Thanks for all the advice, in the end, after talking with all of you, I am just not sure at this point if I will get what I want out of a lathe of any size. In my head I guess I had grander ideas of what it might offer me as a budding gunsmith hobbyist. Maybe I will re-visit the idea at some point in the future, thanks again for all your assistance.
Mini lathes?
- Thread starter TrxR
- Start date
I bought a 16x48 lathe brand new long ago. It was $6500 delivered. Very cheap. Weighs 2400 lbs. It is much bigger than I need, but I have done some nice work on it. I bought the biggest one I could afford. I thought I might be chambering barrels but hae not got to that yet. Now it is well tooled up and like an old friend. A lathe is a great thing to have.
another consideration, small lathes use smaller tooling and one could easily spend more for tooling than the lathe cost, upgrading to a larger lathe the tooling also increases and the smaller tooling will be the downfall, there are many deals out there with tooling included, keep looking would be my advise and for size, look at something in the 12 x 40
NavyShooter
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Kijiji options for you:
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/...ng/1412419749?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/calgary/metal-lathe/1410590684?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/...he/1410561929?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/...el/1410406095?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Options that might be in your price-range, come with tooling, not be too clapped out, and give you something to start with.
Something to consider though when buying an old lathe. Are you buying the lathe to work with, or work on?
NS
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/...ng/1412419749?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/calgary/metal-lathe/1410590684?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/...he/1410561929?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/...el/1410406095?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Options that might be in your price-range, come with tooling, not be too clapped out, and give you something to start with.
Something to consider though when buying an old lathe. Are you buying the lathe to work with, or work on?
NS
Not that I would want any of them but, given that choice, my money would be on the Atlas for $900.00 - hands down. A very basic machine, but appears to be well cared for with all the parts and a good selection of accessories. Atlas parts are also readily available - an important consideration when buying an old machine.
That Atlas is in the least disreputable condition, out of that lot, and actually shows like it was taken care of and put to use. Small, but fairly clean. Appears to have had some steel gear added to the mix, among the regular Zamak ones, and is well set up with the milling slide and such. Not sure if they had the Timken bearings in the small machines, but if they do, easy replacement and cheap like stone soup.
The second one down has been used for wood turning, from the looks, and may actually show as being a far better machine once cleaned up, it has two chucks, a faceplate (hanging on the tail end of the stand), steady and follower rests. Were I shopping, I'd go look. At the very least. The hand clutch unit on the tumbler reverse lever doesn't look very familiar, and I cannot place the make at all from memory, but it could be about anything, from mainland Chinese through one of the American makers. Worth a look anyway. Of those, I'd go there first, I think.
The two South Bends are in kind of ragged shape, the last one (8 inch) esp. is a bit of an orphan in the scheme of things, both by age and by limited production numbers. Rectifying the play in the headstock bearings could be as simple as properly adjusting the shims in the bearing cap, or it could be a symptom of a badly worn spindle and bearing combined, a non-trivial repair program required, and probably not a even fairly usable lathe in the latter case. So, you would need a lathe, to fix it.
The 9 inch with the flat belts would be a great additional lathe if you already had a South Bend 9, but it is needing several things that are not evident, like the steady and follower rests and a decent tool post. First order of business if the first South Bend fell in my lap would be to ditch the leather belts in favor of some automotive serpentine or timing belts, for better traction, and no stretch to speak of. It could be a pretty decent machine, but it will take time and investment to get to the point where it was a generally useful one.
The second one down has been used for wood turning, from the looks, and may actually show as being a far better machine once cleaned up, it has two chucks, a faceplate (hanging on the tail end of the stand), steady and follower rests. Were I shopping, I'd go look. At the very least. The hand clutch unit on the tumbler reverse lever doesn't look very familiar, and I cannot place the make at all from memory, but it could be about anything, from mainland Chinese through one of the American makers. Worth a look anyway. Of those, I'd go there first, I think.
The two South Bends are in kind of ragged shape, the last one (8 inch) esp. is a bit of an orphan in the scheme of things, both by age and by limited production numbers. Rectifying the play in the headstock bearings could be as simple as properly adjusting the shims in the bearing cap, or it could be a symptom of a badly worn spindle and bearing combined, a non-trivial repair program required, and probably not a even fairly usable lathe in the latter case. So, you would need a lathe, to fix it.
The 9 inch with the flat belts would be a great additional lathe if you already had a South Bend 9, but it is needing several things that are not evident, like the steady and follower rests and a decent tool post. First order of business if the first South Bend fell in my lap would be to ditch the leather belts in favor of some automotive serpentine or timing belts, for better traction, and no stretch to speak of. It could be a pretty decent machine, but it will take time and investment to get to the point where it was a generally useful one.
Not so much.
As long as you have at least 'some' metalworking capability, you can make almost anything you might need. It may not be as pretty as the factory parts, but it also will work.
"Oooohh....Factory Parts!" is a trap, one that far too many guys end up in. Especially when buying new at retail. Most lathes out there have no factory parts available. At the consumer level, you are going to be really lucky if parts interchange between all the lathes in the same sea can. All the parts can be made, or had made, for a price (and often far lower a price than even IF the factory still has them!).
If need be, you can cobble together something that will work, using hacksaws, chisels and files. Once you have the machine working, then use it to make a better replacement part.
If parts are available and actually affordable, great, but I would counsel that it should NOT be a primary factor in your shopping.
Ever found a truck you wanted/needed, and decided against buying it because you could not get replacement doors from the factory? Or seats? Probably not.
You buy metalworking tools to MAKE parts, not so much to pound parts into, so that you can make other stuff.
It is obvious I did not make my point clear in my statement.
I was referring to the availability of used parts. Making some parts is all well and good, but why go to the trouble of making a gear, half nut or step pulley if you can pick one up for a few bucks? Quite a few bucks when it comes to a step pulley for a headstock!
I was referring to the availability of used parts. Making some parts is all well and good, but why go to the trouble of making a gear, half nut or step pulley if you can pick one up for a few bucks? Quite a few bucks when it comes to a step pulley for a headstock!
Yes they are definitely worth looking at!
If you can find one well tooled that would be a bonus. They are well built Canadian lathes and were common in most high school machine shops and used by the US army/navy.
I bought my first SM 13" because of the fact I used them in high school they would be familiar.
They are great for hobby machining and make a great gunsmith lathe. Both my 13 inch and 11 inch are well tooled - taper attachments 3, 4 jaw chucks, faceplates and there is not a lot I cant do with them.
I also have a Southbend 9A that is a great little lathe as well.
I picked up all my lathes and milling machine from kijiji. All 3 lathes I picked up for under $1000
If you can find one well tooled that would be a bonus. They are well built Canadian lathes and were common in most high school machine shops and used by the US army/navy.
I bought my first SM 13" because of the fact I used them in high school they would be familiar.
They are great for hobby machining and make a great gunsmith lathe. Both my 13 inch and 11 inch are well tooled - taper attachments 3, 4 jaw chucks, faceplates and there is not a lot I cant do with them.
I also have a Southbend 9A that is a great little lathe as well.
I picked up all my lathes and milling machine from kijiji. All 3 lathes I picked up for under $1000
Yep. What he said.
Shop for condition first. Then tooling. Then name brand.
They are actually still in business. Recently moved to the States to better serve their main customer these days, the US military.
Parts may or may not still be available, but expect any that are, to be priced like they are paid for with taxpayers money. But see also my previous comments about parts!
Shop for condition first. Then tooling. Then name brand.
They are actually still in business. Recently moved to the States to better serve their main customer these days, the US military.
Parts may or may not still be available, but expect any that are, to be priced like they are paid for with taxpayers money. But see also my previous comments about parts!
I call that the Soviet school of engineering.
Grizz
Have you seen pics of the "small" lathe Kalashnikov used to make up his prototype AK???
trevj knows his stuff when it comes to machining equipment. Or he seems to anyway. If he's familiar enough with this equipment he can jury rig parts to get them working adequately to make up new parts, that says a lot.
Most people just don't spend enough time on their lathes/milling machines to become familiar with them. I know lots of folks that bought lathes on whims, with grand visions of turning out all sorts of dandy items. Their lathes sit around rusting and gathering dust because the learning curve is a bit steeper than they expected and their mechanical knowledge/skills aren't nearly as extensive as imagined. The vast majority of people with hobby lathes have never cut threads. Many of them never clean of service their equipment either or replace broken tooling or get other accessories, such as a decent grinder to sharpen bits.
One fellow I know has a lovely Taiwanese lathe 14x40, with quick change box. He stuffed it into a dark corner without overhead lighting or even clamp on lighting/windows. It's to dark to work on.
I started out on a good quality mini lathe. It was accurate but sooooooooooooo sloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. My next step was to a 16x40, back gear and shortly after a 16x32 with a quick change gear box. The first thing that got replaced on the 16x40 was the tool holder. I went through two different styles and settled on an Aloris with several heads. The other lathe I stayed with the turret holder.
If you're going to purchase a larger lathe, think long and hard about that purchase. You need a suitable location to set it up. By that, I mean a location with a solid floor. Not so much for handling the weight, although that should be a consideration but for stability, to keep the lathe bed true without flex. Yes, those massive castings will flex and that can cause issues with work being consistently true.
Lathes aren't ornaments. Some owners feel like they are. They can be a good investment if you pick one up reasonably. Like all tools they're only worthwhile if you use them a lot.
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I have come very close to that particular precipice numerous times regarding a small mill. Being retired, I theoretically have lots of time to futz about learning, but the little devil on the other shoulder keeps saying, "You may not be patient/disciplined enough!" So far, he's winning...
I call that the Soviet school of engineering.
Grizz
There may be something to that, judging by some of the Eastern European content on Youtube, of various mechanical solutions to small problems around the home and farm that I see out there.
Waxing philosophical here, but there is a stasis to be achieved, if one seeks perfection. If you refuse to make something unless you can do it perfectly, you will never make anything, and you will learn nothing, except that you cannot do whatever it is you wish to.
Skills have to be learned by putting yourself to them, not by thinking about them.
In the case of broken parts, it amounts to that the consequences of failure, are that the parts are still broken, and you are not further behind for trying. But you likely then know that whatever you tried, isn't the path to a solution!
