Thread: Lathe... What to buy?

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Here's my question?
I am looking for a lathe to make misc. car parts. Bushings, spacers, stuff like that. Don't need anything big, just accurate. I'm looking on EBAY (See attachment) at a "desktop size" lathe. This would be big enough to do what I need, but are these lathes heavy duty enough or are they just not worth it. The attached lathe is "new" and is listed for $349.00 + $45.00 shipping. Has anyone had any experience with this size lathe? Or would I be better off buying a bigger used lathe. I can't justify spending big bucks on a tool I am only useing for a hobby making knick-knack sized parts. Does anyone know of a good reputable place to buy a lathe. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

EBAY description
-7" Over bed swing
-4" Over cross slide swing
-10" Between centers
-A spindel bore of 3/4"
-Taper of bore/center 3mt/2mt
-This has variable speeds from 200-3000 rpm and is reversible!
-This can give 18 different threads from 12-52 threads per inch!
-110v 1/2 hp electric motor.
-The width of the bed face is 3 1/4 and an overall bed length of 15 3/4"
-The weight is 89 pounds.

From my been there done that file...there are many lathes in this class. I bought one last year (a enco 9-20) after looking high and low...one of the big issues to watch for is the included tooling...Chucks, tools, stands, bits, and other items included with the purchase. The are many good site on the web that are worth taking the time to research. yahoo groups has several. After having bought the lathe you will find that it is only the minor part of the inventory the you will need.... also the learning curve is a long and costly one in most cases...In my case I now have a lathe , milling machine, surface grinder and etc. and have made parts that I could have had a machine shop make far cheaper and with fewer lost hours and shop space, all that said , would I do it again.........you bet!!!!!!

Yup. I just like the challenge of building my own stuff. I had a Southbend lathe back in the 70's. 17" throw 8' bed. I just need a little one to put in the corner and use from time to time. Looks like I should do more research to find best bang for the buck. I have a cnc router for my sign shop. It's designed to cut wood, but if you crank the speed and RPM's way down it "L do aluminum. Made this aluminum combination shock mount and 4 link stiffener to bolt under the modular aluminum 9" on my 70 Z-28. Still needs the edges rounded and polished. Got the right side bracket done. I get a kick out of making odd parts like this.

I think these little bench top lathes are good for making small parts and I've made some close tolerance miniature bushings on one but most of the lathe work needed for a car will require a bigger lathe. You should be able to find a small used floor model for around $800. You get better deals at an actual auction than an ebay auction on used machinery and shipping won't be so bad if it's closer to home. If your hobby was model railroading the mini lathe is great but for a hot rodder it would be a $400 dust collector taking up space on your workbench.
And Rob is right about getting as much tooling as you can with the lathe that you buy. It should at least come with a 3 jaw chuck and a tool post. A set of collets would be nice but aren't always included.
AL

Thanks for the info. I think I'll look for a used floor model.
If anyone knows of a good place to pick up a used lathe in the Chicago area, I'd like to take a look.
Got the Shock mount finished and installed this weekend. Shock brackets are temporarily bolted off the bottom of the mount so the shocks can be mounted fully extended, just for chassis set-up.

In the chicago area I work in the industrial market and the cheapest place around would be harbor freight tools by 53 and dundee I think its palatine, they have a ton of other cheaper tools that can come in handy if your looking for industrial used stuff perfection machinery, jet machinery, and I think astral precision on carbides and cutting tools are all located in elk grove village, illinois. Hope this helps ya.. If I had a choice I would get a shop smith its a lathe drill press and mill all in one.

I have a Smithy lathe/mill combination and a Jet lathe. Both have been excellant performers and I've been using the Smithy nearly every day for nearly 14 yrs with no real problems.
You may want to look into a lathe/mill combination machine. It gives you a nice lathe and a mill that is not the best but is very usable. Do a search under lathe/mill and you'll get a bunch of hits for these things.
As far as tooling and such I usually use Enco or J&B for most of my hard tool or tooling needs.
Mark

pro70z28: I am impressed...how about a few more pics of your project....scale

I'm just getting started, so there's not much to see yet. This is what I do have so far.

Built a jig to square it up and make it easier to work on.

I am using a foam mock up block & heads to set up the chassis. Bolt on stuff is the real thing though. 1071 BDS blower. Enderle injection hat has an E.F.I. fuel rail built inside to make it more streetable.

The 86 Camaro is my son Jeff's. When he bought it the silver paint was in bad shape. I put a paint job on it for him and got hooked. That's when I bought this 70 Camaro. This is what it looked like when I pulled it home. Jeff gets a kick out of telling me his car is faster than mine.

Oops. forgot to add pic.

Originally posted by rattymodelA
In the chicago area I work in the industrial market and the cheapest place around would be harbor freight tools by 53 and dundee I think its palatine, they have a ton of other cheaper tools that can come in handy if your looking for industrial used stuff perfection machinery, jet machinery, and I think astral precision on carbides and cutting tools are all located in elk grove village, illinois. Hope this helps ya.. If I had a choice I would get a shop smith its a lathe drill press and mill all in one.

Northern tool has this one in their catalog for $699.00. Does harbor freight cary the combo units like this? I'd like to take a drive up there and see one before I buy. Elk Grove Village is not too far away either. I go there from time to time for Sign Supplies. Might be time for a road trip. Thanks rattymodelA

Harbor Freight, Northern Tool, Grizzly, Enco are but a few of the companies that sell these units. Check the web as all have web pages. Most have sales on their products thru out the year. With out opening to big a can of worms, most of these units are made around the pacific rim. Of all the lathes in the smaller sizes most are made to the same spec. and are almost the same except for color and included extras.