Metal Lathe

[beck3906]

I see that Micro Mark has their tools on sale and was reviewing the 7x14 and 7x16 lathe. Is there an advantage to getting a larger size over what I could get at Harbor Freight? Are the machines at Harbor Freight just as good?

Thanks for any info. Just considering a possible purchase in the relatively short term. I hate buying something and wish I had invested a few more dollars to get what I really needed.

 

[randyrls]

Are the machines at Harbor Freight just as good?

Rick; The machines are largely made at the same factory and with the same process. The differences are in the quality control for different companies and the level of their tech support and parts availability.

Thanks for any info. Just considering a possible purchase in the relatively short term. I hate buying something and wish I had invested a few more dollars to get what I really needed.

Be careful to measure apples and apples. Read carefully how the 7x?? measurement is taken. Some companies measure spindle nose to tail stock ram, others measure with centers in the lathe.

Get the longest you can. After you install jaw chuck in the head stock, a drill chuck and drill bit in the tail stock, how much room will you have left? Metal lathes normally cannot be extended as easily as wood lathes. It can be done, but you normally have to replace the entire bed and lead-screw rather than just an extension.

The "mind set" of a metal lathe is entirely different that a wood lathe. On a metal lathe, the tool bit is held rigidly and moved in small increments measured in thousandths of an inch.

If you do a search for "metal lathe" here you will find some valuable reading material. JohnnyCNC has posted much good advice.

 

[toolcrazy]

Micro Mark sells the better model of the HF lathe. Basically it is the next model up. I'm very happy with mine. Setup was easy, everything was dead on. And it was an easy clean up. They use oil instead of that red paste that the cheaper models use.

 

[holmqer]

Most of the 7x metal lathes are made by Seig Industries

C2 Model 200 - Most of the 7x10 lathes on the market including HF 93212
C2 Model 300 - Most of the 7x12 lathes on the market including Grizzly G8688, HF 93799, Speedway and ToolsNow
C3 Model 350 - Micromark 7x14
C4 Model 410 - Travers 8x17

The Model # is the distance between centers in mm. Notice that 200mm is 8 inches not 10, while 300 mm is 12 inches.

There is another 7x14 on the market sold by Big Dog Metal Works that is made in China by Yangzhou Real Bull Machinery, Ltd.