Opinions On Buying The First Lathe. (or The Never Ending, "what Lathe Should I Buy," Question.)

[Toysinthehood]

Hey all,

I'm looking to buy my first lathe. I need opinions on brands people prefer and general pricing. I'm familiar

with larger Lathes, but I cannot afford or fit one into the space I have in my townhouse. I've scoured Craigslist

and several other online buying networks to try and find one that would work to no avail. I've run mostly 14''
swings with 4'-5' or larger but was looking for something around 9"x36''. I have no experience with South

Bend, Logan or other american made lathes that are for the home shop. I've used Acer, Clausing-Colchester,

Cadillac, Kingston, Leblond and a couple of other brands, some of which are on the cnc side, Mori Seiki,

Southwest-Trac, and I run a Kia VTL at work. The closest thing I've touched to, "Old Iron," is the American

radial drill we have at work. It's been around for a while, we even have a 1944 Betts. It is the biggest machine

I have ever seen. Without further ado, here are my requirements, or rather desires.

Any brand.

9-12'' swing, any length up to 48'' (If it weighs over 1000 #'s it's a no go, such as a larger Monarch.)

Quiet (I know this is something I might have to adjust myself, but if there are any brand specific lathes I could search for I need to know them.)

Has a QCGB preferably

Is accurate or has adjustments for accuracy.

Is modestly priced.

I'm from Kansas City. There are South Bends here that people have listed for $3000, There are Atlas lathes here in shambles for $700 and one or two Logans from $700 to $1600 on craigslist. I checked out South Bend Indiana's craigslist and they have a couple of South Bends from $650 up. Do I drive there? I'm really at a loss looking for these things because I have no relative knowledge to the specific market. I'm not trying to buy a Sieg or Sherline either, but still want to hear your opinion if you own those.

Thanks,

Zach

 

[Bob Korves]

Your 1000# limit will crowd or stop you at the larger end of your range. Are you in any particular hurry to get this lathe? If so, there are new import choices from the usual suspects -- Grizzly, Precision Matthews, and many others. They will require some work to make right. For a used lathe, you will need to watch the market and study different models of lathes long enough to find out the going prices and then wait for the right deal. Buying a used lathe is a moving target because you will find lathes in good and poor condition, with or without tooling, some with basic tooling, others with everything you can imagine, some with mechanical issues and broken or missing parts. Some are near and some far away. Caveat Emptor is more important when buying machine tools than for buying just about anything else. You will end up comparing apples and oranges, some of them with rotten spots, some with cherries on top. Take your time, study carefully, look at possible candidates, and most of all enjoy the ride.

 

[Toysinthehood]

Bob,

Thanks for the quick reply! The 1000# limit does sound a little ridiculous, but I'm unsure if my floors can hold all that weight. I'm looking for a smaller lathe, some of which I'm sure weigh 300 plus, which seems like a lot to me on the small spectrum. I am surprised at the weight of the smaller machines. I know the Logan 9b-17-1 weighs 285 according to the lathe.com website. As far as tooling goes, I can make a good part of that. I'm not in a particular hurry to buy a lathe, it's more of a I "want," it now. As far as the used Lathes are a moving target and caveat emptor, I totally agree. What models do you recommend from Grizzly or Precision Matthews?

Zach

 

[schor]

logan, atlas, southbend all would fit your requirements and they sometimes can be found with accessories and tooling for under $1000.

 

[Splat]

You say you've run bigger machines so would you know what to look for when evaluating a used lathe? If so then that opens up your possibilities but you're then at the mercy of what's available, transporting it, etc... For new I would look at Grizzly G0602, G0752 (same as 602 but with VFD), or G04002. Precision Matthews' PM-1127, PM1022V, and PM1030V lathes have gotten good reviews. Anything bigger than the G04002 or PM1030V is pro'lly gonna weight over 1000lbs (after uncrating from shipping packaging). You could keep tooling costs down by going with HSS instead of carbide inserts. If you can't find anything used for a decent price then I would strongly suggest any of the new lathes I listed.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

I once owned a 13 X 48 5100 model Clausing made in the 50's, probably did not weigh more then 1500 Lb's. An excellent variable speed Reeves drive machine, 50-2000+ rpms, gearbox, spindle clutch and brake. They have an A0 spindle nose which may be a problem finding chucks for these days, overall a very nice light machine however.

 

[mksj]

A bit abstract as to what your work envelop needed, features and price range (not sure what moderate is when talking about the lathes you have used). I would include the PM1228VF-LB, with a standard D1-4 chuck, 2 hp BLDC motor, power feeds, etc. on the short list. If I recall it is a variant of the Sieg SC10, at around 500Lb it gives a very nice work envelop. If you want to push up a little higher level on new iron, then you might look at the Grizzly G4003G (lathe itself is 1000lbs) or the the Eisen 1236 which is on sale. The latter is very quiet.
https://eisenm.com/collections/benc...-stand-made-in-taiwan-single-phase-220v-motor

 

[Bamban]

Mark,

That Eisen looks nice. Curious if it has the same length spindle as the 1340GT.

 

[MSD0]

What is your definition of "moderately priced"? We love spending someone else's money and it would help to know what you can afford

 

[Bob Korves]

Bob,

Thanks for the quick reply! The 1000# limit does sound a little ridiculous, but I'm unsure if my floors can hold all that weight. I'm looking for a smaller lathe, some of which I'm sure weigh 300 plus, which seems like a lot to me on the small spectrum. I am surprised at the weight of the smaller machines. I know the Logan 9b-17-1 weighs 285 according to the lathe.com website. As far as tooling goes, I can make a good part of that. I'm not in a particular hurry to buy a lathe, it's more of a I "want," it now. As far as the used Lathes are a moving target and caveat emptor, I totally agree. What models do you recommend from Grizzly or Precision Matthews?

Zach

I am not questioning any of your requirements. You are a machinist and you know your needs and what you can handle in money, time, and physical size. Stick pretty close to your guns on what you think you really want and need. I personally do not like the idea of buying new Chinese lathes instead of used iron. To put that in perspective, I own a Kent USA (made in China...) 13x40 lathe. Kent sells mostly industrial tools, mine is the smallest lathe they sell. I got it used, but in new condition, for well less than half of what they cost new. Yes, I had to clean it up and go over all the bolts and nuts and adjustments to make them correct, but you need to do all that with a new Chinese lathe as well. The only thing I did not get for my money was a warranty, which is more similar to a used machine, and mine was used, maybe an hour or two by someone who had no clue what he was doing...

There are many others on this forum who can help you with the latest import models, and their pluses and minuses. I am too frugal to buy new machines...

I spent a couple of years searching and kicking tires before I bought my lathe, and I am really glad I did...

Welcome to the forum, by the way!