need a small lathe and mill recommendation

[BTL-A4]

need a small metal lathe and metal mill recommendation

I'm looking for a bench-sized metal lathe and bench-sized metal mill. Used is fine. They need to fit on a bench, so I cannot get a floor mill or a really large lathe. I'm not making anything really large so small is fine. I'm not doing high-precision work.

MILL:
HF has a 4x16 (table size), but these always need lots of adjusting to get to work correctly. Once adjusted, they seem to work fine. They weigh about 100-200 lbs.

Rong-Fu 9x36 (approximate) and clones made by others
These have a round column and are about as big as I can go. They tend to weigh over 700 lbs.

LATHE
9x20 is a good size for me. I've seen Enco and Jet models. There are LOTS of lathe makers out there! I've seen lots of older ones that are made in the US, but I'm concerned about wear. They also tend to be pricey.

Are there any models or brands anyone could recommend? Anything I should steer clear of?

Thanks!

 

[TerryH]

Quite a can of worms to answer but I'll just share what I did when I was faced with the same situation. I found an Enco 105-1110 RF30 clone mill with a good bit of tooling on Craig's list for $500. I disassembled, cleaned, repainted and built a new stand. Also found Grizzly 10x22 G0752 lathe on Craig;s list for $1200. Put it on a Husky rolling work bench. I'm quite happy with both. I was scared of the older machines because I just don't know enough to know if it's good or junk. Both of these worked out great for me.

 

[theoldwizard1]

HF is bottom of the barrel. If you know what you are doing, most of their tools CAN be brought up to an "acceptable" level, but this is not a tack for a newbie.

Mill/drills make very good drills, but below average mills. With a round and/or tilting column they are difficult to "tram in". Move one adjustment and you could be in for hours trying to get things back the way they were. Try to find one with a column that dovetails into the base and the head rides on real ways.

Depending on what you mean by "small" and what material you are going to be working with (steel, aluminum or plastic) you need to check out what is sold at [url]https://littlemachineshop.com[/URL]. Those mills will cut steel, just VERY SLOWLY !

Tooling, even the bare minimum, can set you back as much as the machinery. Over time, you will spend a huge amount on tooling.

 

[VocaTexas]

I've got a Central Machinery (Harbor Freight) 9x20 bench-top lathe that I bought used. It did take a little tuning, but it does an acceptable job on small parts. It's not a bad machine to start with if you don't have a lot of room. I would suggest making the 4 bolt compound base as one of the first projects. It's a good up-grade and you'll learn a lot making the part.

Go over to the Hobby Machinist forum and sign up. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/forums/ There are lots of helpful people over there, and I think several live near your area. They also post up Craigslist ads for machines from time to time. One of those guys might point you to a good deal on a lathe and mill.

 

[rsanter]

I have a bench model south bend lathe I started redoing.
If interested I could make you a deal on it

 

[BTL-A4]

I have a bench model south bend lathe I started redoing.
If interested I could make you a deal on it

PM sent.

 

[BTL-A4]

I've determined that I want a 9x20 (plus or minus) lathe. It will suit my needs. The Rong Fu clones will also work. The tramming issues will be a minor annoyance, but I can live with that. I have access to bigger mills. The other benchtop mills are a little too small.
I joined the hobby-machinist forum and have received tons of good advice. I've been looking on Craigslist and post the info on H-M and get lots of comments. Seems like many posters are asking way too much. The mills that sell are listed for half of the ones that don't. You'd think that people would do some homework before posting. They get insulted when I offer way less. No counter! Thanks for the advice. Please keep it coming.

 

[WWheeler]

Have you looked at a Smithy? Might check Craigslist and the like for a used one near you.

 

[manwithtools]

Have you looked at a Smithy? Might check Craigslist and the like for a used one near you.

Ha ha let me look for the right emoji......

Smithy's are like Shop Smiths, they do many things - but they do none of them well.