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

simspace said:
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.
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If you are not in a rush, keep an eye on estate sales, that is how I got alot of my stuff......
 
tjb said:
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
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Thanks for the great reply Terry! I've been doing a lot of research and watching tons of videos for several months now. I have been taking my time and not rushing into this, but I'm starting to feel ready to pull the trigger.

I would prefer the Rockwell because it is beefier and it has tooling, that is, as long as I can find an affordable VFD that can drive the 3-phase Rockwell motor.

Whichever lathe I get, I am counting on having to work on it to get it into better shape, including the possibility of having to replace old worn-out bearings. I'm kinda looking forward to that process. ‍
 
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Jim F said:
6" Atlas is a good starter machine. Good price for a ready to go machine.
13" SB, I would make an offer of $1,000. If it checked out ok.
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I like the estate sale idea. I will keep an eye out.
And thanks for finding those local posts Jim. I saw the 13" SB and thought it was way overpriced.
For some reason I've been mentally shying away from flat belt drive lathes. They just felt too "vintage" to me.
But I'm sure that's because I have spent no time learning about SB lathes.
One thing I do want single point threading capabilities for both SAE and metric. That process really intrigues me.
 
simspace said:
I like the estate sale idea. I will keep an eye out.
And thanks for finding those local posts Jim. I saw the 13" SB and thought it was way overpriced.
For some reason I've been mentally shying away from flat belt drive lathes. They just felt too "vintage" to me.
But I'm sure that's because I have spent no time learning about SB lathes.
One thing I do want single point threading capabilities for both SAE and metric. That process really intrigues me.
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The flat belt is good for people with no experience, the belt slips before really bad things happen.
My SB 9 is 1947 vintage, I had a friend 3D print a gear, I can do most metric threads.
 
Simspace,

The seventh and tenth pictures on the Clausing craigslist ad confirm that the lathe is a Model 4914. That lathe is not a 4 foot lathe, but a 36" - further confirmed by the link provided by Nogoingback. That makes a lot more sense to me for a 10" lathe, but it's a little disturbing that the ad posts that error. I'd give the benefit of the doubt and assume it's a typo. However, I'd still advise caution. The ad is advertised in the category of 'Tools - by owner - sale', but the write-up states the lathe 'appears to be in very good condition'. That's not the kind of statement I'd expect to hear in a 'by owner' posting. I'd want to know how long the person has owned it and how much experience they have actually using it. With no tooling, I'd suspect not much. Could still be a good buy, but be careful.

Regards
 
The distinction is the difference between bed length and distance between centers. The ad says 4 ft bed. The Clausing
literature says 36" between centers.
 
I could be wrong, but I don't believe I've ever seen lathe specs or advertising as 'swing x bed length'. 'Inches x inches' in my experience always represents 'swing x distance between centers'. Technically, I guess it's correct that the bed is 4' long but it's not in Clausing's specs and, unless it's included somewhere in the owners manual, about the only way you'd know that is to measure it. Regardless, it's less relevant to the user than the 36" distance between centers. I guess if you don't have a chuck or a tail stock, the length of the bed is an interesting talking point.

Last year I spent many hours looking at specs on lathes both new and used before I bought my Eisen. I don't recall any that ever even listed bed length in their specs. It's always distance between centers. Throwing out the four foot number implies distance between centers. Again, it's not a 4 foot lathe; it's a 36" lathe.

Regards
 
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