Virtues of 2 Lathes?

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Bendias

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I pounced on an opportunity to buy a South Bend 1002 (SB) ~5 years ago at my employer’s surplus auction. I got it for a song. It’s since been in storage, waiting for me to start my new adventure. As that time approached, I realized that it’s a too small for some of my goals, so I bought a PM-1440GT to better fit my needs.

So now I need to decide whether to keep the SB or sell it. I could just keep it until I realize it’s not adding value, but the machine requires an initial time-investment to thoroughly clean it because it was used to machine carbon fiber composites, which I don’t want any exposure to. So, as I begin setting up my shop, I’m wondering if it’s worth the time-investment and floor space. The virtue I see (of keeping it) is: if I realize I need to make a tool or fixture in order to finish some ongoing operation/setup on the 1440, then I might be able to make that on the SB without disturbing the setup on the 1440GT. This is plausible as I’m currently a novice, but such use-cases would likely be infrequent, even for a novice, and should progressively diminish as I gain experience. So, I'm thinking it's probably not worth keeping, given that my final floorplan vision leaves me a little tight, but am I missing other applications/situations where having a 2nd lathe might be valuable? Finally, I have the benefit of knowing the pedigree of the machine. It has low hours, and has been professionally maintained and operated, with no abuse.

So, should I keep it or sell it? Very subjective question, I know, but any thoughts/considerations y’all have will help me decide. Thx in advance.

-Ben
 
With more than 1 machine, you can dedicate them for different purposes
Belt driven lathes produce smoother finishes than gear driven lathes, which can be a reason to dedicate a machine
You could add a collet chuck or a 4 jaw chuck for added accuracy .
It could be dedicated as a toolpost grinder machine.
An added faceplate or dog driver and a dead center in the spindle and a dead center (or live center) in the tailstock could become a dedicated machine for turning between cetnters for maximum accuracy
 
From what I understand those are pretty nice smallish lathes 10x28" with a D1-3 spindle. Much nicer than anything you can get in that size these days. I know there are many with big lathes that say they are just fine making tiny parts on a big lathe, but I find it is nice to work with a lathe sized for the work. I have several lathes (9 at last count) from a 50mm watchmakers lathe to an 11x24". Some of the collection is simply good deal itis, but while I have some redundancy I've found different uses for most of them that help me justify the space.

Smaller lathes tend to be quieter, and the tooling is lighter weight so easier to handle. As Mike mentioned, you can also set them up for different work. Setting the 1002 up with a collet chuck could be very handy for that type of work, and the smaller size / spindle bore is less of an issue with collets.

On the other hand, if you got it cheap, you might be able to turn a nice profit on it. Really nothing it on the current market that compares, it is much nicer than even the best of the current breed of 10x22". I'd also consider that carefully before getting rid of it, because if you later decide it would have been nice to have, you can't just go out and order a new one, it will require a hunt on the used market.


Either way you are going to want to clean it up. If you sell it you will get more if it isn't covered in carbon fiber swarf and if you use it, well you will want to start clean. Might as well clean it up and use it for a while. No need to make a decision until you either need the space or somebody happens to ask how much you want for it.
 
If you don't have a mill (and even if you do), having an additional lathe that you imagine you don't need is really a rather nice problem to have.

Unless a serious lack of workshop space, or critical and immediate need for money is holding a gun to your head, I'd definitely suggest cleaning up that South Bend and getting it into a non usable condition.

When you need to make something for a task you're doing on the 1440, you will pat yourself on the back for your wisdom and foresight. ;)
 
Nutfarmer said:
What if you need to make a part for one lathe or the other. One can never have too many machines
Click to expand...
I'd add the comment, "when you need to repair the other lathe" a second one is very useful. I had that happen to me. I made a replacement part in a couple hours for my lathe, rather than having to wait a week and a half for the part. Hard to do without a functioning lathe!
 
It's a bit of a drive but, ping me if you decide to sell it please.
 
Bendias said:
The virtue I see (of keeping it) is: if I realize I need to make a tool or fixture in order to finish some ongoing operation/setup on the 1440, then I might be able to make that on the SB without disturbing the setup on the 1440GT. This is plausible as I’m currently a novice, but such use-cases would likely be infrequent, even for a novice, and should progressively diminish as I gain experience.
Click to expand...
For me, it's the other way around. The more experience I've gotten, the more complex projects I've tackled and having two lathes has really helped a lot. Sure, with experience you can plan ahead better, but sometimes there's no easy way around splitting up a job. Heck, I've been in the middle of a job, realized I needed to make something like a sleeve for a tool I hadn't planned on and the lathe already had the work in it, indicated, etc....saved a lot of time just firing up the other lathe and making the sleeve. I've also had many times where I'm in the middle of a job and one of my buddies or neighbors asks if I can make something they know is a five minute job and I can just use the second lathe to make a new pin for their tractor, or something like that.

The other thing already mentioned is repairing your own machine. The old rule is you need a lathe to fix a lathe and sooner or later that always seems to come up...sometimes it's just simple stuff, or something you can buy for $100 or make for $2.

I'm probably the worst person to ask as I have four lathes right now....LOL. I have a tentative deal to sell one to a buddy and I picked up the fourth one just yesterday.
 
Bendias said:
I pounced on an opportunity to buy a South Bend 1002 (SB) ~5 years ago at my employer’s surplus auction. I got it for a song. It’s since been in storage, waiting for me to start my new adventure. As that time approached, I realized that it’s a too small for some of my goals, so I bought a PM-1440GT to better fit my needs.

So now I need to decide whether to keep the SB or sell it. I could just keep it until I realize it’s not adding value, but the machine requires an initial time-investment to thoroughly clean it because it was used to machine carbon fiber composites, which I don’t want any exposure to. So, as I begin setting up my shop, I’m wondering if it’s worth the time-investment and floor space. The virtue I see (of keeping it) is: if I realize I need to make a tool or fixture in order to finish some ongoing operation/setup on the 1440, then I might be able to make that on the SB without disturbing the setup on the 1440GT. This is plausible as I’m currently a novice, but such use-cases would likely be infrequent, even for a novice, and should progressively diminish as I gain experience. So, I'm thinking it's probably not worth keeping, given that my final floorplan vision leaves me a little tight, but am I missing other applications/situations where having a 2nd lathe might be valuable? Finally, I have the benefit of knowing the pedigree of the machine. It has low hours, and has been professionally maintained and operated, with no abuse.

So, should I keep it or sell it? Very subjective question, I know, but any thoughts/considerations y’all have will help me decide. Thx in advance.

-Ben
Click to expand...
If you have space would be crucial to me. In the future other machines come in handy, surface grinder, tool cutter , belt grinder, band saw( a space hog), drill press, work tables,tool storage, metal storage.-they all take up room.
 
Keep it until/unless you need the space for something else.
I reluctantly sold my 2nd lathe- also a SB- early this year when i moved because of lack of space.
The main lathe is set up with inboard/outboard spiders for barrel work, and the SB was set up with a Buck 6-jaw for everything else.

Wish I'd been able to keep it...
 
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