Always been interested ...Should i get a lathe?

Standsontoes

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Greetings,

So since highschool shop class where i learned how to cut threads and make a cylinder into a smaller cylinder ive always been interested in machining.

Now im 30 and have the space in the garage and means to maaaaybe get my feet wet in this hobby.

First question... what do you weekend machinists make?? I have a few projects in mind that would require a lathe, but other than that... not sure what i would make... and inturn how much i would actually use the piece of equipment.

Dont get me wrong id have plenty to do learning everything i could. But infind i learn better with a practical project. It also easier to justify the real estate in the garage to the wife if the thing half assed earns its keep around the house.


Second question... is there a thing as too much lathe for a beginner? (Large industrial production lathes aside of course)

Ive done a bit of research and i know i want to steer clear of those chinese mini lathes... and to behonest the whole time ive been thinking of something with around 24- 30" center to center.

Ive found one of these locally...

Its in great shape, comes with a a bunch of tooling and.... is only $200... its not a junk yard heap with worn ways.. its from a foreclosure of a business... so yeah sort of a diamond in the rough of craigslist.

Is this overkill for someone who isnt sure they will be that interested in the hobby...

Googling always says get a lathe you can grow into not out of... but im on the fence...

I guess i could pick it up and sell it for major profit if i find im actually just into the idea of a lathe haha.


Thanks for any advice in advance
 
Of course you should get a lathe after all he who dies with the most toys wins ! Right ??
I am fairly new to the hobby myself and use my lathe(s) often in my farm/ranch shopas well as my gunsmithing hobby . After a few years of having a lathe trying to go back to not having one would be like trying to get by without a welder in the shop .
 
Get the biggest lathe you can manage to fit/move. Definitely steer clear of the Chinese mini-lathes - some people manage to do good work with them, but they are incredibly frustrating for a beginner. Ideally some good heavy old iron would be best, but the one you're looking at is a good price and probably is rigid enough (can't really tell from the generic page). Basically anything under a 10" swing is too small, a 12" swing is about just right, and with a 14" swing you're starting to get into the equipment that requires riggers to move. Pay careful attention to the stand or bench you will put it on, that has to be very rigid and you will likely end up building one.

Harold Hall as a book called "Lathework: A complete course" with a bunch of sample projects to get to started. For the most part, they are tools to use with the lathe/mill and around the shop. You'll probably find that half of the stuff you make is tooling.

What you will end up making depends a lot on your hobbies. People who work on guns and cars do a lot of machining on the lathe. Some guys turn out custom pens (remember those, heh). I do a few projects here and there for friends and neighbors but I've mostly abandoned the idea of having a rational justification for the shop, and spend most of my time making tooling to make more tooling to make more tooling.
 
I'm surprised you had a machine shop in High school. I thought they were all gone.
Good for you.
Go for it.
 
as for what can you make. The pages of this forum are full of things that hobbyist are making with their lathes. Particularly, look at the "project of the day" thread and the Member and Moderator project forums
 
I own an Enco that is almost identical to the green 13x37 Warco in the link you posted. It is the first late I have owned and feel that it is a very capable machine. I paid $1100 for it with nothing other than a 3 jaw chuck and it needed a good clean. I was able to get it down a flight of stairs without any crazy equipment (engine hoist to get it on the stand). It can cut metric and imperial threads, and there are spare parts available for it through Grizzly.

For $200 I don't think I would hesitate, but just make sure this is a hobby you want to invest time and money into. Getting the lathe is one thing, but committing space for it, learning how to use it, and starting a collection of machinists tools is another. I think it is a very rewarding hobby and a great skill to know.

Here is the write up I did on the machine: https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/enco-12x36-lathe-rebuild-picture-heavy.68660/

-Mike
 
I should mention, you will spend much more on tooling than you will on the lathe or mill.
You can take that to the bank.
 
The sooner you get a lathe, the more time you will have to use it. Buying tooling now with a possible 40 or more years of future use make the yearly cost of owning them very low.
Don't wait until age 62 like I did.
 
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