Basic questions about mini lathe choice

Don't fret over the 2in bed difference. Look at the tailstocks. The MM tailstock is offset to add part of that 2in.

Brushed vs. brushless: Meh, the brushless is nice. It is really quiet. Most things are going that way as the electronics get cheaper. I wouldn't worry about that one way or the other.

If are willing to gamble, Tools4cheap.net has a close out ( AS IS = ya' pays your money ya' takes your chances ) for a wedge type 0XA toolpost for $25. I just ordered last night so no idea of what I am getting. http://www.tools4cheap.net/proddetail.php?prod=miniwedgepost
 
Thanks David. The 2" was already not stressing me too much - since we have been getting good results from my buddy's 14" extension. I'm feeling like I should take advantage of the cost savings, the extra tooling included, and just jump in and start enjoying. Appreciate the link!
 
Motopreserve said:
Appreciate the link!
Click to expand...

I don't have any of the off the shelf tool holders to test for size with but from what I can see, the toolpost is perfectly functional (Received today). I am perfectly happy making my own tool holders anyway. I even have a blank cut out that I had accidentally cut the DT oversize for my A2Z CNC toolpost and it is undersize for this one. Will make 10 or so tool holders from the one blank. What more could you ask for?
 
I for one would say bed size is important, more important than swing size on a mini-lathe. 2" may not sound like much but depending on what you "intend" to do with it, you can quickly run out of room especially when drilling & boring. Bigger chucks, drill chucks, & live centers can eat up valuable space. Not so much the bigger chuck but keep in mind the small spindle bore. I emphasize "intend" cause I had ideas what I would use a lathe for, then advanced to much larger projects I never would have even thought of doing. You can work on smaller stuff on a big lathe but you can't do much if the lathe is simply too small. So the common saying is true, buy the biggest you can afford.

I started out with an 8x14. Less than 8 months later I out grew that lathe & ordered an 11x27. Luckily it was not in stock yet & I changed my mind just in time to take delivery of a 12x36 & I'm so glad I did. Although I have not out grew the 12x36 I now want something in the 14x40 range. But I'm happy with what I have now & it will a while before I decide to upgrade again, I think & I hope.
 
All good advice. I ended up choosing the 7x14" Big Dog - for several reasons, but possibly the biggest consideration was price (taking into account the savings with included tooling). If the saying is "the biggest you can afford," then I should have been going for 0.5"x3.5" :)

Seriously though - based on the work we have accomplished so far on a 7x14, I am confident that most of the things that I want to do in the near future will be possible on this lathe. I am sure I will want bigger someday - but hopefully can hold off the temptation, while just getting work done. I do think if/when I want the bigger size machine, it would be an American lathe, and all the space and money that purchase will entail, will keep me appreciating this one for quite some time...
 
Good choice & congrats! I bet you are excited, now for those sleepless nights waiting! Just remember, there may very well be other trucks driving by in your area that will not have your lathe transported in it so don't go running to the door everytime you hear one. :lmao:
 
Even if you decide later to get a big lathe, the mini-lathe is such a useful size for little stuff. You don't have to get rid of it.
 
Man, this is Brooklyn! There's nothing BUT trucks outside!!! It's like torture :)

David, this is one of the key reasons I didn't just dive in and grab the cheapest lathe available (HF). I wanted this choice to be something that I could use and happy with. The choice for the next lathe would not to be to replace this - nor to "incrementally" go bigger - but to wait until I could afford the fuller size lathe - that would open up much bigger work space. But that would give me with the choice of still doing the smaller stuff on a more manageable machine. That's a long ways down the road though. For now, I'm happy with the choice based on the research and recommendations - and will see it in action when it FINALLY arrives.... Torture I tell ya'!
 
So, after what seemed to be FOREVER, waiting for the machines to arrive, the lathe made it here 2 days ago. I got it unpacked and set up decently, with of course miles of tweaks to go before she runs as smooth as possible. The mill was delayed, again and again. Today, delivery was cancelled due to the so-called superstorm, which is simply killing me. Trying to look on the bright side, and focus on learning and honing my skills on the new lathe.

I ended up with the Big Dog Lathe (7x14), with the help from a ton of research and some of you folks here. Decent attachments/tooling included (live center, rests etc), and some nice features included as well (BB oilers, ways sweeps, 14" bed, tail stock cam lock, tach etc). I'm pretty happy with it, and I am sure once I start checking things off the list that I have researched and bookmarked, the machine will run even tighter. Thinking the shimming the carriage will be the first real improvement (need to get some various shim stock first), since there is an odd design to the set-screw fasteners on this machine - with one screw on the operator side shorter and not having a tightening nut - so that it has clearance for the lead screw gear. Not very helpful. Hoping the shim in there will keep it nice and tight, and I can loose the set-screw tighteners.

Here are some photos of the machine and the first piece I started messing around on, just turning/boring on a practice 2" aluminum bar. Thanks for all your help! I'm sure I'll ave plenty of questions :)

BigDogLathe_zps4f581162.jpg

FirstTurn_zps71bdf7bb.jpg

BigDogLathe_zps4f581162.jpg

FirstTurn_zps71bdf7bb.jpg
 
Yeah, I highly recommend shimming the carriage. The other easy thing that will get you a lot of miles is making a chip guard for the apron gears. Just a small piece of plexiglass and some screws, but it reduces a lot of annoyance.
 
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