micro or mini lathehu

[dlbarr]

want to buy one of these for making smaller accesories....which type should I buy, what brand and where do I get it?

Also, what type of machine do I need for machining dovetails?

 

[Hawkeye]

Keep in mind that you can make small parts on a bigger lathe, but you can't make big parts on a small lathe. I started out with a Taig micro lathe and added the 1" risers to increase the capacity. You can do a lot with one of those. They're very well made, but small and completely manual.

After a couple of years, I upgraded to a 7x12, with a leadscrew and change gears. It felt huge. Ironically, I had to use the Taig to make a 5" faceplate for the new 7x12. A few years after that, I bought a used Hercus AR. That's an Australian-built, licensed copy of a Southbend 9A. An excellent lathe, and one I intend to keep. A couple of weeks ago, I added a Swedish-built 14x39 about 70 years old, but probably used less than 25 years.

So, you can see the progression. This addiction of ours leads us ever onward to bigger and better machines. The usual advice is to get the biggest lathe you can afford. On the other hand, if you know that you will only ever be making tiny, precision parts, something like a watchmaker's lathe may be perfect for you. You need to decide first what you will be doing, but also where you might end up going as you progress.

Sorry, no easy answer. Just a few thoughts to add to your process.

Oops. Missed your second question. Depending on the size of the dovetails you have in mind, a milling attachment on a lathe will do what you need. For larger stuff, a milling machine will be required.

 

[dlbarr]

Oops. Missed your second question. Depending on the size of the dovetails you have in mind, a milling attachment on a lathe will do what you need. For larger stuff, a milling machine will be required.

Thanks Hawkeye. Regarding the size of dovetails, my expectation is no bigger than what is needed for securing sights on barrels. SO can I get a milling attachment for a mini or micro lathe?

 

[SEK_22Hornet]

I suggest that you check out www.Grizzly.com. They even have a showroom in Washington, so you might check that out and consider paying them a visit. They have a good selection of machines starting with the 7 x 12 mini-lathes and going up from there. If you have room, you may want to consider something like their G4000 or G0620 - a little more money, but they both come with a little more tooling as well as the larger capacity. I see that they now list a milling attachment for the G4000 (T10721 http://www.grizzly.com/products/T10721). Personally, I found that the 7 x 10 / 7 x 12 mini lathes were a little too limited for me. You can sink quite a bit of money into tooling for them, too. Another option might be a combo lathe / mill, but they tend to be a compromise in both areas and you might want to talk with someone who has used one for a while. Once you get an idea of which one you might be considering, post a request on the Grizzly section here for feedback and you will probably get some good feedback from current owners.

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Thanks Hawkeye. Regarding the size of dovetails, my expectation is no bigger than what is needed for securing sights on barrels. SO can I get a milling attachment for a mini or micro lathe?

you can get a milling attachment for the mini lathes. The Little Machine Shop is pretty much the go-to source for all kinds of parts and accessories for these machines. This search turned up a few options for milling attachments.

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_search.php?critFast=milling+attachment&B1=Product+Search

Just a comment on my part, but to me, one of the biggest challenges of trying to do any milling on a lathe would be holding the workpiece.