Bolton Lathe/Mill

[IAmJohnny5]

I'm new to machining and I want to really dive into it and I've been chomping at the bit to finally get a lathe. I found a place that is selling off an entire machine shop of equipment and this is the one I'm going to take a look at this afternoon. It's a Bolton BPD290VF combo lathe/mill.

Pluses and minuses:
-It's in the best condition of the ones I've seen on their offer up and I know I'm in for a lot of tlc to get it up and running. I can handle that.
-I don't have any plans for big parts but precision is a goal, I know combo machines aren't going to be the best for that
-Getting a combo machine saves me the hassle of having to shop around for a milling machine
-Everything here is what I presumably get, so not much in the way of tooling, I think my budget is ok with that
-It's small enough to fit in the garage without taking up too much precious space for my brothers car
-At $1500 I absolutely can't beat the price, normally retails for 7k brand new.
-It's already got a DRO
-This picture is 2 months old and it already looks pretty sun beaten, it could be worse now.

Does this sound like a good buy or should I cool my jets for a little bit longer?

 

[matthewsx]

Hello and welcome.

Simply put Bolton = No

Combo machines are usually not great but my experience with Bolton is that they are poorly built and lack any kind on manufacturer support.

For $1500 you can buy a decent used lathe, then save up for a mill.

Or, if you want to make a road trip here's a small combo machine at a decent price.

Edelstaal Machinex5 Lathe / Drill / Mill Complete - tools - by owner...

Edelstaal Machinex5 Lathe/Drill/Mill Made in USA – Circa 1979 All original Edelstaal accessories (Except for cutting bits): -1/4 H.P. motor. 110V AC. Just plug into any wall socket. (It’s a DC motor...

sfbay.craigslist.org

I know nothing about the brand but it looks fairly stout for the size.

Here's one near you that might be worth checking out.

GRIZZLY 12" x 36" Gap Bed Manual Engine Lathe - tools - by owner -...

Good working condition. Model G1001 12" Swing 18" Swing over gap 1-9/16" Spindle bore 36" Between centers 1-1/2 HP Motor 110 / 220 Volt, 1-Phase Dimensions: 70" x 30" Weight: 1000 lbs. (I have a...

losangeles.craigslist.org

Keep asking questions here, we're always happy to help people spend their money.

JOhn

 

[woodchucker]

combo machines are frustrating. They don't do anything well.
They are usually small lathes, small mills, the mills only usefulness is if you need to drill mill round stock.
Other than that, they fail on their x-y-z travels... the table is not a table.. I used to think before I started machining I wanted one.. but after learning, No , glad I didn't.

 

[IAmJohnny5]

Simply put Bolton = No

Combo machines are usually not great but my experience with Bolton is that they are poorly built and lack any kind on manufacturer support.

Well that's disappointing to here. I know that combos are pretty frowned upon here but I could get over that. Not having manufacturer support though is more of a deal breaker though.

combo machines are frustrating. They don't do anything well.
They are usually small lathes, small mills, the mills only usefulness is if you need to drill mill round stock.
Other than that, they fail on their x-y-z travels... the table is not a table.. I used to think before I started machining I wanted one.. but after learning, No , glad I didn't.

I wish I could experience this for myself. Maybe I'll see why everyone is skeptical when I go look at it today, but I'm leaning more towards no now.

 

[matthewsx]

I owned a Bolton lathe for a while and had the displeasure of dealing with Toolots trying to get parts they listed but did not have. Also, the build quality for Bolton is a step lower than most Chinese machines.

As for combo machines, it's a simple mater of two factors combining to make a bad situation. First you are trying to combine two distinctly different functions that demand rigidity in different places, most pronounced is the lack of milling rigidity when trying to use a lathe cross slide as and x/y table. Second, every machine is built to a price point so trying to fit as many functions as possible into one machine leads to many, many compromises, especially with the combo machine buyer trying to get out of spending for two machines. The first machine tool I bought back in the early 2000's was a combo, I was happy to unload it for half of what I paid which funded an old Seneca Falls lathe that was a workhorse for many years.

There's a good reason most will encourage new hobby users to start with a lathe rather than a mill or combo. You can do many operations that one might think require a mill with creative lathe setups (like squaring material). The lathe was the first machine tool, and is often cited as the only one that can reproduce itself. Running a lathe will build skills like understanding feeds & speeds, tool grinding, and materials selection.

We often ask newcomers here what projects they anticipate doing first. Many of us start with just the idea of building stuff from metal and that's okay. My personal opinion is a 10 or 12 inch lathe is the right place to start since it'll give you enough capability to build real stuff. Over many years I've finally gotten to what I think is the optimum small home shop setup with a 12 x 36 lathe and a 3/4 size Bridgeport clone. I think these tools are in the "goldilocks" zone of big enough for serious work, without requiring a huge shop and industrial power.

Like I said before, keep asking questions and reading the forum. @DavidR8 started out here a while back and reading his progression from tiny Asian machine, to South Bend lathe, buying large lots and selling stuff off, to recently getting what he thinks will suit his needs will serve as an instructive journey for someone starting out.

Cheers,

John

 

[Larry$]

I got started machining when I bought out the remains of a manufacturing plant. I sold off most of it on site. There was a Jet 9x49 mill that I kept.
Turns out a mill w/o a lathe doesn't get you very far. When I retired I bought a PM 1440HD lathe. It is Chinese but after fixing a few things has been fine. Having PM for support is a big plus. So is having 3 phase power. I don't think I would get smaller than a 12" swing lathe unless you were really forced to. But again depends on what you want to limit yourself to making. There are YT videos of some pretty nice solutions to milling on a lathe. BUT w/o a mill there are many operations you simply can't do.
As many people on this site have said: Plan on spending almost as much on tooling as on the machine. Turns out to be true!

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks for the mention @matthewsx
My journey certainly has been interesting, and aided immensely by the great folks here.
I concur that a 12x lathe is a great size. I had a South Bend 10K (aka Light 10) and now I have Clausing 100 Mk3 which is a 12x36. The additional mass from the South Bend is noticeable when it comes to rigidity.
Sadly I don't have room for a knee mill. I did have an RF clone which I sold in this Spring.
I now have a PM30-class mill from Weiss which fits my space much better.
At the end of the day, almost any lathe /mill is better than none.

 

[matthewsx]

Thanks for the mention @matthewsx
My journey certainly has been interesting, and aided immensely by the great folks here.
I concur that a 12x lathe is a great size. I had a South Bend 10K (aka Light 10) and now I have Clausing 100 Mk3 which is a 12x36. The additional mass from the South Bend is noticeable when it comes to rigidity.
Sadly I don't have room for a knee mill. I did have an RF clone which I sold in this Spring.
I now have a PM30-class mill from Weiss which fits my space much better.
At the end of the day, almost any lathe /mill is better than none.

I always mention you because your journey is very representative of what many go through. I don't think there's any real shortcuts, but hanging out here can help prevent some costly mistakes.

The OP is in Los Angeles Metro which is a great place for used equipment. There's a few good threads on how to check things out, and some absolute rules which we all break at least once. The machine posted here is one of them (don't buy anything you can't inspect under power). If it's strapped down to a palate chances are good it's actually scrap metal and should be priced accordingly.

As for tooling, yes it can cost as much or more than the machine itself. But, if you get lucky and your seller will throw stuff in you can obtain a lot of things for very little $. Also, keep an eye out on local Craigslist. More than once have I gone to buy something and the seller is a retiring machinist that loads me up with more stuff than I know what to do with. Not all of it is great but if you can learn how to sharpen HSS you can get some very good bits for short money.

John

 

[C-Bag]

The machine posted here is one of them (don't buy anything you can't inspect under power). If it's strapped down to a palate chances are good it's actually scrap metal and should be priced accordingly.

THIS^^^^^^!!! If it was not stripped down like this so but you can’t try it out is a giant red flag.

 

[markba633csi]

Smithy makes the only decent combo machine and I even hesitate to recommend that one. Stay far away from Bolton stuff. Ditto for the
"Vevor" stuff you see on Amazon. Horrible quality control; sometimes good, but very hit or miss, and the defects can be almost anywhere.

Get two smaller machines. A small lathe and mini-mill will get you much farther than any combo contraption.
You're in LA- machines are all over the place- keep looking. Most machines you look at will be worn- many worn out.

An Atlas lathe is a good starting point if it has the roller bearing headstock and isn't too trashed. I have two, a 6" and a 12"
Whatever you get make sure it has accessories- chucks, faceplates, steady rests, etc. Don't buy a stripper. Get all the goodies.
Exception would be the 3-jaw chuck which is often worn out and will need replacing.

Advice on buying a Lathe