Any experience with this lathe?

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BRobbins629

BRobbins629

Passed Away Dec 28, 2021
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Made in China and very similar to other brands made in the same factory. Made many pens and plenty of other stuff on a similar one with Cummins label. IMO a good starter metal lathe to learn on without much danger of hurting yourself or the machine. There may be reasons to go better or bigger, but there's plenty that can be done with this. Haven't seen too many pens that couldn't be made on this.
 
RangeRat

RangeRat

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I'm still relatively new to turning, but got a great deal on the G0765 so I bought is as my first lathe. Wasn't sure how hard the pen turning bug would bite and wanted the ability to also make small metal components for other hobbies. It has been a great little lathe and I haven't had any mechanical issues to date. Little Machine Shop has all the accessories and parts you could ever need for it.
 
magpens

magpens

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This is a lathe made in the Sieg factory, mainland China. Many companies, including Grizzly, sell this lathe with different names and painted different colors.

I bought one from a Canadian company ... identical lathe, different color ... 10+ yrs ago.

I have made 1500+ pens on it and done many other things. . It is still "going strong".

I have bought many accessories, including 4-jaw chucks, live centers, etc., for it from Little Machine Shop. . The most useful accessory has been a 4-inch 4-jaw scroll chuck.

I highly recommend this lathe. . You can count on accuracy of around +/- 0.0005" if you treat it right and keep things adjusted. . That is perfect for pen work and most other things.

I have also used it for cutting threads when making kitless pens.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with it. . I would recommend it even over any word-turning lathe for someone starting out in pen-making.
 
Dalecamino

Dalecamino

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Indianapolis, In.
I have always stood up for the Micro-lux 7x16 But after looking at the new price tags, this one looks just fine for making pen parts and other small stuff.
 
magpens

magpens

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It is a pretty good price at $698 USD. . I would be wary of using it to turn steel based on my experience.

If you can afford to move up a notch or two, one of the Little Machine Shop lathes would be worth a look.

Their nearest equivalent would be the Model 5100. . I am not sure what advantage this model might give you; they state it is also a Sieg lathe with a brushless motor and gearless drive ... higher torque at low speed they say.

I would appreciate the power cross feed of the Model 3540. . It costs about 3x as much as the Grizzly you referenced and is also heavier at 220 pounds.
 
More4dan

More4dan

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Katy, TX
I have its little brother the HF 7 x 10. I've had no trouble turning O1 and W1 tool steels, 316 and 440C stainless steels, even hardened stainless steel Damascus. You just have to use a good cutting fluid and take reasonable depth cuts.

You can buy or make a tool rest to hand turn also.

The extra length will help with drilling.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 
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