Smithy lathe/mill any good?
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andywander
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2012
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- 359
Most Smithy owners seem to like them.
I have a different 3-in-1 and I like it, as well.
They sell new for $1900 and up. $850 doesn't seem bad.
looks like a good amount of tooling included-I would want to know if all of the change gears are in those bins....
I have a different 3-in-1 and I like it, as well.
They sell new for $1900 and up. $850 doesn't seem bad.
looks like a good amount of tooling included-I would want to know if all of the change gears are in those bins....
spongerich
Well-known member
A 3-in-1 will always be a compromise. You'll need to be patient since switching operations etc... From what I've read, Smithy does make one of the better 3-in-1's. If space is at a premium they're definitely better than no mill and no lathe. If that one is in decent shape, $850 seems like a fair price.
ar2stp48
Well-known member
I have a Smithy and have been pleased with it. It is smaller than the big machines and it works accordingly; take your work a bit slower etc. Mine was priced at $600 with less tooling than you show. I made the seller an offer of $400 and told him to call if he became interested. He called a few days later and accepted. Bought mine mainly for the mill as I have a South Bend lathe. The owners manual is available online if not with that machine.
coolreed
Well-known member
I have found purchaseing a Lathe/Mill/Drill is a poor investment. They can do several machining operations but not do any of the operations very well.
It is my experience that I would have been better off purchasing a dedicated lathe and a dedicated mill.
The mill feature on the Lathe/Mill/Drill was not stable. The lathe feature performed better but still a dedicated lathe offered better performance.
I would not waste my money on any combination machine again.
It is my experience that I would have been better off purchasing a dedicated lathe and a dedicated mill.
The mill feature on the Lathe/Mill/Drill was not stable. The lathe feature performed better but still a dedicated lathe offered better performance.
I would not waste my money on any combination machine again.
Big-Foot
Well-known member
I have the Harbor Freight version with the long bed and it works pretty good as a lathe and mill as long as you are not in a hurry. I've made a ton of parts that I would have had to pay a small fortune for at a machine shop..
Sorry for the ugly mug blocking part of the picture...
Sorry for the ugly mug blocking part of the picture...
IndyGarage
Well-known member
I bought a smithy 1220XL about 12-15 years ago. and used it somewhat sparingly until about 5 years ago, then I started machining and welding stuff .
It's an OK machine for what it is - small. inexpensive low power lathe/mill.
Are you going to pump out production parts on one? No way. Can you do the occasional precision repair or make some custom stuff? Absolutely.
The major limitations to mine were:
1. The usual china made quality issues - I'd say smithy is a slight step up from most HF stuff. As long as the machine runs, you can make yourself replacement parts.
2. Power - My Smithy has a 1/2 or 3/4 Hp motor - it just doesn't have much grunt, which translates to very low depth of cut and feedrates which equates to very slow metal removal - which can be annoying if you've got to remove a lot of metal. You just have to go slow.
3. Size - I was afraid the bed length would be too short or not enough swing - but those have turned out fine. The crossslide, which is essentially the x axis on the mill is where I always run out of room.
4. Ridgidity - You have to watch for looseness all the time - tighten the gibs often, especially on the crosslide, and take all of the slop out of the machine. I can get good precision with it, but it's not easy.
5. Threading - works fine, but setting up the change gears is pretty time consuming.
Would I buy another? Certainly if I wanted to learn, had limited space and limited budget. Everyone would like to have a Bridgeport and a toolroom lathe at their disposal, but that's not practical for everyone. It worked good for me to learn on, and to understand what I really want.
I now have a Bridgeport and a Monarch 10EE and, yeah working with the Smithy is slightly frustrating when you have those machines available.
It's an OK machine for what it is - small. inexpensive low power lathe/mill.
Are you going to pump out production parts on one? No way. Can you do the occasional precision repair or make some custom stuff? Absolutely.
The major limitations to mine were:
1. The usual china made quality issues - I'd say smithy is a slight step up from most HF stuff. As long as the machine runs, you can make yourself replacement parts.
2. Power - My Smithy has a 1/2 or 3/4 Hp motor - it just doesn't have much grunt, which translates to very low depth of cut and feedrates which equates to very slow metal removal - which can be annoying if you've got to remove a lot of metal. You just have to go slow.
3. Size - I was afraid the bed length would be too short or not enough swing - but those have turned out fine. The crossslide, which is essentially the x axis on the mill is where I always run out of room.
4. Ridgidity - You have to watch for looseness all the time - tighten the gibs often, especially on the crosslide, and take all of the slop out of the machine. I can get good precision with it, but it's not easy.
5. Threading - works fine, but setting up the change gears is pretty time consuming.
Would I buy another? Certainly if I wanted to learn, had limited space and limited budget. Everyone would like to have a Bridgeport and a toolroom lathe at their disposal, but that's not practical for everyone. It worked good for me to learn on, and to understand what I really want.
I now have a Bridgeport and a Monarch 10EE and, yeah working with the Smithy is slightly frustrating when you have those machines available.
Nelson58
Well-known member
+1 on what Indy said-
If you have limited space, and cost is an issue, then you can do an occasional one-off on it, and be pretty well satisfied. It won't produce for you like a dedicated milling machine and lathe will- no comparison there. But, not everyone has the room and budget for a Bridgeport and 10EE- those are the cadillacs of home machine tools. Many people also learn on a smaller machine and then work their way up to a larger capacity and horsepower machine. It really depends on your current space situation, budget, and level of experience.
Nelson
If you have limited space, and cost is an issue, then you can do an occasional one-off on it, and be pretty well satisfied. It won't produce for you like a dedicated milling machine and lathe will- no comparison there. But, not everyone has the room and budget for a Bridgeport and 10EE- those are the cadillacs of home machine tools. Many people also learn on a smaller machine and then work their way up to a larger capacity and horsepower machine. It really depends on your current space situation, budget, and level of experience.
Nelson