Smithys 1 in 3

Are you considering it because you think it will be a versatile machine, or because you're limited in space?

If you consider it to be a versatile machine, well, yes, but it's not really a great lathe, and it's not really a good mill.

In truth, if you're not limited to space, keep an eye on the local for-sale ads (bargain hunter, kijiji/craiglist,etc) and you'll have a good deal on both a lathe and mill drop into your lap.

I have a friend who has a Smithy, from which he produces some oustanding work, despite the limitations of the equipment.

He's had to do some very creative setups to get things to work right.

Also, you'll notice that their accessory packages are kinda spendy...

YMMV, but if you have the space, and the patience, the right machines can be had for equivalent money.

NS
 
Take a look at what you have for space if you have about a 12 X 15 room , or even close off part of a bay in your garage , then look at a 12X30 to 48 in. lathe with taper attachment and hardened bed ways and a small mill with a dovetailed column , you will not regret spending the extra dollars --- but if space is a premiun then look at the multi-tool 3 in one machines --JUST remenber the 3 in ones are a compromise for the real thing
Best CJ-Jim
 
Space is the big thing for me!

At one time space was not issue, but now well confined to a basement.


It would be for very simple operations, truing and theading barrels, maybe the odd base sets.

Not a bad deal on these now with the tooling package.
 
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As mentioned they are often limited in lathe ability and are very limited in milling ability. I'm not a gun smith but I've been doing metal machining as a hobby for about 3 decades. I've looked at a lot of these 3 in 1's and other than one or two they all came up seriously wanting in some basic ways. The worst is no threading or gear change threading options rather than a quick change box. But worst of all is the extremely limited table size that makes milling setups very difficult in a lot of cases. Also the slides do not have the same surface area as a true milling machine so they don't support the cutting action as well. This limits you to small cutters and lighter cuts or you'll get chatter.

Looking at the specs for this particular machine it seems to avoid some of the usual 3 in 1 pitfalls. The numbers I'm seeing look decent but it has the usual issues for these machines. Number one is that the main bedway is not all that wide. This will show up as some play in the cutter and during milling unless you go to great pains to keep the dovetails adjusted just right. My second beef is that the tailstock doesn't have a big footprint. With the taller than normal tailstocks on these machines that means that you'll be putting a lot of force into the dovetail base during drilling and some machining opperations. Again, if the gibs are not kept adjusted this could lead to the tailstock tipping back under force. And the last fault I can see is that the headstock thru hole is only 1.125. That may not be enough to accept some of the barrels that you're thinking about working on. It's also an indicator that the headstock mainshaft may not be all that large in diameter which can lead to chatter during even moderately heavier cuts.

Without trying the machine it's hard to say how good it is since this size is sort of on the cusp. It's smaller than my own lathe which I know is solid but bigger than the Myford "scream machine" I suffered with for a couple of years. Now I have to admit that this one LOOKS like it's worth the money but the proof is in the using. But without seeing a number of glowing reports from actual owners that were also machinists that downsized to these machines I'd have to suggest that you suck it up and find some more room so you can buy two machines with known reps for successful use in the gunsmithing hobby.
 
Well, I don't know if I'd be so harsh as to call it a "hunk of crap". But for that much money I think you can do a lot better shopping carefully over time for 3 separate machines. And with careful shop layout planning you can setup the 3 separates in not that much more room than this Smithy machine. And if you truly can't find that bit of extra space then it's time to expand the shop since it must be such a small room that you don't have enough space to even change your mind.

It will turn metal but for the price they want it's hardly a good deal even with the included "free" tool pack. Most of that stuff comes with any lathe as an included pack. And I'm not seeing a pair of fixed and traveling steadys. Those come in real handy for doing long slender jobs such as the outside of a barrel. Also there's no 4 jaw chuck which you'll certainly need.
 
You can still get a medium sized lathe and small milling down into a basement, look on kijiji and craigslist you should be able to find a canadian made standard modern lathe for around $1000 or so. If you want new for around that price check out the craftex CT089 and B2227L lathes ( http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/product10?&NMCLASS=00164&NSBCLASS=00269&NETID=1641510429092411621 )

It is really in your best interests to get a separate lathe and milling!! Just dissasemble them and they should make it down the stairs.
 
Ya the issue is getting one that allows 26 inch barrels, most teh small ones only do 18 inches the smithys has a 40 inch table, and after tooling will be able to work 36 some inches.

I know it seems like a pain.
 
Well, it's not as bad as that. For barrels you'll want to work between centers for turning the outside of the barrel. For that sort of setup you'll have the whole 40 inches to work with. AND it'll be more accurate AND you can even swap ends or remove and replace the barrel knowing that it'll be centered again and again without needing to check it. A really nice way to go.

But none of this removes the PITA aspect of an all in one machine. I'd start with a drill press, if you don't have one, and either a mill or a lathe depending on what sort of stuff you're most interested in doing right off the bat. Then in a year or so when the bank account recovers add the other missing machine. Or if you're not in a rush keep an eye open for used options.
 
Yes sounds good 40 inches between centres, but its not that simple. This machine has a very thin long bed and tends to flex very easily. When you are say profiling a barrel (particulary at its centre) the barrel tends to set up vibration around its nature frequency (at that moment) and produce a very poor finish. If your lathe is big and rigid, these vibration are damped out a lot, but a light flexible bed is unable to do this. The machine also had a high centre height compared to the sadle footprint. The result is that the cutting tool applies a great deal of leverage to the sadle trying to support it. This results in tool vibration that adds to the barrels vibration and the poor finish. I'm sorry to say but both lathes and milling machines need to be very rigid in order to produce good finishes i.e. big and heavy.
 
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