4 ms·

related question - I learned on a long bed Logan toolroom lathe. cant _really_ cut threads on that guy because of all the slop, but I often do a prepass to get

related question - I learned on a long bed Logan toolroom lathe. cant _really_ cut threads on that guy because of all the slop, but I often do a prepass to get things started before I use a die. I've really been interested in getting a jewelers lathe with a goal of making smaller parts and particularly screws. but it looks very expensive and intimidating. many thousands of dollars for a few pounds of 100 year old steel with a lot of very fussy and foreign looking tooling. I really love to fix things up and learn, but would love some advice about how to start. anyone have a suggestion?

skykooler 4y ago
If you don't mind having to spend some time on cleaning and oiling, it can often be worth it to get an old lathe from an industrial auction; often you can find them for a few hundred dollars.
- jacquesm 4y ago
  That is an excellent way. Also, ask around if anybody is giving up their machining hobby.
  - twothamendment 4y ago
    Giving up machining? For all the machinists I know I think that is called dying.
    - jacquesm 4y ago
      Yes, pretty much. But even machinists age and some of them move into managed facilities and then they have to leave their gear behind. It is super sad when it happens. And of course they really die as well... I know a fairly large number of hobby machinists and some of them are quite advanced in age. They still turn out quality work, doing stuff that they love. But you can tell that in some of these cases the writing is on the wall and they'll stretch it as long as they can.
KaiserPro 4y ago
http://millhillsupplies.co.uk/sherline/sherline-lathes/ http://millhillsupplies.co.uk/sherline/sherline-lathes/ Sherline lathes are very small, and I think its what clickspring runs.
- jacquesm 4y ago
  I would not use a Sherline for really fine work. I'm sure it can be done but you'd get a lot more mileage out of a slightly larger but more solid lathe. Sherline's main advantage is that it is cheap, but machinetools that you intend to use in anger will end up having a multiple of the tools cost in tooling anyway so you may as well get something a bit more sturdy.
Oxidation 4y ago
What is the industry standard for a decent, non-antique small manual lathe? Everything I see is either 50+ years old or mediocre-looking Siegs or otherwise suspiciously white-label-ish or it's a super-fancy CNC alien spacecraft that costs substantially more then a house.
- mjb 4y ago
  I've got an SC4, and the casting and basics are very solid (for the weight and price). The compound slide is junk, but the rest is remarkably good. The DC variable speed variants are the way to go. Obviously 'big iron' is better. But even if you've got the space, you've got to choose between high prices and the risk and project of going second hand.
- jdietrich 4y ago
  There isn't an industry standard any more, because manual lathes are essentially obsolete in industry and have been for decades. In toolrooms and job shops that still keep a manual lathe around for simple setups and repair work, it'll probably be an old lathe because there are still tons of excellent old lathes in circulation. If you have the space and the budget, you probably want a TRAK toolroom lathe - they have a CNC controller with a simple conversational interface, but they're designed to be used as a mostly-manual lathe with canned cycles. Excellent machines from a supplier that really understands the needs of toolroom and job shop machinists. If that's too big and/or too costly, you probably want a rebuilt Hardinge HLV-H. Yes, they are 50+ years old, but they're basically the perfect small lathe and they can still hold very tight tolerances if they're properly cared for. The HLV-H is still being cloned by a number of the higher-end Taiwanese manufacturers, for very good reason. Failing that, try Precision Matthews. They sell basically the same import stuff as everyone else, but they have very good QC and aftersales support. Something like the PM-1236 is a massive step up in rigidity and quality compared to the <$2000 Chinese machines. Not perfect, but by far the best value if you want to buy a new machine.
jacquesm 4y ago
Build your own. It's going to be a lot of work but you'll have exactly what you need and you'll learn a ton.

skykooler 4y ago

If you don't mind having to spend some time on cleaning and oiling, it can often be worth it to get an old lathe from an industrial auction; often you can find them for a few hundred dollars.

jacquesm 4y ago
That is an excellent way. Also, ask around if anybody is giving up their machining hobby.
- twothamendment 4y ago
  Giving up machining? For all the machinists I know I think that is called dying.
  - jacquesm 4y ago
    Yes, pretty much. But even machinists age and some of them move into managed facilities and then they have to leave their gear behind. It is super sad when it happens. And of course they really die as well... I know a fairly large number of hobby machinists and some of them are quite advanced in age. They still turn out quality work, doing stuff that they love. But you can tell that in some of these cases the writing is on the wall and they'll stretch it as long as they can.

KaiserPro 4y ago

http://millhillsupplies.co.uk/sherline/sherline-lathes/ http://millhillsupplies.co.uk/sherline/sherline-lathes/ Sherline lathes are very small, and I think its what clickspring runs.

jacquesm 4y ago
I would not use a Sherline for really fine work. I'm sure it can be done but you'd get a lot more mileage out of a slightly larger but more solid lathe. Sherline's main advantage is that it is cheap, but machinetools that you intend to use in anger will end up having a multiple of the tools cost in tooling anyway so you may as well get something a bit more sturdy.

Oxidation 4y ago

What is the industry standard for a decent, non-antique small manual lathe? Everything I see is either 50+ years old or mediocre-looking Siegs or otherwise suspiciously white-label-ish or it's a super-fancy CNC alien spacecraft that costs substantially more then a house.

mjb 4y ago
I've got an SC4, and the casting and basics are very solid (for the weight and price). The compound slide is junk, but the rest is remarkably good. The DC variable speed variants are the way to go. Obviously 'big iron' is better. But even if you've got the space, you've got to choose between high prices and the risk and project of going second hand.
jdietrich 4y ago
There isn't an industry standard any more, because manual lathes are essentially obsolete in industry and have been for decades. In toolrooms and job shops that still keep a manual lathe around for simple setups and repair work, it'll probably be an old lathe because there are still tons of excellent old lathes in circulation. If you have the space and the budget, you probably want a TRAK toolroom lathe - they have a CNC controller with a simple conversational interface, but they're designed to be used as a mostly-manual lathe with canned cycles. Excellent machines from a supplier that really understands the needs of toolroom and job shop machinists. If that's too big and/or too costly, you probably want a rebuilt Hardinge HLV-H. Yes, they are 50+ years old, but they're basically the perfect small lathe and they can still hold very tight tolerances if they're properly cared for. The HLV-H is still being cloned by a number of the higher-end Taiwanese manufacturers, for very good reason. Failing that, try Precision Matthews. They sell basically the same import stuff as everyone else, but they have very good QC and aftersales support. Something like the PM-1236 is a massive step up in rigidity and quality compared to the <$2000 Chinese machines. Not perfect, but by far the best value if you want to buy a new machine.

jacquesm 4y ago

Build your own. It's going to be a lot of work but you'll have exactly what you need and you'll learn a ton.