Tell me how you use your lathe

[jamesemery728]

You guys that have lathes and are NOT machinists turning out parts for profit but are weekend hobbist guys, can you answer some questions for me.
1. How often do you use your lathe?
2. When was the last time you used it?
3. When you do use it what are you typically making?
4. Now that you have one could you get along without it?
Thanks in advance, I am tying to justify buying a lathe but it's not something that I would be using everyday.

 

[Ditchdigger]

I use mine at least 4 times a week and would use it even more if I rebuilt it. Modifying distributors to fit other motors, making wheel adapters and spacers, machining suspension bushings from delrin or UHMW.

Heck last week the starter in my car stopped working. With the lathe I was able to make new bronze bushings for both ends and turn the armature to get it going again.

 

[Packard V8]

1. How often do you use your lathe? Most every day, but then, I'm retired
2. When was the last time you used it? Yesterday
3. When you do use it what are you typically making? Anything and everything. I have to continue to remind myself, with a four-jaw chuck a lot of flat work can be done on a lathe.
4. Now that you have one could you get along without it? Never - I bore, drill, ream, all sorts of operations other than just turning. FWIW, I often use my lathe for polishing various parts for projects. I even polished a really gnarly Snap-on 1/2"dr breaker bar. Cleaned up well enough I kept it.

thnx, jack vines

 

[Tantara]

Most of my garage work is automotive. I use mine about every forth or fifth project. If it is a project where I am designing and building something I use it every time.

Right now my limiting factor is I need more tooling.

You will use the lathe at least ten times as often as you think.

Brad

 

[rsanter]

for me its hit and miss
I will go weeks or months without using it (usually because I am doing other things) and then I may use it everyday for a few hours, days, weeks....
yes, I could live without it, but I would not want to.
if you can get one thats not too big and does not cost too much then get it

bob

 

[sberry]

If you need one you need it but I wouldnt have one just to have it unless it was near free. Even better is knowing a Bud with one.

 

[Falcon67]

1) At least once a week
2) This last weekend
3) I make adapters for C4 trans cooler lines - sold a bunch in the US and overseas, also machine trans parts, misc things, whatever. Make tools - whatever comes up.
4) No, they can't have it back. I bought a 9x20 for a good price, if I had any idea how handy the damn thing was I'd have bought a 12x36 instead. Don't buy too small. If you price out a Ford C4 500 HP capable race trans at retail, the mill and lathe have paid their way already.

 

[Hiball]

Not very often but when i need it, Its there. I normally use mine for Hydraulic Jack part making or modifying. Its definitely not for delicate work and im fairly slow, but it gets the job done. You know if someone would ask me what type it was i really couldnt tell you, I know it went thru a fire, Its OLD and it uses a leather strap belt to run the thing and has multiple speeds by simply moving the belt to another sized pulley.

 

[mikeatrpi]

1. How often do you use your lathe?
Every few months; more often in the Winter than Summer

2. When was the last time you used it?
January?

3. When you do use it what are you typically making?
Aluminum fancy bits for my car, spacers for stuff - nothing very complicated

4. Now that you have one could you get along without it?
Its like having a welder - it opens doors to projects you couldn't complete without it. Mine is a HF 3-in-1... I think I'd use a lathe more if I had a better one - threading, for instance.

 

[hedjhawg]

If you need one you need it but I wouldnt have one just to have it unless it was near free. Even better is knowing a Bud with one.

...sometimes being the "bud with one" is a drag...

 

[sawatch]

Don't use it a lot lately, had it a few years now and when i need it it's there. Put some real hrs on it when purchased it as I was doing projects that paid $. Not much of that anymore.

 

[hedjhawg]

I bought a 9x20 for a good price, if I had any idea how handy the damn thing was I'd have bought a 12x36 instead. Don't buy too small.

New Import lathes can be had for...

7x10 = $400
7x14 = $700
9x20 = $800
12 x 36 = $2,200
13x40 = $3,500

While I agree tha you can't buy too big, I would also say that you can answer a lot of your questions with a HF 7x10 unit (usually on sale for $399 - $320 after the 20% coupon). I started off with a manufacturer-unknown import 10x24 used lathe for $400, used it for 7 years then got the 13x40 from Enco.

I can't imagine not having a lathe at the ready.

...nor can I imagine not having a mill.

or welder

or plasma

or bandsaws

...or... jeez, I'm sick...

 

[ZRX61]

I just picked up a THIRD SouthBand this past weekend...However, it needs work/parts so may part it out. It's based around a '34 9in, bed is 36in overall length.

Keeping my '54 Heavy 10

Selling my '37 13x40 ($1500 including the tooling that goes with it)

Useage is intermitant.

 

[matthew]

I'd like a lathe someday. In the meantime I'm sort of looking forward to a friend of mine getting one. Just a couple of days ago I had wished his had arrived, I had needed a special tool for my bicycle that I could have made.

If you need another justification, consider getting a cross vise and some mill bits, and you can use it as a horizontal mill.

 

[Shadowdog500]

You guys that have lathes and are NOT machinists turning out parts for profit but are weekend hobbist guys, can you answer some questions for me.
1. How often do you use your lathe?

Not as often as I would like, but boy does it come in handy when I do.

2. When was the last time you used it?

About five minutes ago.

3. When you do use it what are you typically making?

Varies all over the place. Small parts for my car and Motorcycle, I made parts to fix my Rotorisirie in about ten minutes when it broke halfway through cooking the Thanksgiving turkey a few years ago. That turkey was extra good for me. Made a part to fix the refrigerator last week. I like using it to make custom tools for projects that I am working on.

4. Now that you have one could you get along without it?

NO!!!

I currently have a 7 X 12 because it was all I had room for in my homes attached garage. Now that I have a bigger garage I plan to sell mine and plan to get a much bigger used lathe and Mill.

ZRX61 what type of tooling do you have and are you anywhere near NJ.


Chris

 

[doug.j]

1. About once a week.
2. Last Friday
3. Replacement pieces (made a part for my dishwasher), modification to things (cut standoffs to length), sometimes new things (drifts, tools holders, adapters)
4. I think I'll always have a small lathe and mill after having one. It does take a while to think about repair and fabrication tasks in terms of the new capabilities of machine tools. Same with welding to some extend.

 

[Bolster]

I am trying every conceivable way I know of to get lathe capabilities on my small mill. Rotary table, boring heads, etc. I should just get a lathe and be done with it, but I'm pinched for space. If I could find a VERTICAL lathe I could fit it in!

Once you get your lathe (or mill) you'll be amazed at how many things you can fix CORRECTLY that were glue-and-bandaid fixes before.

Advice: Go take a J.C. class with lathe, and you'll get a good feel for what it can do for you.

 

[sberry]

...sometimes being the "bud with one" is a drag...

My Bud doesnt have a loader.

 

[hofferwood]

Just got done about an hr ago, made the swivel nut for the vise I got about 2 wk's ago.
It's a 7x10, just because of room (8"x14" shed is the shop).
I gave $319.00 at hf. Had it for about 7months and in by case it's probly paid for itself.
Do alot of research before you buy, I did. and ended up doing a lot of mod's and such before making chips fly. But I knew that going in.
Varmint als is a good place to start. http://www.varmintal.com/alath.htm
If You do get into it http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm is A great place to get small orders. I got a 2" hunk of 3" round alum dirt cheap.

Sorry about the junk in the photos, I was in a hurry and threw junk on the bench.
The nut is 3/4" al bar, the rod is 3/8 mystery steel, The ends are 3/8 shoulder nuts.
Can't do without it now.

Chuck

 

[A_Pmech]

You guys that have lathes and are NOT machinists turning out parts for profit but are weekend hobbist guys, can you answer some questions for me.
1. How often do you use your lathe?
2. When was the last time you used it?
3. When you do use it what are you typically making?
4. Now that you have one could you get along without it?
Thanks in advance, I am tying to justify buying a lathe but it's not something that I would be using everyday.

Well, my shop is for profit and fun, so I'll answer...

1) At least twice a week for personal work.

2) Two days ago.

3) Anything I can fit on it. Literally.

4) I don't know how anybody can get through life without a fully-equipped machine shop at their disposal 24/7/365. It makes life so much easier.

My suggestion on a lathe? Buy big, buy used, buy American.

 

[mikeyr]

have not used it yet, bought it 5 months ago

I had a very small toy lathe Sherline 4000 and I used it quite a bit to make very small parts for about 10 years, always wanted a bigger one as it seemed everything I built need MUCH more power than that toy (made some great carb jets). Bought a ShopMaster and have not used it Based on prior usage probably about once a month for small parts on my restoration.

 

[Aberdale]

I use mine sporadically. I may use it everyday for a couple weeks, then not use it for a month. I restore antique tractors, so I make a lot of pins a bushings. Most are worn out. (pedal pivots, throttle rods, steering columns, 3 point hitch pins, hydraulic cylinder pins, control arms, etc.) Last month I made a nice set of aluminum 5 lug to 6 lug wheel adapters for my F150 so I can run late model wheels.

I started with a Chinese built 1220XL Smithy Mill/Lathe combination. I smile when I think about all the stuff that little machine has done over about a 10 year period. Two years ago I built a new shop and upgraded to a Monarch 10EE tool room lathe and a Bridgeport mill since I now have the room. It's nice having the extra capacity and horsepower, but even the old Smithy could make a lot of parts, just slower.

With all the tool shops and machine shops going out of business over the past 10 years, it's pretty easy to get a good deal on solid old American made lathes.

Dale

 

[sberry]

I just have figured out so many shortcuts over the years to most repairs, the welding I would be lost without. I could make it without tig but a feeder and stick machine are must haves. Its a rare day I find myself needing a drill press even especially with the advent of the modern battery drill. I would probably use machine tools more if I had them but I think I was at a point where that was the option about 3 times last year, my neighbor is only a mile away and still only need to go there and do something on occasion.