Which comes first?

[hallboyone]

Hi Ya'll!
So I was wondering which one is more important for a hobby machinist, a lathe or a mill or perhaps even some sort of combo. Any feed back would be great!

 

[Outlawmws]

It depends on what you expect to build a lot of, but I will say I think a Lathe is easier to learn the nuances on first before getting into the 3D reality of a mill, unless you are simply making accurate plate with holes and edges, and that is all on the mill.

I wanted a mill first in the worst way; looking back I'm glad I got the lathe first.

 

[zkling]

It depends

X2

What type of work do you plan on doing?

For general home / diy stuff I would say the lathe is more useful. Definitely cheaper to operate. I personally think more can be done on a lathe than a mill. I use my bench lathe probably 5x as much as I do either mill or large lathe.

 

[larry_g]

Most experienced hobbyists will suggest a lathe first. With a milling attachment lite milling can be done on a lathe. With a lathe you learn the interaction between a cutter and the different materials. Using HSS cutters you can grind your own quite cheaply.

I have both and find that I probably spend 3x the time on a mill as I do on a lathe.

Sometimes the first machine will be the luck of the draw. If your shopping then a good mill may show up when your looking for a lathe. One thing I think is important is to have a good idea of what you are going to do with the machines. Some jobs are just to big for a small lathe and some to small to do comfortably on a large machine. I also believe that you machines should compliment each other. Having a Taig lathe and a full size Bridgeport are not complimentary. You would need a lathe in the 10 to 15" swing to compliment a Bridgeport.

Also don't forget the support machines and tools that you need to prepare rough stock, and tools to measure and prove that what you have is what you want size wise. Most people also say that the lathe or mill is only 1/2 the cost. Figure an equal investment in tooling you need to make the machine capable of all it can do. Also understand that most of the tooling you have to have will support your next machine ifyou decide to upgrade in the future.

Good luck

lg
no neat sig line