First Metal Lathe Suggestions

Cool stuff you have. My little shop is 9X12'. I agree that some of the stuff is worn out or needing a major rebuild. I lucked out as the deal was just posted and low hours on the lathe. I would love new as well! Too bad you could not find a Grizzly 12X24, can not remember the model number, it was the small version of the G9469 (maybe) which is the same as my 1340.
Pierre
 
I have the PM1228. Some advantages over the 10" are a 1 1/2" through bore and the D1-4 spindle.
Also variable speed and separate feed rod. Some of the disadvantages are that it only comes with a
3 jaw.

Also take a look at the PM1127 if the D1-4 spindle isn't important to you. It is a little cheaper than the
1228 and comes with a 4 jaw and maybe a faceplate? I just checked and it also includes a
live center, a drill chuck and a QCTP. I know at the time I was looking I was really leaning
towards the PM1127 but I really wanted the D1-4 spindle and so ended up getting the PM1228.
 
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Hi Caveman, I started out around three years ago on the long trip to decide which lathe would do what I wanted it to do. A machinist friend got me to go up in size to a PM1030V. I thought it was too big for my needs. Boy was I wrong, in 6-8 months I knew I really needed a bigger lathe to do some of the projects I was doing by then. So the long look, wait and learn started. I decided to go to a PM1236, which I recommend highly, then I started doing some things that it would be nice to have a larger spindle bore than the 1236 had so the search widened. I'm not saying to get a 1440 like I did, it will be here Friday, but unless you are sure a smaller foot print is needed I would go with a 1236 myself.

I have went to my friends shop to do quite a bit of my larger bore needs, he has a Sharp 1340VS, and it isn't overkill either. I have been very happy with the parts I have made on the larger/heavier machine. My 1030V does nice work but I feel I outgrew it. On the other hand my friend needed to thread a short barrel and his machine was too big to get the spider to hold of the rear of the barrel and he used my 1030 for the job and had 4" of barrel beyond the spider.

Then again, if you were closer, I will have a PM1030V for sale very soon. LOL. Remember, the smaller the machine the more change gears are necessary, in my opinion, Only you can make the final decision as to your needs. Good luck with your choice.
 
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...I don't need a 1000 pound lathe...

Yes, you do.

Also, financially, you would be much better off finding a used lathe, in excellent condition, that comes with a comprehensive set of tooling. Buying a new lathe automatically puts you thou$ands behind the tooling curve.
 
I've had the 8x12 Harbor Freight for 10 years, used it seriously for 1 year... If I was to do it over again that spot in my garage would be held down with a 10 inch South Bend.

As soon as I have the money and the right machine I'll be upgrading. I hope I live that long.
 
I have got to throw my 2 cents worth in here. I'm not a machinist as much as these other guys. My life has been spent in the electrical business, making repairs to archaic electrical machinery. My personal interest in machining is as a way to obtain "stuff" that is no longer available. Or is, but at exorbitent prices.

I started with a small jewelers lathe, a DB200, until I wanted to cut threads. That required a Grizzly G-1550, currently sold as a metric version G-4000. When I wanted to do large scale models (trains) of 1-1/2 inch to the foot (7-1/2 guage) a larger swing was required. A Craftsman 12 inch machine was necessary and by this time I had aquired enough judgement to make that choice. The long bed was not required, just what I stumbled onto. It was well worn from use in a textile mill. With the Griz, I made what parts were neded to get it back usable.

My input here is the caveat that I use a shop that is actually an old wooden residential building so weight is a very important consideration. One of the facets of the craft is finding solutions within your capabilities. The G-4000 is a good starter machine for several reasons. But it is not a production machine. The fewer gizmos and automation devices there are, the fewer mistakes to be made. To advertise the Grizzly a little, it doesn't weigh that much (~600lb) and doesn't cost that much.

The real expense is in tooling. One day you will want to invest in an(for the G-4000) AXA quich change tool post. If you bought a fancy lathe, there wouldn't be enough money to buy one. Threading is fairly easy with but 3 gear changes for ranging. It has what was known as a "half-norton" gear box. The good part is that they are metal gears of modulus one, a common pitch. The Craftsman has powered cross feed. Which I have used... once. In over ten years, once. To true up a face plate when I was recalibrating the squareness of the cross slide.

I include a link to my own page where I go into machine speed control(actually two):
http://www.hudsontelcom.com/ and http://www.hudsontelcom.com/9X20Gear.html
My reasoning here is I don't like or use variable speed motors. Not A-C motors, anyway. The belted speeds will just have to suffice. Finish is secondary, it's a repair part for God's sake, I don't care how it looks. I only care if it works. That's the limits of my motivation. Skills have improved over the years, but still not to machinist grade.

My point is that I started slow, and cheap. Then improved the machines to keep up with the skills as they improved. I know this input won't be that much use to you but it needs to be said. Simpler (not cheaper) is better from the git-go.
 
Caveman, the PM-1022V is just what you're looking for, if you want a new machine. It does great work in the size ranges you're talking about, comes with the QCTP, and has power cross-feed (very uncommon in machines that small). The LittleMachineShop HiTorque 8.5x20 would also be a good choice. I had requirements very similar to yours when I started and landed on these two choices after much research. In the end, Precision Mathews got my money for having a more capable machine with more included tooling at basically the same price point as LMS.

Here's a "getting started" guide to the 1022V:
http://quinndunki.com/blondihacks/?page_id=3338

And here's a review of it in Vise:
 
South Bend Lathe 9 model a... there are plenty around, they can be fixed up nicely, contains everything you would need.
 
And here's a review of it in Vise:
??????? I saw absolutely NO sign of any kind of review in the video you included. Just a bunch of gobbledygook, interspersed with borderline offensive language.
 
I think if you do go for the PM 10" lathe I would think it would be worth spending the extra $100
on the PM1030v over the PM1022v (unless space is a premium or you really can't see yourself
needing the extra bed length.) Keep in mind that the lengths reported 22" or 30" are really
center-to-center distances, and most people turn with a chuck and a center which will decrease
that distance by a few inches. And if you need to add a drill chuck and drill bit, you're going to
lose a few more inches.

You typically only wish a lathe was smaller when you pay for it or when you move it, but you
generally wish it were larger the other times... :)
 
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