FS - A lathe for all budgets

I reviewed some of these machines today. Some pretty nice stuff in there.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Gunner because you have first hand knowledge of these lathes.

O.K. A stupid shop guy here. I've been hunting for a small lathe for some time. Preferable something that has about a six foot, footprint. And since I'm a novice just trying to repair some basic parts and turn some basic parts. What would you recommend? I think shipping to Ontario will be more of an issue than anything. Any chance someone wants to house mine for free use until I can get a truck down there to pick it up?

If that is Ontario, Canada and not Ontario, California, I'd probably look around Detroit, Buffalo, or Rochester, rather than in California.

Seems to me that the buys to be had out of Detroit are as good as those anywhere. (Which is a sad symptom, but that is a different issue). YMMV, of course.

Regards,

Adam Smith, Midland, ON, Canada

My biggest problem is knowing what to buy. Since all of the letters and acronyms are as foreign to me as most computer related numbers are to other people. I've been keeping my eye out but just haven't seen anything yet. I guess I'll look closer in Ontario, Canada

I've had pretty good luck with buying machinery in Michigan and upstate New York. I just rent a flatbed, go on down and get it, stop at customs on the way back. All found on ebay, no magic contacts. Do an advanced search in the Manufacturing-Metalworking_Metalworking-Equipment Lathe section, search for stuff within 250 miles of Toronto (or your postal code). Add it as a favourite search get it sent to your email every day. Sit back and do nothing, watch some items (with no intention of bidding), just to track what the closing prices are. Hang back even if something tempting goes by, for at least a week or ten days. Then buy something when a reasonable piece that meets your needs goes by. I like the old stuff, so one of my favourite searches is for key word "antique". I picked up a little Seneca Star for $350 US about a month ago, doing exactly that. I paid a little too much (there was basically no tooling), but it is a beautiful thing in excellent condition, I'm really happy to have it. It looks like a miniature of the Hendey 16" that I run the most, (not that it is really tiny, without the risers the Seneca swings 9"). The old stuff seems to go for a lot less than newer machines (and not without some reason, actually). I bought the Hendey for $600 Canadian a long time ago, but I've seen comparable deals fairly frequently on ebay. Comparable new machine pretty much always brings $3k at least.

Watch out for lathes for which lots of the tooling is missing, though: all very well and good for me to make some tooling for the Seneca: I've got a running lathe and mill (amongst other pieces) to use for the job. You'll be happiest if you find something that you can start making chips right away.

I wouldn't worry that much about making a mistake: if you don't fall in love and bid wildly more than a piece is worth you can always sell it and buy again with the proceeds. Which is actually sort of fun, so why worry. Just don't let yourself go completely crazy on the price and you'll be ok.

It might be a good idea to get a copy of the South Bend manual from Lindsay while you are waiting and looking. The more you know, the better you'll do.

Let us know when you find something.

Adam Smith Midland ON

"HotRod" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...

Want a cheap education? By a 7x10 import lathe from Homier or Harbeor Freight or Enco or Cummins The freight cost is probably the deciding factor). Great little learning tool which will also probably do 90% of the jobs you need it for. After a few months with it, you will know a lot more about your needs. At that time you can shop with more knowledge. Once you have the Ultimate Lathe, you can sell the mini for almost what you have in it. But by then you will be attached to it :)

- - Rex Burkheimer

HotRod wrote:

I'd say that this is pretty good advice as well. I like the people at Busy Bee reasonably well, their 7 x 10 is a lot more lathe than the Unimat I did my first turning on. (For the Americans in the audience: Busy Bee approximately equals Enco). I'd take a look at what the folks at Atlas Machinery on Queen St. are selling as well, I really like dealing with them.

ping Robin S. : What are the Atlas folks selling as intro lathe these days? For how much?

Adam Smith Midland, ON

And use AuctionSniper.com It works

I wonder who bought that beautiful museum quality lathe a few months ago out of Colorado? It went for a song, broke my heart I didn't bid on it.

Rex

Missed that one, out of the normal range of my search. I've stopped frustrating myself with stuff that is over 500 mi away. There was an absolutely beautiful Lodge and Shipley a few weeks ago, NY state, that had me drooling. Lots of tooling. I had to keep on reminding myself that I'm really not in the market for another lathe. Seems like there was a rash of nice antiques there for a while.

The one that had me really stewing in my own juices was the 12' Cincinatti planer from the 50s. Only $1k opener (still too much, really), but in any case over 20k lbs, would have taken professional riggers for sure. I guess it would have been $5-$6k to move. And then there is finding space, spending a year to get it running .... . Even so, that was sad to let go by. I sure would like a big planer. Maybe just a little smaller than that one, though.

Adam

Adam Smith Midland ON

Id recommend these

They are lathes you can do most anything with, and are in turn key condition.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Adam I think I'll just drive down to Midland and pick one up at your shop :-) Thanks for the great advice it's hard to try and be an expert at all kinds of different tools.

Rex, if you see something nice post it so that I can scoop it up. I'm currently in the process of purchasing another shop. This one will be my third and is 5000 sqr feet I should have the room for a lathe and mill.

Believe it or not I actually am a computer user but how the heck do I specify the "Manufacturing-Metalworking_Metalworking-Equipment Lathe " category under advanced search. I know I'll figure it out about 2 sec. after I send this but HELP

He means on ebay.

Sorry, that was a short form for the full category, you have to navigate to the category interactively. I'll describe the steps, you probably don't need this level of detail, but no matter, maybe some lurker does:

- Navigate to

- On the left of the opening page there is a Categories list, go to the link for Business and Industrial

- On the Bus & Ind page navigate to the "Metalworking Equipment" link under "Manfacturing Metal Working"

- On the left under Categories there is a link for Lathes

- Click on Advanced Search

- Halfway down the page there is a checkbox for distance search, check it as well as either Items within (your choice 200? 250? 500? miles: 250 is a day trip for me, 500 is overnight once you factor in rigging) and your choice of postal code or city. Click Search

- Add the result to your "Favourite Searches" using the link in the top right of the page

If you haven't done much rigging, I'd add the additional advice to my previous post: be careful!, think it through!, ideally, get experienced help, though I started without that benefit.

And while the gratuitous advice is flowing (and cheap at twice the price!): the one way you could mess yourself up on a first purchase (besides falling in love with a piece and bidding like a crazy person): be careful not to buy a second operation lathe (no thread cutting), an automatic (Swiss machine or "Brownie"), or other speciallized manufacturing piece. You want an engine lathe, or tool room, or "bench lathe" or similarly described item. Hardinge have a beautiful tool room second ops lathe (I forget the model), no threading. Somebody will chime in with the Hardinge tool room model that does threading (you won't be able to afford them, probably), and the one that doesn't do threading (you'll be able to afford them, but shouldn't). Might be safest to run make and model of any piece that you intend to bid on by the folks here, for a while. Till you get to know what is out there.

Regards, and Good Luck,

Adam Smith Midland, ON, Canada

OPINIONS?

Well you do get a three jaw and a couple of driver plates, so at least you can get started. You will want a 4 jaw as well. They don't say whether there is a center with it, or what the center is. I think it will be a standard size morse, so you should be ok buying one, if necessary. You might ask the vendor if there is a center included, though.

Maybe just a bit smaller than I'd prefer for an only lathe, but a hell of a lot more than the 7" chinese that Rex was advocating as a starter. If its large enough to turn the work you have planned, it should be nice. You'd get a better buy if you go for something larger, I'm pretty sure that the one you're looking at will go for quite a bit more than the current bid, small stuff always brings a premium, because of all the people wanting to put the lathe in the basement. Of course getting something substantially bigger would substantially increase the task of rigging and hauling.

I only spent a bit of time on a South Bend, and it was a long time ago. Hopefully one of the South Bend people will chime in with a more informed opinion. It would be interesting to know whether this is a "heavy 10" or a "standard 10", I believe SB did both. I think Jim Rozen is running a Heavy

Adam Smith Midland, ON

I'm assuming you noted the three phase power, and that is not an issue? Will the shop have 3 phase, are you planning a rotary converter, or a VFD?

Adam

If you are still looking for a lathe, I think this one looks pretty nice: