Will this lathe work for pen turning?

[steve]

I was offered this lathe in trade. Was wondering if it would work for pen turning and maybe duck calls? It's a Central Machinery combo All Purpose Machining Center. Thanks for any info.

 

[TomServo]

That's a metalworking lathe, it will work fine for turning pens, bowls (up to it's capacity of course) and whatever you can fit on it.. It looks like it can also perform milling tasks, a fantastic machine to have around.. (I'd love to have one). Check the speed range and see how fast it'll turn - the one thing about metal lathes is that they can often top out at around 1300 RPM

 

[steve]

So how fast does it need to turn? Does it need to have an auto feed? Thought maybe this would work for a lathe and drill press.

 

[alamocdc]

If you no longer have a particular need for what your trading, go for it. You can always pick up a small wood lathe later. This little could certainly come in handy. Like Tom, I'd love to have one.

 

[JimGo]

Or, if you want, I'll trade you that one for my TurnCrafter Pro!

 

[Mikey]

FWIW, I've never had my lathe speed above 1,000 rpms, so I think this would work fine. In fact, i'd rather have ond of those nice machines than just my midi lathe. Heck, you can make your own pin chucks now.[8D]

 

[MikeM]

if that was offered to me, I'd grab it up so fast you would not know I was there. That machine can do lots of things a pen lathe can not. ` Mikem[][]

 

[lkorn]

For pen turning I like my lathe turning as fast as it will go (depending on the material). for sanding and polishing, WARP Speed and a light touch is best for me.

 

[Tangboy5000]

Not only could you use it for turning the body of the pen, you could use it to make your own tubes, centerbands, etc...

 

[Thumbs]

Three words, "GET IT NOW!" []

 

[jdavis]

should work fine for small turnings'

 

[alamocdc]

Originally posted by lkorn
<br />For pen turning I like my lathe turning as fast as it will go (depending on the material). for sanding and polishing, WARP Speed and a light touch is best for me.

Larry, I thought I was the only one who sanded at high speed. []

 

[Dario]

The cat is out of the bag...LOL.

I do sand at high speed too...not always but at times depending what I need done []

As with most, I think it all depends as long as you know the consequences. Understanding the process helps a lot.

 

[scubaman]

In all the euphoria, don't lose common sense. I think most of the guys that are cheering you on already have a wood lathe. This tool is from Harbor Freight, you can look up its new value on their site. Combination machines like that don't have a good rep., I only see them recommended for people who have a real space problem. They tend to be always in the wrong mode, and switchover is nowhere near as quick as with say a Shopsmith. You generally have to unbolt things, using wrenches and stuff, not just loosen a few handwheels. Most people who I've talked to that own one will say they'd rather have separate lathe and mill, the compromises in either mode are many and are pretty limiting. I can't judge size vey well - it does not have a lot of distance between centers. When you put a 2-barrel mandrel on, can you load and unload barrels w/o taking the tailstock off? Do you want to turn pens with woodworking tools on this, by adding a rest, or just metalworking tools? Are you planning on grabbing a mandrel in that 3-jaw chuck? Be aware that working around such a chuck with hand tools is very dangerous. Same ges for sanding. Does the spindle have a morse taper? The jaws on that chuck *WILL* smash your fingers! What is the column to cross-slide distance? And spindle stroke? You may not be able to mount a drill chuck and drill bit on top and a vise to hold the blank on the mill table.

If this is an add-on and you're looking for a compact, small metal shop, this may meet your needs. If that'd be your primary pen lathe, take a very careful look at capacities. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Thumbs]

Oh drat! Common Sense has to show up again![B)]

He's right, Steve! I have a couple wood lathes and would like to have something like this for light duty minor metal work. That said, if you haven't any experience doing metal or wood work already, this lathe might cause you more trouble than enjoyment using it for something for which it wasn't really intended. This would probably be a much better second tool than a first for wood turning. I'd honestly have to say it probably depends on the price and your available space limitations.

Just be aware, too, that most of us don't get the opportunity to get something like this very often either.[]

 

[steve]

Thanks for the replys! Sounds like it was'nt a good choice for pen turning. Anyway, the guy sold it out from under me. So it was'nt meant to be I guess. I'll just bide my time and maybe get a jet lathe.

 

[TomServo]

Steve: keep an eye on the local classifieds, too, that's where I got my first lathe, plus some accessories...

 

[Fred in NC]

I don't like combination machines very much. The drill/mill head gets in the way for turning work. Also, the carriage is in the way for turning wood with a regular woodturning tool rest. It is hard to turn curves and other shapes with a toolbit mounted in the carriage. It does cut nice straight barrels, if that is what you want.

For metal, I would prefer a separate mill anyway.