New to machining and metal works, can I get a sanity check before I write one

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ropedrag

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Even being in my 50's I'm as green as grass with metal lathes and metal works in generalI but a decent wood butcher and can effectively turn a wrench. I'm slowing down on some old hobbies (motorcycle racing, mountaineering, high end audio, etc..) and picking up some new ones that I've always wanted to do.. lathe work, mill work and welding, and am going to start with the lathe.

What I'm I going to be making? Apart from a mess and scrap I really don't know. I've rediscovered shooting sports and would like to build a few "form 1" suppressors, maybe thread a barrel or two, fix/rebuild/make a few tools and parts I've busted over the years, etc... So I think I fit in the "hobby" camp. Good TV recently is youtube, watching This Old Tony, AvE, blondiehacks, etc... kind of like like finding relatives you didn't know existed.

I'm taking the advice I read everywhere, buy the biggest you can afford or that the space will allow so I'm going to max out both, especially if I ever want a mill and a welding table!! My research progression started at a mini lathe then a 9" then a 1022 and maxed out on the PM1127LB. Showing my green-ness here... I'm thinking large bore so I can work a suppressor tube interior threads closer to the chuck, that and a LB seems like a great feature in general.

The sanity check is this. Being the new guy with next to zero experience and no "real" plans other than make some stuff is an 1127 a legit choice. Coming out of the chute maxing out budget and space hopefully isn't a foolish move on my part but part of me knows I'm asking this group because the answer will be - Hell yes, what are you waiting for! First lathe you say? Pfft you should really be looking at the 1440GT, damn newbies...

One other thing... Do I order the PM1127LB with or with out the DRO?

Thanks!!
 
A lathe is a great first machine to start with. If the 1127 maxes out your space, then getting a 1440 as lawn art is pointless.

Regarding the DRO? Sure, always say yes to more tools and features. However, what is your budget like? I have two lathes - neither has a DRO. I have two manual mills, I added a DRO to one of the mills. I would add a DRO to the second mill before installing a DRO on the lathes. A DRO really adds capability to a mill, not so much on a lathe.

There are plenty of other items I would purchase for a lathe ahead of a DRO. A DRO is also something you can easily add to the lathe at a later date.
 
Agree with what Chipper said. DRO on my mill was a leap forward vs counting dials. Don't miss it so much on my lathe, which is a PM1022 and too small.
I just got into machining a couple of years ago. I am 54. Never ever too late to start.
 
I did a similar trip from mini lathe up. I ended up with a PM1127. It's been a great machine. I didn't get the DRO, but I did add one later. You can get good units for 200 or so
 
I'll say as someone who moved from a medium sized lathe to a big one, more power/more over bed size. Get one with a large bore, you'll want to thread rifle barrels, and being able to do so without removing the receiver (with a spider on the end!) Is a nice feature.

I WILL say, the best quality of life improvement of a bigger lathe is the rigidity to make better cuts, and the power to take bigger ones. On my 10" Logan I remember having to wait forever turning something down taking 50 thou cuts on brass/aluminum. I can take 3x that on steel now, so all those projects with large parts and small shaft parts go way quicker!

Generally, get the highest power and largest bore size you can afford, then choose the longest bed you can fit!
 
I do pistolsmithing and some rifle work on a PM1340GT lathe and a PM935TS mill. Both have VFDs giving me variable speed.

I machine compensators from billet and hold fairly tight tolerances on the bore through the ports. I also make slide stop pins of custom sizes to get that 'perfect' fit at lockup on 1911s. I can cut pins to plus or minus a few tenths on my 1340GT.

I've not made a can yet, but I suspect that tolerances on threads and septum bores are very similar to those on compensators. I could be wrong though. I've seen guys blow the ends off compensators and cans that were improperly made. Not a pretty sight. :oops:
 
My situation at the start was similar to yours but I opted for a 12x36 with a BXA tool post.
Barrel work and building your own rifles is great fun. But 27'' does not sound like enough bed for that. The spec is usually center to center so if a 4 jaw is added you could loose 5 to 6 inches and be limited for barrel work.
Getting the most suitable size of lathe comes before a DRO which can be added later IF desired. There is nothing wrong with relying on the dials. They work!
 
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Like you, I didn't know anything about metalworking. Was wanting to get a PM727 before retirement, but they were months out before arrival. I took the "get the largest you can afford" to heart and got a PM 940. I got a deal on a older Jet copy lathe, used it for a couple years. Lucked up and sold it for 3X what I paid. Got a PM 1236 lathe then. Both are overkill for me, but, if I ever need the capacity.... I got the DRO installed on the mill, bought a $200. one off ebay for the lathe. Seems most of my time spent on either is making upgrades for the mill or lathe...
 
I started out with a 7x16 Microlux lathe and a Taig micro-mill, and quickly learned the frustrations that come with starting out on these small, low-end machines. Especially if you haven't done this sort of thing before - they're probably great if you already know all there is to know about tool grinding, speeds & feeds, and machine reconditioning.

After spending a while pricing out different new options, including PM, I went the used route. Delivery was the killer : no trucking company is going to come down a dirt road and use a lift gate to drop a machine off in front of my barn.

I found a guy not too far away who had shut down his shop and was looking for sellers for his machines; as part of the deal, he found some riggers willing to take on the job. It was expensive, but he threw in tons of tooling and extras - I don't think I could have got a better deal delivered for the 6K it all ended up costing.

I ended up getting much larger machines than I could have, new, and that makes a huge difference. Get the largest machine you can fit, and if the new ones are too expensive, buy used. And by used, I don't mean "from a used machinery dealer", I mean buy from an owner of the machine who is getting rid of it for a justifiable reason (shutting down shop, replacing with CNC, etc), and who will demonstrate the operation and who might teach you a thing or two in the course of jawin' with 'em.
 
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