Opinions needed on many used lathes from Facebook Marketplace.

[G-ManBart]

I think it's a bit confusing as well, but I suspect this is one of those times when someone doesn't know what they don't know (not pointing fingers). I've owned 8 lathes as I've learned what I wanted, found something nicer, etc. I've spent a fair amount of time working on them as well. Even fairly simple jobs can take hours, or days, and finding parts can be a real challenge in some cases. For someone looking to make money, in the near future, a new machine is a pretty attractive option.

If nothing else, a new machine will limit the level of doubt that problems are being caused by the machine, rather than technique, so it might shorten the learning curve a bit.

Just tonight I spent at least an hour sorting out the order of parts to reassemble the compound on a lathe I bought that was partially disassembled when the owner passed. The manual wasn't clear so it took trial an error to finally get it right...and nothing was missing or broken!

 

[SouthernChap]

Fixing the old lathe is part of the hobby.

But the OP isn't in it for the hobby are they? They want to make money.

Time is cost. If you're building up a business from scratch you want to reduce your startup costs as much as is feasible.

You also want to reduce as much of the risk as possible and old iron is a risk for someone experienced in machining let alone for someone who's learning the skills fundamental for that business as they go and lacks the experience and knowledge to discriminate between a lemon and a good deal. For the latter person, it's possibly/probably a risk too far.

Obviously, if they were a hobbyist who didn't mind/actively wanted a restoration project then none of the above would apply, but the OP wants to run a business and make money.

 

[SouthernChap]

If nothing else, a new machine will limit the level of doubt that problems are being caused by the machine, rather than technique, so it might shorten the learning curve a bit.

Oh dear God. You have just succinctly expressed in that short paragraph, something that normally takes me at least three paragraphs to badly describe.

It may not always be direct plagiarism but I am definitely going to steal your form of words here!

 

[stupoty]

Thanks for the reply.
So this solves the metric threading issue. Can SB lathes of 9" swings make nice smooth clean cuts and finishes?

Or should I look into Logons or Hardinge lathes? I know Hardinge is professional lathe and used in commercial applications, however they don't have chucks and not sure if I can buy them. I found a Hardinge DSM lathe for $1,000 from Facebook marketplace., no chuck.

I also want a lathe that can make 5" master cylinder just for fun.

If your going to make repeat parts then one of the turret lathes or capstan lathes might work out but mostly they require other machining tools to make best use of them.

They generally aren't as flexible for general lathe work though.

A quick change gearbox is a must if you don't want to pull all your hair out spending ages changing change wheels.

Have you considered a small cnc lathe if the parts are small this would give you the most production speed.

Stu

 

[mmcmdl]

The OP keeps saying Hardinge chucks aren't available . Don't know why because they are everywhere but you have to pay the price as always . They are Hardinges and not overseas chucks . I'm tooling up my DSM now . Just bought a compound for it and although the lathe doesn't have threading capabilities , the die heads take care of that .

 

[matthewsx]

Well....

If they won't take our advice maybe they should go talk to these guys.

Home page

From planning to execution, get resources or real-time assistance for every stage of your business. SCORE has a library of useful documents and online courses, as well as experienced mentors to help you with your business journey.

www.score.org

Free business consulting for prospective US business owners. Having a solid plan and capital to execute it is key to business success. Won't guarantee it, but at least increases the odds.

I'm sure there are lots of folks on here who've already operated machine shops but I doubt any of them are interested in investing in the OP's plan.

My best advice is go ahead and buy an old lathe and start making parts. Then do it for 10 hours a day for a few months to get an idea of what running a production shop will be like.

Or, get a job at someone else's shop running CNC machines. At least that way he'll be making some money.

Or, if his user id is any indication of skills he possesses maybe keeping that day job as a system admin and just joining us as hobbyists would be best. Nice thing about a hobby is you don't have to be very good at it to start.

I think at least we need a photo of the basement in question where tools are going.

John

 

[OCJohn]

@Unix I am only a year ahead of you with my lathe buying adventure. I found a long neglected Atlas/Craftsman 12” on NextDoor that I paid $200 for. A year later, it’s still in pieces waiting for my full attention. It’s been fun learning about it (and getting sidetracked with other projects), but saving the $800-1200 for the cost of a machine it good working order has hasn’t been the bargain I thought it would be.

Collets…

The two things I most regret overlooking in my machine search were spindle bore and collet size. 5C collets are THE collet size in terms of ubiquity, availability and cost. If you’re going to be doing repetitive stuff, even on a low volume scale, you’ll be a
LOT more efficient with collets and collet stops. And that’s where spindle bore matters. 5C collet chucks can be mounted to an Atlas, SB or Logan just fine. But their small spindle bores will be the limiting factor for material diameter and/or length. Hollow collet extension tubes won’t be an option for using collet stops (for set up speed) much longer than the collet/chuck depth.

None of that may be a problem for what you have in mind. But it’s something to think about as you’re looking. I’ve learned a lot going to machine tool auctions in the last few months. And you’ll definitely have more options if you can use the 5C standard for lathe/workholding and R8 for mill tooling.

Just my 2¢

 

[Larry$]

but saving the $800-1200 for the cost of a machine it good working order has hasn’t been the bargain I thought it would be.

Often the case. The time you have lost in not being able to use it is even more important.

I most regret overlooking in my machine search were spindle bore and collet size. 5C collets are THE collet size in terms of ubiquity, availability and cost. If you’re going to be doing repetitive stuff, even on a low volume scale, you’ll be a
LOT more efficient with collets and collet stops.

Spindle bore doesn't stop you from using a collet chuck but it limits production work. I'm a hobbyist. I have both 5C and ER40 chucks and other collet accessories. 5C is my go to on the lathe because I can hold very little waste in the collet reasonably securely and the nose of the chuck is user friendly. The disadvantage is the very limited range of each collet. Translate that to: you need a lot of collets to cover the full range of 5C. Even w/o a collet closer I can quickly change out work pieces. I have rarely used the internal stop. My 5C chuck is the adjustable type but my collets seem to be good enough that I don't need to do any readjusting for my required level of work. If you are reversing the work in the chuck or utilizing an unturned portion maybe you will want to adjust the chuck. For me, the main advantage of the ER40 chuck and other accessories I have, is the bigger range of size holding for each collet. An ER collet should also have a tighter grip on the work, good if you are into hogging material.

Collet accessories that I use: ER40 & 5C chucks & collet blocks, R8 to ER40 adapter, 5C spin Indexer (reversed & base trued to bore), square and hex 5C collets, 5C collet internal stop... Are you detecting a rabbit hole yet?

 

[455dan]

Not to knock on UNIX but some of this is like racing.

Speed costs money, How fast do you want to Go?

How much budget are you allowing for the lathe and it's tooling?

 

[OCJohn]

Collet accessories that I use: ER40 & 5C chucks & collet blocks, R8 to ER40 adapter, 5C spin Indexer (reversed & base trued to bore), square and hex 5C collets, 5C collet internal stop... Are you detecting a rabbit hole yet?

I've seen 5C and R8 stuff at nearly every auction I've been to.