Metal lathe shopping - advice requested

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hooked

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Hello all,

I am about to purchase my first metal lathe. I am debating between 2 options, and I was hoping to get some advice as I know many people here use both options. I will only use this for pen making and primarily to make trim rings or other metal pen parts. I do not foresee any other uses at this time. I was hoping to get some more input on option two below. I am also purely a hobbyist with no intention of needing a commercial-quality machine.

Option 1: LMS Hi Torque Deluxe, which is currently on sale. Most of my existing headstock and tailstock tooling would be useful, but I assume I will need some other tooling. I have talked to a couple of people who have purchased this lathe and were unhappy with the quality, which is why I hesitate.

Option 2: relatively new, but used Taig lathe that is loaded. The customized Taig has many upgraded parts, a few chucks, a quick change tool post, many cutters, and other bits and pieces that I have no idea what they are for; all are meticulously maintained—half the price of the LMS Hi Torque lathe.

I am mainly considering the Taig because of all the tooling it includes and the possibility of adding the mill attachment. I am just trying to figure out if I will be disappointed with the power and encounter limitations for my specific purpose. I am not expecting to make anything extravagant with this, trim rings and other accent parts...and be able to turn my parts and thread with my existing taps and dies.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
 
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I have an older LMS deluxe lathe and it is great. Taig is good stuff, but not sure if set up for threading if you are intending to do that. I think there is an attachment you can get for them, but not sure.
 
I have the LMS7350 which I am still getting to know. Nothing wrong with quality but just hobby use here so I only know enough to get myself in trouble right now. A mixture of metric and imperial wrench needs. Chuck has metric studs that require 1/2" wrench. Toolholders metric threads but 1/8" imperial wrench needed. One slotted screw on the tailstock where a hex would be better (on order). Headstock is MT3 if that affects your existing tooling use.
 
hooked said:
Hello all,

I am about to purchase my first metal lathe. I am debating between 2 options, and I was hoping to get some advice as I know many people here use both options. I will only use this for pen making and primarily to make trim rings or other metal pen parts. I do not foresee any other uses at this time. I was hoping to get some more input on option two below. I am also purely a hobbyist with no intention of needing a commercial-quality machine.

Option 1: LMS Hi Torque Deluxe, which is currently on sale. Most of my existing headstock and tailstock tooling would be useful, but I assume I will need some other tooling. I have talked to a couple of people who have purchased this lathe and were unhappy with the quality, which is why I hesitate.

Option 2: relatively new, but used Taig lathe that is loaded. The customized Taig has many upgraded parts, a few chucks, a quick change tool post, many cutters, and other bits and pieces that I have no idea what they are for; all are meticulously maintained—half the price of the LMS Hi Torque lathe.

I am mainly considering the Taig because of all the tooling it includes and the possibility of adding the mill attachment. I am just trying to figure out if I will be disappointed with the power and encounter limitations for my specific purpose. I am not expecting to make anything extravagant with this, trim rings and other accent parts...and be able to turn my parts and thread with my existing taps and dies.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...
I have three taig lathes ,, buy the LMS Hi Torque Deluxe,
 
Only advantage a Taig lathe is if you buy one with the big bore spindle . which is 13/8 ID.
And the indexer .
 

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@hooked

Beware of the small size limitations of the Taig lathe.

I know that you said that AT PRESENT you only want to make small parts like center bands and trim rings.

But I predict that once you get started with a metal lathe you will want to make bigger items.
You may even want to make complete pens out of acrylic and/or metal . . . or even bigger items.
If so, then you will find a Taig lathe rather restrictive.

I believe that the LMS lathes are quite reasonable, but there are other options . . . spend some time looking around.
There are some good alternatives. I hope other members can provide other brand names and sources for you to consider.

Here is one example that I found with a simple search :

www.walmart.ca

VEVOR Mini Metal Lathe 550W 7 x 12 inch Metal Lathe Metalworking Woodworking Bench Precision for Various Types of Metal Turning - Walmart.ca

Buy VEVOR Mini Metal Lathe 550W 7 x 12 inch Metal Lathe Metalworking Woodworking Bench Precision for Various Types of Metal Turning from Walmart Canada. Shop for more Lathes available online at Walmart.ca
www.walmart.ca

This one is priced in Canadian dollars, so it would be considerably cheaper in the US, and I believe it is commonly available there.
I have seen this same design of lathe in pictures presented by IAP members over the years. Accessories are also readily available.
 
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Mark; The accessories with the LMS lathe are a very nice bonus. All in all a very nice lathe. It has quite a lot of features that would be extra on other lathes.

One final thought. These lathes "length" are measured in different ways. Do you measure from nose spindle to tail stock ram?, from dead center to live center?, from chuck to live center? all of these measurements will be different, but it is the same lathe.
 
Thank you for all the replies and advice. It seems that I should go with my gut and get the LMS lathe. I saw the 16" bed description on the Taig and was drawn in by all of the tooling included. It seems like it will be hard to beat the LMS unit while it is on sale.

I joined a 7x lathe Facebook group and read from many people who buy the Vevor or other similar clones from Amazon and end up replacing half of it because it does not work as expected. Others love them and say they are great out of the box. With my limited knowledge of machining and metal lathes in general, having LMS to fall back on for support makes it worth purchasing from them.
 
I did much research on metal lathes when I was in the market for one, and decided to go with the LMS 7350. I considered some larger lathes but the footprint of the LMS 7350 suited me best (see the photo). While the LMS was not the cheapest, I found it to be the best value. There were three intangibles that confirmed my decision:

1) Little Machine Shop's customer service. I have always been able to call them a talk with an actual employee who is knowledgeable about metal lathes. They have helped me through some issues and provided good advice. They also made followup phone calls back to me.

2) The carry all the parts for their machines which can easily be ordered should you need to replace one. I have heard this can be an issue with other brands of lathes.

3) There are several Youtube videos by Frank Hoose on setting up and using the LMS 7350. Frank is an experienced machinist and gave the LMS 7350 a good review.

You will still have to regularly maintain your lathe which in my opinion should be done anyway (take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.) I have seen some negative comments on the LMS machines from folks who prefer to avoid the maintenance portion. Just want a plug and play.
IMG_5546.jpg


One final note on the LMS 7350. The DRO on the tail stock may not initially work. It will power on, but the read out won't change when you advance the quill. The most likely issue is to tighten the hex bolt under the collar of the DRO. You will need a 1.5 mm allen wrench (which is not included with the lathe). the should correct the issue.
 
I finally received my LMS lathe yesterday and got it cleaned, set up, and working on alignment. So far, so good. I am not experiencing any of the slop I was reading about with the 7x lathes. All of the wheels/knobs are very tight, and I feel I need to do something to them to make them move a little smoother. I hope using the lathe will loosen everything up a bit, so they run a little smoother.

I am hoping to get some input on cutters. I purchased a set of 3 indexable cutters (product link) that came with an accessory package.
It also came with a cutoff blade and a 3/8 indexable boring bar. Any cutters that others would recommend?

I ordered a collet chuck for this lathe since my Beall will not work. Unfortunately, I ordered a 3-inch chuck by mistake and need to return it for the 4-inch chuck. Since I am doing this part over, is getting a 4-jaw chuck over a collet chuck beneficial? Or will both be necessary for different circumstances? I will only use this lathe for kitless and some minor metal turning for pen parts.

Anything else that is seen as necessary tooling that I may need? It seems the live center from my wood lathe fits in the tailstock and works fine. Same with my neilsniche tap and die holders I use with my wood lathe.

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As for 4-jaw vs collet chucks, they serve different purposes.
You would use the 4-jaw for asymmetric pieces, for example rectangular blanks, to get them centered. I use mine all the time for turning anything that isn't round. The collet chuck, as you probably already know, would be your go to for anything that is already round. It's easy to repeatably chuck up pretty much anything that already has a radius on it. Eventually, you will probably want both.
 
You will probably quickly find that you want "MORE" tool holders.

I bought THIS wood carbide tool and cut it off to fit a tool holder and find it comes in handy a lot.

My 7350 was tight too and has loosened with use and oil.

I have the ER32 collet chuck but bought a full set of collets using Amazon in 1/32" increments which I use 99% of the time.

I find that I use ground HSS toolbits more frequently than the indexable carbide.

Drill rod in one of the boring holders and use it as a toolrest for wood tools.

Still learning the in/outs but don't feel quite as intimidated as I did at first.
 
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Oh, DAMHIKT, but the compound dro is easily fouled up because it encroaches into the tailstock travel area when you have a live center, drill chuck, etc mounted in the tailstock. I must be a slow learner because I've tweeked the plastic display/battery slide nearly beyond repair on several occassions.

FWIW, the set of lathe dogs for turning between centers is 25% off this week.
 
Hopefully your machine is better than the Seig style that I had (Not LMS). I could never keep the tail stock truly in line, eventually I just lived with the slight taper until I replaced the lathe. If you haven't gotten a dial indicator and stand yet put it on the list.
 
Thank you for the advice! I am ordering the correct collet chuck as well as a 4-jaw chuck. Not sure if I should go with the LMS 4 jaw or look elsewhere. Any advice for a solid 4" 4-jaw chuck?

I ordered the wood carbide tool that rixstix mentioned, and I ordered a set of pre-ground HSS tools with some blanks just so I can get an idea of how to grind the tools. I have decided not to invest in any more carbide tools for now after seeing some test cuts on acrylic and aluminum. I also ordered the lathe dogs and more tool holders. I think this should get me going.

I had to run out last night and get a magnetic base from Harbor Freight for my dial indicator because I typically use the @rherrell toolpost mount for my wood lathe. I checked runout inside the spindle, along the recess of the chuck mounting plate, along the quill relative to the carriage and everything looks great.
 
I know that 4 jaw chucks are considered to normally have less runout but my 3 jaw has zero and that is what I use. I used to use an er32 but the three jaw is much more convenient. Mine has a reference mark so that it can be put back in the same relation each time it's removed and I mark blanks and mandrels for the same reason.
 
You're gonna want to replace that slotted screw in the tailstock with a hex grub or hex cap screw. The slotted screw will only take 1, maybe 2, loosen/tighten ooerations.

I found most of the grub screws in the toolholders to be questionable. Some took 1/8" hex wrench, some took 3mm hex wrench. I'm replacing all as I go along. PIA once you spin the 3mm wrench in a 1/8" hole.

I don't remember which chuck studs are imperial wrench/metric threads but you'll find them I'm sure.
 
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