i'm currently looking at lathes and mills for a small home shop and have found Little machine Shop. I've read a positive review of one of their mills but I haven't seen anything on the lathe I'd be interested in. Does anyone here know anything about their 8.5x20 deluxe lathe. Their number on it is 3595 and they are selling it as a High Torque machine. i'd love to have something larger but i think i'm going to be toting these things into an unfinished basement so small is key. Any other machine suggestions are welcomed.
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looking at machines
- Thread starter jshelt72
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2014
- Messages
- 851
First question is: what kind of work do you want to do. The size and kind of work will pretty much determine what size machines you should look for.
Basement steps are a killer for machine tools. Recruit one or two friends to help carry stuff and it will expand your range of possibilities. Or, rig a slide out of plywood and get a small engine hoist or come along to move stuff into your shop. Helps a lot.
Little machine shop is a very responsive vendor. I like buying tool from them. Don’t know anything about their lathes and mills, except their market niche seems to be very smallish machine tools. Invariably, small tools are almost always to small and you may wish you went larger. PM is another good name, and they have a better range of machine sizes. Also Grizzly sells decent lathes and mills. Look for an Australian guy on You tube that produces a series of instructional videos for Tormach (sp). Small high speed lathe. Amazing what you can do with these things, Wish I could remember his name.
Glenn
Basement steps are a killer for machine tools. Recruit one or two friends to help carry stuff and it will expand your range of possibilities. Or, rig a slide out of plywood and get a small engine hoist or come along to move stuff into your shop. Helps a lot.
Little machine shop is a very responsive vendor. I like buying tool from them. Don’t know anything about their lathes and mills, except their market niche seems to be very smallish machine tools. Invariably, small tools are almost always to small and you may wish you went larger. PM is another good name, and they have a better range of machine sizes. Also Grizzly sells decent lathes and mills. Look for an Australian guy on You tube that produces a series of instructional videos for Tormach (sp). Small high speed lathe. Amazing what you can do with these things, Wish I could remember his name.
Glenn
I mostly want to do model engines and clocks. i have a small instrument lathe with a few accessories but it doesn't like larger material. I've looked at Grizzly and the Southbend Heavy 10 is really tempting but heavy and a bit out of my price range at the moment, but i don't have to be in a hurry either. I could probably recruit a couple of people to help carry one down stairs too.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
- Messages
- 798
The Grizzly 12x36 or something like it is a good middle of the road caliber machine, and with a little help
not too bad to move around, I have a CM 12x36 and it does very nicely for my small to not huge projects
and the cost is not prohibitive...JMHO
not too bad to move around, I have a CM 12x36 and it does very nicely for my small to not huge projects
and the cost is not prohibitive...JMHO
Since you already have a small instrument lathe I would recommend at least the SB heavy 10, and as Norseman CB said the 12x36 is a good middle of the road caliber. Also to consider make and size in the available used and after market accessories and tooling.
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2015
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- 323
You might look at the Precision Matthews PM-1228VF-LB PRECISION 12″X28″ LATHE. Way below the price of the SB heavy 10 and still a full featured lathe with good support and reputation. It weighs in below 500# and while not light you only have to move it once, there are several articles and YouTube videos on moving equipment safely. I have a lathe twice that weight and with a few friends and some preparation we have moved it twice and while I don't want to do it again it can be done safely and without issues. I have a "bridgeport size" mill and my wife and I got that off my trailer and into position in the new shop ourselves.
Some features only offered on larger lathes come in very handy and a machines weight helps accuracy no doubt. Just some thoughts based off my experience starting with very small machines that really would not do what I wanted and now having larger tools and being much happier in the shop.
Some features only offered on larger lathes come in very handy and a machines weight helps accuracy no doubt. Just some thoughts based off my experience starting with very small machines that really would not do what I wanted and now having larger tools and being much happier in the shop.
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2015
- Messages
- 125
Personally I won’t touch harbor hate and reading “made in China” gives me nausea, or at least a little indigestion. I’m good with Taiwan although you’ve got to be careful and do your homework. Bottom line, cheap is cheap and while we don’t have deep pockets around here, quality without going broke can be had if you have patience and discipline.
Granted it’s a new world and the fact is American and European built machines aren’t really being produced anymore. Trick is (assuming you want to buy new) is to find where the quality is being built. I’m sure some good machines are coming from China but for me it’s too confusing and I just keep it simple by eliminating the country altogether. Weird thing is that a in some cases a particalur machine “genre” is coming in base form from essentially a single producer and then a secondary manufacturers are doing their thing which is most of the work. Then a third applying paint and badges sometimes. That second and third tier are the things to be investigated.
For me it’s too hard and I just stick with quality/trusted brands and go back in time to the point I can afford. Of course, in at least one case that meant I had to go back to nineteen fifty three
Granted it’s a new world and the fact is American and European built machines aren’t really being produced anymore. Trick is (assuming you want to buy new) is to find where the quality is being built. I’m sure some good machines are coming from China but for me it’s too confusing and I just keep it simple by eliminating the country altogether. Weird thing is that a in some cases a particalur machine “genre” is coming in base form from essentially a single producer and then a secondary manufacturers are doing their thing which is most of the work. Then a third applying paint and badges sometimes. That second and third tier are the things to be investigated.
For me it’s too hard and I just stick with quality/trusted brands and go back in time to the point I can afford. Of course, in at least one case that meant I had to go back to nineteen fifty three
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2012
- Messages
- 1,352
For model work and clock work, a lot of folks are using the Sherline series of machines, and they perform very well for those applications. We have a member here Mickey I think that is very familiar with Sherline machines.
I also do small work and mostly clock stuff and use my Atlas 618 which has more than enough work envelop. The lathe that you showed in your first post is something that I would die for, quick change gear box etc.
I seems like if you are going to consider something like the heavy 10, then perhaps you are already thinking of much larger projects.???
David
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
- Messages
- 798
About Chinese made equipment, no It is not made as heavy as old American iron, but a real machinist can make it work, and work well,
the opinions on this subject are indeed like anal orifices everyone has one, and each has it peculiar odor, not all people can afford
old, or new American iron at the ridiculous prices on the market these days. I learned, made my living on, and greatly appreciate American made equipment, but cant afford it, and in my opinion someone telling a newbie that he shouldn't or cant play unless he can afford the best is wrong on MANY levels. That's like telling a kid he cant drive unless he can buy a Cadillac.
I was under the assumption that this was a forum to help those that want to learn this noble trade. not set the bar too high to reach for those just starting out. Yes American and most European machines are better built, but Asian machinery has come a long way in the last decade or so and is indeed usable as well as affordable.........
the opinions on this subject are indeed like anal orifices everyone has one, and each has it peculiar odor, not all people can afford
old, or new American iron at the ridiculous prices on the market these days. I learned, made my living on, and greatly appreciate American made equipment, but cant afford it, and in my opinion someone telling a newbie that he shouldn't or cant play unless he can afford the best is wrong on MANY levels. That's like telling a kid he cant drive unless he can buy a Cadillac.
I was under the assumption that this was a forum to help those that want to learn this noble trade. not set the bar too high to reach for those just starting out. Yes American and most European machines are better built, but Asian machinery has come a long way in the last decade or so and is indeed usable as well as affordable.........
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
- Messages
- 335
Having started with a smaller mill and lathe, my only suggestion is to get something a little bigger. I have a Grizzly 10x22 now and while still a fairly small lathe, a huge difference over a 7x14 as far as capability. Same for a mill. I also had a LMS 3990 HiTorque and I CNC'd it. It was great to learn on, but a larger benchtop like a Grizzly 0704 or one of the PM models will serve you much better and the price difference isn't huge. You should be able to take either apart enough to make it manageable as far as getting it down the stairs. It's also not a bad idea to break it down to clean it well and align and check everything as you go anyway.
Good luck.
Good luck.