Lathe question - small lathe worth looking at?

[lowbucktruck]

I could use some advice from you machinist types. I spotted a small lathe for sale. I'm wondering if its worth going to take a look at. Looks like a hobby-size machine. What do you guys think? And what would be a good price for this machine?

I'd like to find a good deal on a small lathe and mill, just for home hobby use, make some chips and to learn on. I don't have a lot of space, just a standard 2-car garage, so I am looking at smaller machines. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[zkling]

I use to have one. IMHO it is a "toy machine", not really big / rigid enough to do any real work. If you just want to tinker around and learn how to operate a lathe then it may be ok. If you really want to make some useful parts look at something like a 9" minimum swing, with a quick change gear box for threading / feeding.

As for price. Once again just for tinkering and what not I would not go over ~$250. That is if it had all of the accessories for it (gears, chucks, centers, cutting tools).

 

[rsanter]

Small lathes like that can be good to learn on and good for small stuff but they can be hard to do much more than light turning with.
They can also be harder to use for folks with larger hands.
You need to look at what comes with it too. The tooling can be as much as the lathe.
For what's in the picture I would give $100. More depending on what ewes come with it

Bob

 

[spongerich]

That's an AA/Craftsman 109.

I had one for a short time. They're OK for small aluminum or plastic pieces.

IMO, they're mostly just frustrating. The smallest lathe I'd want to learn on would be the slightly larger Atlas/Craftsman 6" 618.

That said, for some reason, the 109 has a strong following, so if you can get it cheap you can easily flip it and use the money to buy something larger and more capable.

My advise would be to look for a 9" South Bend or a 10" Atlas. They're not THAT much larger and they're FAR better. Here in the north east, if you're patient, you can still find a decent 9" South Bend for under $500.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Thanks guys. That does look like a smallish lathe; I wasn't sure if it would be worth the trouble. Yeah, good point, I need to see what tooling goes with the machine. Its a learning curve for me, the only lathes I know about are wood lathes. Metal lathes are new to me.

Same guy has another, larger lathe for sale too. Looks like it could be a 9" size. The larger lathe looks cool, wonder what type it is?

 

[2mJps]

It looks like a southbend. Dont jump to quick on one they seam to be easyer to find but this one would be a good starter. I have a SB it is a 13" with a long bed it is old but about the right size.

 

[zkling]

Yea the second one is a south bend 9" model C (meaning no quick change gear box) with small dials. Much more useful than the Craftsman 109, but still not really versatile for general shop use. Once again depends on price and your needs.

Looks like he fitted a other make of legs to it, as that is designed as a bench lathe.

When looking for a metal lathe go as large as you can move / afford. The heavier it is the better a machine it will be overall. Ideal lathes for the home shop would be something in the 10"-14" range. Clausing, Monarch, South Bend, Leblond, etc.

O.. try to resist the temptation of buying a cheap lathe with no tooling. Lathe tooling is very expensive especially good quality tooling (chucks, collets, centers, faceplates, tool posts, etc.).

 

[spongerich]

That South Bend Model C would be a good starter lathe. As others have mentioned, tooling/accessories can get expensive.

One advantage of the South Bend 9" (and it's slightly larger brother, the 10K) is that SB made close to a million of them over the years, so parts are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.

I had a model C for a while. Dealing with the change gears can be something of a PITA but really, if you're patient it's not terrible. If it doesn't have all of the gears, keep in mind they're pretty expensive. A set will usually set you back at least $150 and individual gears go for $20-40 each.

If you can swing the extra cost, a model A or B is desirable, if only for the power feeds. As a relative newb, I've found I can get a consistently better finish using the power feed than I can by hand.

If you take some time and do a little reading at http://www.lathes.co.uk/index.html you can get a feel for some of the pros and cons of various brands and models.

 

[Cedge]

Zkling is right... I too spent more on tooling than the lathe cost me. Old lathes like these are eye appealing but often come with a lot of wear problems. Keep an eye out for something a little younger and heavier. A later vintage Southbend 9 or 10 with a selectable gear box is always something to look into if the price is attractive.