Lathe and mill on the way, now what

[bigolbeast]

I'm currently waiting my spot in line for a PM1236-PEP and PM932V, I've never used a lathe or a mill, and I'm not sure what I'll make most of the time, but I AM sure that I need these machines...

I've watched a lot of videos over the years on machine operation but what I don't know is exactly what tooling I need to get started.
I could use some help coming up with some recommended tooling and accessories that I'm going to need. At the moment from PM I'm planning on

Lathe:
-MT3 drill chuck
-live center

Mill:
4" vice
R8 Collet set
Clamping kit
R8 Drill chuck
Boring head

Do I need to get the lathe collet sets and chuck with the order? Should I have a separate set for the mill and lathe or find an adapter between 5C and R8. I see a lot of people using a 5C lever closer on their lathes but I think I could get by with a 4 jaw chuck for awhile and skip the collets.

For lathe HSS tooling and end mills I'm assuming theres a recommended place to get these?
No need to recommended any measurement devices, I'm covered there at the moment.

Thanks for any help.

 

[matthewsx]

Hello and welcome,

Sounds like you’re jumping right in. Some material to work with would be important, and some hss cutters for your lathe and bits for the mill to start with. Do you have a grinder for shaping lathe bits? @mikey has an epic thread on here for grinding cutters so that’s a good place to start.

Download South Bend’s “how to run a lathe” and start practicing.

Do you have any projects in mind, that will give you some idea.

You don’t have to go crazy but @davidpbest has a good list of stuff to get started with on here.

You‘ll get plenty of advice on this but probably since you’ve already ordered the machines and can figure out what fits I’d start looking at Craigslist for deals on tooling. You can cross reference prices on eBay or just post it up here to get a quick opinion on if something is a deal.

Best thing is to read and ask questions, you’ve come to the right place.

John

 

[matthewsx]

Oh and to answer your question about lathe collets, you should be fine without them to start, learn to dial in the 4 jaw first.

 

[Nutfarmer]

The fun begains. As far as other tooling ,add it as you find the need. It better to have a few quality pieces than a lot of junk.

 

[matthewsx]

Quality HSS lathe bits are way cheaper used or NOS from eBay or Craigslist. Old US brands like MoMax often turn up for less than new import stuff and if they are already ground they might even be ready to go with a quick touch up.

John

 

[DavidR8]

Some of the best advice I received here was not to scrimp on the vise as it is the foundation for accurate work. I couldn't stomach Kurt vise prices but am very happy with the 4" vise I bought from Glacern.
Likewise the Criterion boring head I found on eBay.

 

[jwmay]

What do you need? Overtime...lots and lots of overtime.

 

[Aaron_W]

Well the good news is the lathe comes fairly well equipped with the basics, so your list there looks pretty good. You can buy used HSS tooling on ebay fairly cheaply. It can be a bit like buying a box of used golf pencils, but what is all used up for a commercial shop has years of life left in a home shop. Lots of never used blanks on ebay as well if you want to start from scratch.

Collets are nice and you will probably eventually want some, but your budget can help you make the decision of when. I like ER collets because you don't need as many as you do with 5C. An advantage to 5C is they hold really short pieces better, ER likes to have the piece at least the full length of the collet.

A complete ER set will typically go by 1/32s and 1/16s will be adequate for most. 5C have a much smaller holding range so sets of 1/64s or 1/32s are more common, but they do go all the way down to 1/128s for the completest. A full set of either is not really required and I'm sure there are many people with just a small range of the available sizes just focusing on what they tend to use.


The mill is going to beat you up a bit more since it doesn't come with much of anything. Your list looks pretty good for a start.

No luck on using the same collets on the mill and lathe. Mills with MT collets can cross over if both machines use the same size but R8 and ER/5C can not be adapted as far as I know.


I would think you are probably pretty safe starting of with a set of 2 and 4 flute end mills, and the 1/2" carbide lathe tooling from Precision Matthews. The prices don't look bad, they are probably decent quality and if they ship with the machine I'm guessing there is no added shipping cost.


If you don't have one you are going to want to get a good indicator holder, Noga is a popular quality brand.

 

[davidpbest]

You don’t have to go crazy but @davidpbest has a good list of stuff to get started with on here.

Attached is my updated "get started" list. If you are considering indexable tooling for your lathe, you might want to check out this thread.

 

[T Bredehoft]

Collets.... You won't need them right away, Did I miss mention of the 3 jaw chuck for the lathe? Thats' a must have.

When you do become interested in collets, go with ER. and standardize on one size, (they go from 11 to 50. (up to 1/4 in 11, up to 1.125 or so in 50. But once you've settle on a range, (and have holders) they can be used on mill and lathe.

Take your time, two machines at once, whew. That's a lot of learning all at one bite.

"I see a lot of people using a 5C lever closer on their lathes" These are for production, they eliminate clamping and opening the chuck by hand. Not needed unless to speed up repeated tasks.