Looking to buy my first metal lathe

D

dalej

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Hello everyone

This is my first post on any forum about this hobby. I have been interested in machining since I can remember. I have played around with wood lathes, brake lathes, valve grinding machines and other various fabrication equipment but never a "full on" metal lathe or mill. I am to a point in life where I am ready to buy my "FIRST" metal lathe. Like other hobbies I have been and am sill involved with this one has so many options to choose from. I am looking to keep my budget around the $1500 mark for everything. I could possibly fudge a little but this is my entry point budget. I have been looking at the Grizzly Model: G0602. I am unsure if this is what I should start with. I do not have any particular projects in mind but dont want to be too limited either. I have shied away from the harbor freight models due to the amount of work and modification to the machine to make it right according to the reviews I have read. The 7/xx machines seam too limited in my mind but I do have a habit of going overboard. hahaha! So I would really appreciate everyone's opinion and recommendations. PS I am also looking to add a small mill in the future if all goes well with the lathe.
 
Hi Dalej, welcome to the forum!
the 7x machines are capable for turning small items, but as you said they are merely an assembled kit, that need a lot of tweeking to get it to do what you need, accurately.
IMO, you'd do well to look at the import 1024 or 1236 machines or old american iron like (but not limited to) South Bend, Logan, Rockwell
Jet also has a 920 import lathe that is light duty, but superior to the 7x lathes- a very nice machine
i personally am not a fan of Atlas lathes (i did own one), but there are a million of them out there.
nonetheless they are capable of doing wonderful work with a patient operator

IMO, i would avoid the very small (micro) milling machines, unless you are machining very small items, they are not very rigid.
the mill/drill machines have their place, but they are also limited in their rigidity
small horizontal and vertical mills were manufactured by dozens of companies like Atlas, South Bend, Burke, Industro-lite, Hardinge- these capable machines are highly sought for good reason

Larger milling machines can be bought for pennies a pound, but you'll have to have space to store it, move it and power it.
usually they are 3 phase, not an overbearing challenge, but a challenge to consider regardless

another consideration would be what you plan to machine or turn, get a machine that will handle the size and scope of work you intend.
trying to do heavy work with a light machine can be done, but it will not be efficient stock removal
conversely, doing very small work with a very large machine can also be very challenging as well

i wish you the very best of luck in finding what you seek.
patience and diligence will bring great rewards
 
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Welcome!
If you can find a decent used lathe with enough tooling to get started, you will save considerable money over a new machine. Tooling will cost as much or even more than the machine if bought new.
 
Welcome aboard Dale. In a way the question you are asking is like "how long is a piece of string". There are so many options. Unlimited really.

It would be very helpful if you had some idea about the types and sizes of projects you will be tackling. Some folks into RC models etc can get away with a fairly small work envelop. Others into rifles etc would want to have a large spindle diameter.

I work on old clock, small engines etc so my Atlas 618 has suited me for anything I have ever wanted to do. Where as I out grew my Unimat DB200, which was fine for RC model boats I was making at the time.

Anyway you have come to the right place for the type of information you are looking for.

David
 
A lot of your future success lies in the headstock bearings and having a change box for the lead screw.

HF mini lathes use standard electric motor bearings. They are sloppy. It is difficult to make good parts that way, and you must change gears to change leads.

Precision headstock bearings are a must, and quick change gears.
Another feature is either a slotted leadscrew or a separate feedshaft. Power feeds are a definite plus for making nice parts.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Wow nice to see responses so quickly. Man O Man I have a very active imagination when it comes to making things. Say if I wanted to make a throttle body spacer for my truck or maybe a nice billet antenna or door lock pulls maybe nuts and bolts. I dont see myself making a rifle barre.l I might consider a pistol barrel for my airgun addiction. I am so excited about this being something I can pursue that my mind is going crazy. My wife laughs because I will jump at the opportunity to make something. Just the other night I made two baby doll beds for my daughter obviously not a project for a lathe but still really cool to see her face when I gave them to her. I guess I should be asking what manufactures in my price range would be good to start with. I would like to be able to make right and left handed threads just because I think it is a good feature to have, the DRO isnt top priority at this time to help keep costs down to allow a higher quality machine and I know people will shutter but even tooling could be lesser quality to start with. In my mind it is easier to purchase the higher quality tooling over time. Also wondering if it is really important to have a variable speed control or are the set standard speeds good enough.
 
dalej said:
(snip)Also wondering if it is really important to have a variable speed control or are the set standard speeds good enough.
Click to expand...
It is a fairly new thing that variable speeds have become available. Lots of excellent work was and is done without them. They are a convenience, but also often contain electronics that can and will fail sometime down the line, often after parts support disappears. Simple things like gears and belts and pulleys are reliable and are still being used (and easily repaired) on machines more than a century old... Try to repair an inoperative 1980's vintage computer board on an 'old' CNC machine and see how easy that is... Parts sources dry up and go away. Simple mechanical drives live on.
 
On the other hand, I have no problem with fixing an old lathe that is missing it's change gears and feed box by using a stepper motor to drive the lead screw. I am not a Luddite, reeling against technology. The idea is to keep stuff working!
 
I am new here but if at all possible, save up until you can afford decent machines. I recently purchased my first mill and lathe and I am glad I waited. I ended up purchasing a 645 index and a 13x30 profit master both with DRO and tooling. If you have the space get full size machinery. Hope this helps you out.
 
All the responses are good. First off, what do you wish to make size wise? Second is monetary. Third is how much room do you have? These three factors will help you decide on a lathe. Good luck in your search.

"Billy G"
 
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