matty
Border raider.
Talk Lathes and anything about them, tell us what you got or what you want and share advice on operation/ procedure and general advice. .
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The Lathe thread.
- Thread starter matty
- Start date
Turning is the art of the gods.
Mills and torches are for heathens!
Measure regularly, adjust as needed. That's about all the advice I've got at the moment. If you are taking spring passes before measuring your final part, take a spring pass before you measure on your way there.
Mills and torches are for heathens!
Measure regularly, adjust as needed. That's about all the advice I've got at the moment. If you are taking spring passes before measuring your final part, take a spring pass before you measure on your way there.
matty
Border raider.
I have three lathes myself, a Colchester Triumph 71/2 (This lathe is branded a clausing 15 in the states AFAIK Guess usa type marketing likes bigger numbers going with the diameter not the radius.).
I have a EX WW2 Lease lend (still with the little metal plaque stating as such), Hendey 1230 gearhead , and a small very beat up Myford ML4 that i have on a wooden railway sleeper bench in a back shed.
I have a EX WW2 Lease lend (still with the little metal plaque stating as such), Hendey 1230 gearhead , and a small very beat up Myford ML4 that i have on a wooden railway sleeper bench in a back shed.
I know a couple people with the bench top little Chinese lathes and they are happy with them, mostly doing small gun parts and such. Biggest thing is the small thru bores, but really "what are you doing with it" is the bigger issue. Good tooling can make up for lack of power to a certain extent. Just for doing bushings I'd imagine it would do good.
As a bigot, I'm not a fan of multi purpose lathe mill combos or mill drill combos, or even combo welders, but that just me. I'd like to have a bench top unit though.
A good sturdy table/bench/base will go a long way. Cheap lathes have cheap frames, cheap frames can will and do flex and will cause problems. Lathes like to be and stay square with the rails.
As a bigot, I'm not a fan of multi purpose lathe mill combos or mill drill combos, or even combo welders, but that just me. I'd like to have a bench top unit though.
A good sturdy table/bench/base will go a long way. Cheap lathes have cheap frames, cheap frames can will and do flex and will cause problems. Lathes like to be and stay square with the rails.
Punkinhead
Well-known member
People do amazing things with those little combo units but they're definitely a compromise. Do you have space constraints? If space isn't an issue I'd go with a separate lathe and knee mill.
Space is at a premium in our welding shop, and with Several MIG, TIG and Plasma units we just dont have space for both a mill and a lathe.
The largest part I can see machining is a hub for a 1 Ton 4x4.
I prefer the 11" x 27" over the 9" x 20" for that reason
The largest part I can see machining is a hub for a 1 Ton 4x4.
I prefer the 11" x 27" over the 9" x 20" for that reason
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ThePanzerFurher
Member
I love machine work!!
I have a 14/40 clausing copy and a 16x60 Dean Smith and Grace beast.
I’ll look forward to see your guys setups!
I have a 14/40 clausing copy and a 16x60 Dean Smith and Grace beast.
I’ll look forward to see your guys setups!
matty
Border raider.
Friends i know have EMCO / hobymat small lathes, another has a similar lathe called an Axminster , and to be fair they do some good work on them. we are currently living in rather an expensive time, cars bikes property is over priced and lathes and machinery generally are no exception.
Its possible to find older lathes, but they are not as plentiful and as economical to buy as they once were, so the Chinese clarkes etc are an option many will consider and for good reason.
My advice for what its worth is to look carefully at any used examples you might find on the sales rooms online auctions or selling sites, research the brand and model look at similar models and what they made at auctions and draw your own conclusions on what you think its worth, decide a max price go up to that and don't get sucked into the bidding melee sadly all too common at auctions in these post covid19 times.
A good site for doing any research on the vast majority of lathes is this one( http://www.lathes.co.uk/ ) lots of brands model info and general specifications to help you decide on a used lathe if you do decide to go down that route.
Its possible to find older lathes, but they are not as plentiful and as economical to buy as they once were, so the Chinese clarkes etc are an option many will consider and for good reason.
My advice for what its worth is to look carefully at any used examples you might find on the sales rooms online auctions or selling sites, research the brand and model look at similar models and what they made at auctions and draw your own conclusions on what you think its worth, decide a max price go up to that and don't get sucked into the bidding melee sadly all too common at auctions in these post covid19 times.
A good site for doing any research on the vast majority of lathes is this one( http://www.lathes.co.uk/ ) lots of brands model info and general specifications to help you decide on a used lathe if you do decide to go down that route.
100% my honest opinion, I don't see much use for a mill in a welding shop. Biggest lathe you can fit, plasma table, bandsaw, even a portable with a table, standalone drill press (easy to move) and a big press/brake/Ironworker would all be my want to have before worrying about a mill.
How much parts do you need to mill out that wouldn't be better cut and folder/welded out of plate?
Auto hubs should all cut pretty good and without much effort, holding them may be a pain, but anything over 10" swing should do it. I'd much, much rather turn the bores on a latge rather than bore them with a mill.
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ThePanzerFurher
Member
In the perfect world You need a mill also. The ability to locate and drill accurate holes is priceless. I have been pining over getting a haas vf3 or vf4 for my shop.
Layout die and a sharp stick are handy and make it easy to eyeball. I can certainly see the benefit, I've got 4 mills and 3 lathes at work, but for the automotive and welding stuff 2d flatwork and turning take the bulk of it.
Actually have a haas vf2, wanted and asked for a 3, work said no, have a 2 🤣
Did a 14.5" square part the other day on a haas tm2, only has 12" y travel. Made for a bear to setup over and over, but it certainly worked.
In a perfect world you aren't pressed for space. That's (part of) my gripe about the small and combo mills is that they just lack the table and travel. At least with a freestanding drill press you get a ton of throat, often more quill travel and can setup in whatever odd way works. Unless I'm doing small /6" Dia hole patterns it will be getting eyeballed and laid out regardless.
Don't let me stop you from spending your money though, buy as much as you can afford. I'll take a week off work to play...er, setup it for you!
ThePanzerFurher
Member
Does any of your machines have probing/ tool setting on them? I want to find one that has that to help speed up repair work.
The Mill would more of a luxury for small jobs, cutting dovetails and such. Not realted to the welding business per se.
Vf2 does, it's a neat tool and worth whatever it costs.
Need to have? No. Nice to have? Yes. I'll take a probe over chip auger every day though.
Alan F.
Well-known member
I've got an old green HF 7x10 that's been ok to work within its capacity, very limited though.
I agree. There is very little a mill can do, that a lathe cannot also do with some well thought out setups.
If you can only have one, definitely get the lathe. And get the biggest lathe you can afford/fit. There is simply no replacement for displacement with a lathe. The more metal in it, and the more horsepower, the more you will be able to do. Big lathes can make tiny parts, but small lathes can’t make big parts.
I don’t have tons of shop space, but this Emco Maximat MQ3100 with a Maximat7 millhead is everything I need and more.
10” swing, 1hp on 110v power lathe and 1/4hp 1740rpm mill will do almost anything I need for a bike.
Austrian made in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s much heavier than it’s current Chinese counterparts.
10” swing, 1hp on 110v power lathe and 1/4hp 1740rpm mill will do almost anything I need for a bike.
Austrian made in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s much heavier than it’s current Chinese counterparts.
A riding buddy is a machinist for a living, he upgraded to something newer/bigger at his home shop so I snagged his old Clausing 5909. Running it off a VFD since the original motor is 3 phase.
matty
Border raider.
On the subject of the VFD, I used to know an old sidecar racer in the 70s(long dead now) He used to run his three phase lathes and Mill jig borer off a old three phase motor fastened to a piece of railway sleeper, All he use to do was Flick the pulley on the three phase motor with his boot toe whilst flicking the single phase power on, and believe it or not it worked his three phase machines apparently fine. I will not pretend to know enough about three phase electrics to explain why this worked, but it did and his old workshop worked like that the 20+years i knew him .A riding buddy is a machinist for a living, he upgraded to something newer/bigger at his home shop so I snagged his old Clausing 5909. Running it off a VFD since the original motor is 3 phase.
Maybe a more enlightened ADV Bikes member more familiar with the dark arts of electrics could explain how this all functioned.