2nd Lathe... wood or metal?

[Quality Pen]

So, I need a second lathe. If nothing else, in case my first one ever goes out of commission I don't want to twiddle my thumbs waiting around if I had a show coming up.

So I have been considering... maybe get a metal lathe? Now, I totally realize that I am largely uninformed about working with metal lathes, but it seems like I'm bound to get in the future.

I only make pens and related small turning so I wouldn't need some huge lathe so I was considering a Jet 1015VS and I got to thinking about the metal lathe instead.

I understand the metal lathe will certainly cost more, but if it works just as fine for making pens as a wood lathe, then it seems like I could end up having to get rid of a lathe when I get a metal lathe in the future. I really only see the need for 2 lathes. My current one is too chintzy to me. :biggrin:

I suppose I'm not the first to be in such a situation... so what are others' opinions on the matter?

Thanks for the time

 

[BSea]

If you're considering a metal lathe, get the biggest you can afford. And study up on them as much as possible before buying. I have a 7 X 14, and although I like it, now I can see that slightly bigger would have lots of benefits.

I don't know how close you are to Seamus, but he has the metal lathe I wish I'd saved my pennies for. But his is more than slightly bigger.

 

[wyone]

well I love my jet mini for pens.. I have a larger grizzly and have made pens with it, but my first choice for pens will always be the mini. I am not sure how the tool rest works on a metal lathe to know how easy that would be.

 

[BSea]

well I love my jet mini for pens.. I have a larger grizzly and have made pens with it, but my first choice for pens will always be the mini. I am not sure how the tool rest works on a metal lathe to know how easy that would be.

Some metal lathes have an optional tool rest so you can use your wood lathe tools. But with a metal lathe, you can cut smooth exact tapers, square the blanks perfectly, and many other things more precisely than you can do freehand on a wood lathe. It's just different in how you accomplish making a pen (unless you have the optional tool rest). Plus the tolerances are tighter on a metal lathe. And you have the added advantage of a lathe designed to cut metal.

 

[wyone]

So sounds like you spring for the added tool rest and it is a good deal.. hmmmm I know precision is way better...

 

[WriteON]

I have a 1015 and it is a pen makers friend. I got a little restless and bought a 1221 for second lathe. The 1015 is a great choice. Having 2 lathes is a nice convenience. If you are not in hurry wait for a 15% off sale on Jet lathes.

 

[Quality Pen]

If you're considering a metal lathe, get the biggest you can afford. And study up on them as much as possible before buying. I have a 7 X 14, and although I like it, now I can see that slightly bigger would have lots of benefits.

I don't know how close you are to Seamus, but he has the metal lathe I wish I'd saved my pennies for. But his is more than slightly bigger.

What size do you wish you got instead?

My target budget would be something like the LMS 7x12 or Grizzly since these 2 seem to have the best reputation.

 

[BSea]

If you're considering a metal lathe, get the biggest you can afford. And study up on them as much as possible before buying. I have a 7 X 14, and although I like it, now I can see that slightly bigger would have lots of benefits.

I don't know how close you are to Seamus, but he has the metal lathe I wish I'd saved my pennies for. But his is more than slightly bigger.

What size do you wish you got instead?

My target budget would be something like the LMS 7x12 or Grizzly since these 2 seem to have the best reputation.

Here's what I wish I had.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f166/new-family-member-pm1127vf-lb-126455/
Some of the reasons are:
Gearbox for cutting threads
Power cross feed
Still uses 115, not 220
It's about as big as I have room for

But it would cost 3 times as much or more than what I have invested so far. I don't have any immediate plans to upgrade. I'm still learning to use the one I have. But if I could do it over, I'd have saved my pennies a little longer.

 

[randyrls]

So I have been considering... maybe get a metal lathe? Now, I totally realize that I am largely uninformed about working with metal lathes, but it seems like I'm bound to get in the future.

Bobby; This may be a good idea for you. A metal lathe can work to a greater precision with a fixed tool, but that comes at a higher price. If you decide to do metal work or kit-less pens, you can easily spend a lot of money on tooling. Metal lathes come with a sticky wax / oil coating that has to cleaned off prior to use.

 

[low_48]

Metal lathes turn at much lower rpm. No way to get a cut like a skew unless you add a tool rest. Difficult to get any profile like a long arching cut, unless you add a tool rest again. Tool bits that are used like metal cutters, will not give you a smooth quality cut like a skew. If you can't guess, no metal lathe for pen turning for me. I'm a retired model maker and have a lot of hours on metal lathes. Just don't see the use for turning pens.

 

[plantman]

Bob; This is my outlook on a wood or metal lathe. On a wood lathe the precision lays in the hands of the turner himself. On a metal lathe the precision is built into the lathe itself. Once you have mastered either one, you can turn out amazing things. The metal lathe can do anything a wood lathe can do, plus a whole lot more. I have made models and minitures for over 60 years and find that 3 lathes are the magic number for me. My Shop Smith for turning larger bowls inboard and outboard and longer objects such as table legs or bed posts. My mini lathe for turning some pens, drilling blanks, and turning mid range objects. My Micro Mini Metal Lathe for turning pens and small objects. 98% of my pens are turned, sanded, and finished on the Micro lathe. Tolerance up to 10,000th end to end on this lathe. You can't do this by hand on a wood lathe !! The only tooling I use on this lathe is the 1/4" cutter in the tool holder. If I want to have odd shapes on my pens I use metal files to do the work. I do have a tool rest for this lathe, but see no reason to use wood lathe tools on a metal lathe if you also have a wood lathe. I have adaptors for all 3 lathes that allow me to transfer a project from one to another without disturbing the chuck setup. You can get into a mini metal lathe for under $500 that can taper, cut threads, cross cut, plus do everything else you want it to. As for the smoothness of the cut, being a wood or metal lathe realy has nothing to do with it, it is all in the sharpness of the tool, the angle of approach, and the skill used by the turner. You can also think of it this way, all the parts for a wood lathe are made on a metal lathe. If you are only going to make pens and other small objects, a Micro or Mini is all you will need, If you are thinking of making larger objects, you will have to size your lathe to the size of your future projects. I have never tried to turn a pen on my Shop Smith, although it can be done. There is no right or wrong lathe, it boils down to what you can afford and are comfortable with using. (breath) Jim S

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

A lot of the smaller lathes are mass produced, assembly being on a line like some cars, one person puts on one part then passed to the next person. It would be a good idea, if you went this way, to strip the unit down and rebuild it, clean out the greasy goo that is on most parts, adjust the gibs, lubricate it, LMS (Little Machine Shop) put out excellent information on how to do all this, that can be printed off the net, you will also understand how the machine works.
This will be a great investment, should you decide to go the kitless route later on. The biggest problem is the cost of all the extra tooling that you want/need.
You can end up with a small fortune owning a metal lathe! How you ask? Start with a big one :biggrin: Not to scare you off, but I have close to another $800 invested in tooling, dial indicators, collets, chucks, lathe tool tips, better quality live centres, drive centres, etc. plus what I had made myself.
Kryn

 

[TellicoTurning]

I don't know that I ever want a metal lathe, though I've seen some pretty fabulous stuff done on one... I just think of all that metal scrap I would have around and my propensity to cut myself and bleed all over everything.... think I'll stick to my two wood lathes... I have a 1014 that's pushing 12-15 years old, still runs smooth and quiet... my 1442 that's about 8 and still running pretty good after my last overhaul... it's my go to lathe for almost anything I turn... I prefer the larger lathe... it's more comfortable for me to stand at, has easier speed control (when the Reeves unit is working properly) and it just seems handier as all my chucks and accessories are in the cabinet I put under it. Right now the 1014 is used primarily as a buffing machine, although if LOML gets to where she can stand for longer periods of time, she wants to learn to turn pens and small things.... looking forward to that.