# Looking for my first lathe



## Overkill19 (May 13, 2019)

Sorry if this is in the wrong section. I looking for my first hobby lathe, I’d like to be able to thread etc. I looked at s couple king 13x40 but they were beat up. 
This one is a mess in the picture but I haven’t gone to look yet. 
From what I’ve read on here most say to stay clear of the China lathes. What is a good brand vs bad? 
Is this a good lathe ? Thx

For sale is a Microwiley TY1340 metal lathe. Capable of imperial and metric threading, has metric and imperial dials on the cross slide and compound. Has a 2hp 220/440 3 phase motor. Comes with a 6” 3 jaw and 8” 4 jaw chuck also has a taper attachment, quick change tool post and coolant tank/pump. Machine is in great shape and works well. It is currently stored as new bigger one has arrived



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## Ulma Doctor (May 14, 2019)

mainland China lathes stay away, i agree
BUT,
Taiwanese lathes are Good to Very Good

i'm not familiar with the name, but it would most likely be a great lathe for you.
i saw the spec sheet, on it and it is a very capable machine.

i own, and have owned, a few Taiwanese machine tools- they are A-OK in my book


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## darkzero (May 14, 2019)

When it comes to asian import lathes, name brand doesn't always matter unless maybe it's a popular brand name bit still. Most of the names are just put on them by the vendor/distributor. Inspecting any used machine is key. China machines can be made decent but usually not out of the box. There will very likely be flaws & cosmetic issues. Think of them as kits. And if buying an asian import machine whether China or Taiwan, see if it's a common design & replacement parts are available from someone.


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## Overkill19 (May 14, 2019)

Ulma Doctor said:


> mainland China lathes stay away, i agree
> BUT,
> Taiwanese lathes are Good to Very Good
> 
> ...



I priced out a new one from a dealer 1.5 hours south of me slightly different part # and can with dro and tools. It can in at $20000.00 ish CAD

My biggest thing is I don’t know what to look for bad vs good in a lathe. 
Is there always a fix? 
I talked with my Master electrician at work and he assured me he swap it over to single phase,or rig me up with a Vfd set up to convert to from 3 phase down to single. 


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## mksj (May 14, 2019)

They are supposedly made in Taiwan, but the latest version seems to be made in China looking at the image of the lower end model. A number of Canadians have purchased Eisen and Quality Machine Tools lathes made in Taiwan, but adds up quickly with the exchange and Tariffs. There are a few house brands in Canada. Depends on the budget and what you want to do. I prefer 3 phase, so consider and RPC or VFD. The latter is a bit more complex.


			production


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## mikey (May 14, 2019)

If it is anything like this lathe then it looks to be a very nice lathe with all the "good stuff" on it - D1-4 camlock spindle, bed width >7" for rigidity, foot brake, threading indicator, 1.49" spindle bore. They do not give spindle run out specs or tell you if the ways/gears/spindle are hardened; this is important to know. It is a Taiwanese lathe so I would expect it to be better than a Chinese one. If the price is right, it looks pretty good to me.


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## Dabbler (May 14, 2019)

Overkill, there have been a bunch of good lathes available this year in both Edmonton and Calgary.  There was even a nice one at an auction house in Red Deer.   13 X 40 is a nice size to do almost anything a hobbyist needs to do.

I bought a 14X40 in  Calgary last year.  A diamond in the *very* rough.  It will become a great lathe, as soon as it is rebuilt.  Do you want a fully functional used lathe?  new? a 'restoration' project like mine?

There is a group in Alberta that is sharing leads on equipment.  PM me if you want to get in touch.


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## Overkill19 (May 14, 2019)

Dabbler said:


> Overkill, there have been a bunch of good lathes available this year in both Edmonton and Calgary. There was even a nice one at an auction house in Red Deer. 13 X 40 is a nice size to do almost anything a hobbyist needs to do.
> 
> I bought a 14X40 in Calgary last year. A diamond in the *very* rough. It will become a great lathe, as soon as it is rebuilt. Do you want a fully functional used lathe? new? a 'restoration' project like mine?
> 
> There is a group in Alberta that is sharing leads on equipment. PM me if you want to get in touch.



Sent u a pm 
Thx for the help. I’m in Red Deer 


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## Overkill19 (May 14, 2019)

Also I don’t have budget really. If it’s a super deal I’d spend $8000ish but it would have to be very shinny!
If it’s brand new or a good used then I have to buy a pile of tools I’d like to stay around the $3000- $5000 mark. 

There is a 11x27 PM I was considering but it was on the other side of the country and shipping is about $1500 and he wanted $2800 it looked nice but it was the older version not the newer larger bore. But just seam like I’d out grow it quickly and have to buy/ sell again. I’d rather buy a little bigger and grow into it. 

It seams like ever guy selling these smaller ones when u ask why are you selling. It’s always... I bought a bigger one. 
So I’d rather make my wife really mad once!


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## Dabbler (May 14, 2019)

How to put this?  _Try _to figure out what you are actually interested in doing with your lathe.  You can then use that to help you size your 'perfect' lathe.  One guy in Edmonton recently sold his very lightly used 14X40 and bought a $12000 one that is the same size - because he needed a lot of rigidity.  The weight of the old one was 300kg.  the new one is more than double the weight.

So... size isn't everything 

I have a 12X37 and like it a lot, but it has a few problems that I just don't want to deal with, so I bought a bigger lathe, a 14X40, but that one has a_ LOT _more problems, just different.  The new one has problems I can correct and/or live with.  When my new lathe is where I want it to be, I'll sell the old one (I really don't need 2 lathes, after all)

One of the guys locally has a 13X40 the he uses to make parts no bigger than an egg.  Another of our local guys uses every inch of his 6X28, turning 4 X16 pieces of solid steel...


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## Buffalo21 (May 14, 2019)

My 14x40 Jet, made in China, has been perfect, the only issue I had, is the 6-1/2” 3 jaw chuck is worthless, you can measure the runout with a pocket scale, I have a 6” and 8” Bisons, that I use. I’m been running this lathe about 20 hr a week, for 10-12 yrs, with no operational issues,


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## markba633csi (May 14, 2019)

Since you are in Canada, you might be able to find a used Standard Modern which is a very nice lathe and made there, for around 5K$
Read everything you can about buying a used lathe beforehand, forewarned is forearmed as they say.  Learn what parts wear and how to inspect. 
Even if you end up buying new, it will help in choosing one
Mark


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## Janderso (May 14, 2019)

+1 on what Mark said


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## Dabbler (May 14, 2019)

You can get slightly abused but very nice SM lathes here for around $1000 if you keep watching the auctions.  The schools are all going CNC, and getting rid of their manual lathes and mills.


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## Overkill19 (May 16, 2019)

Well after looking at cheaper bigger China .... stuff. It’s not hard to justify Hardinge $$$
I bought it and will pick it up in a week. Real nice guy, he has bigger brother which I hope to buy when he’s done with that one!! Just 4x the money! 

Now I just need to sneak it in shop without wife seeing it!













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## matthewsx (May 16, 2019)

Show it to her proudly and offer to teach her how it works.
You'll surely have hours of uninterrupted shop time

Oh, and let me be the first to add 
YOU SUCK!!!!

Cheers,

John


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## Overkill19 (May 16, 2019)

matthewsx said:


> Show it to her proudly and offer to teach her how it works.
> You'll surely have hours of uninterrupted shop time
> 
> Oh, and let me be the first to add
> ...



I honestly don’t have a clue what to look for on a used lathe or a new lathe for that matter!! But Dabbler was a huge help... BIG Thanks. 
But the few King and Pm lathes I looked at compared to this little guy... I bought it instantly. I don’t care if I over paid in the eyes of some. The money I saved not buying cheaper junk then trying to purge it at a loss. I made money!! Lol
Now I just have to figure out the VFD stuff to get her to turn! 
Plus I’ve wasted waaay more on sled parts!!!
That said anyone need a Harley!


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## darkzero (May 16, 2019)

That's one heck of a lathe for a "first lathe". Congrats!


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## Hawkeye (May 16, 2019)

Nicely done! If you're considering 3-phase, I'd recommend using a VFD to feed it. I'm running my 1440 Swedish lathe with a 2 HP on a VFD and I really like the speed control.


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## mmcmdl (May 16, 2019)

darkzero said:


> That's one heck of a lathe for a "first lathe". Congrats!



I'll second that  .


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## hman (May 17, 2019)

Overkill19 said:


> Now I just need to sneak it in shop without wife seeing it!


Stand it on end and tell her it's an old drill press 

Seriously, though ... Congrats!


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## Overkill19 (May 17, 2019)

Hawkeye said:


> Nicely done! If you're considering 3-phase, I'd recommend using a VFD to feed it. I'm running my 1440 Swedish lathe with a 2 HP on a VFD and I really like the speed control.



My buddy at work “Master electrician” already is working on a VFD plan, we have a bunch of retired VFD”s from a transformer upgrade we did last year. Just going to wait till I get it home the dissect what we will dissect what we need. I’m sure the transformer that came with the lathe will be for sale. 


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## rwm (May 17, 2019)

With great tools come great responsibility...
Robert


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## Dabbler (May 21, 2019)

Either keep it or move on, you have a great starter/permanent lathe.  Money well invested!Alberta has lots of hobby machinists - way more than you think.   In Calgary there are hundreds, based on the Calgary group size and virtually no exposure.  The combined sales in Calgary of lathes is more than 50 _new _ones every year...


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## Overkill19 (May 29, 2019)

Finally got it home and on the floor! Now just need to rig the VFD


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## hman (May 30, 2019)

Neat way to lift the lathe!


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## Overkill19 (May 30, 2019)

hman said:


> Neat way to lift the lathe!



Ya omni slings and biners are a mans best friend!


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## pontiac428 (May 30, 2019)

You dodged a bullet (in one internet guy's opinion, apologies to PM fans) by making the choice to buy US/EU used iron over "shiny and new" Chinese.  I think Asian castings are manufactured using the lost turd foundry technique (not green sand, but brown).  Fit and finish means a lot to me, as it should anyone who makes parts that need to work with other parts. Hardinge is like a Swiss watch- that, sir, is a fine lathe!


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## MrWhoopee (May 30, 2019)

Nothing like starting at the top. Congratulations!


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## Creativechipper (May 30, 2019)

Wow looks like the lathe will fit right in with your space.


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## Thriller (May 11, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> Overkill, there have been a bunch of good lathes available this year in both Edmonton and Calgary.  There was even a nice one at an auction house in Red Deer.   13 X 40 is a nice size to do almost anything a hobbyist needs to do.
> 
> I bought a 14X40 in  Calgary last year.  A diamond in the *very* rough.  It will become a great lathe, as soon as it is rebuilt.  Do you want a fully functional used lathe?  new? a 'restoration' project like mine?
> 
> There is a group in Alberta that is sharing leads on equipment.  PM me if you want to get in touch.


Can you send me some info on this Alberta group? Thanks in advance


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## Dabbler (May 11, 2020)

pm sent


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