Mini-Lathe Advice
Ok, please please don’t hurt me.
Long story short I’ve had a talk with the misses and its time for us to move out of the city so that we can enjoy wide open spaces, both inside and out.
For me, this means having enough space to have the workshop area I’ve always wanted and of course, to get a lathe set up.
I want to start small, but not fisher-price, and I’d like bang for the buck, not necessarily the cheapest dang thing out there.
I am looking at an 8″x12″ Mini-Lathe from HF, for example, but I don’t know what the heck I’m lookin’ at.
I’d like to start with making my own valves and tank fittings and such, will this do the trick? When does one outgrow the “mini”?
Thanks, I’d appreciate any info!
All Replies
I’ve been turned on to the Sieg SC4 due to a review on mini-lathe.comhttp://www.mini-lathe.com/m4/C4/c4.htm.
This is the retailer I found: http://www.travers.com/product.asp?RequestData=CA_Search&navPath=All+Products%2F%2F%2F%2FUserSearch1%3Dsc4&eaprodid=177113-87-116-020
Variable speed control seems like a significant time saver, but I have no frame of reference.
I think the Grizzly previously linked to would be a good choice for a small lathe. It’s still big enough for most of the jobs you’ll eventually want to tackle.
1″ through the spindle bore is as small as I would recommend. Changing gears for threading as on the Smithy AT-300 I use currently…is a pain in the ass…quick change gear box please. Ditto with changing belts for rpms.
The Grizzly is “layed out” like a “big” lathe, so you won’t have to re-learn everything when you do “size up”. I went to use my dads lathe the other day…simple job of facing off to length and chamfering some tubing for a couple AF type rifles (wouldn’t fit through the spindle on the Smithy)…controls are different…felt like a total newb…all thumbs. 😆
IMNSHO…anything smaller is going to show it’s limitations quickly once you learn how to use it.
Check the local used market as well…you might get lucky. 🙂
Couple books for you in the mean time;
The Home Machinist’s Handbook covers the basics, and will get you started with a minimum of frustration.
Machinery’s Handbook….everything from drill sizes, speeds and feeds to engineering formulae…if you need to know it…it’s in there. Older versions are available on ebay reasonably priced.
I’ll also suggest you locate a decent bench grinder to sharpen bits…HSS is much more useful than carbides in the home shop…you’ll be using it not only for cutters, but for form tools as well…it’s HANDY stuff.
Al
That’s what I thought when I seen it (on a 4×4 site). So I stole it off that site to share the “Wonder girl” with you guys.
thats what i call a contribution to society! 😆
That’s what I thought when I seen it (on a 4×4 site). So I stole it off that site to share the “Wonder girl” with you guys.
x2 on that avatar 😯 , id take the lathe money and pay her for an hour or 2… 😀 😀
I’ve got quite a bit of reading to do!
As a level 0 machinist that has never even touched a lathe, I have a few main doubts:
1. Size. For all intents and purposes, all I require is the ability to make stainless steel parts with as high precision as possible (3000 psi valve work specifically). Is something like the Taig Micro anything I should be looking at at all?
http://www.taigtools.com/mlathe.html
Again, I defer to you guys for real world experience, will I regret going too small?
2. Mill + Lathe. Considering that I am starting from nothing more interesting than a hand held power drill as far as tools (I just got a vice last week), I am thinking that I will be seriously limited in what I can produce without a mill to perform all the static axis work.
Again, thanks for your generosity of advice.
I used a mill/lathe combo for a few years before i scored an descent lathe from a trade school here in town.. The biggest draw back is they typicaly arnt very rigid and had a small bore size limiting the size of material i could pass through it but they do give you both machines in the same bench space.. I wouldn’t waste the time or money on the “micro” machines and stick with the larger hobby sized ones. Spend as much as you can afford (without breaking the bank) and power feeds are always welcome… but thats just my $.02
Greg
Not to change the Subject. But Rod, where in the heck did you get that Avatar 😀 I might have to rub one out if I keep looking at her 😆
Thanks again for the pointers, gentlemen.
I’ve got quite a bit of reading to do!
As a level 0 machinist that has never even touched a lathe, I have a few main doubts:
1. Size. For all intents and purposes, all I require is the ability to make stainless steel parts with as high precision as possible (3000 psi valve work specifically). Is something like the Taig Micro anything I should be looking at at all?
http://www.taigtools.com/mlathe.html
Again, I defer to you guys for real world experience, will I regret going too small?
2. Mill + Lathe. Considering that I am starting from nothing more interesting than a hand held power drill as far as tools (I just got a vice last week), I am thinking that I will be seriously limited in what I can produce without a mill to perform all the static axis work.
Again, thanks for your generosity of advice.
You also might want to take a look at the Benchrest forums…tons of threads discussing various lathes for gunsmithing.
Stay away from PracticalMachinist forums if your on a budget, they don’t like Chinese machinery and instead insist on everyone getting a 20,000lb used American machine.
That 8X12 from HF is a great lathe. Its actually an 8X14 and is the same model that Lathemaster sells without some of the goodies like the back splash or the faceplate. FYI the lathemaster change gears other parts are the same ones so if you break one (not gonna happen) or you want one that didnt come with your lathe you can order them from him. You can get some of the parts from HF via special order but it takes a really long time.
Its a much better lathe than the 9X20s out there. HF used to have both in stores so you could compare them side by side. There is no comparison. Wail until HF sends you a 20% off coupon and buy it from your local HF and have them ship it to that store. You dont pay shipping that way.
IMO its the best value for a small, ridged hobby lathe. That being said, if you have the room and can afford it, buy a full size lathe ).
Edit: P.S. the quickchange tool post that lathemaster sells is a bolt on item for the HF lathe as well. He also sells allot of his stuff on Ebay and you see a really good deal from him now and then.
Definitely Grizzly over HF if you have the money. Also, many times HF will sell the same exact machine as another company for less so always make sure to cross reference machines you find with the HF equivalent.
If your looking for a nice mill also check out http://www.j-lscraping.com/ for a quality refurbished Bridgeport. He posts on the PracticalMachinist forum and I have never seen a complaint.
I have had great luck with my hf 9×20. You can use a 20% off coupon. you can buy the 2 year warranty (I broke mine, it was my fault, and they gave me a new one).
Alright! Thanks for the info gents, those links have given me plenty to chew on.
Syn, how do you consider the 10×22 unit as the smallest size you’d consider for airgunning? Please keep in mind the only lathes I’ve even seen are at large machine shops so I have next to no frame of reference as to what dimensions are practical for “airgun sized work.”
What do you guys think about the CNC conversions available for these units?
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I want one too. Great post.