Too big of a lathe?

I am going to buck the trend here and say to look for a smaller lathe. Unless you are looking at making earth movers, you in all likelihood will never need the 16 x 60. While much can be said for the rigidity of a large machine, you will most likely inherit a host of issues with an older machine. It is unlikely that an industrial machine going for a "good price" is going to be in anytrhing close to pristine condition.

On the other hand, starting out with a smaller machine, you can take on a large variety of projects, learning the art as you go. As you build up your skill level and you feel a need to for more capacity, you can look for that larger machine. A small lathe needn't be very expensive and if you take care of it, you should be able to recover the better part of your investment.

There is also an issue of personal safety. A large machine with hefty motor can be a dangerous item. If you misstep, it will just as easily rip your arm off as it make that facing cut.A smaller lathe running a fractional horsepower motor can be dangerous too but you are not likely to get wound up in the chuck.
 
Man, I would go crazy over a 4" through hole. 7&1/2 HP, is not too big for a VFW. And the 16X60, is not a bad size. The 6000lbs, may be a bit big for getting in your shop.

Look at what comes along with the deal. 3 jaw, 4 jaw, steady & traveling rest, taper attachments, can be expensive to get down the line.

Looking at Summits web site, it looks like thread cutting is limited.

RJ kinda beat me too it, but a deal on the surface, may not be a deal at all. One broken gear, may cost more then you are paying for the lathe, to replace. Also, you need to guestimate what size stuff you will be doing. I can't imagine it being that great for stuff 3/4" or 1/2" and smaller.

Don't let the coolness factor lure you into buying a machine that is not practical for your needs.

But, you could always buy it, and ship it to me, I promise, I would drool over it for several months, if not more. :p
 
8mpg said:
.....Hoping to look at it this week but Im wondering if it is too big. Its a 7.5hp motor and weighs 6000lbs. Im a beginner and this is going to be my first lathe. Is going with something this large a bad idea?
Click to expand...

A quick call to your electric utility might be in order. Some of them place a limit on how large an inductive (reactive) load you can place on your residential service. If they do have a limit it's likely to be 7.5 HP. That could limit your options.

Even if the power utility does not have such a restriction your internal wiring may not want to support starting up a 7-1/2 HP motor. At 240 VAC the running current is in the 25 amp neighborhood. More to start it up..

MetaKey
 
What do you plan on doing with your lathe? Do you really need a 4" spindle bore at this point? There's no free lunch here because
everything having to do with a lathe that big is going to be expensive. I would take it as a given that the machine will need at least
some work (and parts), and most people have to pay someone else to move a machine that big. Tooling for a machine that size will be expensive
as well. If you haven't owned a lathe before it may not be clear that the purchase price is just the down payment.

I agree with RJ. As attractive as the capability of a machine like that is, it's not a starter lathe for someone who's never owned one
before. Unless your REALLY need a machine that size right away, I'd take a pass and look for something smaller.
 
My advise is to go for it, subject to comments above about whether you have the space, ability to move it and if it is a total wreck. I have a 15x60 lathe, it is less than half the weight - but strictly speaking nearly the same work envelop as what you are looking at.

My work is just regular miscellaneous messing around. I also have a very sweet 11x24 lathe. The larger lathe was my first machine, bought 35 years ago, the 11" machine arrived about 5 years ago. Both machines are well dressed and set up. I use both machines, but the larger one gets used quite a bit more than the smaller one. I'm still hoping to get a bigger lathe (which I totally do not need, but that is irrelevant

16x60 is a very useful size. Stay in this game for very long and you will probably have at least two of all the main shop machines.

Let us know how it works out. David
 
I would be in the same camp as RJ and Nogoingback. A 16x60 is a production lathe that in all likelihood will be far larger than you'll ever need. Tooling, including tool posts, cutting tools, boring bars collet closers, collets, etc., etc., and even chucks are going to be more expensive. The 16" chuck isn't the best choice for small stock, and it could be difficult to find a smaller one that will fit the machine. In addition a 16" chuck weighs 100 to 150 lbs. so it isn't something you'll be changing out by hand or on a regular basis.

It will require a rigger with the proper equipment to move it and will not be cheap to power up. A new quality 10 hp rotary phase converter will cost in the neighborhood of $800.00 to $1000.00 to purchase and another couple hundred to install if done properly. The bigger the machine the more expensive it will be to maintain. These machines were meant for large shops that had the resources and income to run and maintain them, not the hobbyist with a more limited budget.

I have a 13x56 lathe and a 10x60 lathe in my shop. In over 25 years I have yet to need anything larger. A friend of mine runs a commercial machine shop and just last summer sold a LeBlond 16x54 lathe because he didn't need the capacity and had a couple other 13" machines that could handle any work he is willing to accept. Keep in mind you'll probably need a crane or lifting device for any work pieces that will require a 16" machine.

I would think a 13x60 machine would be more than adequate for 99% of what any hobbyist will ever need. Anything larger would be overkill at best and a waste of space and resources at the worst. It might be nice to impress your friends with, but it can quickly drain your pocket book and make a hobby far more expensive. To me the object of the hobby is to spend the money to be able to create something useful not to support the machines.
 
8mpg, I am with RJ on this one. He brings up a lot of good points. I am a hobby guy and find that my heavy 10 is a good size for me. Parts are also available at a reasonable price. 6000 lb. is a lot of weight to be moving around unless you have the equipment. Any large items that I need can be turned in a friends machine shop. Al.
 
Bad Idea. I am a believer in having the right tool for the job. I disagree that bigger is always better. Do you use a 10lb sledge hammer to pound a small nail into a picture frame? Never. You need to step back and figure out what you want or need to do with your lathe. Then look for a lathe that will accomplish what you want to do. Not too big. Not too small. I am brand new to machining and went through the same search for a lathe two years ago. My main criteria was to be able to turn the axles on my 1966 MG Midget and maybe some barrel work. Needed around 30" between centers to do that. A 1 1/2" spindle bore would have been nice. But to get that size spindle bore required a step up to the next size lathe. I settled on a 12x36 lathe. It is large enough to do what I want to do and small enough to do the little things a hobby machinist typically does. Not too big and not too small.
A 16x60 SB lathe recently came up for auction near me. It came with multiple chucks, change gears and assorted other tooling. It sold for $105. A $105. Nobody wanted it. There were only a couple of people who bid on it. I thought about bidding on it. Then sanity prevailed. What would I ever use it for. How much would it cost to move it. What about the cost to have the proper electricity brought into my garage. What about the cost of tooling? How heavy were the chucks and could I even lift one? And on and on it went.
So what do you want to do with your lathe? The answer to that question is the key factor on what size lathe you should look for.
 
What space do you have?

We stepped up for 40 years...buy something and watch for next upgrade.

Atlas, craftsman and the like over the years.

Had a SB 1917 16x54 that worked well but took lots of space and found a Lodge and Shipley 16x54 for good price so had 2 too big lathes.

Also had small Logan.

Found a 14.5 SB which is perfect size and sold the older SB.

The lathe you are interested in will be a bad idea PERIOD.

It will not allow mistakes meaning it stops for nobody unless told to.

The rpm is too slow for small stuff and the Chuck likely will not grab anything small.

For a no-experience person that is the worst machine.

Look for belted unit as they are forgiving.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
I considered bigger(over 2500 lbs) and realized all the costs go up substantially. Moving it in, having enough space, getting power to it, even a CXA toolpost with holders is more than an AXA. Can easily add up to thousands. It's probably low rpm. Consider carefully.
 
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