Suggested Sticky

Aaron_W said:
If your suggestion of a sticky is a checklist for posters asking for machine advice, that is a good idea.

A couple of big ones

Available power and if 120v only, is 240v a possibility in the future (a budget item vs a hard no for other reasons).

Access, big differences between a dedicated outbuilding, a garage, an outside accessible basement vs inside only, a spare bedroom or dining room / kitchen table.

Space is a hard one, as most vastly underestimate the space they can find when properly motivated.

Living situation, is one I think is very much over looked. A person who is in their lifetime home, so a one time move in is very different from a younger person starting out who may have multiple moves ahead of them. People do get 3000lb machines into basements, but nobody wants to do that twice.

Probably most important, why do they want the machine. Clearly many are satisfied with small machines or there would not be so many being sold. I also think a lot of the small machines get kind of an undeserved bad reputation because people buy them because they fit their space / budget. Buying a 7x12 mini-lathe to turn truck axles simply will not turn out well, and that is not the fault of the lathe.


We have a lot of members who have some very nice shops, and we have members who have decades of experience as a hobby and in many cases professional machinists. We also have members with tiny shops, small machines and minimal experience. I think we all carry our own bias when helping people choose a lathe. When a new poster shows up providing little information, that makes it really easy to look at each of our own situations whether that is a 40x60 shop with 12 foot ceilings or a space tucked away under the stairs with an extension cord for power.
Click to expand...
That is pretty much what the suggestion entails.
 
Jim F said:
That is pretty much what the suggestion entails.
Click to expand...

Ok wasn't sure, that was my assumption, but some of your following comments made me think maybe it was for people responding which would be kind of strange.

I do see the same thing you are getting at, 12x36 to 14x40 lathe and a Bridgeport mill are almost stock answers. Good answers too for many people, but can be terrible answers for the people that they are not good answers for. ;)
 
A very good idea Jim F!
There is a lot of duplication when a beginner asks the question and the answers seem to end in wish lists. I inherited my first lathe with a lot of tooling that show up on the responses so I try to stay out of it except for books that I think a beginner would find worthwhile. There is duplication in books as well.
Perhaps a chart of machine operations with the basic tools listed under that operation. An example:
Lathe
Basic cutting Center Holes/Drilling Boring
Lantern Post Cutter Holder Jacobs Chuck/tailstock Boring bar older
HSS Steel cutter bits Center drills Boring bar
3 or 4 jaw chuck Drill Bits Cutter bits to fit
Caliper
This is pretty basic and no doubt controversial, and definitely not final form but be a place beginners could get some answers.

Have a good day
Ray
 
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Are you looking for a sticky regarding what equipment to purchase , applications being performed , accessories needed etc ? There are stickies everywhere regarding these other than what equipment to purchase . Look above this thread in the sticky section or on the tool junkie section thanks to Nelson .

As to what machines to purchase ........................it's still up to the OP as he is the only person to know the limitations .

" I have seen alot of recommendation to newbies on what equipment to buy.
They are sound suggestions, but, they seem to not take into account the space, and power available to the newbie. "

Jim's first sentence was regarding what equipment to buy , this is why I ask .
 
A very good idea Jim F! Second time around
I have spent the past 30 minutes trying to build a chart that would list a tool and the basic tools required but when I entered it the website ran it all together. Lost it just now.
What I envision is a list of tools (Lathe) then under that the functions it performs ( basic turning) then under that the basic or minimum tooling required.

I don't think a lot of beginners can provide a specific answer to the question of what they want to do. A chart of the machines and the basic tools required might help. The things listed so far in this discussion should be included in a forum.
Have a good day
Ray
 
mmcmdl said:
Are you looking for a sticky regarding what equipment to purchase , applications being performed , accessories needed etc ? There are stickies everywhere regarding these other than what equipment to purchase . Look above this thread in the sticky section or on the tool junkie section thanks to Nelson .

As to what machines to purchase ........................it's still up to the OP .

Jim's first sentence was regarding what equipment to buy , this is why I ask .
Click to expand...

I think the idea is a list of questions that should be addressed in the first post so that others can actually provide a useful answer.

Like if they only have 120v power you know they are going to be limited to something with 1 to 1-1/2hp. If they live in a studio apartment a Bridgeport is probably not an option. If they want a lathe to help with a Sherman tank restoration a 12x36 may not be enough machine.

At least I think that is where he was going with it.
 
Location access
Space requirements
Electrical limitations
Work envelope expected
And number 1 - Budget

As far as tooling . Starter kits for lathes and mills are sold . As the person progresses , this list gets larger and all end up down the wabbit hole .
 
It seems to me that this thread got off on the wrong foot. I understand the idea and maybe we can all work to make this thread useful.

Dave and I have probably seen every "which lathe or mill should I buy" thread there ever was on HM. We also know which of our members are the most experienced and knowledgeable and sadly, many of them do not respond to these threads anymore. One can only say the same thing so many times before you refuse to do it again. Luckily, we also have many new stars in our hobby that are stepping up and filling the gap.

Let me be clear about this. None of this is the fault of our new guys. They are trying to enter the hobby and don't yet know what they don't know so asking intelligent, pointed questions is not going to happen. What does happen is that they ask open-ended questions like, "What lathe/mill should I buy?", not knowing how complex an answer this simple question requires. We usually get little background info on the guy's situation or his plans so what he gets usually ranges from mini-lathes to industrial lathes.

So, rather than a "sticky" that lays it all out in the large book it would require, perhaps a work sheet filled out by the new guy that gives the membership all the pertinent information they need to make an intelligent recommendation would be more fruitful. It might include things that Jim brought up - space, power limitations, budget or whatever else might impact on the choice of machines that could be suggested.

If it were up to me, the very first question would be, "what do you need the machine to do?" So much time and effort is spent by our members because the new guy has not put any serious effort into defining his needs. I know, I know, it's a difficult question to answer but it is a key question that requires serious consideration and discussion because it has a large impact on the size of the lathe that will be required. It also impacts on the amount of space that is needed, the power requirements in the shop, the budget for the lathe and accessories and so on. I've asked this question many times - what do you need the machine to do?, and the commonest answer is, "I dunno' ..." What do you do with that?

So, maybe we could get a group of guys together that would come up with a work sheet for new guys to fill out, and I mean seriously fill out. Then, based on the answers, the membership can weigh in.

I dunno, what do you think?
 
I agree Mike , there is no one correct answer with little to no information given . I posted a short list up above your last post with a few things for consideration by the noobie . Just a start .
 
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