Lathe or Mill…I can't decide and I'm going nutz

That Atlas is too rich for my blood….and too big. My shop space is small and already full of stuff.

Steve
 
Re: By no means is this meant to demean anyone with inexpensive machines, just a viable alternative.

BobC said:

Unless money is no object, wait until you find that really great deal on either, then jump on it. Make searching the Penny Saver, want ad's, Craigs List, even local ebay, say a 100 mile radius, a frequent quest. More than any other thing, that will build up your shop in the shortest time and if you are discriminating, with a much better class of machines.
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That is a wonderful long term strategy but assuming the lathe was the first, then you have been at it over 50 years.

Just starting out from scratch, you have to get to a position of being able to do basic work unless you just want to wait and make nothing until the right deal comes along to purchase first class tools. I bought a $15 dial caliper, a $30 DTI, and a $15 mic, and a $5 automatic center punch to start with, mostly from Harbor Freight. I used them and was happy.

Over the last month, I came up with a nice Brown and Sharpe DTI that just needed a new stylus, a practically new carbide jaw Mitutoyo dial caliper that some idiot over extended it and lost the gib strip out of, a decent .0001 micrometer that someone unscrewed the ratchet thimble and lost the screw, and a nice Starrett automatic center punch that was put together wrong. All for free from a pile of stuff being sent to the trash. I ordered a new stylus for the DTI, made a new gib from brass shim stock for the caliper, put the center punch together right, and fixed the micrometer with a torx screw from an old hard drive and turned a SS washer. Nearly $600 dollars worth of tools for nothing. I fixed several other items and gave them away. Some other items like the wheelchair drive gear motor will just wait for a project, mine or someone elses.

Do I regret buying the cheap tools? Not in the least. I still have them. They work fine. Taken care of, they will probably last the rest of my life. I will probably take them and have them as spares in my desk at work. They make great loaners too.

If you are on a budget, I think you should start with what you can and then over time you can acquire or make the rest. The deals do come, but not overnight. You have to start somewhere.
 
I read all of this in bewilderment. You have so many toys to choose from in the market place that you can’t make up your minds. The 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century watch/clock maker with his humble assortment of tools could make us look like we were stick drawers in kindergarten class. And we would have 200 years of mechanized evolution on him. I quess that advantage ain’t worth squat. Yah, I know we landed on the moon. I'm more focus on the solo home shop machinist that has evolved or maybe brainwashed into thinking they HAVE TO HAVE a DRO for their mill, keyless chucks, magnet chip picker upper, new table saw fence (worthless!), ENCO promo codes…And China ain’t gonna complain about it either, just me. That keyer could be made with stock bought materials and made with a hacksaw, egg beater, file and small assortment of other hand tools. You don’t need a lathe and or mill to do it. And I bet you that 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century fellow with humble tools would win the prize with his keyer example! He had talent, today we have wallets with varying amounts of plastic money inside and little or no self-discipline on buying that new toy for the shop, especially with Father’s day as the best excuse of all...Happy Father's Day!
 
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chuckorlando said:
Oh brother I did not get that into it. I used a 4in long 3/8 rod I had and ran it just like it was hanging out the chuck. I honesty done it so I was not just talking out the side of my neck. Up untill then all I had was second hand info. So I tried it.

I would also say that when I say "turned" I mean just that. I simply faced it off and took .25 off. And it cut like butter. I would think a follow rest is best you could hope for doing what I just done.
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I just gave it a try. Not the best finish in the world but usable and certainly better than what I get with my "lathe". Now I just need a chuck on an MT3 taper.
 
Before you order a Sherline be sure to see one in person first. See if you would be able to get a milling accessory to hold your work that large (Not likely) Careful with a Taig also, same reason. By miniature work it means making a code key the size of a postage stamp for example with the Sherline. Good if you want to do that type of work. You might spend your money and have a tool you wouldn't be able to use for what you want.

Keep looking for used equipment to stretch your dollar. Got almost all my equipment that way. Got my Bridgeport in trade for some radio controlled helicopters, was actually a fair value trade for the .60 size heli gear of that day.
 
Well, I intend to make and sell these keys, so speed is a factor. Thus the quest to get a machine to help. I made the first one with hand tools and a bench top drill press.
I just want to make things go a bit faster and easier. Now where do I get that magnetic chip picker-upper? :))

Steve


chips&more said:
I read all of this in bewilderment. You have so many toys to choose from in the market place that you can’t make up your minds. The 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century watch/clock maker with his humble assortment of tools could make us look like we were stick drawers in kindergarten class. And we would have 200 years of mechanized evolution on him. I quess that advantage ain’t worth squat. Yah, I know we landed on the moon. I'm more focus on the solo home shop machinist that has evolved or maybe brainwashed into thinking they HAVE TO HAVE a DRO for their mill, keyless chucks, magnet chip picker upper, new table saw fence (worthless!), ENCO promo codes…And China ain’t gonna complain about it either, just me. That keyer could be made with stock bought materials and made with a hacksaw, egg beater, file and small assortment of other hand tools. You don’t need a lathe and or mill to do it. And I bet you that 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century fellow with humble tools would win the prize with his keyer example! He had talent, today we have wallets with varying amounts of plastic money inside and little or no self-discipline on buying that new toy for the shop, especially with Father’s day as the best excuse of all...Happy Father's Day!
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I would get the mill first. Check out Grizzly's G0704 mill and their smaller lathes like their G0602 or G0765. It seems like the work you're doing wouldn't require bigger machines. When I was looking at a mill and lathe for my home 95% of the posts I read advised against the 3-in-1 type machines because what the do, they do mediocre at best.
 
Ok. I just found an HF 7x10 lathe on Craigslist with a bunch of tools, a nice tool chest and stand. He wanted $400 and said he'll take $300 so I said I'll take it. It's not ideal, but I think it will be a good start and I can always sell it down the road if I want to get something bigger. I'll get a milling attachment for it and that should keep me going for a while.

Here's the link: http://albany.craigslist.org/tls/4512777347.html

Steve
 
CODEMAN said:
Ok. I just found an HF 7x10 lathe on Craigslist with a bunch of tools, a nice tool chest and stand. He wanted $400 and said he'll take $300 so I said I'll take it. It's not ideal, but I think it will be a good start and I can always sell it down the road if I want to get something bigger. I'll get a milling attachment for it and that should keep me going for a while.

Here's the link: http://albany.craigslist.org/tls/4512777347.html

Steve
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For that price you can't go wrong!!!! I had a mini lathe for 7 years and loved the darn thing!


I recently upgraded to a bigger lathe and I had a two year standing agreement with my neighbor that he was buying my mini lathe when I upgraded. You will have no problem selling it for at least what you paid when the time comes.

Chris
 
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