Mill Or Lathe

[bubbas55]

seems like a lot or stuff out there about the lathe and less about the mill. why, is the lathe more useful than the mill (dumb ??). is one more complicated to learn than the other and if so which. just trying to get started. thanks

 

[n.glasson]

seems like a lot or stuff out there about the lathe and less about the mill. why, is the lathe more useful than the mill (dumb ??). is one more complicated to learn than the other and if so which. just trying to get started. thanks

For most hobby machinists, a lathe is one of the highest priority pieces of equipment to have in a workshop. My workshop has 2 lathes, a drill press, a bench grinder and 2 small shapers. I don't have the floor space for a mill and it would be a big investment for a limited amount of use. My lathe gets used a couple of times a week. I guess it depends on what you intend to do. A lot of engineering revolves around making cylindrical or conical shapes - (shafts, studs, screws, bearings etc). A lathe is very efficient for machining these shapes, as well as cutting screw threads. If you intend to make gears, splines, keyways, dovetails or flat surfaces, then you may want to consider a mill. I get by with a vertical slide for my Harrison L5A to do small milling jobs and a shaper for some other jobs that might otherwise go on a mill. As with every machine, there is a learning curve. I wouldn't say that a mill is any easier or harder to drive than a lathe - it just involves a different skill set. The reason there is so much stuff out there on lathes is that it is probably 50:1 the more common piece of machinery in a hobby machinists workshop. Even on a tight budget you can get a small lathe and it will be useful. Small mills - not so much.

 

[joshua43214]

I suspect it simply comes down to lathes are more fun to run, so they get more talk.
Lathes are also less forgiving that mills in terms of tool set up, and mills have a greater potential for disaster. Crashing a mill usually results in a broken cutter, crashing a lathe will usually result in a damaged lathe.
Lathes can also be a bit more flexible. You can add a milling attachment to one and do light milling. Some "milling" operations tend to be better on a lathe - boring for example is easier on the lathe.

 

[brino]

Of course if you ask on this forum the answer would be "Both!".

I find the two machines are complementary.

If you want to break it down it's mainly that a lathe is better at making cylindrical, threaded or tapered "conical" parts and a mill is better at making flats, slots, dovetails, etc. (linear parts). It has everything to do with how the work-piece is presented to the cutting tool. On a lathe the part is rotating about some axis. On the mill the part is moving with the x, y, and z of the table as the cutting tool rotates.

Of course, you can also add a milling table to the cross-slide of a lathe OR turn a cylindrical part in the collet of the mill, using the table to hold a cutting tool. In both cases you'll find that it's awkward being limited by feed-screw lengths, etc. on a machine not exactly design for that purpose.

I have certainly seen more used lathes for sale than milling machines.
I suspect that there are many more lathes around than mills.

 

[RandyM]

For me it was to get a mill first. It really depends on the type of work you intend. But, in the end both are important to do a lot of machining.

 

[David S]

I think you have to consider the type of work you plan on doing and which machine would be used most. If most is done on the lathe then some milling can be down with a lathe with a suitable attachments.

If most work involves the mill, then some turning can be done on the mill as mentioned above.

First decide what you are planning on doing...and then simply get both

David

 

[wrmiller]

For me it was to get a mill first. It really depends on the type of work you intend. But, in the end both are important to do a lot of machining.

I was the same way. Had a mill for almost two years before I felt the need for a lathe. To me, a mill is way more versatile than a lathe. But as everyone has said, depends on what you're wanting to do.

 

[T Bredehoft]

I "need" both, each is used to make accessories for the other. Right now I'm turning a part on the lathe to make a Sine Plate for the mill.

 

[Baithog]

IMHO - A mill costs more for similar capabilities. Getting into machining is generally a dollar limited exercise. A lathe lets you do round stuff, and in a pinch, with the right tooling, you can do some milling. A mill doesn't do round stuff very well. So a lathe is usually first. Eventually you need a mill. The reason there are more lathes out there is that small repair shops did mostly round stuff, shafts, bushings, and such.

 

[planeflyer21]

I see the lathe as far more versatile of the two. One of the people I worked corrections with bought a fairly big lathe, then used it to build his milling machine.

If you haven't found it yet, get on youtube and find myfordboy's channel. He routinely uses his Myford lathe as a horizontal mill and turns out beautiful projects. He also has a mill but seems to use the Myford quite a bit more.