Deciding On A Lathe...

Z

zboss86

Registered
Registered
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
31
Hey guys, new to the forum...
I work with hot rods and various projects a good bit as a hobby in the evenings. I do a good bit of "simple" fab work, mainly welding and such. I'm new to machining. For some reason, I've just now ran upon this forum. I see a lot of good info, so I'll be doing some research.

I'd like to acquire a lathe sometime in the near future and maybe a mill later next year.
I was leaning towards an older American style lathe rather than a newer foreign lathe. But I need to learn more so I know what to look for. I'm guessing Craigs list is a good place to start looking.

I'm thinking a 13 x 40 would be a good size(suggested by a local fab shop, he said that would be the minimum), but I may could get by fine with a smaller lathe. I'll be mainly making the occasional spacer, bushing, and I'll need to cut some threads from time to time.


I saw this one... I'm not jumping on anything yet, I'm in no rush.
http://memphis.craigslist.org/tls/5234809437.html
 
hmm,
Hopefully no one here will scoop you on that lathe. That is a very good price assuming the ways and spindle bearing are in good shape.

From the hobbyist perspective, a 13 x 40 is a really big lathe, and is about the upper limit for folks around here. Plenty of them on this forum, not a lot bigger than that though.

There are many pros and cons between an old domestic lathe and a new import. There are also many pros and cons between a smaller lathe in the 9" range, and a bigger lathe in the 14" range. Bigger is better in general, but tooling for a bigger machine can give you a heart attack when you check prices. The price difference between a 6" chuck and a 10" or bigger chuck will make you cry. You can pretty easily spend more on a 10" 3jaw chuck than the lathe you listed is selling for. You can always use smaller and less expensive tooling, but then why own a big lathe and little tools?

The starting point is trying to figure what you will need to be able to do on the lathe. This will dictate the size of machine. Once you have that, make a list of features the lathe must have or it is a deal breaker. Watching YouTube is a great way to figure out what size machine you need. Watch folks doing what you are wanting to do.
 
I say get the biggest lathe you have room for, and can afford. You can make small parts on a big lathe. But small lathes can't make big parts. If my shop floor would hold it I would have at least a 14x40 with at least a 2" spindle bore. I have a 12x36 Atlas craftsman lathe. And it isn't big enough for a phew things needed to do.
 
Hey, the add says $1,500 or best offer.

I'd go $1,200 if it's in decent shape.

Hell, I'd probably go $1, 500 in a machine desert.
 
Thanks for the replies... All good points, even some devils advocates, lol.
I was more worried about the power of this one more than I was the physical size. The owner said is was a 110V motor, I'm not sure how much that's going to limit me or what size motor I actually need... I've done a lot of reading the past few weeks to catch up on the nomenclature and the fundamentals. I actually already read some of Paul's pages, but I missed that particular one. It was a good read...
Space really isn't an issue, I don't have 3 phase, but I can get a converter if needed. I'll probably eventually need one for a mill anyway.

I made a huge list of questions I'd like to research before I go asking too much...
 
I've had a 12" Atlas lathe in the past. 110v will give you sufficient power for it.

Let's face it, a 12" lathe is never going to be a metal hogging beast. However you can do some very good work on it.

No machine is perfect. I think that is a good lathe for the money.
 
Personally I'd take a good look at that Clausing lathe. I have a 1960'ish #5418 12 x 24. I don't have a lot of experience with other lathes (just a Rockwell 11" in Junior High, Atlas 12", Rockwell 10"), but I doubt you will find any threads with someone complaining about their Clausing lathe. The only negative may be the headstock spindle and their (typical) oddball Morse Tape 4 1/2 taper.

I paid $600 for my #5418 at a high school shop auction. Came with a 3-jaw, 4-jaw, face plate, dead center, live center, drill chuck, factory case with the full set of Armstrong tool holders for the lantern style tool post. I didn't have to rebuild or replace anything even though it'd been used for 20 years in the shop. Clausing made a very solid machine. Maybe as suggested above go $1200. Looks like the motor has been replaced with a single phase so you'd be able to plug and play.

Best regards, Bruce
 
zboss86 said:
The owner said is was a 110V motor, I'm not sure how much that's going to limit me or what size motor I actually need... I've done a lot of reading the past few weeks to catch up on the nomenclature and the fundamentals. I actually already read some of Paul's pages, but I missed that particular one. It was a good read...
Click to expand...

I have had and used a few machines and for a car enthusiast, I would try to get a lathe with a 3 HP motor as a minimum. Since you will be doing this as a hobby, you want to make effective use of your time since none of us have much spare time. When you use a machine with low horsepower, you need to baby the machine and take it really slow. Time is the one resource we can't buy more of so investing in a beefier machine is a wise investment that you won't regret.

Contrary to most, I always recommend getting an industrial machine and spending more than you have to. An industrial machine does not compare to a hobby machine and features like clutches, a brake, rigidity and horses to spare is the difference between a drudge-fest and an enjoyable experience machining.

Paul.
 
I wouldn't worry about horse power requirements up front. I can make a 9" SBL with a 1/4 HP motor cut just as much iron as a 13" lathe with a 3 HP motor can!
The key thing you must look at is the actual condition of the lathe. Things to look for, What is the condition of the bed ways? Are they lightly worn, or they so worn it looks like a wash board? What kind of slop is there in the cross feed screw? Can you see the screw move in/out? Or is it nut slop? How does the end gearing look in the gear train? Are all of the gears there? Headstock, does it feel smooth as silk? or does feel like dragging a piece of iron thru a bed of sand? Once you go thru and evaluated these things, you have to figure out what you can live with and if any are just a flat "no", this is not going to work for me. Pass on it, if you if there's any doubt about the lathe. There's always another one to take its place down the road. I know, I've done this many times over the years.

Ken
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top