Buying and using metal working machinery

Mr Mike, that's a good point. One of the things I like most about this site is the lack of machine snobbery- You know, the kind of thing where someone asks what their starter lathe should be, or if they can do certain work on , say, an Atlas lathe , and are immediately told that anyone who doesn't own a dialed in Hardinge or Monarch shouldn't even bother trying to learn to machine. I've seen it on other machining sites and it's sad to see someone be discouraged before they even start.
Sometimes it does pay to get a lathe or mill to get your feet wet with the idea you'll probably trade up once you have a better feel for what you want out of a machine. I know I went through a few lathes figuring out what I wanted, and the experience was invaluable.

-James Huston
 
jhuston said:
...Sometimes it does pay to get a lathe or mill to get your feet wet with the idea you'll probably trade up once you have a better feel for what you want out of a machine...
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Perhaps an inexperienced guy can't quite get it right on his very first lathe purchase. But I think he should at least try...do his own due diligence...shop around...be patient...learn what he can before committing to his first lathe (or other major machine purchase). He'll probably wind up with a sizable investment in tooling and accessories, much of which may not be suitable for his "next" machine.
 
It also depends on where you are. I'm in the heart of the rust belt, and lathes and mills abound in Northern Ohio. It's a lot easier for a Mid-Westerner to pick and choose.
I can definitely relate to selling lathes with more tooling than when I bought them...sigh...
-James Huston
 
ezduzit said:
Perhaps an inexperienced guy can't quite get it right on his very first lathe purchase. But I think he should at least try...do his own due diligence...shop around...be patient...learn what he can before committing to his first lathe (or other major machine purchase). He'll probably wind up with a sizable investment in tooling and accessories, much of which may not be suitable for his "next" machine.
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The person that I'm thinking of is a person that feels handy would like to learn to make stuff with a lathe but never has, May or may not even have a purpose in mind for it.

Thats the beauty of the 9" x 20" your not going to invest heavily in tooling or a machine, You have a decent lathe to start learning on, you could spend a year getting familiar with operation and safety - Crafting your own cutters out of blanks, Learn proper setup, example --> as your facing you will inevitably have a tit left on the face, you just got your first challenge of figuring out how to solve that. backlash OMG is this normal how do I work with it... the starters learning list goes on and on.
I see your perspective and yes its not the law they have to buy a 9" x 20' lathe but its a reasonable suggestion for someone that has no idea what they need.
 
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Mr Mike said:
...Thats the beauty of the 9" x 20" your not going to invest heavily in tooling or a machine, You have a decent lathe to start learning on, you could spend a year getting familiar with operation and safety - Crafting your own cutters out of blanks, Learn proper setup, example...
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It was the same with my 12" x 35" (except for the investing heavily in tooling :) ), but I'm not facing the need to upgrade immediately, if ever.
 
ezduzit said:
It was the same with my 12" x 35" (except for the investing heavily in tooling :) ), but I'm not facing the need to upgrade immediately, if ever.
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The same, In what respect.. I would love to hear how you got your lathe.. How long were you searching and what not.
 
I searched very diligently for many months after searching halfheartedly until I was ~70. :) My lathe and mill were purchased together for $2,000. Though several boxes of tooling came with the lathe I still had to buy stuff like steady rest, taper attachment, threading dial, scrolling 4-jaw chuck, a bunch of QCTP holders, collets, etc.

Photos show the condition of these machines as they were being moved into my shop and also where they presently reside.

mill-2.jpg
shop-5.jpg
 
My Atlas lathe was donated to the South Wayne, Wi FFA [Future Farmers of America) yearly fundraising auction. It came from a gentlemans garage. He was sent to the home and his lathe was sent to the auction. I was able to plug it in and see that the motor turned, but that was it. I had been waiting for 3 years to find something for the wife/accountant to complain about taking up space in the garage. It went something like....[YOU PAID HOW MUCH]. Tailstock wouldn't move. Cartridge was stiff but it fit the bill. $350 and it was ours. I've cleaned and oiled it to get it operable. Did some horse trading for a newer motor. (I burned the old motor up during the refurbishing) and rewired it. The grandson likes it. I hope he gets it when I'm sent to the home.
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Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
samthedog said:
Would you be happy with British or German? I don't have American but I do love my Colchester Chipmaster and my Deckel FP1.

Paul.
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Sam,
A Colchester and a Deckel, The windows of heaven have opened up and dropped them down on you Nirvana -- Absolutely heavenly machines!
 
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