Buying a lathe - new vs old

[xalky]

Anyhow, what are you planning to make with the little lathe?

Ray

I'd like to have a second smaller lathe in the 14-16" range so that I can run 2 lathes here. I have a retired guy that comes in to help me out 2-3 hours a day and it sure would be nice to have 2 machines going. There's plenty of retired guys around here that would love to make a few extra bucks and I'd probably learn a few tricks along the way too. I really just need to replace the 12" with an industrial quality machine. I can't swing for a new machine right now but I could probably swing a couple of grand for a good used industrial machine in about a month or so once the cash starts flowing in. I should be seeing my first checks from the lathe work that I've been doing next week. I gotta wait 30-45 days for my money, which kinda sucks, but I'm used to it from the contracting business.

I thought that you might know somebody that needs a boat anchor for the 12". :lmao: Not really...It's not that bad.... It's just not a money maker. An iondustrial 14" would be ideal because I already have a bunch of BXA tooling investment in the 12" that I could transfer over to the 14". A 16" might require a step up in tooling. Plus I'd be able to run the 14 and 20" on my 15hp RPC simultaneously. A 14" industrial machine seems to be the next logical step right now.

Marcel

 

[Shadowdog500]

Well, the decision has been made for me! My wife surprised me tonight by showing me an e-mail receipt from Grizzly for a new SB 8K -- my early birthday present. It was totally unexpected; I was truly shocked beyond words. Lathe should arrive sometime mid/late next week. Gotta love that woman!

Enjoy your new lathe!!!!


chris

 

[Marco Bernardini]

Well, the decision has been made for me! My wife surprised me tonight by showing me an e-mail receipt from Grizzly for a new SB 8K -- my early birthday present. It was totally unexpected; I was truly shocked beyond words. Lathe should arrive sometime mid/late next week. Gotta love that woman!

:congratulations:

and…

:Happybirthday:

I bet one of the first turns will be the candles for you b-day cake :biggrin:

 

[chuckorlando]

awesome man. You will love it I'm sure

 

[zmotorsports]

Well, the decision has been made for me! My wife surprised me tonight by showing me an e-mail receipt from Grizzly for a new SB 8K -- my early birthday present. It was totally unexpected; I was truly shocked beyond words. Lathe should arrive sometime mid/late next week. Gotta love that woman!

Awesome. Congrats. Be sure to post up some pictures once you get it set up and running.

Mike.

 

[Hawkeye]

Once you get used to your new lathe, make sure you machine something really cool for that lady of yours. Maybe a turner's cube or something.

 

[Marco Bernardini]

Once you get used to your new lathe, make sure you machine something really cool for that lady of yours. Maybe a turner's cube or something.

Ladies usually prefer fancy stainless steel towel holders and towel rails… and they are far easier to be turned than a Turner's cube

 

[Hannadog]

I was looking for a lathe to add to my growing home business. I kept looking at the internet and checking Craigslist. I lucked out and found a used 9x20 Enco lathe for sale at a forklift repair business. I got the lathe plus a ton of tooling for $450.00. I figured since I didn't know what I was doing this would be a good lathe to start with and I wouldn't be out much if it was a total disaster. In my ignorance, I didn't realize how much money I saved with just the tooling alone. The shop I bought it from even delivered the lathe to my home! The lathe was made in 1992 and I contacted Enco and ordered new belts. I learned these small lathes were made and then sold under a bunch of different brand names. It's been great to work with and I've made a bunch of chips and learned from my mistakes. I'm looking for a vertical mill now to add I just need to find the room to install it)

 

[Coomba]

Well, the decision has been made for me! My wife surprised me tonight by showing me an e-mail receipt from Grizzly for a new SB 8K -- my early birthday present. It was totally unexpected; I was truly shocked beyond words. Lathe should arrive sometime mid/late next week. Gotta love that woman!

WOW that's great. Does your wife have a sister. :lmao:

 

[sailor1845]

I would rather own a 50 year old American made machine than a brand new Asian made machine. Unfortunately I had my experience with China and Taiwan made machines! These machines were supplied to me by a client that was trying to save money. The first was a Grizzly lathe that had problems from the day it arrived and did not last fourteen months. That was replaced with a Bolton lathe that also had problems and did not last thirteen months. The Grizzly had a defective main shaft and the Bolton had a defective belt tensioner. The reason I mention this is that parts were not readily available for either machine. Both were going to take months for replacement parts. I do not have the time to wait months for parts. Both my present machines have parts available within days not months.

Neither of the original machines had much use as they are only used for prototype parts that I design.

My present machines are a Logan 2555V lathe made in 1968 and a Dyna-Myte 2400 CNC vertical Mill. Both required minimal amounts of work to get them into good running condition. The lathe required a new motor. The original motor was 1 hp 3 ph 240 volts. A new 2 hp 1 ph 220 volts was the replacement The only thing replaced on the CNC mill was to update all electronics and step motors. Both machines are fifty years old and American made.
The more you work on a machine to maintain it, the more you learn about it. This makes it easier to use on your projects.

Buy American,
The job you save
May be your own!