Advice on choosing a benchtop lathe

imagineer said:
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?
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I studied and put much thought into the exact question you are asking yourself and came up with an answer that went like this:
I watch a number of YouTubers that do both hobby and professional machine work, I pay close attention to the machines they are using and listen to little off the cuff comments they make, the type comments that are almost under breath and the advise they occasionally provide. After listening to a number of them complain about lack of torque at lower speeds on many of the bench top models I did a bit of research and found that most of those are DC motors which do not have a great deal of guts at lower RPM while the AC motors tend to be better. Additionally the room Tooling takes and the limits that places on the work that they are capable of. Then there is the swing which took me a while to wrap my head around, you would think this would be the easiest part of it but not for me and it has to do with over the compound, over the bed, over the gap... and lastly the reputation for longevity, service and maintenance.

I decided Precision Mathews had the best reputation spec their own machines and perform quality control, everything I have read says they will work with you to solve any issues. then I looked at their offerings and at first thought the 1030 would be the perfect machine for me so I started checking off the boxes I alluded to above and I wound up at the PM1236M-PEP which will be in my garage end of next week.

I also bought a Mill from PM which I have been happy with, it is a nice machine. If I could send a message to PM and perhaps a not to you, the only thing I am a bit frustrated with is the lack of documentation on my Mill (operating manual) What I see on the Lathe thus far looks good, we'll see; and, the note that those things lacking in documentation have thus far been answered promptly by PM's staff.

As far as cost; as Nathan at the site "out of the woods" has noted, Buy once, cry once....
 
imagineer said:
Ok, variable speed or one with changeable gears?
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My opinion is Variable speed is good if it is an AC motor with a VFD controling the RPM.... it all boils down to low RPM torque for me.
 
C-Bag said:
I know it’s not benchtop and I think it cheap because only more experienced know the Sheldon name and you have to get it out of a basement, but I’d jump on this like a dog on a bone.

cleveland.craigslist.org

Sheldon Metal Lathe 11x36" - tools - by owner - sale

Sheldon Metal Lathe - $1800 obo. 11x36" Wired for 220V/1phase (I honestly do no remember if the motor can be wired for 110). Comes with 3-jaw chuck, 4-jaw chuck, faceplate for dogs, Jacobs chuck,...
cleveland.craigslist.org
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I reached out to the seller...
 
verbotenwhisky said:
I studied and put much thought into the exact question you are asking yourself and came up with an answer that went like this:
I watch a number of YouTubers that do both hobby and professional machine work, I pay close attention to the machines they are using and listen to little off the cuff comments they make, the type comments that are almost under breath and the advise they occasionally provide. After listening to a number of them complain about lack of torque at lower speeds on many of the bench top models I did a bit of research and found that most of those are DC motors which do not have a great deal of guts at lower RPM while the AC motors tend to be better. ...
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I think that the cause of DC motors lacking torque at low speeds on many bench-top models is the motor controller. The user turns a knob, which turns a potentiometer. The potentiometer sets the DC output voltage of the controller. The controller adjusts the current to the motor, to maintain the voltage. Unfortunately, when the motor is set to a low speed under no load, the controller will output a low voltage. The low voltage results in low torque. A solution to this problem is an additional circuit that inputs the motor speed, and then outputs a control voltage to the motor controller, to maintain the speed that was set by the user.
Dunning-Kruger effect warning: I know relatively little about motors. My confidence probably exceeds my competence.
 
So if you are open to used, small lathes are an area were you can get vintage machines better than anything currently offered. Not the USA vs China thing, simply the features offered that very few new lathes smaller than 12" or cheaper than $4000 offer. Primarily a quick change gear box, and power cross feed.

There are lots of vintage lathes that do offer this even on some small 8" and 9" lathes. The South Bend 9A has both a QCGB and powered cross feed, and several bed lengths with a short 17" between centers to 34" between centers. There were many bench top 10" lathes, Logan, South Bend, Atlas, Rockwell and Jet being the most common. Most were available as a 10x24" or 10x36". Any of these these can usually be found in the $1000-2000 price range.
 
My advice?
Don't buy anything made in China.
We are their avowed enemy and we are financing their world hegemony by purchasing all of the cheap junk they sell.
 
Ultradog MN said:
My advice?
Don't buy anything made in China.
We are their avowed enemy and we are financing their world hegemony by purchasing all of the cheap junk they sell.
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I can not agree more, but I bought a chinese lathe because I had many small used American made bench top lathes that included Logan, Atlas South bend and a Rockwell all of which were from working shops and were worn or in need of repair. I still used them and would sell off each as parts machines on Ebay. Even new small Grizzly lathes from Taiwan were high priced and for what I wanted was cost prohibitive. At this point I needed a larger machine and began looking at used 1440s. When you make that jump from bench type to free standing used lathes the price makes for a reality check. An American Taiwanese or European used lathe of that size brings a steep increase in price, maybe 3 or 4 times what a new chinese 1440 costs. Solely based on that I made my decision on a new chinese 1440 machine. We get caught between a rock and a hard place. As I see pictures on this site of others shops I see many had to make the same decision and opt for an import from china. No I am not happy I had to make that move and the lathe is just OK, but to me at that time (2009) it was the most logical choice. Thanks.
 
Ok, decision time. I've found an older Atlas 618 in great condition with an upgraded tool post for $900.
Or, I up the $$ and buy a Grizzly G9972Z 11" x 26" Bench Lathe with Gearbox for about $2400 delivered.
 
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