11 X 22 Whosale Tool Lathe

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Laz

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I am totally new to this forum and lathe work. I am looking for a small but robust lathe Wholesale tool has a 11 x 22 lathe that sells for 1599 with stand and I can get 20% off of that and pick it up so no delivery. Does anyone have any experience with this lathe. I do not plan to do a lot of Lathe work but wondered if this late is any good vs Grizzley etc. I also would like a small mill. Any help is really appreciated
 
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From my restricted vantage point here in the machinery barren Pacific Northwest I would think that Ohio should be the mother lode for a nice, used but well maintained piece of fine American iron sitting in someone's workshop right now and advertised for sale on Craigslist at an affordable price.

Absolutely none of my business and if your heart is set on buying a new import then fire away - but if I were in your position I'd watch the classifieds for a week or so and see what's available.

Atlas, Clausing, Logan, South Bend and probably a dozen others all made lathes in that size range.

Stu
 
Lathes sort of grow on you. I suggest buying as much lathe as you can afford, as far as size and quality (even if you break the bank a bit - still worth it). If you purchase too small and too cheap, it will be tougher to get good results on and you'll be more likely to find you don't use it much. Purchase something that works well and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
 
Think what is the biggest you well ever have a need for then buy one much bigger. You can make small parts on a big lathe but you can't make big parts on a small lathe. I made this mistake on my first lathe & it is still here in the way. It is actually even hard to make small parts on the small lathe because it isn't rigid enough. I only use it when eyeball tolerances are good enough.
 
gr8legs said:
From my restricted vantage point here in the machinery barren Pacific Northwest I would think that Ohio should be the mother lode for a nice, used but well maintained piece of fine American iron sitting in someone's workshop right now and advertised for sale on Craigslist at an affordable price.
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Stu
Click to expand...

Ohio is the mother load of clapped out 3 phase industrial machines that have been sitting in the rain for years :(
I spent a few months looking for a lathe in Ohio, and the rare well maintained small Atlas/SB/etc in decent shape went for a big premium. Ironically, the bigger machines are a better value, but you almost always need to get a phase convertor and have room for a 1000+lb lathe.

I skipped this machine because the cross slide only has 4 1/4" travel, and only 6 speeds. So this is really a 9ish" lathe that runs too fast for threading and too slow for carbide.

If you can afford to wait for a few months, I would get on the list for a Precision Matthews lathe. Matt sells one in similar size and cost.

-Josh
 
Thanks for the Input. I have been watching on Craigslist for several Months. I missed a nice Logan, but other than that most are way too big, or complete rusted junk. I do not have the time to rebuild one. I can get this one for $ 1250 with stand. I know it is not the best , but I was looking at a HF 8X12 before this and figured it would probably be enough. Going to look at it today. I just wondered if there was any real issue with WT lathes . This machine is just slightly larger than the Grizzly 10x22.

In my case it just seems better than the HF.
 
Second that on Ohio too dang big or absolutely wore out and still overpriced.
 
Wholesale Tool seems to get whatever Chinese import they can manage to find. I doubt very much if there is any support for their machines worth having. I went to their Charlotte N.C. store some time ago. Was not impressed. Store is now closed. I think they are shrinking.

It is better to buy AT LEAST from a large outfit like Grizzly(not always the best support either). Probably Precision Matthews is the best overall support,though it can take a lot of time to get a lathe from them. Still Chinese,unless you pay for Taiwan,but Matt seems to have the best reputation I know of. He often has to wait months for another shipment. I think he is always swamped.

Do not pay $1200.00 for a Logan. That is too much. However,at least there is a support group "Logan Actuators"(sp?) They sell various parts,steady rests,gears,etc. Not real cheap,though.
 
Thanks again for everyone's input. I called Grizzly before going to WT and talked with their product support guy. After hearing my needs he recommended the two versions of their 10x 22 lathe. One has variable speed and digital readout.

I did go to Wholesale Machine today( last day for my 20% off coupon). I was not a very impressive place, but the people who worked with me were very impressive. They spent a lot of time with me and explained a lot about the Lathes they sell, no pressure whatsoever. The 11 x 22 they had their was not the normal model they carried. It seems they asked the manufacturers to g1ve them a version that had both left and right threading capabilities. This one one of them, the last one they had in stock at the Detroit location. It also has a slower speed of 150 . The problem with the late is it does not use a screw on Chuck. It comes with two a 5" 3 jaw and a 5" 4 jaw that both use a special adapter plate. These do not screw on they chuck bolts to the adapter plate and the chuck will not unscrew in reverse.

In my case the whole late is probably overkill but it is heavy. They can get parts for the lathe. There was one gear missing from the set that comes with the lathe for metric thread cutting. They assured me that it was on order and would be in soon. It arrived before I left with my truck today. Total cost with discount was $1277.00 plus 74 in tax. No delivery.

Its a start and I hope to learn at least the basics on this machine. If it does not work out there is always Craigslist to sell it.

Now what thing of metal should I destroy first to learn?
 
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