- Joined
- Jan 6, 2018
- Messages
- 28
So looking to get my first lathe and I'm trying to understand something I keep reading regarding spindle chucks. Basically, everyone talks about how something like a D1-4 chuck is so much better then say the spindle that you get on the 1030V. Basically it comes down to being able to buy different chucks since the D1-4 is an industry standard.... or at least that's what I seem to gather?
So here's the stupid question I can't seem to figure out:
Once you have a 3 jaw chuck, a 4 jaw chuck and maybe a face plate or two, what else would you need?
That said, I find myself looking at the 1030 vs 1236. Yeah, pretty big difference between those two, but the 1127 and 1228 are missing some metric threads and 90% of what I would end up doing is metric and I can't imagine buying a lathe that can't do M4 and/or M5 coarse threads. Not sure I'll ever need the bigger machine, but I don't think anyone ever complained that their lathe was too big/heavy and I'd rather just buy once and amortize the cost over the next few decades then buy small and upgrade in a few years. Right now I'm guessing most of my work will be done in aluminum (mostly telescope and motorcycle parts) so the 1HP DC motor on the 1030V is probably fine, but who knows what the next decade or two holds. That said, not dealing with so many change gears sounds really nice.
Sounds like I should expect better finishing with the variable speed on the 1030 vs. the gearbox driven 1236? I assume the 1236 is "good enough" and it's mostly minor cosmetic? Not like I plan on every quitting my day job and trying to make a living making parts in my garage. That said, I'd rather go with a belt driven lathe to start off with then the gearbox... seems like less likely to have issues for a newbie starting out.
Is the preferred package on the 1236 worth the extra $400? Seems like if everything it includes is of decent quality it seems like it would be a no-brainer, but maybe I'm better off buying things like the QCTP piecemeal? Not sure if coolant for manual/hobbyist use is worth the mess?
I'm kinda surprised by how many people end up getting carbide tooling for these small lathes? Or is mostly everyone working in steel so the lack of a higher speed spindle less of an issue? I totally get that carbide is "drop in" and doesn't require learning how to grind HSS, but doesn't sound like it's too hard? Maybe it's worth starting off with carbide because it's drop in and easier to get going with?
Honestly, the 1030V seems like it's "enough" for me for my current needs, but the 1236 seems like a significant and worthwhile upgrade. Maybe I should save my pennies for a little longer?
Thanks!
So here's the stupid question I can't seem to figure out:
Once you have a 3 jaw chuck, a 4 jaw chuck and maybe a face plate or two, what else would you need?
That said, I find myself looking at the 1030 vs 1236. Yeah, pretty big difference between those two, but the 1127 and 1228 are missing some metric threads and 90% of what I would end up doing is metric and I can't imagine buying a lathe that can't do M4 and/or M5 coarse threads. Not sure I'll ever need the bigger machine, but I don't think anyone ever complained that their lathe was too big/heavy and I'd rather just buy once and amortize the cost over the next few decades then buy small and upgrade in a few years. Right now I'm guessing most of my work will be done in aluminum (mostly telescope and motorcycle parts) so the 1HP DC motor on the 1030V is probably fine, but who knows what the next decade or two holds. That said, not dealing with so many change gears sounds really nice.
Sounds like I should expect better finishing with the variable speed on the 1030 vs. the gearbox driven 1236? I assume the 1236 is "good enough" and it's mostly minor cosmetic? Not like I plan on every quitting my day job and trying to make a living making parts in my garage. That said, I'd rather go with a belt driven lathe to start off with then the gearbox... seems like less likely to have issues for a newbie starting out.
Is the preferred package on the 1236 worth the extra $400? Seems like if everything it includes is of decent quality it seems like it would be a no-brainer, but maybe I'm better off buying things like the QCTP piecemeal? Not sure if coolant for manual/hobbyist use is worth the mess?
I'm kinda surprised by how many people end up getting carbide tooling for these small lathes? Or is mostly everyone working in steel so the lack of a higher speed spindle less of an issue? I totally get that carbide is "drop in" and doesn't require learning how to grind HSS, but doesn't sound like it's too hard? Maybe it's worth starting off with carbide because it's drop in and easier to get going with?
Honestly, the 1030V seems like it's "enough" for me for my current needs, but the 1236 seems like a significant and worthwhile upgrade. Maybe I should save my pennies for a little longer?
Thanks!