Lathe newbie/Buying my first machine

[TheClaw]

The shop is built, most of the bikes are in there and cool stuff is on the walls. Now I'm in the market for a lathe.

I'm not a machinist. I did take a lathe and milling class at the local community college a couple of years ago. Now that I have the space I'm ready to start practicing.

I realize I can ask the internet exept I wanted to come here first. As a beginner, what do I look for in a decent machine. I'm looking to spend $1000-$1500. There are a number of them on Marketplace. Is there another forum or site that's better to scroll through? I have 220V power but it's not conveniently located in the garage so a 110V machine is preferable.

Any advice would be welcomed.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Many (most ?) of the smaller imported lathe use a plastic gear train. If one of those gear breaks you are dead in the water.

Either get on that is belt drive or direct drive (DC).

 

[OccupantRJ]

I started with a Craftsman/Atlas 12” with quick change gear box In my 20’s. I paid for it by machining parts for automatic race transmissions for a builder. My 42 yr old son has it now and has added DRO. I found member Beyond1 a similar model about 10 years ago and he is happy with it. I see them in this area for $500-1000.

 

[cvairwerks]

First thing you need to do is define what you want to do with it and figure out the work envelope and the materials you want to use. After that, add 10-25% to the dimensions and you can start looking for something that will handle it. If you going to be working with soft materials, ie plastics, cast aluminum and others, that will dictate one direction to look, while harder materials are going to indicate another.

Another thing to keep in mind, is that tooling will end up costing as much or more than the lathe itself, unless you find a deal on a tooled up machine that will meet or exceed your needs.

 

[gorilla]

One thing to keep in mind when buying any used machine tool is that you can do mechanical repair like bearings , new lead screws. gears etc. You cannot repair geometrical problems like wear in the bed ways etc. A really good rebuild shop I worked with told me that regrinding the bed of my 10" logan would cost as much as boing a big Leblond.

 

[strength_and_power]

A 110v lathe won’t be able to do much, size wise or material. If you are doing small parts from plastic or softer metals like brass, you might be ok.

I wouldn’t buy a lathe, ( or any machine) unless it was under power unless the price is below scrap value or you know going into it that it will be a project before you can use it.

Bring an indicator and check for runout, wear on the ways, obvious signs of crashing a tool.

 

[rmack898]

First thing you need to do is define what you want to do with it and figure out the work envelope and the materials you want to use.

Until you get this first step done, any talk about machines, voltages, tooling, etc. is a waste of time.

 

[RoninB4]

-All of the above postings are good advice. You also need to define the level of precision (tolerances) you'd want to hold, what materials you expect to work with, and whether this will be repair/rework or new components.

-You budget is a bit thin but perhaps doable. Does the budget mean you already have measuring instruments ( OD/ID micrometer, a reliable dial test indicator, etc.). Do you have a good set of twist drills? You'll also need a decent bench grinder for sharpening those drills or any HSS lathe bits. Do you plan on single point cutting of threads? Boring the ID of bushings? What do you already have?

-I used to live/work in Chicago for about 20 years, there should be a fairly decent market if you're willing to search for it. Post any candidates you're considering for an opinion by the collective here.

 

[Nessism]

The 110V part limits your options. Most units like this will be china mini machines, or maybe something old like a Logan or Atlas/Craftsman. A South Bend 9 would be a reasonable target. Be leary of the china stuff; there are good machines out there, but many are junk.