Buying my first lathe, no experience and need help

[Gr1m3eaper]

Hey guys im hoping some people on here can help me out. Ive never done any type of machining before, ive watched a lot of youtube videos on lathes and have decided that i want to buy a lathe and have a crack at machining. Ive been looking on ebay for about 6 months+ keeping my eye out for a good deal, reliable, not too expensive and is a good first step in the door. ive attached some pictures and im hoping that somebody can tell me what its worth so i dont overpay. Also any maintenance tips, first tools i should buy etc would be a great help. Cheers guys

 

[samthedog]

Here is an article I wrote that turned into a sticky:

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/a-guide-for-selecting-the-right-lathe-for-beginners.25915/

This should help you to identify what to look for in a machine.

Paul.

 

[ACHiPo]

Sounds familiar! I'm afraid I can't help you with the lathe pictured--I don't recognize it, but someone else here might. One piece of advice that I received when I started my search was to try to find an operational lathe with tooling, as it can be difficult to assess all of the issues of a non-operational lathe (not to mention that parts can be difficult to find if they're needed). Good luck and welcome!

 

[Gr1m3eaper]

Thanks for the responses guys, im not working with a lot of cash or space so i want to make sure its the right purchase for me before i spend hundreds of dollars. Ive seen the lathe in person, it works fine, is very smooth and quiet. It needs a few tweaks like bracing the motor with a steel plate to reduce the wobble but thats easily fixed. The guy im buying it from is a machinist with much bigger lathes and mills so that gave me confidence thats its been treated well and will work for years to come. Regarding tooling ive been looking at getting some basics just tobstart off with, been looking on ebay and wondering which would be a better first purchase. Investing in the carbide insert tools or getting a set of the blue tool things you can get off ebay with lots of different angles and cutters included, which one would be best to get first?

 

[Gr1m3eaper]

Also one thing ive been concerned about, how easy is it to find spare parts for old lathes like this? What parts generally need replacing etc? I dont want to spend money on something old that i cant get spares for or replace parts when they break if i can spend a little more and get something new thats a lot easier to get spares for :/

 

[Doubleeboy]

A lathe of unknown make with no leadscrew is not a prime candidate for a learning lathe IMO. To each their own, but I would look for something in better shape with some tooling. A motor flopping around on machine is not a sign its been taken care of or that the owner is straight shooter. No gears obvious in photos so likely just a few speeds available via belt change on pulley, and limited feeds I would imagine, if any. Keep looking unless its near scrap price.

 

[Gr1m3eaper]

Ah bugger i wish I would've known that before hand, ive put a max bid of $500 im guessing thats way too much for what it is? The guy whos selling it bought it for a project but never got around to using it. Now im starting to second guess and wondering if i should try and retract my max bid and look for something else

 

[talvare]

Now im starting to second guess and wondering if i should try and retract my max bid and look for something else

YES ! Heed what the others here have said. No lead screw means you can't cut threads. If it doesn't have a good set of change gears with it, you'll have very limited spindle speed options. I see many head aches with that machine. Keep looking and do your homework. Ask lots of questions here.
Just my two cents.

Ted

 

[Gr1m3eaper]

Alright guys will do, ill message the guy to see if i can retract the bid and shop for something better, ill definently be asking lots of questions especially here. You guys are awesome, thanks for all the help. Ill spend good money on a lathe as long as it worth it. Ive been looking at a few on ebay and my local machinery place, comparing features, size of work that can be done etc. What would be a good size lathe to get? Im not exactly sure what im going to be making with it yet, want to make sure i get a good size so i can do whatever project i want to do. Should i go for something a little bigger so ive got futureproofing for bigger projects, more complicated ones in the future? Also should i go and invest in carbide insert tools for my first set or go for the cheaper options for now?

 

[wawoodman]

Those carbide tools work better on heavier equipment. Better you should learn to grind HSS. Lots of videos on the web.