Good Starter Lathe?

[bjbear76]

I've been watching for a deal on a metal lathe so I can try my hand at kitless pens. This one is listed locally for $250. Is this a good or okay deal for something to start with and learn? Would I end up spending more for tools and accessories than it's worth?

Thanks for any and all input and opinions

Craftsman metal cutting benchtop lathe

 

[mredburn]

You will spend another $100 to buy gears for threading if you want to thread with the lathe. Most of us use taps and dies anyway so you might just want to buy the taps and dies rather than the gear set. As in all things the cost of the lathe is only the beginning. You would need to know if it has any issues with being worn out on the ways of the saddle and the cross slide. I would not recomend it but it can be used for what you want. I say that because of the size the age and the fact that the spindle is pretty small on that lathe; It is cheaper than they are selling on Ebay

 

[mredburn]

I would recomend the Atlas 618 or 3950 versions or the Craftsman equivalent 101.something. This is the 109 model and not made by Atlas. it also has a mt 0 tail stock and very little drill capacaty. The 618 and 3950 are mt1 and only slightly more drilling depth. This is why the 7x varients are so popular with our group. I have a 3950 I use daily in my part making and I custom fitted a tail stock from a 9 inch lathe to it to have mt2 and 2 1/2 inches of tailstock travel.

 

[bjbear76]

Mike, thanks for the comments and recommendations. Greatly appreciated!

 

[Festus Magnus]

As a novice pen turner and someone who is still gradually acclimating himself to using a metal lathe, I wanted to say that if you haven't used a metal lathe before, it's probably a good idea to purchase new rather than used.

I spent a while looking at used lathes in my locality (Sydney, Australia) and noticed a wide variety of problems that I figured would be especially difficult to remedy for someone with limited knowledge of metal lathes (i.e. myself!): extensive corrosion, extreme wear on ways, etc.

I figured that after factoring repairs and endless amounts of frustration, I'd be much better off purchasing a new 7x lathe. Now that's not to say that a new 7x lathe won't have its own share of issues. Invariably they're Chinese-made, so the fit and finish won't be the best and you'll have to make a few adjustments here and there to bring it up to a condition that will grant you the least amount of issues. But the adjustments are much more within the skill and knowledge of a new user.