Help!!! Non Emergency

L

Lugnutz

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My dad passed away Jan 2014 and left me some real cool toys. Toys that I have no clue about. One is a hobby size mill and the other is a mini lathe (15 or 17 inch). I had the chance to sell them (vulture family members) but I held on to all of it because I wanted to get involved in machining. So far I've done absolutely zip with it.

I'm pretty strapped on time, the toys are at my mom's in dad's shop, and I'm not even sure if there is a good reason to keep these things anymore. I also have a motorcycle and I don't even get to enjoy that like I want.

So I ask of you all, should I keep it, what kinds of things would it be useful for? I love the welders he has left me, and I wonder if the mill and lathe would be handy in the future in conjunction with welding ( I suck at it but at least I have a clue ). I really am lost with this stuff, I have a lot of gadgets that go with both and I couldn't tell ya which doodad goes with which machine.

Honestly it looks like it could be useful, but I have yet come across a real need for it.

Please feel free to offer your opinions and chime in. I hate to sell it but I hate to see it just sitting there...

Rick
 
Very sorry that you lost your Dad. It sounds like he was someone who would have fit right in here and I hope you feel comfortable coming here to learn and share, too. In my opinion, no finer forum exists.

Hobby machining is something that will come when it comes and when it bites you it will bite hard! Fortunately, your Dad left you the two key machines you will need and all you need to learn to use them. There are many books, videos and forums you can learn from and there may be a friendly forum member close to you that may be able to mentor you. As for all the little gadgets he left that go with the machines, hang onto them - you will need them someday.

A lathe and a mill are the most useful tools there are. You say you own a bike; so do I and I make custom stuff for it all the time. As time goes along you will find yourself thinking, "Hey, I can make that!" or you'll come up with a cool idea for something that doesn't even exist yet and you'll have the means to make it a reality. With a lathe and mill, there is almost nothing you cannot make; there is just too much to list. My hobbies are machining, photography, cars, sport bikes, archery/bowhunting, restoring yard equipment for others, welding and many other things. I machine stuff for all of those things and repair/make things for friends and neighbors. Don't worry; once you learn to use those tools you will be a very resourceful and popular guy!

My son is sort of like you. He doesn't know a knurling tool from a live center but he knows what I can do with the tools in my shop and he will never part with any of it once I go. They are a connection between father and son unlike any other and I would encourage you to hang onto them. One day you will use that lathe or mill and know that your Dad turned the same wheels and felt the same pleasure seeing those chips come off to reveal the hidden thing underneath. You cannot put a price on something like that.

My condolences to you, your Mom and family.
 
Well, I think Mikey put that so well that there is no reason for me to say anymore, so I won't. Mike
 
My condolences on your loss. When my Dad passed, he left me all his tools (mostly woodworking) and among them was his prized South Bend 9 inch lathe. I helped him paint the bench it was on when I was about 5-6 years old. It was an older C model - he figured from the late '20s or early 30s, but he rebuilt it shortly before his death and was very proud of it. When he passed, I was on active duty in the AF stationed overseas and hadn't touched a wood or metal working tool since I joined the AF 12 years prior. To make a long story shorter, I kept most of his hand tools but let the lathe go - Mom sold it with the house 10 years later. I had no regrets....then. But, I wish I had it now - mostly for sentimental reasons. On the practical side, I could have saved the time and effort I put into searching for, finding, and rebuilding the two "substitute" lathes I own now! Keep the machines if you can - you won't regret it.

John
 
Thanks, Guys - you would have said the same thing if I didn't.
 
keep em get a book and have a go, nowadays i wonder how i managed without my lathe even though only had it a few years.
even made our wedding rings on it as when we got married yrs ago couldn't afford to buy any.
lost my dad 6yrs ago, inherited his tools.
he was welder and fabricator had to sell his 3 phase stuff and really big gear, but kept as much as i could and as said it still feels like he is there when using it.
i am nearly 50 and some of stuff he had when i was a kid and daft as it may sound even now when i use it i can still feel his hands over mine guiding me like when i was a kid.
 
What can you make with them? How about a different lifestyle, yup that too! There is really not much you can't make or fix with the set-up your Father left you! And although I don't know your age or if you have children, I can share that when I was a kid of around 9 ...I discovered a couple of wooden ammo crates in the basement full of tools, I was fascinated by them and had no idea what most of them were for, lots of small tools in metal pickle boxes larger versions of the Altoid tins we now have,boxes of files ,hack-saw blades tons of things.......From time to time I'd go down there and go through them clean them and oil them...just spend time with them. They were left to my Father when His father passed in the early 1950's and some tools were old then. My Grandfather was a Jeweler as well as a U.S. Customs Agent who passed when I was 2 years old. I still have and use a lot of his tools. I used his Starrett square for for forty some years a a carpenter and still use it in my shop for machining to this day. I use the same wood handle screwdrivers he used and still have a few files and hacksaw blades left as well as assorted other tools . These are some of the possessions I cherish the most just because of the connection I feel with my Grand father. Had my Father not kept them in the basement, my life would have been different......
 
Everything that people on here have said, and more. Some of my stuff was from my father and some from my father in law. Hang on to it, You said you weld somewhat, then you can make things that go along with welding, with these tools. IN addition, some times you may be able to make a better part rather than welding something back together. look on this site and on some of the others, you will find some beginners projects that will start teaching you what each part of the equipment is and what each tools is. They will teach you how to read mics, and all of the other stuff as well. Read, watch a bunch of YOu Tube videos, and then start off small. you will work your way up to wanting more and bigger toys to play with, but you will always go back to the ones you know and connect you to loved ones.
 
Check the machines for rust. Use a little light oil on a rag and wipe all the non-painted or chrome surfaces. Some of the members use covers or heavy drop cloths to cover their machines when not in use. Also check his cutters and drill bits for rust too. Good luck with your new hobby.
 
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