Which metal working lathe do you have?

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alexkuzn

alexkuzn

Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
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Location
San Francisco,CA
I am on the market for a metalworking lathe(to compliment my Powermatic 3520B)
What metalworking lathes are popular among pen turners?

Any advise is appreciated.

What do you think about LatheMaster 8x14 lathe?
www.lathemaster.com
 
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I have an Enco 7x10. When they have a 20% off sale (pretty frequent), it's only $399. It's pretty small, but the only things I turn are front sections for pens, so it suits me fine.
Doug
 
I use and have used a Cummins 7 x 12 for virtually all the pens I have made in the last few years. I am very happy with it and it has done more than I expected. It is certainly a value buy. A few times I wish it was a little bigger (not for pens) but then again with space at a premium in my shop it works well. If I get another it will probably have easier gear change capability for threading and the next larger size, but meanwhile it serves all my needs.
 
I have a Harbor Freight 9x20. I thought it would be fun to have and make all the modifications for that are listed on the internet, but when I got to turning pens I never really got around to it.

IMHO, I think the 7x(various lengths) are a better choice. If I were buying today I would look seriously at the Micro-Mark as it comes with features and tuning that you do yourself or pay to add onto other brands.
 
I have a HF 7X10 that I bought on sale and had a discount coupon for bringing my final cost to $249 . If it hadn't been for price I was planning on getting the Microlux 7X14 , it seems like a very capable lathe .
 
I have the 7x10 HF. I didn't get as good as deal as Butch I have $300 in mine. It will do what I want it to do. The fun part to me is the fine tuning of the metal lathe.
 
I bought the Grizzly G9972Z 11" x 26" Bench Lathe w/ Gearbox , but found it was a bit big for my 10x12 shop and a friend of mine gave me his still in the box Grizzly mini lathe and that fits much better. The bigger lathe was donated/loaned to a school.
 
1940's atlas 12",
1960's atlas 10",
7 x 12 asian (crap),
Taig
if you want precision buy a taig or sherline if you need something bigger look for an old used lathe ... if you need a $300 doorstop by a 7 x whatever.
I have made LOTS of mods to make the 7x12 somewhat useable and after much much work it's a slightly better piece of crap
 
Yang SML 12

yang-sml12.jpg
 
Some food for thought Alex . The "Crap" 7X lathes are not as bad as some people think , take a look at some of the steam engines and sterling cycle engines that are made with these lathes . If they are PROPERLY adjusted they are capable of some amazingly precise work . Their cheap price make them well suited for small shops and the savings can be used for all the extras that can make these lathes some of the most versatile metal working lathes you can buy . The larger lathes are nice and if you are running a machine shop an old Southbend would be the preferred lathe but in most of our shops these lathes are being used for making things like bushings and other small metal parts . A 7X or 8X is more then enough lathe for doing what we are doing making pens .
One other thing to remember , for people like myself and others here a Southbend or Atlas lathe take up allot of floor space that most of us don't have . My shop is 8'X10' and crammed in there are a wood lathe , 14" band saw , Router table , a radial arm saw , a workbench , a couple of cabinets , a pantograph engraving machine and my little "Crap" 7X10 metal lathe along with pen blanks and flatwork wood and and a mid sized craftsman tool box and .... the list goes on and on , there's just not enough room for a Big lathe that at most sees use about 3 percent (if that much) of the time I'm in here .
Don't fall for the tool envy and waste allot of money on a lathe that will be used as a place to store things when it's not in use . Buy what you can afford and learn how to use it properly and use the savings for far more useful tools and supplies .

Take a look at what can be done with the 7X lathes here http://littlemachineshop.com/gallery/photos.php
 
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Homier Speedway 7X12. After buying it I did find out that better deals can be found in the 9X20 lathes. That is they can be found at good but higher prices but that includes many of the extras you will most likely end up adding after the fact with the smaller lathes. so $300 or so in lathe and $500 or more in accessories and I have the same thing with smaller lathe that I could have had for maybe $900 on a larger lathe. I am still happy with what I have and the piece meal costs suited my needs. but it was not the smartest way to spend the money when all is said and done.
 
it is true that great work CAN be done on a 7x lathe just as great work can be done on a bow lathe or a pole lathe but why work harder than you have to?
after owning several different lathes I would rather spend time "using" a machine than "adjusting" a poorly built one, and for about the same $$ and size an old 6" craftsman or new taig will be a smoother easier to operate machine.
not trying to start a tool war just trying to keep someone from buying problems when they could buy something better
 
I'm not using it yet, but have a 12x30 gear head lathe by Bolton hardware..yea, it's chinese but it is a big heavy monster that seems to be quite stout. I bought it quite cheap on ebay and the shipping was free. The service seems to be really good too. I just bought some cutters and some bar stock..more ebay. I just opened a package of brass, bought 4 brass rods, 5/16x48" for $20. That tube was heavy!

So many people with metal lathes, we should have a forum here for that. What to buy..how to use it, tips, techniques, modification discussions etc etc..there's so much to discuss on using a metal lathe with pens. Put me down for a vote and I'll start asking the questions!
 
workinforwood said:
I'm not using it yet, but have a 12x30 gear head lathe by Bolton hardware..yea, it's chinese but it is a big heavy monster that seems to be quite stout. I bought it quite cheap on ebay and the shipping was free. The service seems to be really good too. I just bought some cutters and some bar stock..more ebay. I just opened a package of brass, bought 4 brass rods, 5/16x48" for $20. That tube was heavy!

So many people with metal lathes, we should have a forum here for that. What to buy..how to use it, tips, techniques, modification discussions etc etc..there's so much to discuss on using a metal lathe with pens. Put me down for a vote and I'll start asking the questions!
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Jeff,
That is a pretty good idea. It would save the time bouncing from one site to another to figure it all out. Aren't you glad that you graciously stepped up and offerred to head this endeavor up? You're a good man Charlie Brown.
 
cnirenberg said:
Jeff,
That is a pretty good idea. It would save the time bouncing from one site to another to figure it all out. Aren't you glad that you graciously stepped up and offerred to head this endeavor up? You're a good man Charlie Brown.
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I agree. When I thought the IAP was in need of an advanced pen making forum I just wrote down my reasoning and sent it to Jeff and a week later we had the forum! So... today is tuesday, if you prepared your case and sent it to Jeff today we could probably have the forum in place by Monday!

My opinion is that there wouldn't be enough discussion to warrant a forum though. About all I ever see posted about metal lathes is.... "I'm looking for a lathe, what do you have or which is the best?" And all those threads do is turn into debates over the small machines versus the larger machines and people defending the machines they bought and finally the original poster says all he has to spend is $140... then the thread dies! :smile:

It would be interesting to see what others think of such a forum though, I could be totally wrong.
 
Texatdurango said:
I agree. When I thought the IAP was in need of an advanced pen making forum I just wrote down my reasoning and sent it to Jeff and a week later we had the forum! So... today is tuesday, if you prepared your case and sent it to Jeff today we could probably have the forum in place by Monday!

My opinion is that there wouldn't be enough discussion to warrant a forum though. About all I ever see posted about metal lathes is.... "I'm looking for a lathe, what do you have or which is the best?" And all those threads do is turn into debates over the small machines versus the larger machines and people defending the machines they bought and finally the original poster says all he has to spend is $140... then the thread dies! :smile:

It would be interesting to see what others think of such a forum though, I could be totally wrong.
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George,
I'm about to get a metal lathe. Shhhhh don't tell the wife....So I checked into the Mini-lathe site and followed into the Yahoo groups etc. Most of the discussion there is on politics. Frustrating. I agree with you, if we had enough folks here who would warrant a discussion, a forum would be cool. It's hard enough turning by hand to keep up with what's all going on. PS your lathe would cause one to have a bit of lathe-envy, lathe on.
 
i have 3 metal lathes. a chinese 7x, a southbend 9x and a grizzly 12x. lathemaster sell some pretty nice stuff, but i wouldnt pay that much for an 8" machine. my 7x get used a lot, but i have tweeked it a bunch. the thing i like most is the variable speed. mostly i use it for threading. if you havnt ever used a lathe i would go for the 7x. they're cheap, with a little adjusting will cut within a thou over 10", and they dont have enough power to really hurt you too bad if you screw up, and you will. whatever you buy, you're going to enjoy it. playing with machine tools is a lot of fun. regards, j.d.
 
Maybe Jeff will do a poll on the need for expanding into another forum topic. I personally think the need is growing. Certain people are inspiring many..not just the guys with the fancy metal like Steve, but there's some plastic guys like Brian Gray or Bruce Robbins. The two materials are somewhat related as far as ways to machine it...if that makes sense to you guys at all. I have tons of questions, I am reading all the time and soon I'll be able to put myself to the test...definitely within a couple more months. I have a lot of my tooling now and have been accessorizing. I'm starting now to save up for center bits and drill bits and I'll be off to the races...or the hospital..either way works for me!
 
Truthfully, it might not be a busy forum, but it would, I think, be very informative. There are people here with a great deal of expertise, it seems. I've had questions I might have asked here, but went elsewhere to find answers. They can be found, but none of the places I saw speak specifically to pen turning with a metal lathe. If it was a place where we could discuss metals lathes, accessories, and the techniques appertaining thereto, I think that would be a great addition to the site.

Also, milling machines might be included. I intend to get one next year because I think it might be a more efficient and accurate way to do segmenting.
 
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Tell you one thing's for sure...I could ask all my questions in a forum and Steve and Jim's PM boxes won't have to be so full! Albeit..I do have some of the dumbest questions..but I have always been of the mindset that it's dumber to pretend to know and not ask than to ask and have the real answer while people laugh at you. Anytime you step into something new, it's like going back to being a baby.

I'd go with something like "metalworking" perhaps. Encompass the lathes, mills and general bending and shaping of materials. People complain about store bought clips..we can make our own, discuss it, share idea's and what to do what not to do. Failure is the road to success.
 
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To me a metal lathe is a lot like learning to get good pictures. It is a completely different skill that needs to be learned, supported, talked about yeah yeah yeah. A forum for just metal lathes sounds like a good idea. certainly when you consider how many members are going into making your own (fill the Blank) type work. turning pens is moving more and more into the need to operate a metal lathe. Not to mention that they come up in conversation more and more often for whatever reason.
 
Could be a sub forum in tools - just like the Pen Wizard which only gets occasional posts, yet its easy to find specific information on that tool when you want it.
 
I've been researching and seems that Grizzly 10x22 G0602 is a better lathe for me.
It is a bigger and for metalworking bigger and heavier is always better if you have space. It has good reviews. Costs $1000 with free delivery.
 
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I have an Emco Compact 5 which came with a nifty milling machine. It's probably 15 years old but it had never been used and still had the shrink wrap on most of the tools etc. It looks like this one, but it also came with the mounting tray. Great little lathe - compact but very accurate.

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emcolathemill.jpg


I would love to have a separate metal lathe section here on IAP. I've tried some of the mini metal lathe sites, but many of those guys are machinists that quickly go over my head with their knowledge.

Jim Smith
 
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