thinking about getting a lathe.....

[69charged]

hello all. i am thinking about getting a little hobby lathe for the shop. i was looking at some at harborfreight for about 500-600. i am still shopping around.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=45861


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93799

does anyone have any experience with either of these models or ever seen one? i would hate to order it then find out it is total junk. i realize they wont be like old swedish lathes or a dsg lathe but for the home shop it would be good.
tell me what you think.
thanks
clarence

 

[chad s]

I paid $400 for my 1932 8" jr. South Bend in incredible condition. It will outperform one of the import lathes any day. I would seriously consider looking for a used south bend or similar before buying one of those.

 

[goodfellow]

The 9x20 is a standard in the home machining hobby and there are many groups on the net that offer support for this type of lathe. However, it is limited and will only be able to make small parts. Motorcycle enthusiasts especially love these models for making small parts.

From reading machining forum posts, I've concluded that many people who had purchased these lathes eventually find that they are too small and wind up purchasing larger 12x36 or 13x40 lathes.

Buy the largest and best you can afford, and don't overlook older, used American equipment. If you live in the northeast, midwest, or So Cal, you can find good deals on used industrial equipment. Other places, it's very hard to find a good deal on used equipment. Also, spare parts for older American made machine tools are very expensive.

 

[dxdexter]

Most of the things I have read on these Chinese lathes (I read a lot) have stated these are more or less a rough version of what they could be (a kit if you will) and require replacement of many of the low quality fasteners and some tweaking to be able to perform adequately. While I have nothing against either of these models, when compared to the older quality machines they are like night and day. If you do decide on one of these models, I would certainly go with the largest you can afford and has a screw cutting gearbox.

I was in the same situation as yourself last fall and was contemplating similar models. My search was detailed in this thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11367

I ended up buying a 1950's British Myford lathe and never looked back. I know the feeling of wanting to buy the first thing right away can be powerful, but if you look around and be patient a good used US or British lathe will show up and you will be much happier in the end. It also gives you a good feeling to work on an older high quality machine.

Don't forget that the accessories, add-ons and a good assortment of tooling will cost about the same as the cost of the lathe. Many used units will come with many of these items.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I paid $400 for my 1932 8" jr. South Bend in incredible condition. It will outperform one of the import lathes any day. I would seriously consider looking for a used south bend or similar before buying one of those.

Suggested other brands Logan, Clausing, Sheldon, Myford, Montgomery Ward (rebadged Logan) even an old Atlas/Craftsman would all be a step up from the import for like money in many cases. Look for as much tooling with used machines as you can get since accessory tooling costs quickly out run the initial cost of the machine. Quick change gear boxes are an important aspect of any lathe and many old timers were not equipped with them, the absence of quick change gears needs to be noted and taken into account on any machine you consider since that alone devalues any machine by $1000.00 automatically, or at least it does to me, and I think many others. Yea used is the way to go and PATIENCE while shopping is of the utmost importance. Do not buy a toy, get something you can sell for what you gave for it in a few years. If you buy the import 7 x 10 you will likely keep it forever because all you can do is lose money selling it when you want to upgrade, at least with most old USA iron you can usually break even. Good Luck!

 

[Danglerb]

If your patient a good used lathe is the way to go.

 

[jimvannoy]

If your patient a good used lathe is the way to go.

Yup. Got my Craftsman/Atlas for a hundred bucks a few years ago. A month or two after I got it I came across another one for the same price. Bought it and kept the tooling I did not have then sold it on eBay for over $400.00. Keep looking and post some wanted ads on Craigslist, local paper, etc.

 

[gorilla]

The most important thing to check if you buy a used lathe is wear in the bed, if the bed is worn the lathe will not turn a shaft without a taper ( bigger at one end than the other ). This is not something you can fix at home. If you are considering a larger lathe look at the motor, if it's 3 phase consider the cost of replacing the motor or buying a phase converter.

 

[Kevin54]

Forget the second one. Those lathes are nothing but junk and NOTHING precision about them. I would also be leery of the first one as you will end up with a bunch of backlash, etc. I would shop around for a good used BRAND NAME lathe before the HF Chinese junk

 

[katit]

Can somebody give a list of older quality lathes to look for? Specifically in mini or smaller portable size. I understand bigger is better. But is there transportable smaller lathes that I can get other then chinease stuff? I really do need smaller one.

I want one and considering HF unit just because I can actually move it to my basement. I may move from the house in a year or two, so I don't like to get something big and heavy.

 

[OldCarGuy]

There are some decent imported lathes out there like Jet's or Grizzly. And actually I own one that has a 14” swing. I normally wouldn't have purchased a lathe made in China. But I purchased it used for a song from an acquaintance that was relocating. However for the price of a new Chinese lathe, you could purchase some nice old American lathe and be far better off.

Indeed it wouldn't hurt to hold out for a bigger swing than a 9"..

 

[katit]

I understand that they all the same? Grizzly or HF.. Maybe slightly different tooling, but same lathes.

What size is typically "transportable" ?

 

[Uncle Buck]

There are some decent imported lathes out there like Jet's or Grizzly. And actually I own one that has a 14” swing. I normally wouldn't have purchased a lathe made in China. But I purchased it used for a song from an acquaintance that was relocating. However for the price of a new Chinese lathe, you could purchase some nice old American lathe and be far better off.

Indeed it wouldn't hurt to hold out for a bigger swing than a 9"..

I agree, there are a good many older 12" swing that could just as easily be moved and would be a wiser dollar investment. A few sturdy chaps should easily be able to move many 12 inchers.

 

[katit]

I posted WTB ad on local craigslist and got:

"I have an older Rockwell 12x36 with live center, drive, and 3 tool rests. It's mounted on a steel stand. It has a Rockwell half-horsepower 110V electric 9.3 amps motor. I'd like $200 for it."

Does it worth persuing? What kind of lathe it is?

 

[goodfellow]

I posted WTB ad on local craigslist and got:

"I have an older Rockwell 12x36 with live center, drive, and 3 tool rests. It's mounted on a steel stand. It has a Rockwell half-horsepower 110V electric 9.3 amps motor. I'd like $200 for it."

Does it worth persuing? What kind of lathe it is?

"You betcha' -- Rockwell made good lathes. You better go look quickly before it's gone. I've lost out on several Rockwell's because I wasn't fast enough.

 

[katit]

See, I know nothing about them, so I don't even know what are those parts inlcuded. What questions should I ask? Or it worth this money with what included?

What will I need to get to start working?

Is it easy to get parts?

I think I'm good as far as loosing it since it's not listed for sale, it's reply to my wanted ad..

 

[dxdexter]

I posted WTB ad on local craigslist and got:

"I have an older Rockwell 12x36 with live center, drive, and 3 tool rests. It's mounted on a steel stand. It has a Rockwell half-horsepower 110V electric 9.3 amps motor. I'd like $200 for it."

Does it worth persuing? What kind of lathe it is?

That seems cheap. Are you sure its not a wood lathe? Check out this site for a lot of lathe info on different brands including Rockwell.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/index.html

 

[goodfellow]

That seems cheap. Are you sure its not a wood lathe?
http://www.lathes.co.uk/index.html

good point!!! 12 x 36 was a standard wood lathe size, and the "three toolrests" might suggest it's made for working wood

 

[G1K]

I'll have to make my own post for this later with pics, but I just scored a Monarch 10EE for $950. Good deals are out there, you just need to hunt for a while. I searched quite a bit for this machine. The 10EE weighs over 3000 lbs, and arguably one of the best and most beautiful lathes made.
R

 

[kvom]

What kind of shape was the 10EE in? Running? Tooling?

I'm looking at buying one myself, but it's quite a bit more expensive.

Whatever lathe OP buys, he needs to read up on safety aspects. Even a small lathe can be hazardous to the uneducated. Large lathes can be fatal.

When buying a lathe getting a lot of tooling with it can make the difference between a good deal and a so-so one. Accessories to look for include 3-jaw and 4-jaw chucks, collet closer and collets, steady and follow rests, live and dead tailstock centers, taper attachment, quick-change tool post. A quick-change gearbox is a must-have if you want to cut different threads and use a lot of different feeds. Otherwise you have to change gears manually.

 

[Uncle Buck]

That seems cheap. Are you sure its not a wood lathe? Check out this site for a lot of lathe info on different brands including Rockwell.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/index.html

good point!!! 12 x 36 was a standard wood lathe size, and the "three toolrests" might suggest it's made for working wood

I am sure these guys nailed it given that description. Even if it were a metal lathe I would say that about the only way of finding parts would be on the secondary market for Rockwell however if I found a decent one used I would not run from it. Most all the old brands face the same issue and it really is not that big an issue in the end as long as the basics of the machine are there and in decent condition. Clearly the more heavily tooled you can buy a machine the better you are, but many times there are exceptions to the rule if the machine is decent, and just dirt cheap it can be overlooked.

 

[katit]

I am sure these guys nailed it given that description.

Yep. He confirmed it's woodworking lathe (also I specified metal working)

Ok, here is Atlas. He sent me 2 pictures only, I asked for more details.. From pictures it looks like in good shape. What something like this worth ?

Found his other ad:
"Atlas 10" (x 24" centers) metal lathe with factory stand, tailstock, change gears, threading dial, 2 dead centers, face plate, 4 jaw chuck, steady rest, lantern tool post, 3 lathe tool holders, jacobs chuck for tailstock, 110v motor.Lathe is in good working condition. Asking price is $450."

 

[katit]

Or something like this maybe?

"Hi........I have an Atlas/Clausing Model Mk 2 (also called Model 3950) that I will sell for $500. You can find info on below link. Has 3 and 4 jaw chucks, set of change gears, a bunch of tool cutters, drill chuck and I'll need to look to see what else it might have.Lathe is in very good condition. "

http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas/page14.html

I understand it's 6" lathe, so it's pretty small. How long is a bed? Is it a good price for such machine? Better then HF lathe?

 

[Graham08]

Of the two, the 10"x24" Atlas is a much better deal than the 6". You will have tons more capability with the bigger lathe. $450 is not out of the question for it with the tooling shown in the picture...chucks and other accessories get expensive in a hurry.

 

[katit]

Of the two, the 10"x24" Atlas is a much better deal than the 6". You will have tons more capability with the bigger lathe. $450 is not out of the question for it with the tooling shown in the picture...chucks and other accessories get expensive in a hurry.

Too late for 10x24. It's sold

Those 6" do not worth $500 with tools specified? I guess not. They probably not much better then those HF chinease units.

I guess I will still look and wait for non-hobby benchtop lathe with good brand.

 

[Graham08]

I would get something with at least a 9" swing to do reasonable work. I have a 9" South Bend, which has been extremely useful, but I am always on the lookout for something bigger and better. Ideally, I want to get into the 13-15" swing range to cover all the stuff I make for the racecar.

Something to pay attention to is the hole through the spindle. My South Bend in 25/32", which allows a 3/4" bar to easily slide through. I am constantly wishing I had something at least 1", and 1 1/2" would be better.

The problem with the small vintage lathes is they have become collectable, so accessories can command a small fortune. Try to come up with a threading dial or micrometer carriage stop for a 9" South Bend and you'll see what I mean...

Happy hunting!

 

[katit]

I see what you mean. 10" benchtop SouthBend is something I will be looking for. But then you right, tools availability... Don't know, maybe I should just get Grizzly one like
http://grizzlyindustrial.com/products/10-x-22-Bench-Top-Metal-Lathe/G0602

People seem to think that it's very good bang for $$. And CNC conversions available if I ever wish.. I'm not really looking for collectable, just decent starting unit. I won't make high precision parts, but need to make different things here and there.

 

[G1K]

What kind of shape was the 10EE in? Running? Tooling?

I'm looking at buying one myself, but it's quite a bit more expensive.

Whatever lathe OP buys, he needs to read up on safety aspects. Even a small lathe can be hazardous to the uneducated. Large lathes can be fatal.

When buying a lathe getting a lot of tooling with it can make the difference between a good deal and a so-so one. Accessories to look for include 3-jaw and 4-jaw chucks, collet closer and collets, steady and follow rests, live and dead tailstock centers, taper attachment, quick-change tool post. A quick-change gearbox is a must-have if you want to cut different threads and use a lot of different feeds. Otherwise you have to change gears manually.

I was not able to see it under power, currently wired for 480 3Ø, the shop it's located at only has 230 3Ø. Because I didn;t see it run, I'm assuming it won't with out some work.

It has 2 face plates, 3 jaw, 4 jaw, collet closing bar (missing the nose piece), jacobs chuck for the tail stock, live center, tool post (not a QC), a few holders including a parting tool. It doesn't have a taper attachment.

All parts are there and original including the lead paste dauber in the tail stock, and all oil hole covers. I'll put up some pics when I finally get it moved into my garage.

R

 

[kvom]

Re the 10EE:

There are some very helpful folks on the practicalmachinist.com forum in the Monarch Lathes section.

You can call Monarch with the serial # and get any info on when it was purchased, by whom, and for how much. You can also buy a copy of the manual for your model. Check the above forum for the phone#.

Since the spindle will be a D1-3, you can get a collet chuck from Enco, and then won't need the closer bar. That would be my choice. QCTP is definitely a must-have.

 

[katit]

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/758173506.html

Is this something worth looking at? How heavy is lathe like that?

 

[G1K]

Re the 10EE:

There are some very helpful folks on the practicalmachinist.com forum in the Monarch Lathes section.

You can call Monarch with the serial # and get any info on when it was purchased, by whom, and for how much. You can also buy a copy of the manual for your model. Check the above forum for the phone#.

Since the spindle will be a D1-3, you can get a collet chuck from Enco, and then won't need the closer bar. That would be my choice. QCTP is definitely a must-have.

Already signed up at PM, and have posted in that section. Definitely a bunch of really knowledgeable people over there.

I might go with a collet closer via a lever through the spindle rather than a collet chuck, but that's a ways off yet. I have a QCTP already


Ryan

 

[LoneGunman]

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/758173506.html

Is this something worth looking at? How heavy is lathe like that?

Nice looking lathe at least in the pics, IMHO though it's over priced for what you are getting, Not that he won't get it, he will but from someone who's collecting or "must" have a South Bend. I believe the hole through spindle on that is fairly small, I forget what SB's standard spindle bore is in that side but I believe it's only arounf 3/4".

 

[merlin]

You are right, 3/4" to 7/8" is about max spindle id for a 9" or 10K (light duty 10").

If you can find one, the Heavy 10's with a 2-1/4"-8 or Camlock spindle have right about 1-3/8" spindle bore. Great for axles or barrels and such. Also have better gearing, and the motor is below, in the bench. You can get the bench closer to the wall.

Heavy 10's are out there, and lots of parts are available.

www.plazamachinery.com has lots of machine parts, and sometimes complete running machines, drill presses, lathes, grinders....

I rebuilt a heavy 10, 10" x 33", and have probably 500 in it, but it didn't need any special grinding or anything. The little bit of wear it had won't bother 99% of the people that would use it.

 

[LoneGunman]

You are right, 3/4" to 7/8" is about max spindle id for a 9" or 10K (light duty 10").

If you can find one, the Heavy 10's with a 2-1/4"-8 or Camlock spindle have right about 1-3/8" spindle bore. Great for axles or barrels and such. Also have better gearing, and the motor is below, in the bench. You can get the bench closer to the wall.

Heavy 10's are out there, and lots of parts are available.

www.plazamachinery.com has lots of machine parts, and sometimes complete running machines, drill presses, lathes, grinders....

I rebuilt a heavy 10, 10" x 33", and have probably 500 in it, but it didn't need any special grinding or anything. The little bit of wear it had won't bother 99% of the people that would use it.

So how much are you selling it for

Im looking to replace my Atlas 12x36, spindle bore size is whats killing me, I'd kill for a heavy 10 that was reasonably priced.

 

[wilbilt]

Already signed up at PM, and have posted in that section. Definitely a bunch of really knowledgeable people over there.

Yes they are, but some will try to convince you to ditch that 10EE and buy an automated machining center.

Those Monarchs are beautiful machines.

 

[G1K]

Yes they are, but some will try to convince you to ditch that 10EE and buy an automated machining center.

Those Monarchs are beautiful machines.

I know exactly what you mean. It's like people telling you to junk the craftsman ratchet to buy a snap-on.

I searched out a Monarch, it's exactly what I want, not an ugly CNC lathe all boxed in sheet metal. There's something to say about the curves and craftsmanship in an old machine.

I got it unloaded and covered at its temporary home yesterday. Hopefully I can get it into my garage by next weekend. It's surrounded by the boxy CNC's all over the shop.




R

 

[Uncle Buck]

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/tls/758173506.html

Is this something worth looking at? How heavy is lathe like that?

I think this would be a great lathe for say 1,200-1,400 or so I would just offer a bit less than the asking price, but a great lathe nevertheless.

 

[katit]

I think this would be a great lathe for say 1,200-1,400 or so I would just offer a bit less than the asking price, but a great lathe nevertheless.

Sold for asking price

I'm seriously considering getting Gruzzly 10x22 lathe now. Mostly for it's "portability"

Decent size and I can move it to my basement.
http://grizzly.com/products/10-x-22-Bench-Top-Metal-Lathe/G0602

 

[Uncle Buck]

Sold for asking price

I'm seriously considering getting Gruzzly 10x22 lathe now. Mostly for it's "portability"

Decent size and I can move it to my basement.
http://grizzly.com/products/10-x-22-Bench-Top-Metal-Lathe/G0602

Actually that does not surprise me in the least. Keep waiting, you will find another decent used one out there at your price.

 

[katit]

What about...

"I have a 10x24 Emco from Austria, it is also a mill drill on the bed. It is a nice lathe have a lot of attachments for it. It has a gear box, but requieres new nylon gears, and motor for mill needs to be re-wired. Nice lathe with no shaft play and ways are in great shape. It is from the 1960's, very high quality lathe. Here is some information on it http://www.lathes.co.uk/emco/page16.html, mine is a little differnt from this, it has about a 1 inch spindle bore. I will ask $800."

Is it common brand? Can I get parts for it?