So new I'm not even a newbie

K

kyletip

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Hello all,
I just joined this forum last weekend after discovering it while researching metal lathes. Here's where I am and here are my issues.
I am so new to machining that I don't even own a lathe. I have become fascinated with machining after stumbling upon some restoration videos on youtube. The more I watch the more I want to be able to acquire the skills needed to machine metal. Make stuff that my neighbor can't. However. However there are a few problems.
1. As stated I don't own a lathe
2. I have absolutely no experience with metal work.
3. I don't have a lot, and maybe no, mechanical skills. I can change oil on a vehicle manufactured before 1965 and that's about it. Oh, and I can start the lawnmower on my own.
4. If I get a lathe I have no idea, and I mean NO idea, what i'd like to make.
5.Then I read about milling machines and think oh yeah I'll need that too.
6. But. BUT! I do have the desire to learn.
I'm hoping that by doing some research that I can actually find a project or two that I'd like to tackle in order to even justify buying a lathe. Or mill. Or both.
So I have few questions that i'd like to offer up. I've been looking at all types of bench top machines. It seems to me that if I buy a new machine in the range I'm willing to spend (<$3000) that I'm either going to have to spend some time bringing a new import machine up to snuff or buy an older american made unit. That's dilemma one.
The next thing that has come up is do I want a bench top or mini lathe? Of course I can start with a mini lathe and get a bench top later I suppose but not sure that's what i'm looking to do. I really have no interest in turning ink pens but I have no concept of what the capabilities are between the two types of machines other than length of material that can be handled. Whatever lathe I get I may cut a few shoulders and then let the machine sit until I retire. I don't see myself turning car parts or making model steam engines either.
I guess what I'm asking, here on my very first post being newbier than new, is for some some information on the capabilities of a mini lathe vs a bench top. I am perfectly fine buying the bigger machine to begin with but I have no concept of what type of work distinguishes the need for a min vs a bench top.
Any and all thoughts are very much appreciated. And if the advice is run, run away, and don't even think about machining, well then I'll consider this too.
Thanks so very much,
Kyle
 
Hi Kyle, so what other hobbies do you have? do any of them intersect with metal parts at all? Do you have other tools?
Whether you buy a used american machine or a new Asian one you will still need to do some fixing and adjusting, old american machines are sometimes quite worn from being used in production shops so that's something to be aware of when you go shopping.
Don't buy the first machine you see, * shop around and do a bunch of internet research. Mark

*unless it's a real creampuff ;)
 
Welcome to HM, Kyle!

It always helps to put a lot of thought into what you might need to make before choosing a lathe. As Mark said, it might help to think about what might be useful in your other hobbies or interests to see if there is potential to make things for them. Insofar as size, many guys start with a mini-lathe and then upgrade to a medium sized lathe. Most of us end up somewhere in the 11-14" range. Some guys like to restore old iron, others prefer a new machine that works out of the gate and has a warranty. Regardless of which machine you think you'll like, ask about it first and there will usually be someone who owns it and can tell you more about it.

Spend some time reading about lathes on the net and on this site. Learn which features are important to have and why you will want them. Once you have a lathe, adding on capability is going to be either expensive or impossible so decide on which features your lathe must have from the beginning and don't settle for less.
 
With a lathe you can always do smaller work on a large lathe but can't do larger work on a small lathe. Buy the largest you think you will need. You won't regret it. You mention restoration videos on Youtube. What kind of restoration? Does said restoration fit in with any of your current hobbies. The sooner you can clarify what you want to do with a lathe or mill the sooner we can assist you in getting the right machine.
 
There is almost certainly a vo-tech in Wichita that offers a machinist degree. I suggest you find a way to enroll and take a couple classes. that's how I started - the old machinist that ran the program taught me stuff that would have taken decades to learn on my own.
 
There are some old Navy manuals on stuff like basic hand tool use that Dover has reprinted for super cheap. Tools and Their Uses, Basic Machines and How They Work, that sort of thing. Sounds silly but it's a crash course on not doing something stupid.

Don't overlook hand tools. You use them every time you do a machining setup, and on their own they allow you to do all sorts of repairs. Once you have some sort of machining tool, repairs are what you will find youself doing, simply because you can.

As for what to buy, I would suggest looking for a used, older lathe, benchtop probably. The import mini-lathes are not a good first machine: things will go wrong, you will get frustrated, and you will not know if it's the machine or you. At least with a used one you can possibly get the seller to demonstrate it, so you know that this particular machine does work as intended.

One thing that will surprise you, starting out, is that you can't just chuck any old hunk of metal into the lathe and make something. Different metals have different properties, and starting with a non-round shape can cause problems. Take a look at Hobby Metal Kits to see what the cost is for some basic metal stock to learn on. Once you have got the hang of working on expensive, paid-for metal, then you can more easily work with roadside scrap.
 
A dime's worth, used to be 2 cent's worth but inflation, ya know. Welcome to the "madhouse" of the machining world.

My first lathe was my Pop's electric drill chucked up in a vise with the trigger taped. Using files as cutters. Later using homemade gravers for certain shapes. That in 1962, give or take. As time progressed, I had access to machine tools at work and as a sailor. Didn't purchase a lathe until the '90's. After having acquired numerous drill presses and other such machines, and even after Pop died, I still used a hand drill chucked up in a vise to make electrical parts.

And herein lies the core of my mechanical abilities. I was obsessed with electrical devices from childhood on until I made a (good) living at it. Then there were the models (trains) that I have built, also since childhood. Ended up buying a lathe, in the mid '90s, as much from curiosity as needing one. And retired a few years later. The machine tied me down. There was more in tooling than in the machine. And I had no one I could trust to keep the machine intact for me.

Always moving around, all over the world, and the idea of having a "shop" sort of inplied that I was stable. Which I'm not. Or wasn't, until I decided a shop was more important than my wandering. Bottom line, I lusted after a lathe for years, but wouldn't concede my wandering ways until in my 50's.

When you need a lathe, you'll know it. Don't invest in the machine just for bragging rights.

Bill Hudson​
 
Kyle,
When I think of all the things one discovers in a metal shop, my biggest concern for you would be safety.
There are hundreds of ways to get hurt especially when you turn it on.
I think the idea of a Vo-tech or something similar would be a great way to get some exposure to stay healthy.
I remember in intermediate school shop, we spent weeks in the classroom learning the names of tools and how to safely use them. Then after we passed all our exams we got to use a hand file.
Have fun and be safe.
Never stop learning
 
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