Would a Clausing 10" Model 4914 be a good first lathe for a beginner?

[simspace]

I'm a beginner looking to buy my first lathe.
I'm not interested in a mini-lathe and I'm not ready to spend $3k+ on a Precision Matthews.
I do want a lathe with some heft that I can grow into and will enable me to take larger cuts when needed.
I found a Clausing 10" Model 4914 metal lathe for $1,250. It needs a good clean up, but looks good and complete.
I will need to go and check it out, listen to the bearings and put an indicator on it.
Do you think this would be a good lathe to get me started?
Do you have other brand or model suggestions that I should look for?
Thank you!

 

[Nogoingback]

Clausings are good machines. If it isn't worn out and it comes with decent

tooling, that could be a
fine choice for your first lathe. Hopefully some Clausing owners will chime in with specifics.

One thing to keep in mind with older lathes is that for many brands spare parts are limited to eBay. Clausing, Atlas
and Logan are the three brands that I know of where there is some availability of parts still. Not cheaply, mind you,
but still available. Even though other brands were good machines, support is difficult. Having said that, Logan, Rockwell,
Sheldon and South Bend all made good machines in that size class that could be possibilities for you.

And, welcome to the forum!

 

[simspace]

Thanks for the response @Nogoingback.

Here's the listing for the lathe:

Clausing 10" Metal Lathe - tools - by owner - sale

Clausing 10" Model 4914 metal lathe. Other than missing a few handles and needing a good cleaning,...

indianapolis.craigslist.org

I'm glad you mentioned Rockwell. I also found this Rockwell that caught my attention:

14” Delta / Rockwell Lathe Buck Chuck 1 3/8” Spindle | eBay

<p>14” Delta / Rockwell </p><br><p>9” 3 jaw Buck Chuck </p><br><p>1 3/8” Spindle</p><br><p>9” Faceplate </p><p>Some tooling</p><br><p>Catalog # 25-210</p><br><p>Serial # 1395912</p><br><p>Will load your truck for free </p><br><p>Thanks for looking from marcummachine.</p>

www.ebay.com

 

[Jim F]

I like to recomend a flat belt drive for someone with no experience, the belt slips before any damage occurs, with a gear head, stuff can get broken quickly.

 

[jbobb1]

If you look at the Clausing, I'd be asking about any extras, like a chuck (or chucks). A steady rest would be nice to have as well.

 

[tjb]

These two machines appear to me to be light years apart. For starters, one is a 10"; the other a 14". Both seem to have similar bed lengths - 48" sounds a bit long for a 10" lathe, but from the picture, that looks accurate. The 10" only has a 1-1/16" spindle bore; the 14" has a 1-3/8". Neither is huge, but you can obviously do quite a bit more with the larger bore. The Rockwell is definitely a much heavier machine. The Clausing appears to have NO tooling - not even a chuck or a tool post. That can run into a lot of money before you're able to turn anything. The Rockwell has some tooling - including a 9" 3-jaw and a 9" faceplate and various other pieces, but from the pictures and the tooling included, it possibly has been rode a lot harder than the Clausing. The biggest difference is likely to be the motors. Neither ad gives the HP (some of our seasoned veterans may know), but the big factor is the Rockwell is 3-phase. If you don't have access to 3-phase, you're talking a pretty good bit of money just to be able to turn it on. The Clausing doesn't say what size/phase it is, but my guess (and it's purely that) is that it's single phase. And without examining them, it's challenging to try to ascertain how heavily used or worn out either may be.

I suspect you'll find that either of these machines will likely require a lot of work and/or money. If you're looking for something to plug in and use, be careful. If you would like to work on the machine (which, in my opinion, is a great way to learn how to use it), these 'could' be okay - but it could cost a lot of money.

Price: Probably a whole lot closer than the difference in asking price. Chucks, tool posts, steady rests, tooling, etc., etc., etc. can get very expensive very quickly. You'll find plenty of threads on this site that accurately point out that the purchase price of the machine is just the beginning.

My advice: Be careful. That doesn't mean don't buy either machine. But if you choose one, EXPECT that you'll need to do some work and spend more money. I've bought three lathes and a mill that way. One of the lathes and the mill were huge disappointments AND money pits. The other two lathes were fine.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Jim F]

These two machines appear to me to be light years apart. For starters, one is a 10"; the other a 14". Both seem to have similar bed lengths - 48" sounds a bit long for a 10" lathe, but from the picture, that looks accurate. The 10" only has a 1-1/16" spindle bore; the 14" has a 1-3/8". Neither is huge, but you can obviously do quite a bit more with the larger bore. The Rockwell is definitely a much heavier machine. The Clausing appears to have NO tooling - not even a chuck or a tool post. That can run into a lot of money before you're able to turn anything. The Rockwell has some tooling - including a 9" 3-jaw and a 9" faceplate and various other pieces, but from the pictures and the tooling included, it possibly has been rode a lot harder than the Clausing. The biggest difference is likely to be the motors. Neither ad gives the HP (some of our seasoned veterans may know), but the big factor is the Rockwell is 3-phase. If you don't have access to 3-phase, you're talking a pretty good bit of money just to be able to turn it on. The Clausing doesn't say what size/phase it is, but my guess (and it's purely that) is that it's single phase. And without examining them, it's challenging to try to ascertain how heavily used or worn out either may be.

I suspect you'll find that either of these machines will likely require a lot of work and/or money. If you're looking for something to plug in and use, be careful. If you would like to work on the machine (which, in my opinion, is a great way to learn how to use it), these 'could' be okay - but it could cost a lot of money.

Price: Probably a whole lot closer than the difference in asking price. Chucks, tool posts, steady rests, tooling, etc., etc., etc. can get very expensive very quickly. You'll find plenty of threads on this site that accurately point out that the purchase price of the machine is just the beginning.

My advice: Be careful. That doesn't mean don't buy either machine. But if you choose one, EXPECT that you'll need to do some work and spend more money. I've bought three lathes and a mill that way. One of the lathes and the mill were huge disappointments AND money pits. The other two lathes were fine.

Regards,
Terry

I got my SB9 for more than the Clausing , but way less than the Rockwell.
Mine was ready to use as bought, with tooling, 3 and 4 jaw chucks, dog plate and fixture plate,Palmgren 250 milling attachment, various drills and cutters.

 

[tjb]

I got my SB9 for more than the Clausing , but way less than the Rockwell.
Mine was ready to use as bought, with tooling, 3 and 4 jaw chucks, dog plate and fixture plate,Palmgren 250 milling attachment, various drills and cutters.

That sounds like the kind of package I'd be looking for a first-time purchase.

 

[Jim F]

6" Atlas is a good starter machine.
Good price for a ready to go machine.
@wa5cab can help with any questions, he is the local Atlas expert.

6" Atlas metal lathe - tools - by owner - sale

6" Atlas metal lathe Complete and working. Mounted on new 2x4 hardwood bench top. Included are...

nashville.craigslist.org

13" SB, I would make an offer of $1,000.
If it checked out ok.

Southbend Metal Lathe - tools - by owner - sale

13 inch lathe. Comes with only parts shown. Converted to 220volt with reverse switch.

cookeville.craigslist.org

 

[simspace]

If you look at the Clausing, I'd be asking about any extras, like a chuck (or chucks). A steady rest would be nice to have as well.

Definitely! I sent him an email asking about tooling. But based on that listing I'm not expecting much in terms of tooling. If there's none I may offer him $600 or $700 and see what he says.