First machine Lathe or Mill?

[matthewsx]

@C-Bag has a very good point that if you’re thinking of getting both, and you aren’t afraid to buy used, then get whichever come up first.

Sometimes you can even get both, with a whole bunch of tooling from someone who’s getting out of the hobby or their estate.

If you’re gonna buy new, or if you’re impatient, I still say go with a lathe. Unless you know for sure you need milling capabilities it just makes more sense to me.

John

 

[homebrewed]

For what it's worth, If the workpiece permits it for boring pockets for press fit bearings I've found a lathe makes it a lot easier. If you REALLY need to get it down to a gnat's ass you can use the compound -- rotate it 5.74 degrees from the Z axis and you get a 10:1 improvement in your resolution, assuming you are advancing the compound. You can't get that with a boring head.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

For what it's worth, If the workpiece permits it for boring pockets for press fit bearings I've found a lathe makes it a lot easier. If you REALLY need to get it down to a gnat's ass you can use the compound -- rotate it 5.74 degrees from the Z axis and you get a 10:1 improvement in your resolution, assuming you are advancing the compound. You can't get that with a boring head.

Forgot about that and also neglected to mention in my novel that you can do rudimentary milling on the lathe.

 

[Shotgun]

Didn’t the old WW2 submarines have lathes on them? With spinning gear that makes sense. Plus they didn’t have bench top mills back then…

Yes. I own one of them.

 

[Shotgun]

It best for lathe first.
You can do some milling on a lathe.

Dave

I don't get that argument.
You can also easily do lathing on a mill.
Chuck the material in the spindle and a lathe tool in the chuck, for instance.
Yeah, it ain't convenient and you'll be restricted in the sizes and types of cuts you can make (haven't figured out tapers myself), but the same can be said for milling on the lathe.

 

[mmcmdl]

I don't get that argument.
You can also easily do lathing on a mill.
Chuck the material in the spindle and a lathe tool in the chuck, for instance.
Yeah, it ain't convenient and you'll be restricted in the sizes and types of cuts you can make (haven't figured out tapers myself), but the same can be said for milling on the lathe.

Limited for longer shafts etc , but this could easily be done also . Spindexer with a tailstock and hook up a cheap motor to it . No difference than a 4rth axis on a cnc mill .

 

[C-Bag]

Limited for longer shafts etc , but this could easily be done also . Spindexer with a tailstock and hook up a cheap motor to it . No difference than a 4rth axis on a cnc mill .

Sorry Dave, LOL. This is a direct illustration of my problem with the words “just” and ”easily”. For you guys with a ton of tooling and decades of experience this may be easy. But for us guys just starting out with limited resources making a simple bushing on a mill is not easy. I was making bushings before anything else so it was a while before I decided I REALLY needed a mill. But I already had a drill press. And I have still done no milling on the lathe.

Like so many times where guys are asking for help each guys focus is so different it’s all just flinging stuff on the proverbial wall and see what sticks with the OP. The right answer is up to the individual.

One of my major criteria was I was making my own powder coat booth and wanted to be able to make my own special dies for my bead roller. I bought my 9x20 for less than they wanted for the sets of dies. And of course it just snowballed from there because it’s often hard to know what you don’t know. I have never bought a tool before I knew what I wanted it for so I could research back from what I needed to make and find out what machine or tool made it.

 

[mmcmdl]

I understand completely Tony . I'm just saying machinists have to think outside of the box . Just starting out it may be difficult but little projects that help yourself to do things better or quicker gets the mind going . The answer is always as you said , it's up to the individual asking being it's a wide open question .

 

[jwmay]

This is a direct illustration of my problem with the words “just” and ”easily”.

I’m with you. I’ve seen people use a mill to turn to diameters. It worked, and I regarded it as nothing more than a neat trick to use in some sort of desperate situation. I bet others might see a lathe cutting a slot in flat stock with the same bemused attitude.

 

[C-Bag]

I'm just saying machinists have to think outside of the box . Just starting out it may be difficult but little projects that help yourself to do things better or quicker gets the mind going .

So true Dave and I knew you know exactly where I was coming from. The truly amazing thing I've learned from hanging here is the outside the box thinking. At first it was ok, what have I got and how can I get this done? Now after seeing so many insanely creative uses and learning all the ways there isn’t really a box I have to be careful because through my prodigious TAS and the crazy deals I’ve picked up on CL I’ll automatically go full gonzo. To hell with get ‘er done. I’ll spend a week rabbit hole jumping only because I can!