Passed up on getting a 7x10" mini lathe for just $375.

[chunklemcdunkle]

It was just a Central machinery model. They're really not great and the size is about as small as it gets. But still. I feel regret, but really I mean, should I? It very well might e been a waste of money.

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

It was just a Central machinery model. They're really not great and the size is about as small as it gets. But still. I feel regret, but really I mean, should I? It very well might e been a waste of money.

Actually 7x8, according to some reports. I have a 7x14 and I wouldn't want to use anything much smaller. And $375USD doesn't seem very cheap (to me) unless it came with a good amount of extra tooling.

 

[GrifterGuru]

@chunklemcdunkle TBH, as @VicHobbyGuy notes, anything under a 14" bedway is going to be annoying to use due to limitations. Heck even with my 7x16 I find I need/want more bedway length at times.

Again, as @VicHobbyGuy notes, For $375, I too would expect tooling and/or accessories as well.

 

[ARC-170]

You could use it to make small parts, for example model railroad items.

The Harbor freight stuff generally requires the end user to perform quality control. Once you get it dialed in, it works fine.

They currently sell for $750 at HF. LMS has a Seig 7 x 14 for $800. I usually figure about half of new for anything I buy used from CL or FB.

 

[markba633csi]

You don't realize how limiting a short bed can be until you need to drill the end of a longish workpiece with a standard length drill
I would say 16" minimum, although a lot of folks have 14" machines and get by

 

[m1kemex]

Any lathe is better than no lathe.

 

[GrifterGuru]

Any lathe is better than no lathe.

That is a different discussion for a different thread, but to get to the point, sometime no lathe is better than the wrong size lathe.

 

[SouthernChap]

That is a different discussion for a different thread, but to get to the point, sometime no lathe is better than the wrong size lathe.

Can't see the post you were replying too but I'd agree with you, no lathe is preferable to the 'wrong size lathe', with the following qualifiers:

• The 'wrong size' lathe has a notable cost (and even in these crazy days, $375 is still a notable cost)
• The 'wrong size' lathe takes up room you need, or will need in your workshop (and very few of us have unlimited space!)
• The 'wrong size' lathe is not some very desirable type of lathe, say a Cowells or a teensy beautifully engineered swiss watch-maker's lathe (I don't think HF 7x10 qualifies!)

So yeah, certainly in this case (and many similar cases), you're spot on.

As we've discussed before, Chinese 7x mini-lathes are not necessarily a 'disaster' choice, and in some cases they're the only choice. However, 10" between centres is hard to see as adequate for long, for most hobbyists.

If one already has a more capable lathe (and there won't be many less capable lathes than an HF 7x10), I couldn't imagine a good reason to get this lathe unless it was cheap enough to be effectively free and only then if I had space to burn in my shop.

 

[m1kemex]

If I remember correctly the original mini lathe was marketed as 7x10 but it's actually 7x8. That's limiting for sure, but it also beats any contraption you can come with to turn stuff attached to your hand drill.

I believe that the blind spot of the people who have gone deep into the machinist hobby is to ignore what options a beginner really has. The first machine I ever had was a 3 in 1, identical to the one HF used to market as the 5980. That thing didn't even have graduated dials. Threading capabilities? Only a dream back then...

Also, when I started fiddling with it, I didn't even have a single HSS bit, much less a micrometer or vernier caliper. A woodworking ruler and square, and basic handtools; that was my arsenal back then.

So I insist: $375 (actually, about the price the HF 7x10 sold for nearly 20 years ago) buys you a lot of lathe. Just not your dream lathe.