New member from Nevada

[Mr Mike]

Actually, the 4 jaw is usually used for accurate work, and the 3 jaw for less important work. The reasons for that is that with the independent 4 jaw you can (and will) dial in each jaw separately until the part turns true. A typical 3 jaw chuck is operated by a scroll, which is a machined spiral groove that the jaws follow as they are tightened all together toward the center of the chuck. That design is inherently less accurate than a chuck with independent jaws, but faster to get the work chucked up. A typical 3 jaw ( if there actually was such a thing) might have several thousandths runout when clamping the work, and no good way to adjust it out. The discrepancies may be different with different work diameters as well. Nature of the beast. It is fine for less critical work. 4 jaw independent chucks can also grip the work tighter.

Aside from the above, three jaws are good for triangular, hex, or 9 or 12 sided work. 4 jaws are good for 4, 8, 12, or 16 sided work. Also, not all 4 jaw chucks are independent, some are scroll. And not all 3 jaws are scroll chucks, some are independent.

Some chucks are very high accuracy, smooth and solid gripping. The jaws are ground properly so the work does not stick out of the chuck at an angle from square. Others are cheaply made junk, and others are totally worn out. Know the difference, and whether the sizes of the chucks is appropriate for the lathe and the work you will expect them to do.

Anyway, a chuck is not just a chuck...

Hi bob, Thanks for the additional details about chucks - It would be great if they had a book "Everything you wanted to know about chucks but were afraid to ask" or "Chucks for Dummies" I would by that book in a heart beat.

 

[Mr Mike]

Hey MM ,is that chocolate or peanut.,lol , no welcome to the site to much deep thinking and long reading post. Short hi and welcome. Logan's my lathe for forty years still work in good.

Hello Silverbullet.
Short, sweet and to the point - I like it.
A Logan for 40 yrs.. what model..? hardened Ways..? most redeeming feature..? Thanks.

 

[Mr Mike]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Hobby-Machinist!

Here's a couple of good reads:
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/a-guide-for-selecting-the-right-lathe-for-beginners.25915/
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/how-to-select-a-milling-machine-a-guide.30066/

Have Fun!
-brino

Thanks for the links Sir, Much appreciated Brino.

 

[Mr Mike]

Mike, let me play Devil's Advocate here and suggest you look for a new Asian 11-12" lathe instead of old iron. Yes, yes, I know that old iron is cool but consider that old iron will come with old wear and tear. It may or may not come with the tooling you need and the cost to obtain it can add up. If something is broken then you have to source or make it but you have to be able to make it; got the machines and knowledge to do it?

Some folks have the idea that an old 'Murican lathe means its better than a new Asian lathe. If you take a good look at, say, a PM1127VF-LB, you see you get variable speed, a D1-4 camlock instead of a threaded on chuck, a fairly big spindle bore, a hardened spindle/gears/ways, Class 5 spindle bearings and so on and on and on. Price for the basic machine is $2900.00, and if something goes wrong with the lathe then you have some of the best after-sale support in the hobby industry.

If you are looking for a project then an old lathe is just the ticket. Lots of learning to do here and you will probably end up with a nice looking old lathe. On the other hand, it may cost you well over what a new one will cost and it will very likely not be as tight and accurate and will lack some really desirable features (VS, camlock chuck, etc).

Like Bob said, take your time and think things through. I like old iron and admire some of the restorations I've seen but quite frankly, I would prefer having a new lathe so I could learn to machine stuff. My personal lathe is from the mid-90's but it had less than 100 hours on it so basically a mint condition Austrian lathe. If I hadn't found it, I would own a new PM Taiwanese lathe.

Hi Mikey. I reviewed that very machine at Precision Matthews at the same time I was looking for a company that carried both a Lathe and a Mill, such as Grizzly and Jet, I am very familiar with wood working equipment - Jet and Grizzly are the McDonalds and burger king of the wood working world. , Delta machines was the goto "no longer in business in the USA" for serious hobbyist and professionals, they quit moved and changed their name to Steel city tool works. Delta along with Powermatic were the names you could trust, just like logan and Southbend for the next 50 years your going to find them in peoples shops looking antiquated but still working.

Please don't take this the wrong way, To be honest my first thought was the PM1127VF-LB looks to be nothing more then the High end version in the Mini Lathe world, A mini lathe with all the bells and whistles. Its light weight and does not remind me of equipment that will last for years, so it just wont fit my end game. I would love to just run out and buy an amazing Lathe but that is simply impossible with my current knowledge of the equipment.

Im not saying that the PM1127VF-LB doesn't fit a particular purpose but 2 years from now I know I would be selling it at a huge loss since this is such a niche market, on the same note I wouldn't buy a Jet or grizzly mini Lathe either. what I was seriously looking at to jump right in the hobby was this shop fox also a known wood working company, but I read some bad reviews and gave up the search knowing I don't have the knowledge to make the right decision.

Thank you for playing devils advocate Sir.

 

[mikey]

I think I kinda sorta understand what you're trying to say. You're making the analogy that Logan and South Bend are the machine tool equivalent of Delta and Powermatic of old, and that like those old woodworking machines that can be found in woodworking shops all over the place, there are many old Logans and SB around. And you know what, you're right. Just keep in mind that a lathe is nothing like an old jointer or table saw. It has a lot of sliding surfaces, spindles and bearings that wear and that wear causes issues with accuracy.

I've helped restore two SB lathes and restored an Emco lathe myself so I know what it takes and what you get at the end. Hence, my suggestion to look at more modern options. At the end of the day, as long as you get what you want, that's what matters. Good luck to you.

 

[Tozguy]

Its light weight and does not remind me of equipment that will last for years, so it just wont fit my end game. I would love to just run out and buy an amazing Lathe but that is simply impossible with my current knowledge of the equipment.

Im not saying that the PM1127VF-LB doesn't fit a particular purpose but 2 years from now I know I would be selling it at a huge loss since this is such a niche market, on the same note I wouldn't buy a Jet or grizzly mini Lathe either. what I was seriously looking at to jump right in the hobby was this shop fox also a known wood working company, but I read some bad reviews and gave up the search knowing I don't have the knowledge to make the right decision.

View attachment 239100

Back then when I was in a similar situation, it made more sense to me to get a lathe that fit my 'end game' right from the get-go. As opposed to buying a temporary 'learner" lathe where there is a loss in market value to consider as well as the cost of retooling a second time. If you get more lathe than you think you need (or as big as you can handle), you might only have to cry once.

When it comes to hobby level machines, someone said it is a roll of the dice. There are many sad stories about poor quality and customer service but also many good ones that go untold. Precision Mathews seems to have a good record for customer support. There will be still lots to do on a new 'hobby' lathe to get it cleaned up and tuned to your liking. If you expect to do the final quality control on the machine then it is not such a disappointment to find that some details might need attention.
My case is one of the happy ones where I bought a new low end hobby lathe on sale with good equipment and never looked back. The investment has more than paid for itself in fun and enjoyment and I figure when the time comes to liquidate any proceeds will be gravy.

 

[Silverbullet]

Hello Silverbullet.
Short, sweet and to the point - I like it.
A Logan for 40 yrs.. what model..? hardened Ways..? most redeeming feature..? Thanks.

11" flat belt on spindle model number dont remember, I have 6 4 3 jaw chucks , 5 c collets with lever , Hardinage tool post 4 position and a quick change set up. More tooling then ill ever use up . It's always ran and cut well , only changed the belt one time in the forty years. I'd say it's about the best I could get back then after selling the one I kick my self for letting go. It was a Sheldon with vari drive had the lever collets which I would choose over all other workholding in a lathe where possible to use them. I had all kinds of collets hex square, over sized , special made for jobs from brass collets. If you get repeat work you set up to do it the best and fastest way. Time is money

 

[Mr Mike]

11" flat belt on spindle model number dont remember, I have 6 4 3 jaw chucks , 5 c collets with lever , Hardinage tool post 4 position and a quick change set up. More tooling then ill ever use up . It's always ran and cut well , only changed the belt one time in the forty years. I'd say it's about the best I could get back then after selling the one I kick my self for letting go. It was a Sheldon with vari drive had the lever collets which I would choose over all other workholding in a lathe where possible to use them. I had all kinds of collets hex square, over sized , special made for jobs from brass collets. If you get repeat work you set up to do it the best and fastest way. Time is money

Besides the Sheldon loss you sound quite happy with your Logan, Which is a testament to a well built machine.

 

[Mr Mike]

Hello good people.
Until I can find what I call my first learning lathe, I bought an under privileged Central Machines 7-10 to keep me busy. Found on Craigslist in good visible condition and new looking. It came with a few extras. Drill chick, Tiny Carbide Cutting tool set, Bunch of braised cutting tools and Blanks, Magnetic base dial Indicator for $400.00 a fair deal - I had my mind set on $350.00 but the guy was really nice and we talked for hours, on the plus side I got to see his new lathe a grizzly 10" X 22", which gave me a much needed sense of the size these tools are. I will definitely need a larger Lathe then a 10" X 22" - Its funny cause it is easily 4 times as massive as the 7" X 10" I bought from him.

I have been searching for a lathe with basic components diligently, No DRO, No QCTP, or other bells and whistles, " cheap - Basic - Strait " I really thought an older beautiful used one would be the place to start, their out there but several hundreds of miles away. I cannot seem to find decent any complete used cheap lathes here in Las Vegas so Iv'e started to include NEW in my search because.. If I have to buy a lathe sight unseen a new one should be strait and reasonably accurate.

One of the biggest problems I am having, is there are no showrooms with manual lathes here in Las Vegas... And since there is nothing to see and compare, I cant properly make a list of wants and needs. I'm seriously considering flying out to Washington to the grizzly showroom just so I can touch see and talk to a sales man to gain some knowledge.

I found this one today, and was hoping someone might have knowledge of Bolton tools in general, IE Good/Bad company to buy from - service Etc.
Its the only lathe Iv'e found thus far with power feed on X and Y, Of a size that interests me 12" X 30" with stand, and price tag for a basic beginner lathe. I would appreciate it if someone could look it over..

http://boltontool.com/Lathes/metal-...tal-lathe-machine-with-coolant-system-cq9332a

Thanks in advance, Mike.

 

[Doodle]

Whenever I look at things to spend money on, the internet can be your friend. I type into search for example "Model 12 Rocket engine is a piece of junk" and then look through the replies. You can substitute rough language in place of "piece of junk" works equally as well. I did it on this lathe and saw nothing. The next step is to go to You Tube and type "CQ9332A", and there you go, lots of videos to watch.