Looking for Advice on What to Buy

Kevin, send me your email address and I'll forward you a copy of what I used.

davidb at citiloc dot com

David
 
You will have no idea what equipment will be needed until the work is known.
A better way to ask the question , "What Machine Should I Buy", is I want a lathe that will do simple OD/ID operations within a work envelope of 15" Dia. X 36" length. that costs less then $2500.00.

Time is not a consideration when making parts.

I do not require the ability to interpolate complex shapes, this may be done using traditional methods (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

I do not require the ability to easily produce any thread size and lead as this may be done using traditional methods (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

I do not require the added expense of a variable speed spindle control (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

I do not require a powerful rigid machine because (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

Therefore your choice is quite simple, if any of the machines you are looking at fit the work you will be doing just buy the least expensive one, if in time it does not do what you want you will have to look at other options
 
You will have no idea what equipment will be needed until the work is known.
A better way to ask the question , "What Machine Should I Buy", is I want a lathe that will do simple OD/ID operations within a work envelope of 15" Dia. X 36" length. that costs less then $2500.00.

Time is not a consideration when making parts.

I do not require the ability to interpolate complex shapes, this may be done using traditional methods (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

I do not require the ability to easily produce any thread size and lead as this may be done using traditional methods (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

I do not require the added expense of a variable speed spindle control (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

I do not require a powerful rigid machine because (Time is not a consideration when making parts)

Therefore your choice is quite simple, if any of the machines you are looking at fit the work you will be doing just buy the least expensive one, if in time it does not do what you want you will have to look at other options


I know my question was broad. Right now I could probably get by with a mill/drill and a lathe that would turn a 2" piece that is 24" long. I am however always getting into new things and new projects. I've learned from past experience that I should have upgraded when I make the purchase to begin with and that would have saved me from upgrading later. In most situations you can do small jobs on bigger machines but doing big jobs on a small machine isn't feasible. My question was most certainly difficult. However, you all have definitely gave me some food for thought.
 
I know my question was broad. Right now I could probably get by with a mill/drill and a lathe that would turn a 2" piece that is 24" long. I am however always getting into new things and new projects. I've learned from past experience that I should have upgraded when I make the purchase to begin with and that would have saved me from upgrading later. In most situations you can do small jobs on bigger machines but doing big jobs on a small machine isn't feasible. My question was most certainly difficult. However, you all have definitely gave me some food for thought.

The work envelope of a manual lathe pretty-much falls into 5 categories. Micro, mini, medium, large and huge.

Medium lathes are in the 11 thru 14" swing. They come in 11, 12, 13 and 14" sizes. In my view of the world, there's no functional difference between a 12 and 13" lathe. When I use them, I can't really tell any difference. Figure-out your price range and make a determination if you want the finer features and craftsmanship (i.e. Chinese or Taiwanese). Then, decide if you want a 12 - 13 x 36 or, a 14x40.

For the mill, try to decide how heavy your pieces will be or if you have a need to work on unusually long pieces. Select a bed size and weight capacity accordingly. As far as mills are concerned, I prefer gear-shift heads over heads that require manual belt-step changes.

Ray
 
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