Buying my first lathe, no experience and need help

[Downunder Bob]

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

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That machine looks very old and somewhat abused. I can't believe it's never been used, maybe by the person selling it. but it's got to be 60 or more years old, You'd be buying a can of worms at best. No lead screw, and probably near impossible to buy one. Why is the lead screw mising, was it crashed.

The first question I'd ask is how much can you afford, and what d you really want to achieve? Do you have any idea of the kind of things you want to make and or repair?

After that I generally say buy the biggest and best you have room for and can afford.

I see you are living in Frankston, I assume Frankston Vic. if so, there a quite a few machine tool selling companies with good showrooms in Melbourne, they usually also sell second hand machines that have been traded in. Buying from them may cost a little more but you've got a better chance of buying something that actually works.

Good luck.

Bob.

 

[Laytonnz]

I was in the same boat about 2 years ago I looked for what felt like for ever, i ended up jumping on an old pile of pre ww1 junk because it was cheap. ... probably good for a museum !




dont have a picture of it complete ...!

I ended up selling it because being new I just couldn't figure out if it was me or the machine making the mistakes

Fast foward 6 months I was working at a local school and seen an old lathe coverd in sawdust and general shop dust I made a cheeky offer of $500 and took it home.


After a clean, paint wasnt stuck very well...

A few months later I started geting into it and realized I had made the same mistake a seemly good machine from the outside but under it all it has seen some fairly hard student abuse.... ground down gears damaged gib strips nasty crash damage greased bronze bush's resulting in exeptionally worn bush's. . Stuck backplate ect the list goes on









this is pretty much says it all, just abused.

but remember even if you buy a dud there is always hope and by the time youre finished with it you will know the whole machine inside out and its workings and have some skills you wouldnt otherwise have and made some fairly interesting parts

So I thought bugger it, brought a chineese HQ400 lathe/mill and started repairing the old girl so far I've rebuilt the apron, Norton gearbox just about finished the tailstock and various other bits and pieces the HQ400 is a fair lathe but a poor mill I purchased this second hand but this time I had a good idea what was a "acceptable " machine it turned out great exept for the electrical issue in the first week the on off switch stoped working so i just replaced the whole lot with a simple rocker switch.

i built this bench to add mass to this small machine, its made of various scrap i had around but mostly 8mm+ thickness steel and a 18mm top the lathe is bolted to a 12mm piece of plate steel that is tek screwed to the ply top its fairly heavy it must weigh in heaver then the lathe, but it has definitely made a difference to the depth of cut i can make and the surface finish.






I have found the $60 set of carbide indexable tooling found on ebay to be a good starting point for me, the inserts are cheap also so if I make a mistake and chip or crack an insert it's no big deal

http://www.ebay.com/p/7x-set-of-12m...de-insert-y/1086869247?_trksid=p2047675.l2644

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Tungalo...733173?hash=item3f4c9464b5:g:zZkAAOSwstxVUaZ7

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291970653363?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I say if you can, get a buddy to go looking at machines with you so you don't impulse buy a worn machine that's been trated up.

I would definitely buy second hand as I've made a few mistakes I would cringe to make on a brand new machine..

Sorry didnt mean to hi-jack youre thread just showing you my experence!
Layton

 

[markba633csi]

Thank you for sharing, those pictures make it clear that you have to go deep into a machine to find the flaws within- The Harrison (which I would also love to have) is a good lathe and would have been worth the trouble to fix up. School lathes get quite a beating. Hopefully your experiences will help others; forewarned is forearmed I always say.
I've never been a fan of the combo machines, but there are those who like them and get a lot of fun out of them so whatever floats yer boat.
Mark S.
ps I like the color scheme on the Harrison- very stylish! BTW, what became of it?

 

[Laytonnz]

Thank you for sharing, those pictures make it clear that you have to go deep into a machine to find the flaws within- The Harrison (which I would also love to have) is a good lathe and would have been worth the trouble to fix up. School lathes get quite a beating. Hopefully your experiences will help others; forewarned is forearmed I always say.
I've never been a fan of the combo machines, but there are those who like them and get a lot of fun out of them so whatever floats yer boat.
Mark S.
ps I like the color scheme on the Harrison- very stylish! BTW, what became of it?

Well... lets say, its a work in progress!
one fix at a time, and im buying the tools, odds and ends as i need them shipping takes a fair amount of time from china but it gives me time to research how to make the part i need and practise.
this is how it sits at the moment







the latest one was a 10 TPI left hand acme thread in bronze for the tailstock quill, that was good fun.



looks abit scruffy, ill mask it all up and paint once all repairs are complete
this is just a few pictures i had on photobucket of odds and ends..
its slow but im enjoying the repairs, as much as i just want to turn it on and get making chips it should be rewarding once complete

 

[markba633csi]

Looks great! I'm glad you dove in and started fixing it. Very nice lathe when you get it done.
Cheers,
Mark S.

 

[Gr1m3eaper]

Keep an eye on craigslist , machinery auctions , farm sales. Lots of places to pick up a nice lathe. I just have agreed to buy a rusty junk lathe. I only want the legs to mount my planer on . If you look at it , looks like a rusty pile but add a little work and it would be what you had bid on. View attachment 229013

yeah mate will do, been looking for a few good auction pages and sales pages, keeping my eye out, still trying to work out the size i want, seeing what kind of things i want to make then go from there.

That machine looks very old and somewhat abused. I can't believe it's never been used, maybe by the person selling it. but it's got to be 60 or more years old, You'd be buying a can of worms at best. No lead screw, and probably near impossible to buy one. Why is the lead screw mising, was it crashed.

The first question I'd ask is how much can you afford, and what d you really want to achieve? Do you have any idea of the kind of things you want to make and or repair?

After that I generally say buy the biggest and best you have room for and can afford.

I see you are living in Frankston, I assume Frankston Vic. if so, there a quite a few machine tool selling companies with good showrooms in Melbourne, they usually also sell second hand machines that have been traded in. Buying from them may cost a little more but you've got a better chance of buying something that actually works.

Good luck.

Bob.

im not sure, the guy who was selling it bought it for a project, i guess to try and fix up but didnt get around to it, yeah it was quite difficult trying to find one hence why i didnt buy it and looking for something better. Well as far as budget goes, im thinking of setting it at about $2000 so ive got breathing room and that should cover quite a few lathes that im looking at. i need it to be single phase, the three phase machines are too big for my workspace and getting a converter or paying to have 3 phase power wired to my shed is not worth it for me at this point in time. for what i want to achieve, i want to make some lathe projects to cut my teeth on as ive never used a lathe before, custom computer parts mainly for my watercooling setup, gokart/drift trike/motorised bike bits n pieces as im a welder as well so love making random stuff in my shed. Yeah ill definently be going for a decent sixed one, the SIEG SC3 i linked too in a previous message i went and had a look at this weekend, it was WAY smaller than i thought. ill definently be going for something bigger, just so i can turn bigger diameter things and have more flexibility for in the future. i also want to repair my bench drill press table cause its like 30 degrees out so need to machine some parts for it ive got a few lathes written down that im keeping my eyes on and to look at

oh wow mate that looks awesome, looks like a hell of a lot of work but should be amazing once its up and running especially for $500

 

[Laytonnz]

yeah mate will do, been looking for a few good auction pages and sales pages, keeping my eye out, still trying to work out the size i want, seeing what kind of things i want to make then go from there.

im not sure, the guy who was selling it bought it for a project, i guess to try and fix up but didnt get around to it, yeah it was quite difficult trying to find one hence why i didnt buy it and looking for something better. Well as far as budget goes, im thinking of setting it at about $2000 so ive got breathing room and that should cover quite a few lathes that im looking at. i need it to be single phase, the three phase machines are too big for my workspace and getting a converter or paying to have 3 phase power wired to my shed is not worth it for me at this point in time. for what i want to achieve, i want to make some lathe projects to cut my teeth on as ive never used a lathe before, custom computer parts mainly for my watercooling setup, gokart/drift trike/motorised bike bits n pieces as im a welder as well so love making random stuff in my shed. Yeah ill definently be going for a decent sixed one, the SIEG SC3 i linked too in a previous message i went and had a look at this weekend, it was WAY smaller than i thought. ill definently be going for something bigger, just so i can turn bigger diameter things and have more flexibility for in the future. i also want to repair my bench drill press table cause its like 30 degrees out so need to machine some parts for it ive got a few lathes written down that im keeping my eyes on and to look at

oh wow mate that looks awesome, looks like a hell of a lot of work but should be amazing once its up and running especially for $500

yeah mate will do, been looking for a few good auction pages and sales pages, keeping my eye out, still trying to work out the size i want, seeing what kind of things i want to make then go from there.

im not sure, the guy who was selling it bought it for a project, i guess to try and fix up but didnt get around to it, yeah it was quite difficult trying to find one hence why i didnt buy it and looking for something better. Well as far as budget goes, im thinking of setting it at about $2000 so ive got breathing room and that should cover quite a few lathes that im looking at. i need it to be single phase, the three phase machines are too big for my workspace and getting a converter or paying to have 3 phase power wired to my shed is not worth it for me at this point in time. for what i want to achieve, i want to make some lathe projects to cut my teeth on as ive never used a lathe before, custom computer parts mainly for my watercooling setup, gokart/drift trike/motorised bike bits n pieces as im a welder as well so love making random stuff in my shed. Yeah ill definently be going for a decent sixed one, the SIEG SC3 i linked too in a previous message i went and had a look at this weekend, it was WAY smaller than i thought. ill definently be going for something bigger, just so i can turn bigger diameter things and have more flexibility for in the future. i also want to repair my bench drill press table cause its like 30 degrees out so need to machine some parts for it ive got a few lathes written down that im keeping my eyes on and to look at

oh wow mate that looks awesome, looks like a hell of a lot of work but should be amazing once its up and running especially for $500

i know the HQ400 gets a bad wrap on these forums but for a novice like me its fine, i can still turn accurate things... everything i have turned and needed accurate has turned out perfect or damn close to it... i think its more the set up time is abit more involved and taking youre time to make sure you hit the correct numbers but we arnt in a job shop where time matters, well for me it doesn't its just a hobby for a small machine it can swing 400mm and 500mm between centers i dont know of other machines that can swing those numbers in that size range i think they are definitely worth a look especially for the right price.

as for the "mill head" well its rubbish only good for drilling holes and very light milling witch leads to frustration, i have broken more end mills and wrecked parts then i have made so i dont bother anymore but as for the lathe the only gripe i have is the motor, it could probably do with atleast a 1HP motor the 3/4 thats on it bogs down under a decent cut in steel but the chips are coming off blue and looking like they should so ill just keep pushing it untill the motor dies and replace it.

i am adding a little homemade "DRO" to the lathe to make it more user friendly the hand wheel dials are rubbish pretty simple mod with a cheap tyre tread depth gauge

im heading down the Varible frequency drive path due to 3 phase motors being more robust and powerfull plus theres a bigger selection of motors for a cheaper price and the varible speed would be nice aswell to dial everything in where you want it i actually have a .55kw VFD here im thinking of putting on the hq400 to make it more user friendly while threading.

anyhow have fun lathe hunting! keep looking and the right thing will pop up just when you least expect it.

 

[Downunder Bob]

yeah mate will do, been looking for a few good auction pages and sales pages, keeping my eye out, still trying to work out the size i want, seeing what kind of things i want to make then go from there.

im not sure, the guy who was selling it bought it for a project, i guess to try and fix up but didnt get around to it, yeah it was quite difficult trying to find one hence why i didnt buy it and looking for something better. Well as far as budget goes, im thinking of setting it at about $2000 so ive got breathing room and that should cover quite a few lathes that im looking at. i need it to be single phase, the three phase machines are too big for my workspace and getting a converter or paying to have 3 phase power wired to my shed is not worth it for me at this point in time. for what i want to achieve, i want to make some lathe projects to cut my teeth on as ive never used a lathe before, custom computer parts mainly for my watercooling setup, gokart/drift trike/motorised bike bits n pieces as im a welder as well so love making random stuff in my shed. Yeah ill definently be going for a decent sixed one, the SIEG SC3 i linked too in a previous message i went and had a look at this weekend, it was WAY smaller than i thought. ill definently be going for something bigger, just so i can turn bigger diameter things and have more flexibility for in the future. i also want to repair my bench drill press table cause its like 30 degrees out so need to machine some parts for it ive got a few lathes written down that im keeping my eyes on and to look at

oh wow mate that looks awesome, looks like a hell of a lot of work but should be amazing once its up and running especially for $500

$2000 that's where I started looking, and I ended up spending $5000. Have you tried writing down some lists. Like for instance what kind of things do you want to make or fix. Do you want to work on cars, new or old.

Think about machining brake drums, or discs on more modern ones What about making new axles for cars or trailers. You need to think of the length of items you will be working on, do they need to fit through the headstock, what diam. What about threads, metric, imperial or both. You will need a lead screw and suitable gearbox. Preferably a feed shaft for long and cross feeds.

If you plan to buy an older machine and do it up, do you the necessary mechanical skills, if you don't, this is not the way to learn, you'll just end up with a wrecked lateh.

I would not buy a second hand lathe except from a reputable machine dealer and make sure you get a reasonable warranty, see it running get them to demonstrate that it acn do a sample of something you will want it to do.

My general recommendation is to buy the biggest you can fit in the space you have, preferably at least one size bigger than you think you need. and spend a smuch as you can afford, Preferably stay well a way from chinese machines Taiwanese is ok. I know there some guys who have bought chineses machines and are quite happy with them but it's a bit of a lottery, for every good one you'll find a few bad ones .

Good luck and happy hunting.

Bob.

 

[scwhite]

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

Yes

 

[Gr1m3eaper]

$2000 that's where I started looking, and I ended up spending $5000. Have you tried writing down some lists. Like for instance what kind of things do you want to make or fix. Do you want to work on cars, new or old.

Think about machining brake drums, or discs on more modern ones What about making new axles for cars or trailers. You need to think of the length of items you will be working on, do they need to fit through the headstock, what diam. What about threads, metric, imperial or both. You will need a lead screw and suitable gearbox. Preferably a feed shaft for long and cross feeds.

If you plan to buy an older machine and do it up, do you the necessary mechanical skills, if you don't, this is not the way to learn, you'll just end up with a wrecked lateh.

I would not buy a second hand lathe except from a reputable machine dealer and make sure you get a reasonable warranty, see it running get them to demonstrate that it acn do a sample of something you will want it to do.

My general recommendation is to buy the biggest you can fit in the space you have, preferably at least one size bigger than you think you need. and spend a smuch as you can afford, Preferably stay well a way from chinese machines Taiwanese is ok. I know there some guys who have bought chineses machines and are quite happy with them but it's a bit of a lottery, for every good one you'll find a few bad ones .

Good luck and happy hunting.

Bob.

Ah okey dokey well my sheds quite confined atm until i build something a little bigger, my sheds just storage atm. Na i more than likely wont be working on cars, not into them really. More into bikes, go karts, drift trikes etc so ill be making parts for those when i get the lathe, making watercooling parts for my computer as ive got a mercedes benz radiator cooling it down, picked it up for $5.50 off ebay the guys at my work had no use for their pretty much brand new raditor for their 4WD as it was too big so instead of chucking it in the bin they gave it to me, want to hook both the radiators to my PC with polished copper piping, guages etc make it look steam punk so will definently need custom machined parts

I probabely wont be cutting internal threads or doing anything fancy, just simple stuff for now but ill be getting the bars and tools i need for it just in case i do need to use them.

Na i wont be getting an old machine to do up, ill be getting one that has everything working properly, runs smooth and cuts accurately so i dont have to deal with any headaches. New vs old machines which one would be better to go with? I like the idea of older machines because of the reliability, accuracy and the fact that older stuff just lasts longer most of the time but one thing i am worried about VS new machines is the availability of spare parts for the older machines. Is it easy to find replacement parts or do they just not fail and last and last?