I have been looking for lathes for a while and ran across a Summit 16x60 w/ 4" through hole. Its larger than I planned on buying but its a good price. Hoping to look at it this week but Im wondering if it is too big. Its a 7.5hp motor and weighs 6000lbs. Im a beginner and this is going to be my first lathe. Is going with something this large a bad idea?
-
Welcome back Guest! Did you know you can mentor other members here at H-M? If not, please check out our Relaunch of Hobby Machinist Mentoring Program!
Too big of a lathe?
- Thread starter 8mpg
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2016
- Messages
- 438
Not as far as i'm concerned. As long as you have room for it ,It will save you many dollars in not going small and working yourself up to a bigger one. Now if you get this one you can move along getting the tooling you need before you discover you need a Mill. 
JMHO.
JMHO.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2018
- Messages
- 880
I had to pass on a too-big lathe a few months back. A Meuser M-00-L of similar dimensions. It would have taken up half the shop! But you could probably mount a Wilton vise to the compound, it was solid. That's forever going to be the one that got away.
Go with a Rotary Phase Converter. You've probably got a back gear in the thing which could use the torque. I picked up an American Rotary ATX 7.5 to power a 3-phase subpanel (only two machines so far), but you'd probably need something bigger, like a 15. Bigger, unfortunately, also means much more expensive.
Go with a Rotary Phase Converter. You've probably got a back gear in the thing which could use the torque. I picked up an American Rotary ATX 7.5 to power a 3-phase subpanel (only two machines so far), but you'd probably need something bigger, like a 15. Bigger, unfortunately, also means much more expensive.
You'll need a shop crane or some such to change chucks. You'll also probably get really fast at centering work in a 4 jaw because changing chucks is such a PITA. Also, turning smaller diameter aluminum may be problematic, since the top speed will probably be fairly limited.
On the plus side, you'll be able to get truckloads of tooling from eBay dirt cheap, since most hobbyists can't use the typical 1" or 1.25" tooling for that sort of a lathe, and you can pick up a Taig to handle the small stuff.
Bonus points if you mount the Taig on the toolpost .
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
On the plus side, you'll be able to get truckloads of tooling from eBay dirt cheap, since most hobbyists can't use the typical 1" or 1.25" tooling for that sort of a lathe, and you can pick up a Taig to handle the small stuff.
Bonus points if you mount the Taig on the toolpost .
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 2,138
An answer to the second question, first. A "static" converter is nothing more than an unloaded motor and a handful of capacitors. Look at the "nameplate" on the static converter and the nameplate on the lathe. If the converter is a commercial built unit, it should be around 5 HP or larger. I personally have never seen or heard of one smaller. But then, I'm old school and everything I have is single phase. I"m not the word's greatest authority, despite what my friends say. If it was home brew, the motor size would be a give-away. As long as the HP of the converter is greater than the HP of the machine, it will start, and run, the machine. It is possible to start a larger motor than the converter, but takes some "finagling" to do it. No time or room here to go into the theory of that.
Now, in answer to your first question, there is never too large a lathe. Period... ... It comes down to the strength of the supporting structure, and space. If ya got room, and a strong enough floor, go for it. This is where I must wax on about my personal shop. I have a Craftsman 12X36, an older version. Not the best, or largest, or most appropriate for some jobs. But, with a wood framed, ex-residential structure, the heaviest I could stand. Then too, there is the money aspect. I don't have a lot, but enough for what I have. Same goes for space.
As a model builder, much of my work is very small. As in, the thing on my mind right now involves a size 0 screw. That's 0-80, the major diameter being 0.060 inch. I had, as a quick fix, bored it and tapped 2-56. I don't like the finished result and will make a plastic insert for the 2-56 and bore and re-tap for a smaller screw. The problems involved in this are multiple and I won't go into them. But, the work will be done on my 12X36 lathe.
The whole point being; with some thought and appropriate sized tooling, you can do smaller work. But, with larger work, usually the only answer is a larger machine. My 0-80 screws are much too small for my 12X36. But, if I got into a project involving truck wheels, I would need to find a larger machine. And I do have a couple things I would like to persue like that. But they're on the far back burner for the time being. The size I have need of is the sort used in a steel mill for machining rolls and shafts. Like I'm ever going to get access to one that large... ...
Now, in answer to your first question, there is never too large a lathe. Period... ... It comes down to the strength of the supporting structure, and space. If ya got room, and a strong enough floor, go for it. This is where I must wax on about my personal shop. I have a Craftsman 12X36, an older version. Not the best, or largest, or most appropriate for some jobs. But, with a wood framed, ex-residential structure, the heaviest I could stand. Then too, there is the money aspect. I don't have a lot, but enough for what I have. Same goes for space.
As a model builder, much of my work is very small. As in, the thing on my mind right now involves a size 0 screw. That's 0-80, the major diameter being 0.060 inch. I had, as a quick fix, bored it and tapped 2-56. I don't like the finished result and will make a plastic insert for the 2-56 and bore and re-tap for a smaller screw. The problems involved in this are multiple and I won't go into them. But, the work will be done on my 12X36 lathe.
The whole point being; with some thought and appropriate sized tooling, you can do smaller work. But, with larger work, usually the only answer is a larger machine. My 0-80 screws are much too small for my 12X36. But, if I got into a project involving truck wheels, I would need to find a larger machine. And I do have a couple things I would like to persue like that. But they're on the far back burner for the time being. The size I have need of is the sort used in a steel mill for machining rolls and shafts. Like I'm ever going to get access to one that large... ...
Bill Hudson
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
- Messages
- 798
TOO BIG !!!???................No such animal.........................
I had one of those back in the ‘80’s.
Actually lived in Saginaw, just down the road from you.
Great machine, the only issue I had was the chuck jaws springing when chucking a smaller diameter.
I had mine powered from a 20 hp rotary slave motor.
Actually lived in Saginaw, just down the road from you.
Great machine, the only issue I had was the chuck jaws springing when chucking a smaller diameter.
I had mine powered from a 20 hp rotary slave motor.
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Messages
- 10,446
There are no lathes that are too big, only workpieces that are too small.