Recommendations for Lathe and Mill with Space Limitations

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FortyFivePalms

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Hello folks,

This is my first post here; thanks for bringing me aboard!

A bit of background...I've dabbled with metal machining for most of my life. Around twenty years ago, I stumbled across an exceptional deal for an Atlas 618 6-inch lathe with all the goodies and tooling, set it up in my garage and was ready to make some chips, but never found the time. I sold it (for a handsome profit) when we sold our house. So here I am in retirement, we've relocated to beautiful Escondido, CA, and I finally have a house with a large garage AND a tool room, and we recently gained a modest financial windfall, so I've decided to once again pursue my love for metal machining. I already have a drill press, belt sanders, grinders, etc. and although I am a beginner/amateur with lathes and mills, my tool/fabrication skills are otherwise excellent. My tool room space is limited; I have about 5' of wall space remaining on one side of the room, and another 4' on the other side - that's it.

At first I was considering a combination lathe/mill machine, but I've read many complaints about two things in particular: lack of rigidity and quill-to-surface distance in the mill portion of most of these machines. So now I'm thinking about two separate (but compact) units that hopefully would fit into my confined space. I would not be doing any heavy machining- I am an amateur classic & muscle car restoration specialist, so my work would be mostly limited to fabrication of small detail items such as brackets, hose fittings. wire clamps, etc. with the occasional power steering or alternator bracket thrown in for good measure, so I figure a lathe with a 10" or 12" swing should be adequate, along with a milling machine of similar proportions.

(Of course I would still be open to the possibility of a combo machine, if it could work for my application...)

My first instinct was to by used equipment, in the hopes of finding fully-fitted machines with at least some tooling & accessories. And then I started browsing some of the new stuff, and it appears that a lot of new machines ship with all of the goodies (steady rest, 3- & 4-jaw chucks) already included. So I'm in a quandary; buy new or buy used? And if buying used should I concentrate on older American iron? Or is the quality of the offshore stuff (Grizzly, PM, etc) good enough now to warrant consideration? Couldn't help but notice that some of the new stuff features CNC in some shape or form, and I must admit I'm drawn to that feature.

So many questions, but I'm grateful to be here and faced with this delightful dilemma.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and recommendations.
 
FortyFivePalms said:
Hello folks,

This is my first post here; thanks for bringing me aboard!

A bit of background...I've dabbled with metal machining for most of my life. Around twenty years ago, I stumbled across an exceptional deal for an Atlas 618 6-inch lathe with all the goodies and tooling, set it up in my garage and was ready to make some chips, but never found the time. I sold it (for a handsome profit) when we sold our house. So here I am in retirement, we've relocated to beautiful Escondido, CA, and I finally have a house with a large garage AND a tool room, and we recently gained a modest financial windfall, so I've decided to once again pursue my love for metal machining. I already have a drill press, belt sanders, grinders, etc. and although I am a beginner/amateur with lathes and mills, my tool/fabrication skills are otherwise excellent. My tool room space is limited; I have about 5' of wall space remaining on one side of the room, and another 4' on the other side - that's it.

At first I was considering a combination lathe/mill machine, but I've read many complaints about two things in particular: lack of rigidity and quill-to-surface distance in the mill portion of most of these machines. So now I'm thinking about two separate (but compact) units that hopefully would fit into my confined space. I would not be doing any heavy machining- I am an amateur classic & muscle car restoration specialist, so my work would be mostly limited to fabrication of small detail items such as brackets, hose fittings. wire clamps, etc. with the occasional power steering or alternator bracket thrown in for good measure, so I figure a lathe with a 10" or 12" swing should be adequate, along with a milling machine of similar proportions.

(Of course I would still be open to the possibility of a combo machine, if it could work for my application...)

My first instinct was to by used equipment, in the hopes of finding fully-fitted machines with at least some tooling & accessories. And then I started browsing some of the new stuff, and it appears that a lot of new machines ship with all of the goodies (steady rest, 3- & 4-jaw chucks) already included. So I'm in a quandary; buy new or buy used? And if buying used should I concentrate on older American iron? Or is the quality of the offshore stuff (Grizzly, PM, etc) good enough now to warrant consideration? Couldn't help but notice that some of the new stuff features CNC in some shape or form, and I must admit I'm drawn to that feature.

So many questions, but I'm grateful to be here and faced with this delightful dilemma.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and recommendations.
Click to expand...
Welcome!

Precision Mathews

https://www.precisionmatthews.com

has a number of good choices in these size ranges, as does Little Machine Shop (in Pasadena, just a brief 2 hour (maybe 5?) drive up the I-5)

https://littlemachineshop.com
 
Are all of the arguments against a combo lathe/mill machine valid?
Or are there any higher-priced units that supersede these limitations?
 
Given your limited .space, the old addage of "buy the biggest machine you can that fits your space and your budget" is always the first thing to consider.

Then you have to factor in tools and tooling for each machine which, as I am sure you are aware, can and will eclipse the cost of the machine many times over

The third consideration is whether to go used or new and both have caveats. Used carries the caveat of being aware of if the machine is worn out or not, buying new comes with the caveat of inspect before purchase to assure yourself of quality.

Do your research for each machine and be diligent with it as every machine has pros and cons.

@ChazzC has recommended two of the best suppliers there are, so maybe look over the offerings of both companies and compare machines between the two, though I will say, PM seem to have the edge on Customer support.

As for combo machines, they are 100% a compromise in that they are good at neither one thing, nor the other.
 
FortyFivePalms said:
Are all of the arguments against a combo lathe/mill machine valid?
Or are there any higher-priced units that supersede these limitations?
Click to expand...

At the size you are looking at I think so.

Emco (Austria, not Enco Chinese), made some quality small combo machines, but there is nothing in the size you are looking at that I am aware off. Emco machines are long out of production so finding one on the used market is just luck.

You mention being interested in CNC. I'm not into CNC so not the person to ask for advice there, but a CNC mill can do a lot of lathe tasks, so depending on you needs that might meet your combo machine needs.
 
FortyFivePalms said:
And if buying used should I concentrate on older American iron? Or is the quality of the offshore stuff (Grizzly, PM, etc) good enough now to warrant consideration?
Click to expand...
These questions seem to still be open. Sadly, I suspect it’s for good reason. Answers to these questions in their various forms fill pages and pages of a dozen websites, with all the certainty of a coin toss. There is absolutely zero concensus on whether or not a 1986 Jet lathe is as functionally viable as a 1937 Southbend 9” lathe. But seeing as how you are specifically wanting a small machine, and there are some half dozen brand new options, I would suggest you start there. Wait a few for someone with very good reasons tell you to find a very old Southbend, and forego all the imports. Lol

As for the combo machines; I believe you’ll find many people who’ve used one for decades and are perfectly satisfied. To them I say, you don’t know what you’re missing. Ha!
 
Welcome to the forum. Lots of really knowledgeable people on here who will answer all of your questions.

I always suggest to make a list of what you need in a lathe and mill to make what you want to make. I call it a Statement of Requirements. SOR for short. To start with put everything you can think of on the SOR. That's the easy part. Next prioritize your SOR with the must haves at the top and the nice to have but not absolutely needed at the bottom This is the hard part. Don't be afraid to move things up or down on the SOR as you think about your requirements.

Spindle bore is not something that can be changed. Also the distance between centers is pretty much fixed in stone too. If something won't fit in the spindle bore then you will need enough distance between centers to hold it.

When I was looking for my lathe and mill I quickly came to the conclusion that anything coming out of a machine shop was probably worn out. Why else would they be selling it. So I concentrated on looking for estate sales. I used searchtempest.com. It will search everything on Craigslist within whatever radius you set. I set my radius at 400 miles. My lathe and mill/drill both came from estate sales. And they came with more tooling than I will ever use. Close to my house too.

Have fun with your search.
 
Hello and welcome,

Yes, one of the more frequent questions we have from newcomers here, you will get many different opinions and most of them are good.

I'll say the most important factor here is how familiar are you with machines in general in deciding between new or used. Since you're into classic cars I'm gonna bet you appreciate how things were built in the past and don't mind putting in the work to bring a worthy project back to life.

Even with your space constraints you should be able to get decent sized tools into your shop, and with working on cars I doubt you'll be happy with some of the smaller machines that are available new. My shop has a 12x36 lathe and a small knee mill which I think would suit you well.

So....

sandiego.craigslist.org

Machine shop lot lathe mill bore bar - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Jet JVM 840 mill $1500 Jet quality 12x36” cabinet lathe, centering steady, $2500 Kwikway EVS valve grinder, $1200 Kwikway FWS boring bar on triangle stand with tooling. $4000 Kwikway FWH boring bar...
sandiego.craigslist.org sandiego.craigslist.org

Here you go, lathe & mill that should suit your needs plus a bunch of other stuff you can either use for your own shop or sell off to other folks who need it. Don't know if they still have it but worth a try.


Cheers,

John
 
Flat ways aren't my favorite but this Craftsman looks pretty clean.

sandiego.craigslist.org

Atlas/Craftsman 12 inch metal lathe. Very good condition. - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Atlas/Craftsman metal lathe12 inch model ,in very good condition with hardly any ware All features work correctly comes with nice work table with built-in tool rack also comes with tooling in...
sandiego.craigslist.org sandiego.craigslist.org

Whatever you do, do not buy one of these....

sandiego.craigslist.org

COMBO Lathe-milling machine - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

HQ400 Combo lathe, milling machine, drill press. Been in back of garage unused for lengthy time.
sandiego.craigslist.org sandiego.craigslist.org

I had one and all it will do is convince you to take up another hobby....

John
 
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