What Make of Mini-lathe

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geraldsd

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I am looking to purchase a mini-lathe to learn the trade and I can make a lot of the pieces that I need on a machine this size. The lathe would need to be able to cut threads, mostly American, but Metric, too. I also would like to be able to be able to purchase tool holders, cutting tools readily. I notice that a lot of machines run in the $600-$800 range, and I have no problem with that. I would like to get your opinions. Thanks
 
I vote for Sherline. I haven't used any of the asian lathes, or a Taig for that matter, but Sherline makes a fine mini-lathe with a very wide range of accessories. As far as I know, all their stuff is made in the USA. They sell a thread cutting attachment for their lathes and it works well, although it is completely manual. They also have instructions for the use of just about everything they sell on line, which is a very useful thing.

The Sherline lathe is capable of great precision and can handle material up to 5" OD (with riser blocks for the headstock, tool post and tailstock). While I cannot tell you it is the best mini-lathe out there I can say it is a fine one and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

I'm sure you know that the basic lathe package is only the start. You will likely spend more than the lathe on accessories over the years but that is the nature of the beast.

Good luck!
 
The 7X series are either a Sieg or Real Bull. The color is all that is different from the different vendors. Some folks say the Grizzlies are a little higher quality assembly wise, but you should consider ANY Asian mini Lathe a kit to begin with. The all need to be completely dissassembled, have the cosmoline completely removed and re assembled with an eye toward proper adjustment and lubrication. Little Machine Shop (LMS) is an outstanding supplier of parts, tools and accessories for these macjines and Chris is a stand up guy who knows his stuff. You want to find one that has the most options like steady and follow rests and a decent tooling package to start with. Don't waste a lot of time or money in the beginning using carbide tooling because it is brittle and expensive and too easy to damage for a newcomer. Learning to grind your ownbits is pretty easy and will help ypi learn what works best on your machine. The HF 7X12 is actually a 7X14, the real Bull (big dog machine works,com) is actually a 8X14.. LMS has every possible replace,emt part and also sells an extension kit currently for 99 bucks to get 16 inches between centers. I have a Harbor freight 7X10 and it does a great job within it work envelope. But 10 inches between centers is kind of small. Ebay and other auction sites have them as low as 499 sometimes and they are still sieg machines. Once you get the addiction a mill and tooling will be next so look to the future for compatible Morse Tapers (MT) to reduce your overall expense in tooling whenever possible. Try also to get as large an MT as you can get MT2 or 3 us better. MT1 is kind of puny and not very solid so watch your tool chatter if you do go small. Welcome to the group and do not hesitate to ask any question you may have. This site will not flame you for asking a question whether it has been asked before or not. Learning from each other is our main mission, so dont be afraid to jump in and get involved as soon as possible/
Bob
 
I found a South Bend 9 X 20 Lathe locally. It has tons of tooling and 3 chucks, taper attachment, tool posts, boring bars, collets, and is in excellent shape, so I bought it. I thank everyone here for your help. I totally expected to by the mini-lathe, but am happy with this...and it runs on 110...

South. Bend.jpg South Bend 5.jpg South Bend 4.jpg South Bend 3.jpg
 
I have to agree with Little Machine Shops rep. They are a great business and Chris is very helpful. We did not buy our minilathe there but do buy our parts there. We did however buy our minimill there and was very pleased with everyting so far. As said all these minimachines are built by a small handful of manufacturers in China or somewhere over there but some of the features or specs are to the retailer's spec.
In all amchines of any type it is always important to look at parts availability. As far as these new minimachnies the parts are easily found at vendors like LMS and I have found once you hone your skills there are so many ways to amke or mod parts.

Have a great day!

Ed
 
Nice find. And you'll always be glad you found the A model.
 
Yep I am slow on my understanding all going on. So you bought that lathe. Great find and I think it will serve you well unless you want to give it to me. :))

Have a great day!

Ed
 
Hello Mikey,
I too have the long bed Sherline and a good few add ons, I had to obtain them from Millhill supplies in the U/K, they were quite pricey but really WORTH it. I use it for making all the tichy bits on my Corliss build, as a small lathe, precision wise, it does the job.
All the best for now,
John.
 
That SB is a great score. It is head and shoulders beyond the capability of a mini in every way. Now you can join the ranks of the hopelessly addicted to buying tooling. I would still practice hand grinding my own HSS bits and get good at them too. The SB is much more versatile and a ton more powerfull so it will need high grade tooling to get the most out of it's capability. Hand ground and well honed tooling will be such a leasure that you may not even consider the indexable carbides for a good while yet. Eventually we all end up with carbide, but if you had gotten a true mini it would have been a waste of good money. The SB, not so much. So, don't forget to snap some pics of you first project and post them up. Enjoy the great "New" to you lathe, it is a great find and you deserve it for being patient and waiting for it to come available. Good luck and have fun!!!

Bob
 
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