Shopping around for the shop

[Darrin]

I've been having a real hard time deciding what to add to my shop.
I run a machine shop as my full time job, and want to add a metal lathe here at home.
I also have been heavily eyeing a newer wood lathe made by a UK company.
I can only buy one.
Being a machinist I think I can start making kitless pens on a good wood lathe, but I can also do that on a metal lathe for sections and other parts.
These are my 2021 problems on Jan 1st.
What would you do?

 

[peter1958]

If you are going to make many metal parts with threaded items what only can be done on a metal lathe, the choice is easy.

 

[magpens]

Yessir !!!

Metal lathe wins ..... "hands down", in my opinion !!

Let me "twist" your own words, just a little bit .......

"Being a machinist I think I can start making kitless pens on " a metal lathe a lot sooner and a lot better !!

Of course, it does depend on what else you want to make besides pens. . A metal lathe is not so good for doing bowls, altho' it can be made to work.

OK .... I'll keep quiet now !!

 

[Darrin]

If you are going to make many metal parts with threaded items what only can be done on a metal lathe, the choice is easy.

I don't plan on making any metal parts for my pens, but I like having the option there for other things.

 

[jttheclockman]

I don't plan on making any metal parts for my pens, but I like having the option there for other things.

You are answering your own question. Get a good quality metal lathe. I hear many times on here though do not go small. Look through some past threads here on the subject and you will find lots of good info.

 

[peter1958]

My thing is wood, so i got a big wood lathe, 2.2 meters (90 inches?) between centers, copy lathe. centerhight 25 cm (10 inches)
Hapfo german quality brand. I was searching for a better lathe some years ago, this one came by on machineseeker.com.
The owner lives 500 km from me 310 miles or so.
It took some time before i bought it, always in doubt, to high price and that kind of things.
Then i forgot about it, and 6 months later the owner mailed me if i still was interested. He lowered the price so i couldn't say no.
So i got it with all accessories he had bought. 865 pounds of metal. The copyslead had all options, but he didn't advertise with it. Many copy rings. hard metal inserts etcetera.
The lathe is from 1995, it costed him a lot of money, when i calculate from German deutschmarks to euro's it was about €17,000.
A new lathe of the same type and capabilties would be over €30,000. So i have the feeling i did a good job buying it for €2,000 in 2009.

Yesterday i was looking at it for some maintenance when i dicovered the centers were not in line with each other.
The center in the headstock turnes perfectly, the point stands still, no play in bearings. But the other center in a fully extended way was 2 mm or so offline. That explanes the drilling problems i had lately. So i detached the bed a little, and checked all 4 feet. The floorplate of one foot was not under the setscrew. That corrected i levelled the lathe again with all setscrews and tigthened the bed to the lathe again.
All good, so to check i drilled some penblanks. What a revelation, a centered straigh hole!!

 

[RobS]

Metal lathe would be the way to go.

 

[Charlie_W]

Sounds like the metal lathe is the winner.
If you do however decide to go with a wood lathe. I would strongly recommend a quality lathe, I've seen way too many wood lathes which have rotational play between the tailstock and bed ways. Also, a quill that fits loosely in the tailstock bore will cause headaches when you are going for precision turning/threading.

 

[Dalecamino]

Here's my answer!

MicroLux® 7x16 Mini Lathe

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[Pen Joe]

I have several metal lathes, only three wood lathes, would never turn wood on a metal lathe and never turn metal on a wood lathe, Joe