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Help with Lathe

1K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  spinn 
#1 ·
I am looking for a metal lathe to put in my garage at home. I think I want used, but not sure what brand etc. to look for. Im looking to be able to make and modify small pieces. The biggest I might need would be to hold a 4 inch piston. Any ideas out there? Some of you guys must have a lathe in your garage. Where should I look other than Ebay?
 
#3 ·
"Jet" is a very popular "home size" unit.

I've seen some old Craftsman (yes, from Sears) units floating around, too. I agree, check with a "used machine" supply house. Another option is to look in the Dayton, Ohio area, as that's been termed a "Mecca for used machinery".

Get at least an 8" chuck. If you can find one that's NOT "3-phase", it will be easier to install at home. "Phase converters" are available, but a bit pricy...

Jim
 
#5 ·
I've got a pre-war Atlas 12x36 with a 6" 3-jaw chuck that does just about anything I need. My only "complaint" would be the inner diameter of the headstock is too small to allow anything long to pass through it. I also upgraded the 1/4 HP motor to a 3/4 HP. I've seen these on E-Bay for around $1k in good shape...

Russ
 
#6 ·
Grizzly machine makes some decent tooling..It is import but works fine. Check on pricing of new equipment to get some ideas of what those go for. Sometimes a big lathe is cheaper to buy as the smaller "hobby size" are in great demand when looking at used.
I would like to have one big enough to turn a crank in myself. Always can do smaller things..


Sam
 
#7 ·
mrpete222 (aka Tubalcain) on youtube has some videos on what to look for when buying a lathe as well as how to run them. I suggest you start there.

I have a 1936 9" South Bend myself. South Bends are very common and Practical Machinist as a fourm section for them with a lot of usefull information on fixing them and maintaining them. The PM fourm also has sections for other makes as well depending on what you find.

Tubalcain Youtube link
 
#8 ·
South Bend is a favorite of mine, and Grizzly bought South Bend a few years back so they could gain access to their technology for the Grizzly brand lathes. For a new lathe the Grizzly is a very nice lathe too.
Be sure whatever you get has at least a 3/4" bore, but a 1" is even better! The advantage of a used lathe is you can usually get a lot of extra tooling with it for the same price. One of the disadvantages of buying from a used tool peddler is they will pull all the extra tooling and then sell it back to you as extras. I'd rather buy from a private party and take someone along who's got a good background or knowledge in lathes to make sure you get a good one. Then you can get it before a middle man pulls the extra tooling out.
 
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