Need Some Help Picking A New Lathe

[shooter123456]

I posted a thread a few months ago about upgrading my mill or converting it to CNC. The vast majority said upgrade, not CNC. Well, looking into new machines, I realized my current mill does everything I need it to, it just takes some extra time. But my 7x12 lathe is holding me back in a few things that I want to do such as truing rifle actions and contouring and chambering barrels.

Quick thing about my financial situation if it helps: I am a college student and I only work part time when school is in. I work full time during the summers which is why I have some extra money. During the school year I make only enough to cover my expenses and part of my hobbies. So when I say my max price is $2000, and the next machine that is way better is $2900, I am painfully aware. If I try to save more, I won't be able to save any until next year at the earliest. If I outgrow this machine in 3 years, I am ok with that, maybe there will be more spending money when I get a real job. I have been checking online every day looking for a used machine but I haven't found anything that looks good near me. I also don't feel up to buying an older (like 40+ years) and restoring it.

The three machines I have found that I think will fit the bill are:

Grizzly G9972Z - http://www.grizzly.com/products/11-x-26-Bench-Lathe-w-Gearbox/G9972Z?utm_campaign=zPage

Bolton Tool CQ9332 - http://boltontool.com/Lathes/metal-lathe/12-x-24-gear-head-bench-top-metal-lathe-machine-cq9332

Bolton Tool BT1030A - http://boltontool.com/Lathes/metal-lathe/metal_lathe_BT1030A

I am leaning the most towards the grizzly because it is long enough to contour a 26" barrel between centers, spindle bore can fit most profiles I would work with, comes with 2 chucks, a steady and follow rest, a faceplate, and centers. The boltons don't have any tooling. Drawbacks for it are the limited speeds, the relatively high 150 rpm for threading, the partial gearbox, only feeds to the left, and the bore won't be able to fit the very heavy barrels or suppressor tubes.

I was hoping for some input from the more experienced guys. If I could learn to profile and chamber barrels on this, I will be very satisfied. No production work, no for profit work, and no very heavy and intense machining. If there is a better option or I am kidding myself with this machine, don't hold back. I appreciate all the input.

 

[MSD0]

You might want to check out the PM-1030V (around $2k). Comes with power cross feed, variable speed, 1" spindle bore, etc. Good customer service as well.

 

[shooter123456]

You might want to check out the PM-1030V (around $2k). Comes with power cross feed, variable speed, 1" spindle bore, etc. Good customer service as well.

I didn't know about that one! This stuff is exactly the reason I asked before buying.

It looks like for $375 I would get 4" between centers, variable speed, tachometer, power crossfeed, and PM service I have been reading so much about.

Drawbacks are: its 100 lbs lighter, it has 2 fewer inches of cross slide travel, it won't preserve torque at lower speeds like a pulley system will, its bed is .7" more narrow, and I can't find a spec sheet.

I think I am definitely going more in the direction now. I had planned to make the Grizzly variable speed eventually if thats the one I got but that saves time and money right off the bat.

 

[MSD0]

Look through the Precision Mathews forum. I think a few people have picked up the PM1022 recently.

 

[Cadillac STS]

While you are looking:

Open Craigslist twice per day and search "Lathe" You could find something used locally for much less than new. Still buy something new if you want but at least put the line in the water online locally. You may be surprised. Also same thing with Ebay set to "Nearest first" so you could drive over and buy the machine without shipping.

 

[Splat]

I went through this. What I've learned since is I would've went new right off the bat if (A) I had the money or time to save; (B) did NOT have enough experience or someone with the experience to check out a used machine properly. Getting burned on buying a used junk machine hurts you time-wise and financially twice because you'll end up buying something (hopefully) better down the road. I think with Grizzly or Precision Matthews (Quality Machine Tools) you will get a good machine with good support....tho the nod goes to QMT for support.

 

[MSD0]

I was in the same boat and didn't want to get burned on a used machine. I also needed something light enough that could be moved into an office suite on the 4th floor. I've been happy with the PM1127 and Matt at Quality Machine Tools has been great at answering questions, etc. I've heard good things about Grizzly's customer service so either machine would be a good choice.

 

[shooter123456]

While you are looking:

Open Craigslist twice per day and search "Lathe" You could find something used locally for much less than new. Still buy something new if you want but at least put the line in the water online locally. You may be surprised. Also same thing with Ebay set to "Nearest first" so you could drive over and buy the machine without shipping.

I have been searching craigslist daily in my state and each of the surrounding states for well over a month now. I have found a few that looked decent but a lot of them seemed like they would be a project and a lot of money to get it going. I really wanted to get a 12x24-40 but I couldn't find any under $3000.

 

[shooter123456]

I was in the same boat and didn't want to get burned on a used machine. I also needed something light enough that could be moved into an office suite on the 4th floor. I've been happy with the PM1127 and Matt at Quality Machine Tools has been great at answering questions, etc. I've heard good things about Grizzly's customer service so either machine would be a good choice.

I have spoken with Matt and I plan to order a 1030v today. He answered a whole lot of my questions within an hour and said that 90% of their machines ship the same day as the order. I appreciate your feedback.

 

[shooter123456]

I went through this. What I've learned since is I would've went new right off the bat if (A) I had the money or time to save; (B) did NOT have enough experience or someone with the experience to check out a used machine properly. Getting burned on buying a used junk machine hurts you time-wise and financially twice because you'll end up buying something (hopefully) better down the road. I think with Grizzly or Precision Matthews (Quality Machine Tools) you will get a good machine with good support....tho the nod goes to QMT for support.

This sounds like me. Being a college student, I can only save money during the summer. From August to May, I just try to keep my net change at 0. I also don't have enough experience to differentiate between a nice used machine and a worn out hunk of scrap metal. I am going to call up Matt today to order the 1030v. It looks like a huge upgrade from the 11x26 I was considering from Grizzly.

I have also been very pleased with Matts response time and patience. I sent an email with a question today at 10:16 AM and got a response at 10:26 AM.