Need Help Choosing My First Lathe

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cngnow

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So glad to have found this site. Many of the other ones are intimidating to a newbie. I need some advice and I would sure appreciate anyone’s input on this. Please bear with me.

I am looking to find out what lathe to purchase as a starter lathe. I am having trouble finding a machinist that can do what I need in a reasonable time frame and at a reasonable cost. I have a fellow that has done work for me but he gets so busy that he just doesn’t have time. Other shops are either too expensive or won’t take such a small job.

My only lathe experience is on an AAMCO 4000 brake lathe resurfacing brake drums and rotors. However, I am a good student and will learn.

I need to make prototypes until I find a design that does what I want. Think .177 or .22 air rifle pellets. You know the ones. They went into the air rifles we shot as kids. They were hour glass shaped with flat heads, pointed heads and round heads. My prototypes will look like those, but will be scaled up to between 2 inches and 5 inches in diameter with a maximum length of 10 inches. I plan to experiment with different tapers and different head designs. Additionally, the bases may or may not be hollow. If hollowed, they will have different size cavities with different internal tapers. The material I will use will be either aluminum or a zinc/aluminum alloy like ZAMAK.

Once I find what I like, I can rough cast the pieces, and then machine them to size. I plan to use aluminum rounds for my prototypes. I would need to make 3 or 4 of a design and test to see if they are suitable. If not, I would change the design and repeat the test. Once I land on one I like, the most I would make at a time would be 30. Keep in mind that this is for a hobby and not for production so there is no deadline to meet.

So, given the above, what machine would be a good starter? To me as a newbie, it seems that one of the Grizzly 7X14 ones would work. However, I worry about buying too basic a machine and deciding to upgrade in a year or two because I get into it. Further, if I spent more, might I get a more capable machine with features that I might grow into?

From what I am understanding, I might need a taper attachment to make the hourglass shape, so I must include that machining capability into the unit I would buy. I am not opposed to a used machine, but not knowing what to look for would put me at a disadvantage.


Thanks so much for reading this and please let me know what you think. Please let me know where to look and what to watch our for.
 
I have a used Logan lathe and I love it.
Bought it 7 years ago for 700. And another 300. To deliver and set up in my basement work shop.
Others more experienced will be by to give you signs of wear to look for.
Older machines are better made than new ones, unless going for a Hardinge Lathe.
Logan was chosen by a friend who works on them, and said that parts were fairly easy to come by.
Best of luck !!!
ome
 
Your going to need something bigger than a 7x lathe to turn a 5" diameter x 10" long part. I think you could get by with a 11" swing or larger lathe but need to look at the specs.
 
MSD0 said:
Your going to need something bigger than a 7x lathe to turn a 5" diameter x 10" long part. I think you could get by with a 11" swing or larger lathe but need to look at the specs.
Click to expand...

Forgive me if I am wrong, but as I understand it, the 7X14 lathe would handle a workpiece with a max of a 7" diameter and a 14" length. wouldn't a 5" by 10" piece fit on a lathe of this size?
 
You have to look at the specs, remember the tool post or banjo(not sure if terminology) will take up some of that 7" swing.
My Logan is 11" by 50".
I still think buying a used Lathe from a retired machinist or whatever, will give you more for your money, at a better quality.
Just stay away from names that no one has parts for.
My lathe has the cabinet, with the motor under the headstock, using a leather belt.
I absolutely love this lathe.
Came with a collet closer, and tooling.
The tooling can often cost as much or more that the lathe, so a used lathe with tooling, is a real deal!!!
Best of Luck.
 
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Default.htm
cngnow said:
Forgive me if I am wrong, but as I understand it, the 7X14 lathe would handle a workpiece with a max of a 7" diameter and a 14" length. wouldn't a 5" by 10" piece fit on a lathe of this size?
Click to expand...
It's can be confusing at first. The swing on a 7x14 lathe is 7", but doesn't take into account the carriage height. Realistically, you could probably turn a 4" diameter part, but that's still pushing it, especially if it's 10" long. I'm not sure what your budget is, but something with a 11" swing or greater would be your best bet. (Disclaimer: I'm sort of a beginner as well, but have a 7x16" and 11x27 lathe). Hopefully this helps. Check out the link for some more info.
 
cngnow said:
Forgive me if I am wrong, but as I understand it, the 7X14 lathe would handle a workpiece with a max of a 7" diameter and a 14" length. wouldn't a 5" by 10" piece fit on a lathe of this size?
Click to expand...

It could. Largest piece I ever turned on my 7x16 was a 4.5"x 8" piece of aluminum, and it wasn't easy. It's not something I would recommend for a newbie just getting started as things can easily go sideways attempting something like this on that small of a lathe. And I had to make a custom steady rest to hold it as the one that came with my machine couldn't hold a piece that large. A 9", 10" (if you can find a small SB) or a 11" would work much better. Grizzly's G0752 could likely handle this, but it's still on the small side for that size workpiece. Just my $0.02. :)
 
Well I have been on the same road you are on, mine started on Easter weekend this year. I have watched a pile of videos and read twice as much researching which way to go as far as size. Most of my work I have in mind would be something in the neighborhood of 1"x5" max. So I figured the G0765 would be more than enough, (I put $1000 limit on the machine). Folks kept urging me to go at least one size bigger, so I researched the G0768.
From what I have read both the above lathes are pretty darn good for the money. The G0768 doesn't seem to have as large of a following as the G0765. The negative feedback I found on these were from folks that seemed like they just knew that they were going to be dissatisfied with it before they bought it. Then when it did show up they nit picked it to death.
No sir they sure are not the quality of equipment and machines of days gone by, but what is today? None the less still a pretty good deal for the money.
I had once again settled on the G0768 as "the one" I wanted and looked like it would do everything I needed and do it well. Set up to make the trip to go pick it up. Plans crumbled about two days away and fell completely apart the day before, so I scratched it and looked at another date. Mean while I still searched and read everything I could get my hands on and watched more videos and revisited some of the ones I had book marked.
I ran across some very interesting in depth threads on the G0602. Also ran across a good deal of info on VFD's, that was how I found where we are now. I wanted a variable speed yet I can't see the extra $500 for it on the G0752 just to slow it down 50 rpm and I think 100rpm to still be on the fast side for threading. So have an electrician buddy that assures me we can make this into a VFD for a lot less than $500, he has quite a bunch of parts.
So I made several jumps rather than one size larger than my original intent. Space is my major issue of where to put this machine. And it has to be in the basement and no outside entry door so down the stairs we go, 400+ pounds is all want to wrestle with, even with help.
Then on the flip side of this whole thing is those that tell me on of the SB 9's is worth a look and a lot better than the imports. Well I have looked at two of them and they are running $1500-2000 asking price in my area. The two I looked at a lot of issues to say the least and would cost even more to get them usable, but still probably not have been as accurate as a new grizzly. One of them had definitely been crashed more than once and had seen a hard life, I made an offer and you would have thought I kicked his dog.

I am sure there are good to excellent ones out there, I have not found one yet and am going to an auction tomorrow that has a fair bit of equipment and tooling.
I am still up in the air on a used one as most of them are close to my age and I dang sure am not as good as I used to be.
A new one for me my pick is from grizzly G0602.

Any of the extras you may want I would sure look around, LMS looks to have the best selection for the smaller bench tops.
Jeff
 
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