wonder if it would be possible to mount a Taig headstock on a AA109 bed with a little adapting and extrreme cleverness, something familiar to all the members of the HMEM congregation.

BEst regards,

Kludge

 

[Kludge]

Another reflective thought: That could be expanded to any 6" (or 7", I guess) basic machine. Motors aren't a problem; I've seen ones adequate to the task for $10 or so at flea markets & yard/garage sales. (Which means I've just jinxed myself. ) A bench isn't a problem nor is a piece of plate to bolt under the machine to stiffen it. A jackshaft isn't all that much of a challenge (which leads to the obvious question of why I haven't finished the ones for the watchmaker's lathes :-[) so all that's needed is something to turn.

BEst regards,

Kludge

 

[BillH]

Sounds like you could use a 8x14 lathe from Lathemaster or Harborfreight.
I am getting good use out of mine and I find it comparable to my South Bend 9"

 

[shred]

My dad has an AA109. It's not that much bigger than the Taig, though it does have a leadscrew. The old-iron 6" lathe to look for is the Atlas/Craftsman 101- lathe series. Much nicer and if it's a garage-sale piece, generally goes for a similar $ as the 109's (collectors can run them up, but they can't get 'em all )

 

[Kludge]

Sounds like you could use a 8x14 lathe from Lathemaster or Harborfreight.
I am getting good use out of mine and I find it comparable to my South Bend 9"

Hi, Bill ... and welcome to HMEM. (I noticed the post count and figured you were new to Bedlam ... er, the site. ;D) The inmates are ... ummm... mostly harmless but very informative. Well, except that escapee from the Home for the Terminally Weird over in Hawaii. Not too sure about him.

Let me give you a brief description of Da Ol' KludgeMeister Hisself. That's me, by the way.

I love working with very, very basic and very, very small machines. I have six lathes - the Taig (my big gun), a Unimat SL-1000, three watchmaker's lathes and a Clisby which is considered the world's smallest commercially sold working lathe. My drill press is a Frei precision (watchmaker's) drill press and the closest thing I have to a vertical mill at the moment is the Unimat's milling column with separate bases.

From this madness will be coming small machines - engines mostly - for my daughter who has MS, Fibromyalgia, Meniere's Disease and a number of other autoimmune disorders, and spends a lot of her time sick (sides from both the disorders & the med combinations) and in pain. Noelle is the absolute center of my life and there is no such thing as "too much" where she's concerned. With that, one of the "rules" regarding the Noelle-machines is that they have to fit inside a USPS Priority flat rate "shoebox" complete with padding so that means small ... but not too small since she's also losing her eyesight.

Some machines will be for me - ones too small for her to see and the steam powered ones. I trust her with steam but Yogi (6.5 pounds of canine curiosity, playfulness and mischief) must not be harmed by them in any way possible unless I want to face the Wrath of Noelle. Trust me, the Wrath of Khan would be a lovely Summer vacation by comparison. So, steam is mine ... ALL MINE! Bwaaahahahaha. *ahem* ... sorry. I get carried away sometimes.

Tooling up for this has been a slow process assisted by the good people here who've kept me in line ... er, pointed me in the right direction any number of times, either directly or through reading old threads. In a number of cases, we've had to consider scaling effect (ie, what works on a 12" lathe isn't always true of a 4.5" one and vice versa) and the fact that I'm more familiar with watchmaker's solutions than the way the "big boys" do things. It gets entertaining at times but when an 10-32 screw is "huge" by comparison to what one's used to, it's kind of fun.

At the same time, I'm a disabled vet (Nam-era, 100%, service combined) and this is one part of the duty occupational therapy for me. It keeps my hands and mind occupied, keeping the latter away from memories I'd rather not have. This may also explain part of why I like basic machines (aside from learning on a Unimat DB-200) since it's far more hands on than some of the more fancy newer machines.

Also, if you look at the run down of my machines, you'll see that even moving up to a 6" lathe is a rather large upgrade. The Taig only has a 4.5" swing over the bed normally and 6" with risers but it still has a short bed which a 6" stretches some. The headstock is decidedly rugged (the same one is used on their mill) so adapting it to, say, an AA109 is not out of the question.

If wurst comes to worst, I may pick up a bed sold by a pool cue maker to build my own 6" machine around even though it's aluminum and I'd need to fasten it down to something fairly rigid for an underbed. It's designed for the Taig headstock and is around 2' long so would be about right at the upper end of the scale.

I wonder if the nice people at Taig knew what would happen when they designed their lovely machine - that so many people would come up with new and interesting ways to use them.

And, yes, I'm pretty much stuck in the turn of the previous century. ;D

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Kludge]

My dad has an AA109. It's not that much bigger than the Taig, though it does have a leadscrew.

I far prefer a leadscrew over that handwheel thingie the Taig has. I think I've seen a homemade conversion for the Taig that uses a 1/4"-20 threaded rod (which means it turns backwards from what's intuitive) but I can't recall where at the moment.

The old-iron 6" lathe to look for is the Atlas/Craftsman 101- lathe series. Much nicer and if it's a garage-sale piece, generally goes for a similar $ as the 109's (collectors can run them up, but they can't get 'em all )

Yeah, I'd forgotten about them. Lovely machines.

Thus far, swap meets (flea markets to the mainlanders), garage/yard/block sales et al have been No Joy except for motors which, of course, I've now jinxed myself for. (BTW, the motor that came with my Taig is reversable. Pretty cool ... except when it spins chucks off. That's kind of a downer.) I am becoming more and more convinced 6x lathes simply don't exist here or, if they do, their owners are hoarding them. But I shall keep the faith and hope someone slips up someday ... or the Great Pumpkin smiles upon me.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[BillH]

Hi, Bill ... and welcome to HMEM. (I noticed the post count and figured you were new to Bedlam ... er, the site. ;D) The inmates are ... ummm... mostly harmless but very informative. Well, except that escapee from the Home for the Terminally Weird over in Hawaii. Not too sure about him.

Let me give you a brief description of Da Ol' KludgeMeister Hisself. That's me, by the way.

I love working with very, very basic and very, very small machines. I have six lathes - the Taig (my big gun), a Unimat SL-1000, three watchmaker's lathes and a Clisby which is considered the world's smallest commercially sold working lathe. My drill press is a Frei precision (watchmaker's) drill press and the closest thing I have to a vertical mill at the moment is the Unimat's milling column with separate bases.

From this madness will be coming small machines - engines mostly - for my daughter who has MS, Fibromyalgia, Meniere's Disease and a number of other autoimmune disorders, and spends a lot of her time sick (sides from both the disorders & the med combinations) and in pain. Noelle is the absolute center of my life and there is no such thing as "too much" where she's concerned. With that, one of the "rules" regarding the Noelle-machines is that they have to fit inside a USPS Priority flat rate "shoebox" complete with padding so that means small ... but not too small since she's also losing her eyesight.

Some machines will be for me - ones too small for her to see and the steam powered ones. I trust her with steam but Yogi (6.5 pounds of canine curiosity, playfulness and mischief) must not be harmed by them in any way possible unless I want to face the Wrath of Noelle. Trust me, the Wrath of Khan would be a lovely Summer vacation by comparison. So, steam is mine ... ALL MINE! Bwaaahahahaha. *ahem* ... sorry. I get carried away sometimes.

Tooling up for this has been a slow process assisted by the good people here who've kept me in line ... er, pointed me in the right direction any number of times, either directly or through reading old threads. In a number of cases, we've had to consider scaling effect (ie, what works on a 12" lathe isn't always true of a 4.5" one and vice versa) and the fact that I'm more familiar with watchmaker's solutions than the way the "big boys" do things. It gets entertaining at times but when an 10-32 screw is "huge" by comparison to what one's used to, it's kind of fun.

At the same time, I'm a disabled vet (Nam-era, 100%, service combined) and this is one part of the duty occupational therapy for me. It keeps my hands and mind occupied, keeping the latter away from memories I'd rather not have. This may also explain part of why I like basic machines (aside from learning on a Unimat DB-200) since it's far more hands on than some of the more fancy newer machines.

Also, if you look at the run down of my machines, you'll see that even moving up to a 6" lathe is a rather large upgrade. The Taig only has a 4.5" swing over the bed normally and 6" with risers but it still has a short bed which a 6" stretches some. The headstock is decidedly rugged (the same one is used on their mill) so adapting it to, say, an AA109 is not out of the question.

If wurst comes to worst, I may pick up a bed sold by a pool cue maker to build my own 6" machine around even though it's aluminum and I'd need to fasten it down to something fairly rigid for an underbed. It's designed for the Taig headstock and is around 2' long so would be about right at the upper end of the scale.

I wonder if the nice people at Taig knew what would happen when they designed their lovely machine - that so many people would come up with new and interesting ways to use them.

And, yes, I'm pretty much stuck in the turn of the previous century. ;D

Best regards,

Kludge

Hello Kludge, I am sorry for never introducing myself here. There are so many familiar faces from homeshopmachinist that I didn't think of it. I live in South West Florida, currently a full time flight instructor teaching Europeans how to fly airplanes. Went to college for a computer science degree, switched out of that for History instead. After I graduated I decided to become an Air Traffic Controller, went down to Miami for more schooling, they threw me into private pilot ground school. Got to fly a Level D 757 full motion simulator and I said out loud, "Screw ATC, I am going to become a pilot"
Well that is a fairly recent part of my life, I left out the other 20 years.
Growing up as a kid, I loved trains, and Airplanes. I especially love Steam locomotives and local railroad history. I grew up in CT, went to school in CT, and I had all around me, ruins of the old railroads. My desire for the local history of the old railroads drove me into a history degree at school.
Anyhow, I grew up in the woodshop. My dad had a nice woodshop where the cars were supposed to be parked. From an early age I loved to build things. IT was not until later in life that the live steam hobby brought me into metal working. I never looked back. It seams no matter where I relocate for my aviation job, I cannot remove the metal working aspect of my life. It drives me insane if I don't have a workshop, I just gotta have one. No Ifs ands or butts!
It kind of sucks that I have to set up separate workshops all over the damn country. That is why I own a South Bend Lathe but had to go out and buy an 8x14. By the way, I also have a Taig lathe and I love it as well! IT really is a useful and high quality machine tool.
For everything that I have made in the workshop, I have not yet actually completed an engine. I have parts I built for the Kozo A3 steam locomotive at my "other" shop. Right now I took the plans of the "Cracker" I found on this webpage and created it in Solid Works. I am going to convert it over to the imperial system. I really wished the USA went Metric 20 years ago...
I just made some bronze bushings for the thrust reverser levers of a L-1011 throttle quadrant I am going to convert for Flight Simulator use. Used my Taig and 8x14 for that project. I want to build a Stirling engine for my dad. My mother just died of a massive heart attack a few days ago, two weeks before that, a good friend of mine from flight school died in a mid air collision. Well needless to say, I feel the need to make my dad something from the heart, not some store bought made by a Chinese kid crap thing that is a dime a dozen. I think a Stirling engine would fit the bill.
Above all else, flying airplanes and playing in the workshop takes my mind off the things in life that are hard to deal with, they are my therapy and life.
Nice to meet you Kludge, and others.

 

[Cedge]

Kludge
Taking a page from the Bogster anti VAT play book, do you happen to know anyone making the trip back and forth on the cruise lines? Might you be able to talk one of those guys into playing courier for you some of your main land needs?

Steve