metal Lathe is next

[papaturner]

I have been looking at the Grizzly 10 X 22 Variable speed Metal lathe.
My question (if you would help me) is there a better choice within a couple
hundred dollars that I ought to check out?
Your knowledge and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[skiprat]

Perry, I'm not familiar with that specific lathe but assume it's similar to most Chinese clones. Size wise, same as mine. You've seen all the stuff I bolt onto mine and that size is good for most stuff I do.
Does it have change gears or a fixed gearbox. My choice would always be for change gears. You can get pretty creative with the gears. In fact, I have just reconfigured my gears so that( with the lathe unplugged) I get 120mm of carriage travel with just one rev of the headstock.
Next must have for me is to get a metric version. So much simpler in the long run.

Good luck:biggrin:

 

[papaturner]

Perry, I'm not familiar with that specific lathe but assume it's similar to most Chinese clones. Size wise, same as mine. You've seen all the stuff I bolt onto mine and that size is good for most stuff I do.
Does it have change gears or a fixed gearbox. My choice would always be for change gears. You can get pretty creative with the gears. In fact, I have just reconfigured my gears so that( with the lathe unplugged) I get 120mm of carriage travel with just one rev of the headstock.
Next must have for me is to get a metric version. So much simpler in the long run.

Good luck:biggrin:

Thanks Steven,I had not even considered the gear change. I will check that out.
As for the Chinese clone it is indeed a clone for what I understand.
I a real greenhorn at this so I`m taking my time.
Thanks again for the help.

 

[stonepecker]

Listen to Skippy.......even if he says he isn't a master.......the rest of us know he is.

 

[bluwolf]

I would seriously consider this lathe from Precision Matthews.

PM-1022V and PM-1030V Precsision Lathes

Basically the same lathe, but it has power cross feed also, the Grizzly does not. Matt, the owner is great to deal with. I've had one of their 12x36s for years. It has never skipped a beat. Had a couple small problems with it when I got it. Matt took care of them, no questions asked. Since then it's been bullet proof. I'd buy from them again in a heartbeat.

If you search this metal lathe forum you'll see there has been a few people here who have bought lathes from them and been very happy.

Mike

 

[Dalecamino]

Thanks for posting Mike. I think the PM 1022 will be MY next lathe. Very much worth the money. I miss your lathe lol

 

[skiprat]

I like that powered cross feed on that lathe. Driving it from the single leadscrew is clever. Except for that feature, my Chester DB10GVS is identical.
It has change gears too, which IMHO is a big bonus.

I've just cut a six sided spiral blank with a pitch of 108mm.
I'll post a pic here in a few minutes, if I may. You cannot do that with a fix gear lathe.:biggrin:

 

[papaturner]

Listen to Skippy.......even if he says he isn't a master.......the rest of us know he is.

Thanks Wayne I agree he is the expert.

 

[papaturner]

I would seriously consider this lathe from Precision Matthews.

PM-1022V and PM-1030V Precsision Lathes

Basically the same lathe, but it has power cross feed also, the Grizzly does not. Matt, the owner is great to deal with. I've had one of their 12x36s for years. It has never skipped a beat. Had a couple small problems with it when I got it. Matt took care of them, no questions asked. Since then it's been bullet proof. I'd buy from them again in a heartbeat.

If you search this metal lathe forum you'll see there has been a few people here who have bought lathes from them and been very happy.

Mike

Thanks Mike I think I will consider the PM-1022V.

 

[papaturner]

Thanks for posting Mike. I think the PM 1022 will be MY next lathe. Very much worth the money. I miss your lathe lol

Thanks for the advice Chuck. I`m gonna look into the PM-1022V.

 

[bluwolf]

I've just cut a six sided spiral blank with a pitch of 108mm.
I'll post a pic here in a few minutes, if I may. You cannot do that with a fix gear lathe.:biggrin:

Please do. Any reason to see something you've made.

Mike

 

[bluwolf]

Thanks for posting Mike. I think the PM 1022 will be MY next lathe. Very much worth the money. I miss your lathe lol

Well, if you hadn't moved, you wouldn't be missing it:biggrin: I think you should move back, but a bit closer this time. Then Redburn and I would see you more often.

Mike

 

[bluwolf]

I would seriously consider this lathe from Precision Matthews.

PM-1022V and PM-1030V Precsision Lathes

Basically the same lathe, but it has power cross feed also, the Grizzly does not. Matt, the owner is great to deal with. I've had one of their 12x36s for years. It has never skipped a beat. Had a couple small problems with it when I got it. Matt took care of them, no questions asked. Since then it's been bullet proof. I'd buy from them again in a heartbeat.

If you search this metal lathe forum you'll see there has been a few people here who have bought lathes from them and been very happy.

Mike

Thanks Mike I think I will consider the PM-1022V.

And while you're considering it, you should consider the quick change tool post option too. It's already modified for the lathe. Get the pain out of the way all at one time. You will be glad you did.

Mike

 

[skiprat]

I hope Perry doesn't mind us polluting his thread. :wink:

First off.... guess who now has to vacuum the house because he forgot to brush off the router waste from his clothing when he went inside to get his laptop and camera cable.......:redface:

Here are a couple of pics I just took. The black PR blank has six helixes ( before someone smarter points out that they are not spirals :wink: ) and with playing with the gears and adding one more, I managed to get it so that by cranking the leadscrew 36 times, it rotates the lathe spindle once.
Leadscrew is 3mm pitch, so 36 x 3mm = 108 mm

The stainless rod has 12 helixes with about the same pitch that I did some time back. I used a dremel with one of those mini cut off discs.

The PR is of course right handed and the steel is left handed.

Indexing is accomplished by disengaging the half nuts, rotating the leadscrew by 6 turns ( or 3 for the SS one ) then re-engaging the half nuts.

Of course...all of this MUST be done with the lathe unplugged. :wink:

 

[Skie_M]

Sheesh .... what an unconventionally messy little rodent ...

First, he goes and pollutes the perfectly nice thread on the internets ... then he goes and pollutes the house and gets the missus all riled up about the mess on her carpet ...


Naughty little rodent!


But nice work on those rods!

How you gonna polish them?

 

[bluwolf]

Perry,

Notice the nice quick change tool post on Skip's lathe:wink:

And Skip, that's a sweet indexing ring on the back of your spindle. I never noticed that before.

Of course those helixes are great!

Mike

 

[mredburn]

Although Skip is absolutely correct about gears over a gear box, most of us wont go that far. We use the gear box to do thread pitches that are convenient and pretty much standardized for our pen making, .75..8,1 mm pitches. They pretty much cover what we do. In fact a lot of us will use a tap and die set on the metal lathe because the work involved in the set up to cut the threads is greater than grabbing a std size tap and die and making it work.
When setting up for threading on the lathe even with a gear box you may have to change your drive gear set up. Depends on the pitch you want to use and whether or not you have a metric or imperial (inch) lead screw. You have to put the outside or inside thread cutting tool on. Thats simple enough if you have a qtcp and the tool holders set up. You have to make sure your tool is square to the work, not hard but another place to err in. You have to be able to stop the lathe or turn the headstock by hand if you dont want to run into a shoulder at the end of the threads. I have a foot brake on mine that I can stop it with so I can control the end of the thread. If your only threading a 4mm or .160 long thread thats not a lot of time to react under power. Thats why even with a metal lathe alot of us still use tap and dies. Few of us will be able to make stuff like Skip does and the gear box is a great option for most of us that will never be more than home hobbyists that want to make a few parts and get on with making pens. If you do find your level is approaching that level you can always buy a bigger better lathe with gears. Its ok to have more than one lathe. :biggrin: Even a metal one. :biggrin:

 

[skiprat]

Greg, with a decent router bit or Dremel cutting disc spinning at warp factor 5, they really don't take much sanding and polishing. I didn't sand either of these but put them on a buffer for less than a minute. You can still see the router markers but it really is easy to get rid of them by hand sanding.

Mike, I got the QCTP from Charlie ( New London 88 ) a few years ago. I love it but I made sure that my old manual tool post can be fitted in seconds. I cut and threaded the QCTP bolt to fit over the existing bolt.

I did the indexing on the spindle pulley ages ago ( 24 Indents ) because the stupid spindle final gear has a pretty useless 40 tooth gear. On my bucket list is to make a 48 tooth gear to swap it with. :biggrin:

 

[stonepecker]

Like I said........... "He is a master."

 

[Dalecamino]

Like I said........... "He is a master."

He lost ME at Helixes.....:redface:

 

[Dalecamino]

Thanks for posting Mike. I think the PM 1022 will be MY next lathe. Very much worth the money. I miss your lathe lol

Well, if you hadn't moved, you wouldn't be missing it:biggrin: I think you should move back, but a bit closer this time. Then Redburn and I would see you more often.

Mike

I agree! If I could find a spot to park a camper for a couple hundred a month, we could Snowbird for the winter.

Back to the OP subject.....my quick check on the PM site only shows a PM 10x27 no pricing though. I like the continuous oil flow inside the gearbox feature and, all the shafts supported by ball bearings.

 

[oneleggimp]

Perry, I'm not familiar with that specific lathe but assume it's similar to most Chinese clones. Size wise, same as mine. You've seen all the stuff I bolt onto mine and that size is good for most stuff I do.
Does it have change gears or a fixed gearbox. My choice would always be for change gears. You can get pretty creative with the gears. In fact, I have just reconfigured my gears so that( with the lathe unplugged) I get 120mm of carriage travel with just one rev of the headstock.
Next must have for me is to get a metric version. So much simpler in the long run.

Good luck:biggrin:

Interesting. I would've chosen a "Quick Change Gearbox". I've used both and fiddling with change gears vs setting a couple of levers is a no brainer for me.

 

[bluwolf]

Chuck,

Click on the link I posted. If you go to the site, under the 11" or smaller category it will just show 11x27 or 10x30. But if you click on the 10x30 it will take you to the 10x22 and 10x30. I would think the only difference is the bed length. It lists the prices and the specs for the two, side by side.

Mike

 

[bluwolf]

Perry, I'm not familiar with that specific lathe but assume it's similar to most Chinese clones. Size wise, same as mine. You've seen all the stuff I bolt onto mine and that size is good for most stuff I do.
Does it have change gears or a fixed gearbox. My choice would always be for change gears. You can get pretty creative with the gears. In fact, I have just reconfigured my gears so that( with the lathe unplugged) I get 120mm of carriage travel with just one rev of the headstock.
Next must have for me is to get a metric version. So much simpler in the long run.

Good luck:biggrin:

Interesting. I would've chosen a "Quick Change Gearbox". I've used both and fiddling with change gears vs setting a couple of levers is a no brainer for me.

I think most lathes, even with a quick change gearbox, come with some change gears. I don't think you can get all the possible combinations that a lathe is capable of, with just the gearbox itself.

Mike

 

[Dalecamino]

Chuck,

Click on the link I posted. If you go to the site, under the 11" or smaller category it will just show 11x27 or 10x30. But if you click on the 10x30 it will take you to the 10x22 and 10x30. I would think the only difference is the bed length. It lists the prices and the specs for the two, side by side.

Mike

Thanks Mike! I clicked that link with my phone first and, the print was on top of each other Works better with my PC. Cool lathes and, I want one :biggrin:

 

[bluwolf]

Chuck,

Let me know when you're ready to upgrade. When my nephew was down this past winter he got to use mine for the first time.

First he made some bushings for his younger brother so he could make a pen on the wood lathe. Then he made himself an aluminum pen on the metal lathe.

Now he's hooked. I may have a new home for yours:biggrin:

Mike

 

[Dalecamino]

Chuck,

Let me know when you're ready to upgrade. When my nephew was down this past winter he got to use mine for the first time.

First he made some bushings for his younger brother so he could make a pen on the wood lathe. Then he made himself an aluminum pen on the metal lathe.

Now he's hooked. I may have a new home for yours:biggrin:

Mike

Wonderful! On both counts. Got photos of your nephews pens? This may take a year or longer. Unless I suddenly get rich :redface::biggrin: I will let you know whenever it happens anyway.

 

[mredburn]

Wasnt there a problem with Electrical Supply in the Man Cave? (Notice I did not say Studio)

 

[Dalecamino]

Wasnt there a problem with Electrical Supply in the Man Cave? (Notice I did not say Studio)

No...there is no problem with the electrical supply. The problem was with the beer supply. But, Mark James fixed that for me :biggrin: Thanks Mark!:wink:

And, Thank You Mike for, NOT calling it a STUDIO :biggrin:

 

[skiprat]

Pink towel = Studio
Brown towel = Workshop
Wife's favourite towel = Stupid-man Cave


Just clarifying..............................................:wink:







:biggrin:

 

[oneleggimp]

Thanks Mike I think I will consider the PM-1022V.

Power Cross Feed is a Nice Feature.

 

[Dalecamino]

Pink towel = Studio
Brown towel = Workshop
Wife's favourite towel = Stupid-man Cave


Just clarifying..............................................:wink:







:biggrin:

Empty your heart of the jealousy that torments you!!! Rodent!!:wink::biggrin::tongue:

 

[Dalecamino]

Perry, sorry we sort of high jacked your thread. But when I looked at the PM 1022 link Mike posted I, got that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. And, when I saw the cam lock lever on the tail stock it, got even warmer and, fuzzier! So I was wondering if you have come to a decision on your venture?

 

[papaturner]

Perry, sorry we sort of high jacked your thread. But when I looked at the PM 1022 link Mike posted I, got that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. And, when I saw the cam lock lever on the tail stock it, got even warmer and, fuzzier! So I was wondering if you have come to a decision on your venture?

Not a problem Chuck I enjoy the to and fro of the thread.
Actually I have made a decision I will get the Precision Matthews after the first of the year(TAXES you know).:biggrin:

 

[Dalecamino]

Perry, sorry we sort of high jacked your thread. But when I looked at the PM 1022 link Mike posted I, got that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. And, when I saw the cam lock lever on the tail stock it, got even warmer and, fuzzier! So I was wondering if you have come to a decision on your venture?

Not a problem Chuck I enjoy the to and fro of the thread.
Actually I have made a decision I will get the Precision Matthews after the first of the year(TAXES you know).:biggrin:

Oh yeah! Taxes:biggrin: I worked all year so, JUST MAYBE I'll get some return to help out Good choice Perry IMO I'm right behind you. :biggrin:

 

[TonyL]

Hi Perry. Please let me know what you think once you get it; I have been toying with the idea (of the PM). Other than bushings, I am not sure what I would do with it, but looks like one can do what he/she wants. Thanks!

 

[papaturner]

Sure will Tony.

 

[TonyL]

Thank you Perry

 

[Imaginethat]

Purchased my 10x30 pm lathe from eBay. Same company and prices just free shipping. Great people to do business with. I think it took 6 days from purchase to delivery.

I talked with Nicole at PM because I wanted the 22 inch lathe vs 30 inch, was told they weren't going to stock the 22 inch lathe due to more call for the 30 inch.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for purchasing metal to turn?

 

[Dalecamino]

A couple of places I know about,(don't know which is better) Online metals & Speedymetals.