newbie

[jus1975]

Im shopping for a descent lathe. I dont want to get something that will be hard to find parts. Ive found a few to bid on.

southbend 16x8 model#8117E
2 logan 1875 models
Cincinnati 12.5x36
kestrel "13 engine lathe
hartford 1408DL
harrison M300
Clausing-Colchester 600 Group

what do you guys think. The bids are low so that will make a difference but i want to know which are hard to find parts and support.

 

[swatson144]

Sorry but most all lathes are either difficult to find parts or expensive to buy parts for to varying degrees. You can have a clausing that still has parts available but I can't afford them nor could my doctor. The Chinese machines you may have to pay 5$ and wait 3 months. Etc.

I have never much worried much about parts availability as most that goes wrong are parts that can be made from a 3rd party source like gears, bearings, acme threaded shaft, etc etc.

IMO it is far more important to find one with less overall wear and certainly nice ways. Then I get looking hard at the tooling. I don't want to run your thread to far of course.

If I were really concerned about parts I'd probably look on ebay and see what is there. Or call the manufacturers that are still around like http://www.clausing-industrial.com/index.asp and ask. just my 2¢ worth.

Steve

 

[ScrapMetal]

How about telling us a bit more about what you have in mind for a lathe, where you are putting it, available power supply, and level of knowledge. That info can help us narrow down the field of what will be appropriate for you. Once we have that decided we can work on the other criteria.

-Ron

 

[12bolts]

Justin,
Steve, (swatson) covered it, and Ron, (scrap metal) summed it up really well.
It depends to a degree on what you want to use it for but as far as replacement parts go...........well a lathe is pretty much the only machine that can make itself. From scratch! If you were to web search lathe mod/repairs you will find a million+ things people have done to repair their machines on the fly, and there are 10+million more mods people have tried, (and succeeded with) to "improve" their machine.
Not putting you down, or shutting you out but Steves comments about previous wear and tear are more important to consider than possible future OEM parts.

Cheers Phil

 

[Pacer]

In considering purchasing a first lathe there are more factors involved in whether there are parts & support - primarily your ability to operate, and maintain the machine. There is much talk about "old American iron" and indeed that has lots of merit --- but...

In the last 5-8 years I have bought and rebuilt some 8 home shop sized lathes & mills of 'old American iron' vintage, and NONE of them was something the faint of heart would have wanted to tackle, involving high skill levels with the necessary machines to accomplish the repairs, and then theres the incredible hours that can be tied up in one. Then you have the problem of the tool having little or no accessories - chucks, tools, etc. My hobby is doing just this and when I finish I try to have the machine in such a condition that a first time buyer, or one that doesnt have the time, can take it home and start to use it.

What I'm leading up to is, machines like I offer (which are not cheap) are just not many out there. In fact 'ole americun orn' of any kind is getting more and more scarce.

So, I tell many of my callers that arent able to meet my price - or whatever - to seriously consider purchasing a new Chinese lathe. There are some quite nice lathes in the 10" to 13" range that are very nice home shop tools - and come ready to use, with the basic tooling.

 

[Rbeckett]

What a great thread! The crux of the answer is..... Condition is more important than parts availability any day. Once you have the tool, the rest of your money will be spent on tooling. Out of the really great list you showed us which one has the most "goodies" included. That is the one I would buy, even if it was slightly more money than another. The reasoning behind this is at about 40 bucks a pop on high end carbide tool holders and big bucks bits you will soon have more invested in good tooling than you paid for the machine. At least that is what happened to me so far. The quality and quantity of tools you will use over time is unlimited and goes from next to nothing up to the national debt without rhym or reason. Any one of the machines on that list will be a great addition to any shop. but look carefully for excess wear, damaged ways,looseness (slop), rust and abuse. Steer clear of the loose sloppy and rusty junk and you will be much happier on your initial purchase. I am kind of partial to the Chinese entries also. For the value they offer at the price they sell for new is pretty tough to beat. All chinese, (Asian Imports) should be considered as a partially assembled kit. They should be stripped down, cleaned of cosmoline, and carefully reassembled with special attention to being square, and plumb. If you do this with an Asian piece of gear they give very good service for a fraction of the cost of a new piece of American Iron. Any way you decide to go will be welcome here and you can be sure someone will be glad to help you out with machine and tooling questions. Our biggest goal in this forum is passing knowledge, tip, tricks and fixes among ourselve in a peacefull and productive way to anyone who is interested. Welcome to the group and don't forget some pics of what you decide to go with. Hope this hasn't been a confuser and helps enlighten you on the path to being a hobby machinist in the future.
Wheelchair Bob

 

[jus1975]

I appreciate all the info. Only problem is these are on various auctions. So I'm taking a chance. I've always believed that repairs shouldn't be a problem for a lathe and some knowledge but I've read about some lathes are rare and parts are hard to find and I should consider that in choosing. I just wanted the most for my money. I didn't want to say "wish I boughtbthe other" because its cabilities are better.
I'm mostly using it for my bike shop but since I've been reading and studying the craft ill probably will be doing more. The only requirement I can think of that I need is threading. Metric and standard.