To buy a Metal Lathe Or not to!!!

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Not a bad buy on the lathe, and it's a decent machine.
top of the line..no. but with some clean up and refitting it should do
pretty well. Be prepared to spend some more on tooling.

btw..I looked at the reviews, and frankly you should too!:eek:
 
Those 9x20 lathes are a great addition to the pen makers' arsenal.

I have one, has EVS and also a camlock on the tailstock, heaps of fun to play with and it opens a lot of new possibilities.

Have a look at Steve Bedair's site for more info.

When you consider the price this is a far more versatile lathe than the 7x family, also comes with more accessories making the price even more attractive.

BTW, your link didn't work for me.
 
One thing I can almost guarantee - you will never be sorry if you get it and you will always wonder what could be if you don't.
 
Roy, before you buy any metal lathe you need to consider what you ultimately would like to do with it. If you just want to do regular metal turning then cool. But you might want to eventually do some milling and I'm sure you will do threading.

My lathe is only slightly bigger at 10 x 21.5. But I really struggle sometimes. The spec on that one ( HF ) says the centre height is 4.5 inches but that is above the bed ways and not above the carriage. I don't know what the true centre height is.
I had a hellava job finding a stuff like rotary tables and vertical slides that I could use.

I think the topslide movement is limited on the HF one and the cross slide isn't much either.
I prefer loose gears instead of a fixed gearbox as you can arrange the gears to do stuff like long spirals etc. If you want to copy some of the threads from kit pens, then you could have a problem too.
The leadscrew on that one doesn't seem to extend to the very end of the bed. This just makes it more difficult to add a hand wheel. When you thread short pieces with just a few threads, you will want to drive it by this crank as even 120 revs ( lowest on that lathe) will soon catch you out.

I could go on and on, but I have to admit that for that price I'd buy it for sure.

Oh ... one last thing. I'm surprised that it only has a 3 month warranty
 
There has to be a naysayer in the bunch, and I guess I'm elected.

Have you asked yourself what you want this tool to do for you? What type of investment in the learning curve are you willing to make? Will you be content with letting your pen-making go as you apprentice on this new tool? Are you looking through jealous eyes at those who can put these machines to good use or do you really see financial or personal satisfaction gains?

I have observed many of the more successful pen maker/sellers over the past six years and find that very few of them require a metal lathe for their work. I also find that while there is certainly some design freedom that can be gained in the kitless world, the kitless limitations are real and overcoming them is not easy.

None of this is meant to discourage you from buying a new tool. I would simply suggest answering a few of the questions I pose as well as the questions that a seasoned salesman, like yourself, knows and see if your answers add up to a yes.

For me, they haven't...yet.
 
DCBluesman said:
There has to be a naysayer in the bunch, and I guess I'm elected.

Have you asked yourself what you want this tool to do for you? What type of investment in the learning curve are you willing to make? Will you be content with letting your pen-making go as you apprentice on this new tool? Are you looking through jealous eyes at those who can put these machines to good use or do you really see financial or personal satisfaction gains?

I have observed many of the more successful pen maker/sellers over the past six years and find that very few of them require a metal lathe for their work. I also find that while there is certainly some design freedom that can be gained in the kitless world, the kitless limitations are real and overcoming them is not easy.

None of this is meant to discourage you from buying a new tool. I would simply suggest answering a few of the questions I pose as well as the questions that a seasoned salesman, like yourself, knows and see if your answers add up to a yes.

For me, they haven't...yet.
Click to expand...

Lou, very good points...check your e-mail.
 
Roy, I am glad I got mine (even though it is much smaller). Lou has some great points and as always an outstanding delivery. I am guessing you will not be retiring your wood lathe. The metal lathe would be in addition to so I see no need for puting your pen making on hold. You will enjoy the new addition! You will also want to throw it out the window or drive over it with a big truck:mad::biggrin:!

Watch out though...CNC is next!
 
This just struck me funny. But you are asking men IF you should buy a new tool? :eek:

Of course they are going to tell you to spend YOUR money on new tool. They are out nothing and many can live vicariously through you. :wink:
 
The longer the bed the more happy you will be! Try and spend your money just one time for a life long purchase.

Contact these guys and get a quote on this machine...this lathe is a little bigger, super quality swiss made and it is used, so that might help with the price. It says it comes with several upgrades and some tooling too! It already has a quick change tool post and a collet changer!!! That's some good upgrades that you probably want to buy anyhow. I am no expert on what the machine should cost, but if it's in the 1000-1200 range and I needed a lathe I think I'd pounce on this one.
http://www.nsmachine.com/12123.html
 
I have one of that size. I regret having bought it. It's small and toylike. I broke the thin belt once and made a new pulley and put a real belt on it. If you think it will be a long term investment, spend 3x the money and get a larger lathe. I just got this one in on Monday and like it a lot: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPAGE?PMPAGE=/specials/510-2584 There's really no comparison between the two machines.
 
ldb2000 said:
"Hello room service ... send up a bigger room" :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
Click to expand...


Roy's been thinking about moving anyhow---build a nice little bungalow next to Gary Max!!

The "Tool shed" should be about 24000 square feet!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
I don't post much but if you want any accuracy stay away from HF metal lathes. If nothing else you can go on EBay and find a used Southbend or Hardinge in your area. Do a little refurbishing, learn the machine from the inside and you will have a great lathe.


Best Wishes
 
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Great thing about buying a big metal lathe is you will be able to re-coup a lot of the investment should you even need or want to sell it. If you die, god forbid, your wife will be able to sell it with an auctioneer and possibly recoup every penny you have into it, so it's like leaving her a nest egg.
 
Wow...... LOTS of different advice, what's a guy to do!

Roy, I bought my Grizzly 9x20 almost two years ago now and don't regret it for a moment. Probably basically the same machine but their customer/tech support is fantastic. I've learned a lot from their friendly tech support guys.

Practicle, good investment, useful, necessary, value added.... probably not but WHO CARES, it's a LOT OF FUN and to me that is worth the price I paid for mine!

Even if you want to be a pen kit assembler the rest of your life, it's still fun machine to have in the shop! Last month the plastic rope pulley on my estension ladder broke so I chucked up a 2" diameter aluminum rod and made a nice aluminum pully.... that was fun! :smile:
 
Texatdurango said:
but WHO CARES, it's a LOT OF FUN and to me that is worth the price I paid for mine!

Even if you want to be a pen kit assembler the rest of your life, it's still fun machine to have in the shop! Last month the plastic rope pulley on my estension ladder broke so I chucked up a 2" diameter aluminum rod and made a nice aluminum pully.... that was fun! :smile:
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Well said!!!

I had a similar 'good use' a while back. The drum rollers in our tumble dryer died completely and it was quick and easy to make new ones. The dryer was many years old and no spares available, but now it's as good as new.
Scored brownie points with the missus too for that one!!!:biggrin:
 
skiprat said:
Well said!!!

I had a similar 'good use' a while back. The drum rollers in our tumble dryer died completely and it was quick and easy to make new ones. The dryer was many years old and no spares available, but now it's as good as new.
Scored brownie points with the missus too for that one!!!:biggrin:
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The way I see it, Roy is probably older than me by a few years and we both have worked hard all our lives and deserve to indulge in a few toys without justifying how often we'll use it or when it will pay for itself.

Mine paid for itself when I got it cleaned up and turned a piece of aluminum rod down a few thousandths! :smile:

Roy, about the only negative thing that I have heard about Harbor Freight is that if you encounter a problem with a part, you are pretty much on your own. Grizzly has sent me half a dozen parts free of charge, a few of which I broke or damaged myself because of my ignorance!
 
C'mon Roy!!!! You're killing us here!!!! You gonna get a lathe or not????:biggrin:
If you get any more opinions, you're gonna be even more confused than when you first asked!!!:biggrin::tongue:
 
Here's a pic of my two newer lathes next to each other. Note how small the stand is of the 9 x 20 is and how small the knobs are. The lathe is also raised up on 6" aluminum blocks. There is some chatter doing a facing cut due to the machine not being stiff enough. The new 12 x 36 is next to it. It has gear levers to change speeds, and is a lot stiffer and smoother machine. The knobs are larger and much smoother turning. It's almost too tall, about 3" taller than my older 14 x 42 lathe, which I'm used to.
 

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Wow Bruce, I thought all your machines had computers bolted on to them:biggrin:

In the spec of that 12 x 36 there are two specs that I don't know what they mean....

Long. Feed Range ( In/Rev) 0.011 - 0.0311''

and

Cross Slide feed range 0.0015 - 0.0302''

Please tell me what it means, thanks.
 
Not all have computers! I even have some wimpy pen lathes!

That means for every revolution of the spindle the axes will feed that amount. There are different levers on the bottom left to dial in exactly what feed you want. You lift a lever on the carriage to activate the automatic feed. A longitudinal feedrate of .001" per rev will move only a third of a hair down the length of a bar per revolution, so it gives a nice fine finish to the outside diameter of a bar. The crossfeed will do that same thing on the face of a bar.
 
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:redface: Thanks Bruce. Power feed range.....I should have figured that. I think what threw me was the 'Cross slide' as mine doesn't have it.

Thanks
 
WOW!!!! A big thanks to all who posted and to you that have PM'ed me. I'm looking for a metal lathe for a particular operation. Will be turning stainless rods that are approx 25MM down to Aprox. 16-18MM thes rods will be aprox. 2 1/2 ince long so it seems from the feedback I'm getting a 10x14 or 20 would be more than enough lathe. Takeing Georges advice am now looking at the Grizzly 9x20. I'm in no rush will also keep an eye on greiglist. Again thanks , keep them coming. Skippy I'll be sending you a E-Mail...
 
Metal Lathe

Ok, I am going to chime and ask a question... i have been thinking of the same question... for me, i want to make pen parts, threaded parts, make pin chucks etc... i have looked at the taig lathe, but heres a question. What size lathe do you have to get into to be able to thread without a tap, using a single point threading tool?
 
John, I think someone makes a threading attachment for the Taig. Don't remember where I saw it though. The little 7x10 are capable of threading, you judt have to change gears for each thread pitch.
 
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How about the Jet 9 x 20 metal lathe. Was looking at this but want to make sure I'm not overspending for this size considering the HF 9x20 is about half the price?
 
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