Why do you have a lathe?

[larry_g]

the last few days I've been working on an excavator, steel tracks, front idler wheel needs a new bearing. Bearings NLA and the factory only sells the assembly at $1800+. So I'm tearing it apart and going to turn up my own bushings. The pin is held in with two roll pins, 10mm. The long pin punch I have is to small at 3/8" and bent when wailing on it. So I grabbed an old punch with a 5/8" shank and turned a 9.7mm tip on it about 3/4" long to prevent flex. That and a 3# hammer got the pin to moving. I then increased the turned down section to 1.5" and that moved it far enough that I could get the rest out with a regular pin punch.

From there I will turn a new bushing out of bearing stock and we'll be back in business, I hope. If I have to turn a new pin I will do so and use the mill the accurately locate the retaining holes. The mill will also bore the hub of the wheel if necessary. The lathe is not big enough to swing the idler wheel.

The money saved on the above project will pay for most of a good machine tool.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Cyberbear]

Bought my first lathe in 1960, a Craftsman (1945) 6" engine lathe for $150.00, which has paid for itself many, many times over. Got a 16" (1943) South Bend about 1980 for free. I've used them both to make parts for various things, ie: custom gear shift knobs in high school, a small .22 cal single shot pistol, large parts for my custom wooden bowl lathe.
You don't need them often generally speaking, but when you do, nothing else does it better. Tapering a gear shift or threading a large shaft is difficult on a mill. lathes mostly like making round shaped objects, so just go from there and let your imagination run riot. My only recommendation is try for a gear head lathe, belt drive is a nuisance.

 

[rsanter]

because there is a point in the process of you hobby where you get yourself to the point that you want to make or customize your own stuff.
not everyone get there but I would have a hard time doing without my lathe.
but then again I am a bit of a ********* hobbiest...

currently I am building dies for my bead roller. at $80-$150 a set/pair.
Im making about a dozen sets.....saves me a ton of money

bob

 

[beakie]

I see a lot of guys here with lathes who do appear to be machinists. For many, a lathe appears to be a "must have" and I am curious why. I see many more posts about guys buying them and restoring them. The number of posts where guys are actually utilizing them is much less.

What are you guys doing with these things? Anyone have some good examples of the capabilities and limitations for the "home use" lathes discussed here?

BTW: I think they are cool. Wondering if I will talk myself into one a few years from now.

my buddy and I are building a small pig roaster
we needed to mount bearings, pulleys, counter-weight & prongs onto the spit.

we couldn't find pieces that fit yhe 1" stainless rod, so we got some undersized, and I cut them to fit.
add threaded holes for allen bolts, and they fit on, then lock on with the bolts.




I just spent a few months refurbing this 1953 Myford ML7 (well helping a friend who's done 2 before)
It is a great tool to have, when you or someone you know needs it.

 

[DentorP]

If anyone is interested I have a spare Atlas TF-42 exactly like mine for sale for a grand. Nice benchtop lathe; I love them.

Nice lathe stand Chris.

PM me need info about the lathe pref. picture. Thank you, DentorP of Central Valley Calif.

 

[kazlx]

I use mine all the time. Besides making parts, I cleanup tubing, chamfer things for welding, make adapters, drill and/or tap anything round very easily, drill or tap other things with a 4 jaw, made an adapter for my truing stand for my bike. All kinds of stuff. Most of the time, I prefer to chuck things up and spin it to just take a skim cut or sand rather than doing by hand. Way easier to hold sand paper and let the part spin.

I make my own dimple dies. A set can easily cost $3-400 if you buy them. Material is pennies on the dollar compared to the finished items. And they are extremely simple to make. Machine tools open the door to your imagination.

https://scontent-lax1-1.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11391221_10153394772654168_2620943207217622891_n.jpg?oh=c55ac1850eacba3758237f6bf677eb01&oe=5613F005

https://scontent-lax1-1.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/1535674_10152163157124168_222868917_n.jpg?oh=db3c48ad6e4125339ae306632bc7a9ad&oe=55E76BC4

https://scontent-lax1-1.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10626458_10152762871929168_6145011269638601749_n.jpg?oh=2a355d8d3c1b5080e3db821afe6b7c7a&oe=561CAF54

 

[justanengineer]

I use mine mostly for repair. As mentioned, having the ability to make your own bushings and pins is useful. With a bit of creative workholding Ive also held all manner of things on faceplates and the lathe carriage to rebore such as motor end bells, various hubs, and even small engines. I also use mine quite often to repair buggered grooves, remake worn shafts, and quite a few other odd jobs. When you need something thats round or has a proper taper, you need a lathe. I dont use mine everyday but I also dont use my welders everyday, definitely use it more than the shaper tho.

 

[Steevo]

I am a hobbyist where machine tools are concerned. That said, I have a lathe and a mill, and I probably chuck up something in the lathe at least three or four times a month. Some weeks I use it every day. It just depends on the projects that you are working on.
I can step over to the lathe and fabricate a bushing that might otherwise mean halting progress on a project while I order one. I also have made several sets of darts on the lathe. I use it for turning a shaft I need, or a spacer that will complete a fabrication.
When you have a lathe, many jobs are seen as "lathe work" that might otherwise be delegated to some other solution.

 

[kazlx]

Usually some other 'hack job' solution IMO...

 

[A_Pmech]

A few "utilization" pictures from the 'ol Photobucket...

Machine tools open the door to your imagination.

Quoted for truth.

 

[bczygan]

Minimum household appliance list:

Lathe
Mill
Drill Press
Disc and Belt Sander
Shear
Box and Pan Break
Horizontal Band Saw
Vertical Band Saw
Bench Grinders
Wire Wheels
Buffers
Welders
Compressor
Blast Cabinet
Parts Cleaner
H Press
Arbor Press

 

[zmotorsports]

Minimum household appliance list:

Lathe
Mill
Drill Press
Disc and Belt Sander
Shear
Box and Pan Break
Horizontal Band Saw
Vertical Band Saw
Bench Grinders
Wire Wheels
Buffers
Welders
Compressor
Blast Cabinet
Parts Cleaner
H Press
Arbor Press

The two high-lighted in blue above are the only two items I don't have but sure wish I had room for. Great list though.

Mike.

 

[zmotorsports]

A few "utilization" pictures from the 'ol Photobucket...

Quoted for truth.

Damnit John. Just when a guy starts feeling pretty good about himself and his machining abiities, you go and post those works of art up, AGAIN.

Great job though seriously. I love looking at your work. It gives me great inspiration and something to really shoot for.

Mike.

 

[kazlx]

The two high-lighted in blue above are the only two items I don't have but sure wish I had room for. Great list though.

Mike.

Man, I scored a Roper Whitney mag brake, and it's amazing...

 

[Guster]

The two high-lighted in blue above are the only two items I don't have but sure wish I had room for. Great list though.

Mike.

Same here. Though I'll likely be using what room I have left for a CNC router instead!

As to the original question - someone on GJ has a signature that reads something along the lines of "With a lathe, mill and welder I can make pretty much anything!" Every day I add another piece of tooling to my machinery, 'anything' becomes closer to 'everything'.

 

[bczygan]

The two high-lighted in blue above are the only two items I don't have but sure wish I had room for. Great list though.

Mike.

I'm missing:
Shear
Box and Pan Break
Vertical Band Saw
Good welders

I really don't know how you can operate a household without.

 

[shawnspeed]

Minimum household appliance list:

Lathe
Mill
Drill Press
Disc and Belt Sander
Shear
Box and Pan Break
Horizontal Band Saw
Vertical Band Saw
Bench Grinders
Wire Wheels
Buffers
Welders
Compressor
Blast Cabinet
Parts Cleaner
H Press
Arbor Press

I have all of this list with multiple duplicates of some...3 lathes, 5 welders (different process), 3 compressors..2 horizontal band saws..and 2 and 1/2 breaks...(bigger one under construction..)...But that is a good list...

 

['sallgood]

because a bridgeport will not make round parts very well

only solution... buy one or more of each

That is the correct thinking. Once you have them, the possibilities are endless.

 

[Falcon67]

When I "grow up" I wanna be like Mike (zmotorsports) . Thanks, I will post that at the lathe and make some cuts. It's just a time thing right now. But, mama's motor went back in the car last night so if I'm lucky I might see it run this week. If so, then I'll have some down tome to play with things.

Even without threading, a lathe can do a lot of things with a regular bolt. I have adapters for 1/4-20 thread air cleaner studs to various carbs, a bag full of locator pins in all sizes - things like that. I used it to cut down some SS bolts to fit the water neck on the 351C. I do have a threading project in the works - a ProForm electric water pump places the lower inlet tube too close to the balancer ring on a 351C. It's too close to even get a hose on. So an extension tube is needed that will thread into the pump and push the supplied outlet out a couple of inches to clear. I can probably sell a few of those too once I get the details worked out.

 

[65cayne]

WOW...I had not anticipated this many responses. Indeed you guys ARE getting (as I suspected) quite a bit of use out of them. I figured as much, but as stated, I've never really seen anyone talk about it. I'll respond to a few recurring sentiments I saw in all the responses. I appreciate everyone for chiming in!

...A metalworking lathe is a gateway machine. It will get you started in "serious" machining, but will inevitably lead you towards buying a milling machine in the future.

The two machines naturally complement each other. You can make certain things on a lathe and certain things on a mill, but with both of them, you can make damn near anything...

I guess I should have included "mill" in my original post because the two of them (not just the lathe) piqued my curiosity. I totally agree with you Phil.

I've always been fascinated by machining but never had time to learn. ...

I have always been fascinated as well having what I consider a "3-dimensional mind" and the desire to build things myself. Pretty satisfying when you can do it.

Personally after having a lathe and mill for the past 18+ years I don't know how I ever got along without one. I am not a machinist by any stretch of the word, I am a mechanic who can machine and weld/fabricate...Once customers saw that I had some machining capabilities in my shop the small odds and end jobs started rolling in....
....Mike.

This is very cool.

... Machine tools open the door to your imagination...

I think you're on the money there. What I admire most besides the capabilities of guys who are "hobby machinists" is the desire and willingness to learn how to use these (sometimes very old) machines and actually build whatever it is they need on any given day. What could be better than that? You guys are a dying breed it seems.

My fabrication skills are so far limited to the hardware store, drills, saws, grinders, maybe some adhesive, and good old "back yard engineering". Some day I hope to kick it up a notch. Maybe when I retire.

 

[Strouty]

I have one to take up floor space and really make me mad that I have not yet been able to hook it up.

It reminds me of how lazy I am every time I see it, then it laughs at how much money I spent on it. Now it is in my head telling me to buy a DRO for it even though I have never made chips with it.

 

[sberry]

I have one to take up floor space and really make me mad that I have not yet been able to hook it up.

It reminds me of how lazy I am every time I see it, then it laughs at how much money I spent on it. Now it is in my head telling me to buy a DRO for it even though I have never made chips with it.

This isn't why I don't have one but is the reality of much of it. Seems like a great idea at the time, most soon run out of real use for one and I see many with thick layer of dust, not used but owners still collecting for "some day".
I might be interested if the price was super right and it came with a fist full of tooling as I am not interested in becoming a hunt and peck collector.

 

[Lotek]

Minimum household appliance list:

Lathe
Mill
Drill Press
Disc and Belt Sander
Shear
Box and Pan Break
Horizontal Band Saw
Vertical Band Saw
Bench Grinders
Wire Wheels
Buffers
Welders
Compressor
Blast Cabinet
Parts Cleaner
H Press
Arbor Press

Refrigerator
Stove
Washing machine
Vacuum

Gotta keep the missus busy


Lotek runs for cover

 

[sberry]

I got a bud so compulsive working like a dog to trade lathes around so he can try to salvage 2 worn out pickup brake drums that wouldn't be legal to turn since the last brake job.
Fixes are great, guys who really build find a lot of use.
At one point I used to think if I just got another piece I could do more business,,, ha and sometimes now I think its as much a drawback as having to little.

 

[zmotorsports]

When I "grow up" I wanna be like Mike (zmotorsports) . Thanks, I will post that at the lathe and make some cuts. It's just a time thing right now. But, mama's motor went back in the car last night so if I'm lucky I might see it run this week. If so, then I'll have some down tome to play with things.

Even without threading, a lathe can do a lot of things with a regular bolt. I have adapters for 1/4-20 thread air cleaner studs to various carbs, a bag full of locator pins in all sizes - things like that. I used it to cut down some SS bolts to fit the water neck on the 351C. I do have a threading project in the works - a ProForm electric water pump places the lower inlet tube too close to the balancer ring on a 351C. It's too close to even get a hose on. So an extension tube is needed that will thread into the pump and push the supplied outlet out a couple of inches to clear. I can probably sell a few of those too once I get the details worked out.

Thanks Chris, but I think you are there already. Us racers seem to have similar thinking in that we are always looking for ways of doing things in-house (or in-shop rather) so we can free up more money to buy parts to go faster. A lathe and mill may be big investments initially be we soon see the value in having our capabilities expanded to the point of bringing in revenue to help our racing program as well as machining/fabricating parts for personal use.

Mike.

 

[TheOtherChris]

My fabrication skills are so far limited to the hardware store, drills, saws, grinders, maybe some adhesive, and good old "back yard engineering". Some day I hope to kick it up a notch. Maybe when I retire.

That is exactly where I started as well. I did a lot of stuff with a hack saw and files. Then one day I watched a friend use a mill. OOOOH I WANTED ONE!!

Now I can't imagine not having my mill and lathe and wonder why in the world I waited so long to get them.

 

[justanengineer]

A lathe and mill may be big investments initially....

Not to nitpick, but I always hear folks griping about the cost and "how much" I must have invested while wishing they could afford similar, so I like to remind folks upon occasion it all depends on the individual's priorities. If folks REALLY want a machine and are diligent about looking there are deals to be found, the thing most miss is that they dont come overnight or instantly and might not be in your backyard.

Please excuse the mess.....starting at the shaper $50, then the lathe $400 with a small mountain of tooling, and the $250 Bridgeport. Granted, Ive got sweat equity and ~$200 into VFDs, repair, and misc supplies (nevermind other tooling Ive collected). Also granted, not the best machines ever built but for the home shop theyre plenty capable.



I put a bit more sweat equity into the lathe this weekend, been meaning to paint it for a couple years now and happy I finally am getting the chance, albeit slowly thanks to work and school committments.

 

[BlueBomber]

I bought a lathe last year because it was a screaming good deal - a '56 South Bend at an estate sale for $150, tooling and stand included.
View media item 41857
I've used it twice. Once to turn turn down a brass hose fitting for use in my blast cabinet. The second time was to build a new fitting on my Harbor Freight hose reel that I broke as I was installing the elbow on the swivel mechanism. I hope to take a class at the local votech some day and get better trained on how to make stuff.

 

[macgyver37]

I have my machine tools to both save me money and to make me money.

The first tool I bought way back when was a welder (used some student loan money to get it, still have it) then a torch, then a SB 9", then a SB 14.5", then a SB 18". I then bought an Index vertical mill. I also have a Tree vertical mill and a Cincinnati #2 horizontal mill.
I have a bunch of other much larger machine tools as well and even before I started my own business I used them all regularly on my own projects. I went to school for manufacturing and my first real job was in a machine shop, so I was determined to have my own pretty quick. I did not have to figure out what I would do with one, I already knew exactly what I could/would do with them, just a matter of getting them and tooling them up.

As to cost of these machines etc. I do not have cable TV and just recently bought a TV to watch some movies, for the last 10 years I have not had one. That monthly bill of cable or sat alone can make up a good amount of tools. I also do not have alot of other things that most people have. I'd rather have machines and tools.

I am 38 and I bought the welder when I was 19. I already had a large tool box of hand tools, so I was set there for the most part before I was out of HS. My shop full of stuff did not happen overnight, it took almost 20 years to build it up. I have a few quest machines in mind, but I am not actively looking for much any more.

Something to consider for people to do is to find a class where you can get on a lathe or mill and learn what they are capable of, then you will actually use one if you have it vs not taking the time to use it. If you are comfortable with a tool, you will use it alot.

 

[kaymccampbell]

For all the little parts I need to keep the place running.

 

[matt_i]

Id say a bender like a Diacro or Hossfeld would be on the list of must-have tools...

 

[Thumper68]

Thanks guys, this thread has once again worked me up and now I will be on the search for a lathe and mill once again.

It didn't help that last night as I was drifting off to sleep I was thinking about a project that I need them for as well.

Now if I could find one that wasn't beat to hell (the last lathe I went and looked at the ways were worn in one spot by almost 3/16 of an inch) and at a price point where it could still be considered a hobby.

 

[kazlx]

3/16? I don't think that's even possible without using an angle grinder...


But yes. Lathes are awesome. So are mills. So are most other machine tools.

 

[Thumper68]

3/16? I don't think that's even possible without using an angle grinder...


But yes. Lathes are awesome. So are mills. So are most other machine tools.

That's what I thought as well but there was a tapered dip about 12 inches long in the front side way that when I put a straight edge on had about a 3/16 gap.

After talking to the guy for a bit I found out that he had used the machine for over 20 years set up to do the production of one part so the machine was mostly in that one small area. He had his kids doing the work and he admitted that they were not always good about cleaning and oiling the ways.

 

[larry_g]

One of the things that you almost never see brought up in threads like this is that the skill of the operator makes a huge difference in the usefulness of a machine tool. To be a good machine operator ( or for that matter truck driver, plumber, weldor, mechanic, or any tradesman) It takes learning and time. It also takes an interest to learn what to do. Ifyou buy a lathe or mill and expect to walk up to it and make parts your dreaming.

Sberry constantly is against machine tools, and that is OK. He functions perfectly with a welder and a drill. He is not going to take on jobs that don't fit his skills and equipment. Me I'm the 'hot glue gun' type of weldor, not my forte but I can usually make things stick together long enough to get out the door. Since I have the machines I will lean toward a machined solution instead of a welded solution.

If you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, Are you willing to put in the time learning how to operate the machine to get the most use out of it?

lg
no enat sig line

 

[sberry]

I agree with Larry on the perspective. I am not against machine tools but cautious about realistic returns. Some clearly will get some, some its a hobby and as good as any, this I understand.
Putting it on a list of must haves is different simply due to the changing nature of a lot of equipment. I would say some access is must have if a guy depends on equipment. I compare it to tig in that respect. Good for pros, good for a hobby, down on my must have list and I own one.
Auto hoist, pressure washer if you are in a dirty world, battery tools, simple grinder and a few hand tools along with a wirewelder and torch and I can get along. Things that need more I can one/off or work around.
Only reason I got the rest of it or that for that matter is need. The end didn't always turn ou like it started and today I try to reduce the effort to aqquire where it doesn't make real sense. As Imentin, if this is a want or hobby different matter for sure than getting stuck with something you regret.

 

[jar944]

To make parts I need NOW
To make parts can't buy
To make things I don't want to spend the money on.

 

[sberry]

I have 2 good Buds with decent shops and there are larger ones. I had a 400 bill for a pump repair about 20 yrs ago and a couple golf car cylinders worked on from the Buds and a hand full of other minor jobs I cobble myself most of the time.
I have a lot of bit metal stock and a variety of mostly hand grind/finish and pretty spiffy with the battery tool followed by a 4 1/2 grinder I use for almost everything else. I have a few bushings to fit critical pieces and a lot of the **** we used to repair we have tossed in the scrap.
We simply do not need to repair a denso starter, we used to fix that **** all the time and it was a pain, upgrade and the need for a repair went away as well as the stock.

 

[sberry]

The repair parts for a baler were either forged or so cheap its not worth it to make them and once we got it fixed our duty cycle is low so we don't wear it out or it needs replacement. I must have spent less than 50$ on really machine able parts would have taken a long time to set up for 10$ a piece and most of the rest of the cost in bearings and the work in replacing fatigued steel.
Old V8 engines are poster cases for this, too heavily loaded work too hard, need the maintenance. Common cars all needed engine work, constant. The need for tuning made it worse.
There are so many hobby guys that are so good its tuff to make any in side work but for a few real disciplined types.

 

[sberry]

The pricing on some of these do make it tempting.