# I think I might be a tool junkie. Are there meetings?



## EricB (Mar 18, 2022)

Several years ago took an interest in fixing old clocks and eventually acquired a used Sherline lathe. That quickly turned it into and interest in making small bits out of metal. Actually I think I always had that interest, just never the time to act on it. Anyway, European made clocks use a lot of non-standard little screws (made of pure unobtainium), and having the screw cutting attachment for the lathe has been a real blessing. I like being able to cut the odd threads with it, but I hate taking the motor loose every time. My solution was just get another headstock and leave the gear and hand wheel attached. That works ok. I found a used headstock along with a vertical milling table on ebay for much less than the cost of either part. Still, I thought it would be much better to have a second lathe for that. Not very cost effective since this is only a hobby.

Well persistence has paid off. The other day someone listed most of a 4100 lathe, less the head and tail stocks and crosslide but with a motor and speed control, for a starting bid of $4.99 or make offer. I made a tiny offer, very much less than the parts are worth, and they accepted it. Wow! To make it useful I just need a crosslide and the pin for the headstock, which will be here next week.

The lathe itself is like new and super clean, the parts I have anyway. It had a company label on the speed control so I figure they had this one as a spare or just to take parts from and never actually used it. I'll take care of that!

Once it's up and running I'll have two lathes and two mills, and no free bench space on which to work.

Eric


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## Dabbler (Mar 18, 2022)

We have meetings to encourage to buy more tools


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## Aukai (Mar 19, 2022)

They are all enablers I tell ya....


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## silence dogood (Mar 19, 2022)

"More, more, I'm still not satisfied!" With apologies to Tom Lehrer and in this case referring to tools.


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## Nutfarmer (Mar 19, 2022)

Aukai said:


> They are all enablers I tell ya....


We are all enablers!


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## Nutfarmer (Mar 19, 2022)

To bad your not around Sacramento California . We have monthly meetings. A really good group of fellow tool junkies


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## AGCB97 (Mar 19, 2022)

This forum is your best meeting place. Especially the "what did you buy today" thread!
Aaron


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## stupoty (Mar 19, 2022)

EricB said:


> Once it's up and running I'll have two lathes and two mills, and no free bench space on which to work.



Space it's the final errr something or other 

I had a bench grinder on a stand but now it lives on a base that hangs up on a hook when not in use and clamps into my bench vice for use.

I also have an emergency small work top area that clamps into the vice for when space has actually run out 

Someone on the forum ages ago was thinking of building a work top with a flip top, to mount  machinery so thy could be rotated into use.  This might work well with the sherline sized tools.

Stu


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## graham-xrf (Mar 19, 2022)

@EricB  :
We all knew you were a tool junkie, though admittedly, we all know some of the symptoms from in ourselves.
You simply managed to survive your wallet long enough to have some previous junk binge finally match up to a new junk acquisition score!


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## rabler (Mar 19, 2022)

You’re not a true tool junkie until you buy it without knowing what you’ll use it for.  You had an actual use for this when you went looking.


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## Forty Niner (Mar 19, 2022)

EricB said:


> Several years ago took an interest in fixing old clocks and eventually acquired a used Sherline lathe. That quickly turned it into and interest in making small bits out of metal. Actually I think I always had that interest, just never the time to act on it. Anyway, European made clocks use a lot of non-standard little screws (made of pure unobtainium), and having the screw cutting attachment for the lathe has been a real blessing. I like being able to cut the odd threads with it, but I hate taking the motor loose every time. My solution was just get another headstock and leave the gear and hand wheel attached. That works ok. I found a used headstock along with a vertical milling table on ebay for much less than the cost of either part. Still, I thought it would be much better to have a second lathe for that. Not very cost effective since this is only a hobby.
> 
> Well persistence has paid off. The other day someone listed most of a 4100 lathe, less the head and tail stocks and crosslide but with a motor and speed control, for a starting bid of $4.99 or make offer. I made a tiny offer, very much less than the parts are worth, and they accepted it. Wow! To make it useful I just need a crosslide and the pin for the headstock, which will be here next week.
> 
> ...


Your story is similar to mine.  I have an antique clock collection and work on my own clocks.  I bought a Sherline Lathe and Mill.  I like the ability to cut threads, but not the switch-over to set up to thread.  So I found a used Sherline lathe on Craigslist and have it set up just for threading.   A Taig lathe was found at a clock regional meetup at a good price, so I bought it to.   Four watchmakers lathes with a variety of attachments were bought used.  I pick a machine to use depending on the task at hand.  But all these machines are rather small, taking up little space and are easy to move about.


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## projectnut (Mar 19, 2022)

Not all of us are tool junkies.  Some of us can quit at any time.  It's just like smoking I know people that quit hundreds of times.


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## mmcmdl (Mar 19, 2022)




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## jbobb1 (Mar 19, 2022)

projectnut said:


> Not all of us are tool junkies.  Some of us can quit at any time.  It's just like smoking I know people that quit hundreds of times.


I had to quit smoking so I could pay my tool addiction!


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## C-Bag (Mar 19, 2022)

It would seem my TAS is under control as I have successfully dodged two incredible deals on the criteria that I don’t have room. A couple of years ago there was a Bridgeport clone Maxmill on CL for $500 and I know nobody would believe me that I was waiting for it to get taken so I could quit looking at it. So I posted the link here just prove it. Two days ago I saw where a guy close by had just put up a 7x12 horizontal bandsaw for $100. It was just dusty and they wanted it gone. Let that one go too using my space limit. I think this is the definition of a dry drunk equivalent in the TAS world.


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## Reddinr (Mar 19, 2022)

All it takes is extensive therapy.  My last therapy was at a second-use store where I found some like-new Record clamps that I "needed".  They were blue and they matched my other blue ones.  I bought them, I felt good.  I had no guilt.  Wife was happy that I didn't spend much.  Therapy works if you keep at it.


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## EricB (Mar 19, 2022)

rabler said:


> You’re not a true tool junkie until you buy it without knowing what you’ll use it for.  You had an actual use for this when you went looking.



Still, I probably have enough to qualify.

I have:
- My favorite tools I used all the time, like that one special screwdriver, plus extra tools just in case. "Can you ever have too many pipe wrenches?"
- Tools I picked up for one specific job but now can never part with. "Some day I might need that 12 point Volkswagen axle shaft socket head bolt wrench."
- Tools I had no immediate use for but could not pass up the price. "I'll find a use for it later."
- Tools I did not need and could not use and could not pass on the price. "I'll just sell it to someone else and make a few bucks."
- Tools I could not identify but looked cool! "That's got to be good for something!"
- Piles of worn out tools I can't seem to part with.

There may be other categories.

Eric


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## Aaron_W (Mar 19, 2022)

EricB said:


> - Tools I had no immediate use for but could not pass up the price. "I'll find a use for it later."



This is the one that tends to get me. I don't need it right now, but at that price I'll kick my self when I need it and didn't get it.


I've had the same idea about getting a dedicated Sherline for threading, but good candidates don't turn up often and now that I have other lathes where threading isn't as much trouble the motivation has diminished. 

I bought the Sherline lathe in 2016 because I didn't have room for anything bigger, I figured out that I could share the space with a mill by making room under the bench. Over time I have managed to find the room for a lot more stuff, if you went back 6 years ago and told me I'd find space for all these machines I would have thought you were crazy. It's not just the metal working either, I've also added considerably to the sawdust making appliances. Machine Tetris is a valuable skill.


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## Manual Mac (Mar 19, 2022)

I’m starting to lose track of where I put stuff.
BTW, just found the 2” boring head I bought a year or so ago for  a project that got sidetracked.
took it all apart & cleaned it, now trying to familiarize myself with it.
looks dangerous as hell.
Done LOTS of boring on a lathe, but I’ve never used a boring head.
just one of many machinist tools I’ve never used. 
EDIT: And i keep buying more.
so it goes….


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## alloy (Mar 20, 2022)

I'm a tool junkie, I admit it.  

Somewhere I have a Volstro head I put away for safe keeping.  I'll never use it because I have a machining center, but I can't sell it. 

I need help.  

Anyone know of tools for sale near me?  I have cash


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## Brento (Mar 20, 2022)

Forty Niner said:


> Your story is similar to mine.  I have an antique clock collection and work on my own clocks.  I bought a Sherline Lathe and Mill.  I like the ability to cut threads, but not the switch-over to set up to thread.  So I found a used Sherline lathe on Craigslist and have it set up just for threading.   A Taig lathe was found at a clock regional meetup at a good price, so I bought it to.   Four watchmakers lathes with a variety of attachments were bought used.  I pick a machine to use depending on the task at hand.  But all these machines are rather small, taking up little space and are easy to move about.


Only problem isnt arent watchmaker lathes expensive as hell?


projectnut said:


> Not all of us are tool junkies.  Some of us can quit at any time.  It's just like smoking I know people that quit hundreds of times.


The other popular saying is that you quit smoking when the cigarette burns out. This applies to the quitting of buying tools and tooling. You quit when you buy the last tooling you see. Then you start again with the next tool.


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## Aaron_W (Mar 20, 2022)

Brento said:


> Only problem isnt arent watchmaker lathes expensive as hell?



They can be, but you can get a decent basic watchmakers lathe fairly cheap ($200-500), as with many things it is the accessories that really get expensive. You can easily spend $3000+ on a well equipped watchmakers lathe from one of the more desirable brands. The basic lathe can do most of the really fine work done between centers, and small lathes like Sherline, Taig etc can substitute for many of the more expensive accessories.


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## erikmannie (Mar 20, 2022)

I don’t mind spending money on tools at all.

When I spend money, I like being able to have the thing that I bought for the rest of my life.

Sometimes I spend money on consumables or materials, but I tell myself that I will use these to develop (or increase) *skills* that I will have the rest of my life.

I hate spending money on things that are not tools, consumables or materials. This is called “waste”.


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## Brento (Mar 20, 2022)

Aaron_W said:


> They can be, but you can get a decent basic watchmakers lathe fairly cheap ($200-500), as with many things it is the accessories that really get expensive. You can easily spend $3000+ on a well equipped watchmakers lathe from one of the more desirable brands. The basic lathe can do most of the really fine work done between centers, and small lathes like Sherline, Taig etc can substitute for many of the more expensive accessories.


I bought my Derbyshire for i think 2000. Had collets, center, drill chuck. I dont think i got much more.


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## Aaron_W (Mar 22, 2022)

Brento said:


> I bought my Derbyshire for i think 2000. Had collets, center, drill chuck. I dont think i got much more.



That seems really high, but I think Derbyshire is one of the more desirable brands. Usually when I see a watchmakers lathe asking $2000 it is complete with a motor, and multiple attachments like a cross slide or milling attachment. Often they will have an original storage box at that price.
Collet set can add a fair bit as they run $10-20 per collet. Just a lathe with the drawbar, tail stock, centers and / or a few collets I frequently see them well under $500.

I only paid $500 for mine and it came with a jewelers desk and a bunch of tools. Just the basic attachments for the lathe though (tool rest, set of collets, and a couple of centers).

I'm talking about the common 50mm x 8" WW style, the larger watchmakers lathes sell for much more.


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## Brento (Mar 22, 2022)

I had a full cross slide for it as well and a decent amount of collets. Mine take the 10mm collets


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## Aaron_W (Mar 22, 2022)

Brento said:


> I had a full cross slide for it as well and a decent amount of collets. Mine take the 10mm collets



The accessories add up very quickly. From what I've seen many of the individual accessories, chucks, cross slides etc can sell for more than the lathe.


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## Cadillac (Mar 22, 2022)

Well don’t get into machine auctions. Pennies on the dollar for machines, tooling, and accessories. Even material, hardware practically everything. Your  biggest problem will be storage not the tool problem.


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## EricB (Mar 24, 2022)

Now all of the sudden a friend offers me an Atlas 10! Now what?


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## Dabbler (Mar 24, 2022)

EricB said:


> Now all of the sudden a friend offers me an Atlas 10! Now what?


Congrats.  You are now the new owner of an Atlas 10!


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## sdelivery (Mar 24, 2022)

There is a Tool Addiction meeting at 7:00 at Harbor Fright 
See you there!


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