Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Nelson....It was right at $5000 new and free shipping. 3 jaw chuck & a 4 jaw chuck. When I retired I treated myself to it.
Who's got lathes?
- Thread starter brats.n.harleys
- Start date
Nelson....It was right at $5000 new and free shipping. 3 jaw chuck & a 4 jaw chuck. When I retired I treated myself to it.
Falcon67
Well-known member
That's a treat I want badly, like a G4003G from Grizzly. Nice machine!!
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
I may have mistakingly said mine was a 14x40, it is actually a 13x40. I did find a limit on it the other day and that is the through hole on the headstock. It's right at 1 5/8". It would be nice to have a 2" through hole. It wasn't a big deal, but I had to run between centers for a little while until I got turned down to where I needed. So fat, that is the only drawback I have found, and even at that isn't really a drawback, but just more of an inconvenience.
I've spent the last few nights reading through this post; lots of nice lathes out there! I got my 9" SB Model A a couple years ago from my wife's grandmother. It had been sitting in her garage gathering dust so my father-in-law asked about it. She said I could have it! Even though it was fairly well tooled when I got it I'm slowly spending the money I would have invested in the lathe itself on even MORE tooling! That's how it goes I guess...
Panel Dan
Well-known member
I just picked up a South Bend 9x30 with a bunch of decent tooling for $500. It's a Model C, which from my research leads me to ask: Can anyone definitively tell me the difference between models A, B, and C? I notice that there are less levers on the carriage, I'm guessing an absence of bed feed, but other than that, are parts compatible across the models? I'm looking at a quick change gearbox that is seemingly off a 9" South Bend, but I am not sure that it will definitely fit...
bryanrj
Well-known member
Falcon67
Well-known member
That's the only thing I've seen about the 12~14x36~40 lathes that limits their work envelope - the spindle bore. Be nice to be able to stick a big fat axle through there for some trimming or some such. My 9x20 does good with little jobs but I'd like a bigger unit to do things like spin cranks for polishing, etc. When I bought the 9x20, I didn't know anything about lathes and wasn't sure about the whole deal. Like the mini-mill I bought, it was a short time before I figured I should have got the big one because these gizmos are extra cool tools. The 9x20 has paid for it's raising and the mini-mill was gone in a year, replaced by a big square column 3 phase mill-drill with a 9x30 table.
Similar to what I did during the learning curve. I've said many times over the years when someone asks what lathe or mill to buy, just buy anything that runs and will do work. Consider it the cost of an education. You will soon learn the limits of the machine and what to look for in your next machine. Usually on a used machine you can get your money back out of it as you upgrade.
lg
no neat sig line
Sorry to dredge up an old thread but I figure that there are members who have not uploaded pictures of their machines. Her is my lathe:
A Colchester Chipmaster in metric. By far the nicest Chipmaster I have seen anywhere. It was owned by an old tool maker from new and when he passed away I purchased it. It's a 65 model and still acurate within .01mm over 350mm. I love this machine. In case anyone is interested in buying a lathe, I made a bit of a buying guide on my blog:
Buying Guide
I did this to pass on my lessons learned and take some of the pain and mystery out of the process.
Paul.
A Colchester Chipmaster in metric. By far the nicest Chipmaster I have seen anywhere. It was owned by an old tool maker from new and when he passed away I purchased it. It's a 65 model and still acurate within .01mm over 350mm. I love this machine. In case anyone is interested in buying a lathe, I made a bit of a buying guide on my blog:
Buying Guide
I did this to pass on my lessons learned and take some of the pain and mystery out of the process.
Paul.
Jon Jacobs
Well-known member
![IMG-20140411-02663[1].jpg](/forum/data/attachments/316/316487-b031f659ff5e57f415b0f15c10ff5f6d.jpg)
![IMG-20140411-02666[1].jpg](/forum/data/attachments/316/316536-cf9f77075e9fd7cbd745be6a3508b110.jpg)
![IMG-20140411-02671[1].jpg](/forum/data/attachments/316/316576-2733148bf6ff12e94eb5153086b20b76.jpg)
I'm curious what it cost you to get it hauled and placed? That's one of the things holding me back from such purchases.
A few years back I has a small crawler, 12k lbs, hauled by United Rentals for ~$200. He probably put 65 miles on the truck and spent 2 hours doing the job. I considered it a bargain.
lg
no neat sig line
lilscorpion
Well-known member
Mori Seiki MS850 w/ Aloris quick change post. Plenty of tooling.
Bought the thing off of a guy who got it from his father who bought it brand new. Its like using a new machine. Love using it.
Bought the thing off of a guy who got it from his father who bought it brand new. Its like using a new machine. Love using it.
Jon Jacobs
Well-known member
Good questions, After I bought it we had a huge snow storm and I couldn't get it into the shop. The rigger had to hold on to it for me for 2 months.
With storage and moving it was $1200.00.
It was such a great deal and the bed was like new for its age, so I pulled the trigger on it.
It was about an hour away from my shop and his rate was $300.00 per hour so it added up fast, still I don't regret it.
Jawn
Well-known member
Damn
Lathe envy. That is a capable machine. Great purchase. 
Very nice machine.
Falcon67
Well-known member
Last edited:
I assume this was an actual machinery mover? Warranted for something that big. Rough handling could just about ruin it. Your cost is about what I'd have figured, thanks for the confirmation!
Very nice machine.
Thanks. I have a garage full of carefully selected machines but just need to extend it a little now as I am really pushed for space. I use my lathe to make parts for my obsolete machines as nearly all of them were manufactured between 1960 - 1970.
Nearly all of them are from European manufacturers as there is so much choice here in Norway.
Paul.
madjack
Well-known member
RobSmith
Banned
I'm building a car so I use it at least once a week...Invaluable... get one and you will never regret it. as for "you ****"....that is a MAJOR insult in Australia..It will get you seriously injured here. I understand it is a cute thing in the USA so I don't mind.
Ha ha ha ..............get a decent lathe !
Ha ha ha ..............get a decent lathe !
Falcon67
Well-known member
>Sorry to dredge up an old thread
Don't be sorry - as zombie threads go, this is a pretty nice one!
Don't be sorry - as zombie threads go, this is a pretty nice one!
What mill do you have? Do you have any full shop pictures floating around?
Jon Jacobs
Well-known member
Hi yes, hes a pro around here, Watching him move it effortlessly was like ballet.
platypus20
Well-known member
I have a 14" x 40" Jet
My mill is a Jungner VF600, made in Sweden. It is a very pricise machine and has a very small footprint. It doubles as a drill press as well which is nice:
I have an assortment of machines for metal and wood work. The pictures tell the story better than I can:
And this is my latest machine, a Stenbergs KLE combination machine, also Swedish made:
Paul.
richzz
Member
maddawg1952
Well-known member
VDubJoe
Well-known member
Got one use it all the time.
Joe
Joe
NitroShark
Well-known member
EOC_Jason
Well-known member
That area looks way too clean!
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
Last spring I upgraded from my minilathe from post 40 of this thread to a 11-36 lathe and a Rockwell mill. I use these for the same purpose as my mini lath, which is to get me out of a pinch during a project to stop and make a part or tool that I need.
Chris
Here was the first use of the mill. I widened the opening of a cheap a HF O2 wrench I had to pull the riser off of the manifold of my nephews Trans am.
Chris
Here was the first use of the mill. I widened the opening of a cheap a HF O2 wrench I had to pull the riser off of the manifold of my nephews Trans am.
Last edited:
You can't have mess when using machines. They need to be taken care of and kept clean to avoid wear, plus you don't want the distraction of a messy shop on a machine that can remove limbs.
Paul.
ysrchris
Member
I know it is small but that is the type of work I like to do.
kazlx
Well-known member
14" Cadillac
dozerbuilder01
Well-known member
My first lathe was a 12" swing Craftsman (Atlas). Made in Kalamazoo Mi. It was a good beginner lathe but it was a little weak and didn't have a quick change gear box.
I recently picked up two lathes over the last year that I plan to restore and keep.
1950s Sheldon EXL. 10" swing, 42" bed length. 1-3/8" spindle bore. 60 speed gear box. Has some wear. Plan to have bed reground and other ways corrected. Best part....made in Chicago.
1945 Southbend 16". 6' bed. Soft bedways so there is some wear. Plan to restore this one as well. Made in Southbend.
I recently picked up two lathes over the last year that I plan to restore and keep.
1950s Sheldon EXL. 10" swing, 42" bed length. 1-3/8" spindle bore. 60 speed gear box. Has some wear. Plan to have bed reground and other ways corrected. Best part....made in Chicago.
1945 Southbend 16". 6' bed. Soft bedways so there is some wear. Plan to restore this one as well. Made in Southbend.
Guster
Well-known member
This was my first, a 9x20 that I got from a company that never used it. It was still strapped to the shipping pallet and coated in cosmoline when I picked up.
Sold that a few years ago and upgraded to a 12x36 for pretty much what I got for the 9x20. Compound needed a little work to get it shipshape but can't complain. This is the day I picked it up.
Since added a 5c collet closer, Dickson/Rapid style QCTP and a whole lot more tooling.
Since many are sharing their milling machines also, my current milling machine is a little unusual in that it shares a bit of ancestry with a jig borer(http://www.lathes.co.uk/linley/ machine similar to mine at the bottom of the page). However it is much more capable than the RF-30 style mill drill I used to have and I actually made money in the upgrade.
I also acquired a little horizontal mill about a year ago that I am in the process of rebuilding. Sure is a dirty little thing when I picked it up with a bucket of sludge, swarf and miscellaneous fluid in the sump.
Sold that a few years ago and upgraded to a 12x36 for pretty much what I got for the 9x20. Compound needed a little work to get it shipshape but can't complain. This is the day I picked it up.
Since added a 5c collet closer, Dickson/Rapid style QCTP and a whole lot more tooling.
Since many are sharing their milling machines also, my current milling machine is a little unusual in that it shares a bit of ancestry with a jig borer(http://www.lathes.co.uk/linley/ machine similar to mine at the bottom of the page). However it is much more capable than the RF-30 style mill drill I used to have and I actually made money in the upgrade.
I also acquired a little horizontal mill about a year ago that I am in the process of rebuilding. Sure is a dirty little thing when I picked it up with a bucket of sludge, swarf and miscellaneous fluid in the sump.
