New guy looking for help on buying first lathe

[Uglydog]

My Gisholt Turret is a little smaller than this Reed Prentice Engine.
My Gisholt is well over #5000.

Be sure you have a clear and safe plan to get her unloaded.
Pipes work very well. But, once she starts rolling she doesn't stop easily.

Also, be sure you have enough 3phase amperage/copper wire to turn the motor.
Tooling will be expensive.
Think about your concrete garage floor, is she thick enough?
There is a lot of bed here. You may want to think about a jib crane for loading/unloading some projects (it gets more difficult with age-mine).

Preplan is critical. Think through all the steps before you agree to purchase.
Otherwise you will have a gorgeous rusting lawn ornament.....Which your significant other may not appreciate.

Daryl
MN

 

[Curtis]

So here's the machine I'm going to check out this Saturday:
http://goldcountry.craigslist.org/tls/4579039915.html
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I'm pretty unfamiliar with lathes. Have done metal fabrication just about my whole life, but never had access to a lathe. I build off road vehicles as a hobby/side work, desert race/rock crawlers specifically. Since I'm very novice at the moment, I'll have an immediate use for the machine making bearing drivers, maybe an odd bushing here and there, various tools (would love to make a carrier bearing puller), auto transmission clutch pistons (to add frictions), etc. As I get more experience, I'll probably start polishing crankshafts and possibly fabricating axle housings and steering components.

I'd like to know anyone's comments on this machine, the asking price, things to look out for, etc. From my research, it sounds like I should investigate for damaged gears and wear on the ways. The guy said he'd send me the serial later, so I've been trying unsuccessfully to identify the model from the pictures. Along with researching the machine more in-depth, I'd like to get the model number so I could better approximate a weight. I'm guessing around 3-4k lbs. I'm going to pick it up with my k1500 and 7k lbs car hauler, so I'd like to make sure I don't need to borrow a diesel and a bigger trailer before I try to drag it up Donner Pass in July.

I realize that you have already probably looked at this machine, but here's my 2 cents anyway: Rust! It came from a Naval Shipyard. That and as you said, check for broken gear teeth. A lot of these old lathes suffer from broken gear teeth. I would not expect it to have seen caring treatment at its original environment. As others have pointed out, the lack of a compound will make cutting short tapers a problem. Unless you are on a budget and/or you have to have something that big, why not consider a larger new lathe from Grizzly? I know everybody dislikes "made in China" but believe it or not, the Chinese do make some good machinery, however those machines are the ones that are not built to the bargain-basement price point that many folks demand and expect. As an alternative, the Taiwanese make very good machinery, but at a greater cost. Old American made machinery often requires parts that cannot be had any longer (I know, I have an old Sheldon that I cannot get a new bull gear for, and although I was able to get a new/old stock half-nut, the cost was outrageous). My point is that buying used means you are buying obsolescence and possibly getting someone else's problems. Not always the case, yes, yes, yes...but more often than not and requires you to put a lot of time into the machine just to make it serviceable. If that is your thing, more power to you! I guess I'll get a lot of flaming for my opinion, I am speaking from my experience.