My first lathe - don't laugh

Hi y'all, I got my first lathe. It's pretty exciting for me but it's very basic, probably not too interesting for other people.

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Well, I hope that wasn't too boring. It's exciting for me. I've been watching machining videos on YT for at least a year, so I'm stoked to finally get a lathe to play with. Maybe you can relate to getting your first machine tool? :)

Absolutely - and jealous.

For the many of us 'watching' and without (yet) a lathe or mill, this is very exciting.

Congratulations :)
 
The pistolsmith I worked for had a small Craftsman lathe (made by Atlas?) on a bench right next to the handwork station. We used that lathe all the time for things like screws, firing pins, barrel bushings, etc., etc.. On some days, it would get used a half-dozen times or so, while the big lathe was never even turned on.

I built my first competition pistol on a smaller lathe than that.

Enjoy what you have, and have fun learning about your new lathe and what you can do with it. You will surprise yourself. I did. :)
 
One thing is for sure, if you ever decide to get a bigger lathe, you will completely love what it offers over this one. Congrats on the Lathe! I really hope you get as much fun outta this hobby as I do.:)

Rich
 
1/3 HP is as much as it can handle, so the motor will fit it great. You can't beat free! Congratulations and have fun! Ps. Take very very light cuts with the machine while you get the hang of it. The 109.xxxx series of lathes need to be treated with care of the spindle may bend.
 
It looks bigger than my first one, It was a little hand me down Sherline 4000, Bu it would cut stuff if you took light cuts. So yours should also. Sit back and have some fun. Find a bunch of scraps, and just turn them down to get the hang of it. then start having more fun.
 
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