# Upgrading Lathe



## newforfall (Aug 1, 2017)

Hello everyone, new to hobby machinist. I've been poking around the threads and I hope this is the right place to post this question. Currently I have a Craftsman 101 model lathe, 6" x 36" (if I remember that correctly? May be 28" or something like that.), I'm very pleased despite the nay-sayers. I have a quick change gearbox, 3 and 4 jaw chuck. Four jaw is from Shars Tool Co., very good piece. Not sure about the cutters I have but it looks like the ones from Anytime Tools on amazon. It has been a great lathe to learn on and the only thing I have to complain about is rigidity, hence why I want to upgrade. What lathe should I look at getting next? I have had my eye on Sherline and really want a 17" DRO but as they say bigger is better... I've also found a 9x20 Jet on Craigslist that looks promising, but I've heard good things and bad things and I'm having a hard time sorting out the real problems from "oh well it's a chinese lathe" problems. I only really machine shift knobs and little tools like punches and screwdrivers etc. Any advice greatly appreciated! happy machining.


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## Bob Korves (Aug 1, 2017)

How much room do you have for the lathe and what kinds of things would you make if size and cost were no object?


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## newforfall (Aug 1, 2017)

I have a pretty good sized shop with a garage door for access so size is only limited to say 5-6 feet long in total so I can have a little buffer room on each side. but if cost and size weren't a limit the biggest I would probably make is gun barrels, chromoly axle shafts (haven't looked into that possibility on a lathe yet), nothing else really comes to mind... maybe some ornate steel legs for a table. I think my wanting to do larger projects will come with experience. I'm still learning how to even part off correctly without tearing my compound off...


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## Chipper5783 (Aug 2, 2017)

I suspect that once you have a larger lathe, your vision of the sort of projects you do will increase.  There is a limit to "bigger is better".  So what are your constraints?  Shop space - 5 to 6' long.  How about power - are you good with 3 phase, can you provide enough energy for a 3 HP motor (in single phase that is about 20 amp 240V).  What about transport and lifting - are you good with a 2000# machine?  Answer these questions, and it will help you define what would work for you.  A 12" swing machine is still not a very big machine - but way more capacity than that 6".  Going up to a 13 or 14" swing machine is still able to handle pretty small stuff comfortably and gives scope for lots of the typical car / bike / gun / plane / train / general stuff projects.

Obviously a lathe with 24" swing opens up some great capabilities, but everything starts to get pricey and, while still possible to do small jobs, it not so handy.

Let us know how you make out.  David


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## Bob Korves (Aug 2, 2017)

Gun barrels can be made on a fairly small lathe, notwithstanding having to rifle them.  Unless you are speaking of cannons...   Chromoly shafts are probably best left to professionals, the metal to make them out of will cost an arm and a leg unless you figure out how to make the flanges separate from the shafts.  Front axles, not so much.  You also need to be set up to harden and temper them...  But yes, anything is worth considering, and can usually be achieved with some careful thought.  That is an important and rewarding part of machining.


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## newforfall (Aug 3, 2017)

Good food for thought Chipper. 



Bob Korves said:


> Unless you are speaking of cannons...



You know it! Model ones I can fire in my backyard. Already done reaaaally tiny ones that fire off of .22 Ramset charges. They're pretty sweet! 



Bob Korves said:


> Chromoly shafts are probably best left to professionals, the metal to make them out of will cost an arm and a leg unless you figure out how to make the flanges separate from the shafts.  Front axles, not so much.  You also need to be set up to harden and temper them...



I've sent out parts too big to harden and temper myself, the biggest hurdle would be price as you said. But nothing would be cooler than to have someone ask what axle shafts I've got under my Jeep and blow their minds.

Thanks guys!


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## Cadillac STS (Aug 6, 2017)

What have you heard about Sherline?  You said you had your eye on that.  It is important to see what the machine can do and if it will do what you want.  

You said rigidity was an issue with your Craftsman.  Is Sherline better?

Here is an example of one in use:


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## Silverbullet (Aug 6, 2017)

Bare in mind most gunsmith LATHES are 13x36 -40 or 14-40 . The bigger the better always works with LATHES . A bigger lathe has the mass to absorb the pressure of parting and more. Look at the YouTube videos bigger LATHES make work easy.


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## Doodle (Aug 6, 2017)

newforfall said:


> Hello everyone, new to hobby machinist. I've been poking around the threads and I hope this is the right place to post this question. Currently I have a Craftsman 101 model lathe, 6" x 36" (if I remember that correctly? May be 28" or something like that.), I'm very pleased despite the nay-sayers. I have a quick change gearbox, 3 and 4 jaw chuck. Four jaw is from Shars Tool Co., very good piece. Not sure about the cutters I have but it looks like the ones from Anytime Tools on amazon. It has been a great lathe to learn on and the only thing I have to complain about is rigidity, hence why I want to upgrade. What lathe should I look at getting next? I have had my eye on Sherline and really want a 17" DRO but as they say bigger is better... I've also found a 9x20 Jet on Craigslist that looks promising, but I've heard good things and bad things and I'm having a hard time sorting out the real problems from "oh well it's a chinese lathe" problems. I only really machine shift knobs and little tools like punches and screwdrivers etc. Any advice greatly appreciated! happy machining.



I agree with you on the nay-sayers, they are I think called trolls in some places. I have a 9x20 lathe from china and I have really enjoyed it. It has a hole through the chuck and headstock and it can take just 0ver 3/4" stock which has been very helpful when cutting off shorter pieces. I also like being able to slide the tailstock out of the way so I can get in close to what I am working on to see it and measure it . I put a quick change tool post on it good enough for a Southbend war lathe and it is awesome. The base was only held down with 2 #10 bolts so I built a new base for the holder. Now it has 4#10 bolts and it is almost good enough to use a cut off slicing thing.

I can spin up a small cannon or make knobs and keychains with it. It isn't much for threading as the gears are rough and better for auto feed for turning diameters. I use the $20 kit of lathe bits with carbide inserts and their performance is out of this world. I also hand grind high speed tool bits but no more than I have to.

I have stripped a plastic gear which stops the lathe after a tool crash, easy to replace and about $10. Has forward and reverse. The dealer I bought from no longer supplies parts for it.

I have looked at used lathes, Grizzly, and lots of pictures. I have had very good support from Little machine Shop and would look there again at lathes.

Alternatively, you already have a good working lathe, why not get a small milling machine. I would also recommend using Draftsight for CAD.


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## Jonathans (Aug 6, 2017)

I'll just comment at my basic level on some of the issues brought up.
For me, when I upgraded to a larger lathe, like yourself, what I needed was rigidity.
Regarding bigger is better, the largest lathe I wil ever own, regardless of the deal, is 
one where the chuck can be taken off and replaced by hand.  an 8" - 10" chuck is about 
all I want to comfortably handle.
I ended up going from small old iron, a 9" SB to bigger old iron, a Monarch 10EE.
Unless I require more length capacity I will probably never need nor want another lathe.
Working on that old precision machine is a joy and rebuilding it a pleasure.


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## killswitch505 (Aug 6, 2017)

I've a 13x40 grizzly had no issues I've heard horror stories people have had.... and I'm  relatively new to lathes but I'm extremely happy with the how my chamberings and threading has turned out. But again I measure measure measure and again measure. I'm to scared to screw up a 400 buck barrel.


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