Advice on choosing a benchtop lathe

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imagineer

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Benchtop lathe for around $2000?

In reality, I’m probably several months away from pulling the trigger on this, but there’s no reason to not start shopping/researching now. Last time I used a metal lathe was ’77-‘78 in 8th grade shop class.

I don’t have the shop space for a large, floor mount lathe, nor do I want to buy something used without knowing much about metal lathes.

With a budget of +/-$2000, what size and features should I look for in a new benchtop lathe? Any advice on brands to avoid?
 
It's not so much the brand, it's the support network behind it after the sale that matters (when buying new)
Or, the ability to return the unit without a lot of fuss and cost if you find something really wrong with it
I would say Grizzly is pretty good, as well as Precision Matthews and Little Machine Shop. Jet I'm not sure. They used to be good.
Bolton rates pretty poorly so I would not recommend them
The goofy strange sounding brands like Vevor are where the quality control problems/support start to become an issue
Ask yourself what types of parts you want to make- what sizes and materials do you want to work with?
Don't buy a lathe with a bed that's too short. I would say 16" minimum (longer is better)
 
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We all have different approaches to this. Mine was I didn’t see 100% satisfaction when buying new because most is made in China and Taiwan. And like Mark said you are also buying the support when buying new. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it can’t have problems. Old machines can have problems #1 amongst them guys cleaning and putting paint on well known hobby name machines like Atlas and South Bend and asking premium $$$ for them.

I had no background in machining and I spent almost 6mo researching forums and looking at what my expected work envelope was and perusing the local Craigslist to see what was out there. And every time a machine popped up I’d look it up and research it. By the time I decided my workbench size lathe was in the 9x size range one popped up on CL that the guy’s hobby was upgrading it with everything the followers of 9x20 lathes recommended. He had spent all his time and $$ buying and installing while never actually using it. I bought it for $650. It still fits my needs and I don’t regret the investment at all. I have learned a lot about fixing it and improving it’s accuracy and it’s still being made and I can get parts through Grizzly.
 
You have to decide what you want to make. Not only now but in the future too. Some will advise to buy something small to begin with and then later upgrade to a bigger lathe. IMHO that is not the way to go. Well maybe if you are really good at selling stuff. Most people buy high and sell low. I think the most import thing in a lathe is the distance between centers. You can always work on shorter material but if you run out of center distance there is typically no way to fix that except to buy a lathe with a longer distance between centers.

Like C-Bag I was not willing to pay the cost of a new lathe. So I searched the used market. Took me a year to find my craftsman 12x36. I passed on a lot of worn out lathes. Towards the end of my search I concentrated on estate sales where the kids were selling off grandpa's stuff just to get rid of it. My lathe came with multiple chucks and everything in the craftsman catalog except for a taper attachment. Paid $1200 for my lathe.

Figure out what you want to make and let that guide your search.
 
I wouldn't rule out used- we can advise you on any machine you are considering- they really don't make them like they used to
(although if it's a great deal it may be gone before we can weigh in on it :)
 
ChazzC said:
I have a Micromark 7 x 16 (close in quality & fitted out by me to close to LMS 7350), which is nice, but an 8 x 20 (LMS 7500) or 10 x 22 (PM-1022V) would be nicer if you have the space (and an extra $1,000).
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I have the same lathe, MM 84631 7x16. Did a lot of work to it to tighten it up. Scraped the compound slide, upgraded the compound screw with bearings, added adjustable brass carriage gibs. Cross slide is next... Love my lathe. I also have the MM 84630 mill. Also did several upgrades. They suit me just fine for the work I do.
 
I will buck the trend here. The last used machine that I bought was my Atlas/Craftsman in 1970. Since then all my machines were purchased new. It is true that you can find some real gems on the used market but you can also buy a basket case. Used machines from an industrial setting can be well worn. From a hobby setting, they can be misused and abused. Oftentimes the wear or defects can be hidden, especially when the new buyer has only a brief opportunity for critical inspection. Restoring a used machine can turn out to be a mission unto itself and with good probability that the required skills and equipment exceed those of an inexperienced person.

While purchasing a new machine isn't without its issues, for the most part they are design or manufacturing inadequacies that are well known and solutions can readily be found online. My most recent purchases were a Tormach PCNC770 mill and a Grizzly G0602 lathe. They both have some issues, most of them fixed with modifications that I made. Both can turn out good product with reasonable accuracy. Both have fairly good customer support from American based companies. Neither has what I would consider a deal breaking failing if I was considering buying again. Should a part fail, almost certainly can get replacement parts from the manufacturer rather than trolling the internet for used parts often at prices an order of magnitude more the the original cost of the replacement part.

Years before, I purchased an RF30 clone. It has seen a lot of hard use over the past forty years but is still highly functional and can turn out accurate product. Other acquistions were a Buffalo drill press and a Buffalo H/V band saw, also over forty years old and still going strong. So far, I haven't had a need for any replacement parts for any of them.
 
I currently own a craftsman 6x18 lathe which has been great to learn on. Just recently put in an order for a PM 10-22 and I’m awaiting its arrival. It’s more than 2000 but after watching what blondihacks can do with hers and hearing about the customer service, I pulled the trigger on a new machine. I’m not making anything going to space nor do I have the space for anything bigger. I’ll keep you posted on my experience after it arrives.
 
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