WTB First Lathe Southern Michigan

[zap427]

Hello,

I am looking for a good first lathe to explore the metal working hobby. My budget is around 1000.00. I am completely new but have always been fascinated by metal work. I have researched the subject of buying a used lathe and someone said to "tell everyone you can that you are looking", hence this post.

One problem is I have no real idea of what I would make nor do I have a need to fix anything at the moment. This may sound crazy, but all I know for sure is the interest in the hobby. During my research the last few years I have read a good bit; Sherline's table top machining and The Amateur's Lathe by L H Sparey both recommended by different forum groups.

So if anyone knows of a lathe that might fit a "good starter" please let me know.

Thank you

 

[black85vette]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I think you are in the right place. A lot of members have started from ground zero so you have others who have been where you are and a lot of members are long time pros having worked as machinists. So you can get a lot of relevant ideas here.

Personally I think it is hard to beat the little 7x10 Chinese import lathes to start. They are not too expensive, they work well, they don't take up a lot of room and can be moved or stored. They have a reasonable resale value if you decide you don't really like the hobby. I bought one and still have it even though I also have a much larger lathe.

Secondly, you are in the right place because it is really hard to learn something if you have nothing to accomplish. Just turning metal to smaller diameters is not very interesting. But small engines will give you the framework to learn the basics of lathe work. You make parts that actually do something and have a purpose. Again, the cost is reasonable. Materials to make small engines are not expensive and you don't need a lot of material to do it.

Hope you find what you are looking for. I am sure others will have something to add.

 

[zap427]

Black,

Thank you for the reply. I have read a great deal on many forums and the choices are a bit intimidating when it comes to lathes. I tried hard not to get sucked into the debate about lathes made in China versus the used American, but it is hard.

I read with great interest your thread on first projects and found it very informative. The advice I received about posting the desire to buy a lathe was something I had not thought of. It now makes great sense as you can never tell what is out there until you ask.

I especially like the idea of dealing with forum members as opposed to ebay or even Craig list.

Thanks for the welcome

Jeff

 

[lazylathe]

Welcome to HMEM!!
Hope you enjoy your stay around here!
You never know what you may see here that will spark your interest to make something other than to just fix something!

I am also a total newcomer to this hobby!
Got interested in metal turning a few years ago at my Dad's work.
They had a massive lathe and mill there that they used to make parts for printing machines if something happened to break!
They also made some pretty neat stuff just for fun.

I have the Sherline lathe and mill and am really happy with them.
In hindsight, i might have gone with a cheaper Chinese lathe that has more swing over the bed...
To late now!!!
But for what i am doing they are perfect!

If you are buying these machines solely for the purpose of fixing things, my opinion would be to not buy them.
The time spent in fabricating a $10 part far outways just going to the store and getting a replacement.
Also you would have saved yourself $1000.


If you are really interested in making engines or anything out of metal then i would suggest diving right in and getting a lathe to start with!
It is a lot of fun and can be very rewarding!
Just remember the learning curve is very steep and be prepared to make the same part a good few times before you actually have something that is right! ;D

 

[black85vette]

Just thought of something else I like about the small imports. They are well supported. You can get accessories and repair parts at affordable prices.

As for ebay and Craigslist. I have used them both and got my big lathe locally from Craigslist. The issue with them is not so much dealing with strangers as it is availability. I have not seen a 7x10 lathe on Craigslist around here in many months. They show up on ebay but then you can't go see them first and have to pay shipping.

The good news is that Harbor Freight, Grizzly and others sell new equipment that is affordable and you know what you are getting.

 

[shred]

Southern Michigan ought to be awash in old American iron, but if you don't know how to pick it, you don't know what you're getting.

The classinc US "starter" lathes are the 6" Atlas and 9" South Bend. There's also 10" SB's and 12" Atlases that are pretty common. Above that size (and even some in that size range), lathes become difficult to move without moving machinery and tend to demand a fair bit of real estate to live in.

In the Asia sizes, people tend to start with the 7" or 9". Lots of sites on the web with info on those. Easy resale should you decide you now know enough about lathes to pick a bigger used one. That's kinda the route I took.

 

[ozzie46]

To add to what the others have said,once the lathe is bought you have to figure you are going to spend at least the cost of the lathe on tooling to use it.
So budget accordingly. Some stuff you need right away but others can be bought as needed.

Have a look at this site. It may help you on your decision.

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

Ron

 

[deere_x475guy]

Ron has pointed you to a site that helped me alot when I got started some 6 or so years ago. I joined the premium membership and printed out every tutorial they had and have it in a binder for reference.

Where are you in Michigan? I am from the Allegan area now living just south of Lansing.

 

[zap427]

I am in Jackson Michigan. If you are South of Lansing you must be close. I am familiar with the mini-lathe.com site it is very informative.

Thanks for the reply.

Jeff

 

[deere_x475guy]

Yea we sure are, we are in Eaton Rapids bout 30 minutes from Jackson. I work in Okemos.

 

[Deanofid]

For your budget, you should be able to find a very nice Atlas 618. Some are branded Craftsman, (not referring to the 109 series). Atlas lathes rebranded by Sears have a serial number that starts with 101. Parts are, for the most part, easy to get, if you need them, and there are forums dedicated to them, though you will be hard pressed to do better than this place for info.

You may also be able to get a 9" South Bend for under $1000. You'll have to look for it.

If you think you will be happy doing mostly small work, under 3-4" in diameter, a brand new Taig, complete and ready to go to work will cost only half your budget. If you decide the hobby is not for you, they resell for near the price of new, so you won't be out any big gob of money. If you want to see more of what the Taig lathe can do, click the link at the bottom of this post.

I've also had Sherline machines, and they are very good too, at a similar size and price to Taig, (little more $, but not much). They also resell at a good price.

It's hard to beat an American lathe if you're buying here in the states. There are many good English lathes too, but they are thin on the ground here.

You will find larger American machines at a price within your budget, but as has been mentioned, you have to move them.

Almost any lathe is better than none though. Some of the far east product is okay. You may also see some good western European machines on ebay. Smaller Euro lathes like Emco are light enough to ship. Some are only metric, so check that out if it matters to you.

Ask particular questions here if you find something that strikes your fancy.

 

[zap427]

very cool pictures and nice looking machines!

 

[zap427]

For your budget, you should be able to find a very nice Atlas 618. Some are branded Craftsman, (not referring to the 109 series). Atlas lathes rebranded by Sears have a serial number that starts with 101. Parts are, for the most part, easy to get, if you need them, and there are forums dedicated to them, though you will be hard pressed to do better than this place for info.

You may also be able to get a 9" South Bend for under $1000. You'll have to look for it.

If you think you will be happy doing mostly small work, under 3-4" in diameter, a brand new Taig, complete and ready to go to work will cost only half your budget. If you decide the hobby is not for you, they resell for near the price of new, so you won't be out any big gob of money. If you want to see more of what the Taig lathe can do, click the link at the bottom of this post.

I've also had Sherline machines, and they are very good too, at a similar size and price to Taig, (little more $, but not much). They also resell at a good price.

It's hard to beat an American lathe if you're buying here in the states. There are many good English lathes too, but they are thin on the ground here.

You will find larger American machines at a price within your budget, but as has been mentioned, you have to move them.

Almost any lathe is better than none though. Some of the far east product is okay. You may also see some good western European machines on ebay. Smaller Euro lathes like Emco are light enough to ship. Some are only metric, so check that out if it matters to you.

Ask particular questions here if you find something that strikes your fancy.

Dean, amazing stuff. I am old enough to know it is the guy behind the machine and not the machine. I have been to many of the modeling sites and continue to be impressed with what you guys can accomplish.

I have a fellow near-by that has a clausing 12x36 for sale and he has promised some pictures. This sounds like a pretty big machine but I will take a look for sure.

 

[Twmaster]

Zap, I know some of the folks here will give me dirty looks for this but do yourself a favor. Unless you like having to constantly fiddle with things to make them work do not buy a Chinese 7x12/12/14 lathe. There are other Chinese machines that are supposed to be OK. The 8x12/14 is one that has good reviews.

I speak from experience. I own (but not for much longer) a H-F 7x10. It was ok at first. Then everything began to get sloppy. I won't bore you with the details but I could never get the machine to stay tight. Fit on these stink. Stink to hell I say. Then the speed controller blew up... That was the end for me. I am parting this POS out.

Perhaps If I were a 'real' machinist I could have dealt with some of the issues but that is the last thing a new user needs to deal with while learning. IMHO.

With the budget you have in mind a good used lathe should be obtainable. Just be willing to take your time to find the right machine.

Best of luck. Please do let us know what you end up with.

 

[zap427]

Thank you all for the replies and good advice. The fellow with the Clausing has send some pictures which I will try to include. The big disadvantage is not knowing what I am looking at. I have no issue with a used machine and this fellow seems to be a stand up guy. I am not sure if I need one that big. But I have read a lot that big is good if it is a good machine. I guess this is all part of the process of learning. I do not have a "friend" that could verify the condition of this particular machine. I will try and get the sn so I can look up the vintage of the machine.

 

[kuhncw]

Hello Zap,

You might contact Richard Triemstra. He is a helpful fellow and he deals in good used machinery.

Richard Triemstra 6238 College Dr., Dearborn, Heights, MI 48127
Telephone (313) 366-1061 e-mail: [email protected]
Specializing in U.S. made machines for hobbyist. Send SASE for list.

Regard,

Chuck Kuhn

 

[zap427]

kuhncw,

Thank you for the contact, I send Rich an email.

Jeff

 

[deere_x475guy]

Hi Zap have you located a lathe yet?