Newbie looking for advice on first lathe/mill

Joe Martin, the founder of Sherline Products, provided the following answer to the question, "How big a part can I work on?": "The physical size limitations of any machine are easy to determine from its published specifications, but what does the hardness of the material you wish to turn do to those numbers in the real world? A good rule to remember when it comes to purchasing any lathe is to take the average diameter you plan to work with and multiply that times 3 for free machining materials and times for 4 for tough materials like stainless steel. If the materials you plan to work with are free machining (aluminum, brass and free machining steel), you will be pleased with a 3.5" lathe like the Sherline as long as the average part you make is approximately 1" (25 mm) in diameter. Wood and plastic are so easy to machine that only size limitations need be considered. I don't mean to imply that you can't machine a 3" flywheel, but if you are planning ..." - page 267 of Tabletop Machining: A basic approach to making small parts on miniature machine tools, by Joe Martin.

I watched the two videos of Clickspring making a die holder for the Sherline tailstock. I think that the die holder can be made using a Sherline lathe and mill. Clickspring started with 1.5-inch diameter aluminum bar stock. The swing-over-the-carriage of the Sherline lathe is 1.75 inches.

Edit: the remainder of Joe Martin's answer
"... to consistently make parts of that size, you will probably be happier with a larger machine and more horsepower.

Removing large amounts of metal on a small machine takes time. If you have lots of time, the size of the part is less critical. Users of any machine are happier with its performance when they are not consistently pushing the limits of its capabilities. If you usually make small parts well within the capabilities of a 3.5" lathe and every once in a while need to turn a part sized near the machine's limits, you will be very satisfied wit that lathe's performance.

A vertical milling machine is capable of holding larger parts than a lathe because the part is held and only the tool turns. It also has a much longer table throw (X-axis travel) than a lathe. On a Sherline mill with the addition of the horizontal milling conversion, surfaces up to 6" x 9" can be machined without moving the part. This is a very large machinable area for a tool of this compact size."
 
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I started with a Unimat SL1000 with power feed and love it. It stays in my model airplane hobby room and gets used regularly. I also bought a 1440 lathe but have it at my shop 3 miles away. I probably could have split the size difference and been fine with 1.
 
This is quite a good balanced take on the mini-lathe posted very recently (by one of my fellow countrymen no less):


Worth a watch and worth watching it all. Chap has a pretty bearable, sensible and 'compact' presenting style so the 30-odd minutes doesn't feel like 30 minutes really.

Also Blondihacks' channel is a good shout for beginners like us too. :)
 
I was in your position not too long ago. I would really look around for a 9" lathe (or bigger), unless you are absolutely sure you will not be working on anything of any size, or are absolutely cramped for space. I was exactly of the mindset you are in, looking at Sherline, Taig, Mini-Lathe, etc. Mostly because I feared moving a heavy piece of equipment and having it take up space. What I discovered is that if you are patient and look you can find a 9" SB, Logan, etc. that isn't completely used up for about the same price as a new mini-lathe. It is easy enough to move with 1 other friend and a little common sense. And once you have a 9" lathe and learn to use it you'll kind of wish you had a 10" or maybe 13" lathe with a bigger spindle bore, more rigidity, etc...........

ETA: Whatever price of a lathe you pick take that number and double it unless you stumble on a deal with a LOT of tooling included. My $1,000 lathe turned into a $2,000 outlay with all the tooling I discovered I wanted along with a couple repairs to an older machine.
 
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A buddy loaned me his Sherline lathe for some projects, and I really enjoyed using it. In the end, though, instead of buying it from him, I bought a china mini-lathe, which proved to be the right decision for me. The Sherline was really nifty for what it was, but it's just so tiny, with almost no rigidity. Even a china 7" jobby is worlds stiffer. I wound up with a 8x16 mini lathe, which I used to good effect for a few years, but in the end, I got sick of the poor build quality compromises it presented. Therein lies the rub with mini lathes from china; there is huge variation between them, with lots of junk on the market. If you can find a Sieg, or similar, green light. They are more expensive, but worth it. Or, better yet, get smallish full size machine like a South Bend or Logan. They are hard to find in good condition, though.
 
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SouthernChap said:
This is quite a good balanced take on the mini-lathe posted very recently (by one of my fellow countrymen no less):


Worth a watch and worth watching it all. Chap has a pretty bearable, sensible and 'compact' presenting style so the 30-odd minutes doesn't feel like 30 minutes really.

Also Blondihacks' channel is a good shout for beginners like us too. :)
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I watched it last weekend, very good video...
 
I have a Sherline lathe and mill. I bought them for their size and weight, since I needed to be able to use them in a spare bedroom and put them away when done.

I think they are wonderful learning tools. They are very nicely made and accurate in use. A remarkably-complete range of accessories is available for them. You can do everything with them as long as the parts you are making are small. But consider how small "small" is. I think you could make a Stuart 10V on them, but only just. Definitely get the longer bed version, and skip the riser blocks (they aren't a substitute for a larger machine).

I mostly work with brass, for which they are a joy in use. The largest parts I've cut have been about 3" in diameter, in brass. That's the biggest you will want to go or may even be possible. Aluminum and "free machining" steel like 12L14 is also easy (I really dislike 12L14, however, due to how incredibly prone to rust it is). Harder steels or stainless steel are really too tough for these machines and not recommended except for very small parts. I've done it, and it's passable, but you learn a lot about controlling chatter if you try to cut stainless.

Complaints? One is that the Morse 0 taper in the tail-stock is very small and will slip a little too frequently if you overdo things like jumping straight to a larger drill size. Sherline's vise is also a touch too small small and light. You also have to be careful not to tighten things down too hard on the aluminum parts lest you damage them.

Flex can be a problem if too much tool pressure is applied, so you will be taking light cuts. However, your parts will be small too, and likely you won't be cutting very hard materials, and as a hobbyist your time is not money, so it's really OK.

The most flex I've experienced has been during drilling on the mill - there can be a "thunk" when you break through when the pressure is released. You should be stepping up drill sizes rather than going straight to your final drill size. That said, my holes have always been straight and accurate.

A note about these being "spare bedroom" tools: Yes, absolutely, but don't even think about machining in a room with carpeted floors. Luckily, I have wood floors, which is manageable. I have lusted over heavier machines such as those from P.M., but the comfort and convenience of working in my hobby room has so far outweighed that. I do suppose one of those 7" mini-lathes could work OK in that environment, but even that is far too heavy to be put away after an afternoon's work, so it should be considered permanently placed. And, of course, they famously tend to be of dubious quality. Any bigger than that, and they will be relegated to a garage or barn, too.

A Sherline lathe is so nice that they are rarely regretted. Again, they are a wonderful learning tool and fully capable for small projects. But just be clear on what materials you will be working with and how big your parts will be. And double your budget for all those accessories.
 
zondar said:
I have a Sherline lathe and mill. I bought them for their size and weight, since I needed to be able to use them in a spare bedroom and put them away when done.

I think they are wonderful learning tools. They are very nicely made and accurate in use. A remarkably-complete range of accessories is available for them. You can do everything with them as long as the parts you are making are small. But consider how small "small" is. I think you could make a Stuart 10V on them, but only just. Definitely get the longer bed version, and skip the riser blocks (they aren't a substitute for a larger machine).

I mostly work with brass, for which they are a joy in use. The largest parts I've cut have been about 3" in diameter, in brass. That's the biggest you will want to go or may even be possible. Aluminum and "free machining" steel like 12L14 is also easy (I really dislike 12L14, however, due to how incredibly prone to rust it is). Harder steels or stainless steel are really too tough for these machines and not recommended except for very small parts. I've done it, and it's passable, but you learn a lot about controlling chatter if you try to cut stainless.

Complaints? One is that the Morse 0 taper in the tail-stock is very small and will slip a little too frequently if you overdo things like jumping straight to a larger drill size. Sherline's vise is also a touch too small small and light. You also have to be careful not to tighten things down too hard on the aluminum parts lest you damage them.

Flex can be a problem if too much tool pressure is applied, so you will be taking light cuts. However, your parts will be small too, and likely you won't be cutting very hard materials, and as a hobbyist your time is not money, so it's really OK.

The most flex I've experienced has been during drilling on the mill - there can be a "thunk" when you break through when the pressure is released. You should be stepping up drill sizes rather than going straight to your final drill size. That said, my holes have always been straight and accurate.

A note about these being "spare bedroom" tools: Yes, absolutely, but don't even think about machining in a room with carpeted floors. Luckily, I have wood floors, which is manageable. I have lusted over heavier machines such as those from P.M., but the comfort and convenience of working in my hobby room has so far outweighed that. I do suppose one of those 7" mini-lathes could work OK in that environment, but even that is far too heavy to be put away after an afternoon's work, so it should be considered permanently placed. And, of course, they famously tend to be of dubious quality. Any bigger than that, and they will be relegated to a garage or barn, too.

A Sherline lathe is so nice that they are rarely regretted. Again, they are a wonderful learning tool and fully capable for small projects. But just be clear on what materials you will be working with and how big your parts will be. And double your budget for all those accessories.
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I just looked that up, that it a little fellow.... Looks nice though...
 
I'm in the same boat, but I'm not limited by space. Boils down to what you want to do with it, how much space you've got to work with, and how much money you're willing to invest. If you're serious, any money spent on a micro rig is just money thrown away that could have been used on a better machine. Best advice I've heard so far, is "Buy the biggest and best machine you've got the space/money for". When you upgrade, the money spent on tooling and accessories isn't thrown away.

I've went from looking at mini lathes, to honking big lathes. Mostly because one of my "I wants" is a spindle bore of 1.25" or larger for rifle barrels. Which begs the question; "Is it worth spending umpteen extra thousands of dollars for a requirement I'll use once in a blue moon (if ever again, I'm not getting any younger)?". Simpler, far cheaper, easier if the need arises, to take them to a machine shop to be turned down, threaded, cut to length, and crowned. Would seriously make choosing a lathe much easier. All kinds of good deals out there in lathes 1" bore or less.

There's also price...I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a PM 10/30, with mount, tooling, extras, accessories, looking at $6k. BUT, for that, I can buy a bigger/better (and far heavier) used machine, with tooling, and spend the money saved on additional cool guy stuff. Like a good saw and a milling machine. But the PM is point'n click, hand them my credit card...no haunting auction sites looking for the perfect deal, arranging shipping, figuring out how to move a one ton machine (that may or may not be worn out or broken) from my driveway to my shop. Then again, getting there is half the fun. A project is a project, and rebuilding a used lathe would be fun.
 
Babyseal said:
I'm in the same boat, but I'm not limited by space. Boils down to what you want to do with it, how much space you've got to work with, and how much money you're willing to invest. If you're serious, any money spent on a micro rig is just money thrown away that could have been used on a better machine. Best advice I've heard so far, is "Buy the biggest and best machine you've got the space/money for". When you upgrade, the money spent on tooling and accessories isn't thrown away.

I've went from looking at mini lathes, to honking big lathes. Mostly because one of my "I wants" is a spindle bore of 1.25" or larger for rifle barrels. Which begs the question; "Is it worth spending umpteen extra thousands of dollars for a requirement I'll use once in a blue moon (if ever again, I'm not getting any younger)?". Simpler, far cheaper, easier if the need arises, to take them to a machine shop to be turned down, threaded, cut to length, and crowned. Would seriously make choosing a lathe much easier. All kinds of good deals out there in lathes 1" bore or less.

There's also price...I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a PM 10/30, with mount, tooling, extras, accessories, looking at $6k. BUT, for that, I can buy a bigger/better (and far heavier) used machine, with tooling, and spend the money saved on additional cool guy stuff. Like a good saw and a milling machine. But the PM is point'n click, hand them my credit card...no haunting auction sites looking for the perfect deal, arranging shipping, figuring out how to move a one ton machine (that may or may not be worn out or broken) from my driveway to my shop. Then again, getting there is half the fun. A project is a project, and rebuilding a used lathe would be fun.
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To be fair, if someone buys a mini lathe, they'll be rebuilding it.

And it's fun and you learn a lot about how lathes work and things like how to work within the constraints of rigidity and out of the box quality. Also there are tons of resources out there to help you learn and are predicated on the idea that the reader/viewer is a beginner.

Some newbie goes looking for advice on how to restore a Colchester Student or a Harrison M300 and they'll often find the people who created those resources will (possibly sensibly) have assumed that their audience has a fair grasp already on the general subject domain.

If you've got machining experience then its a no-brainer. Even here in the UK, which has completely forgotten it once made some of the best machine tools in the world, you can find a properly made lathe, manufactured in the 60s, 70s or 80s, often with a decent amount of tooling, for around the same price as one of the better made and QC'd mini lathes.

If you're a beginner, depending on where you live, and probably more importantly, what you want it for, buying new is sometimes a good idea and even maybe buying a little 7x14 and accepting that you've effectively bought a mini lathe 'kit' that'll be a project you'll have to wrestle into usability can be worthwhile.

Do I kinda wish I'd known about Facebook Marketplace's Alladin's cave of reasonably well kept old English lathes before I bought my little 7x14? Or do I wish maybe I'd spent a bit more and bought a 10x24 from Warco?

Yeah, kinda to both questions, a bit; but I have had fun and learned a metric crap ton about my own ability to fettle and work around my little lathe. Also, now, when the time comes, and I finally tire of having to take my cuts on 12L14 in little 5 thou increments, I'll have a much better idea on what to look out for in old iron or what to buy from Warco.

I guess I'm saying, if you have fun, get something you can make chips and even the odd usable part on and you get a bunch of learning in, then you've not wasted your money, whatever lathe you buy. ;)
 
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