What sort of stuff to get with a 10x30 lathe?

[shooter123456]

I was told the 6" precision micrometer / dial caliper was a required item for the lathe. My friend said they had him by the starrett one for his lathe class 20 yrs ago.

I would tend to agree. I have an inexpensive iGaging caliper that gets used at least 20 times every time I an on one of the machines. Note that there is a very big difference between micrometers and calipers. A micrometer is going to be much more accurate. Calipers are sometimes called guestimators, but they are plenty good for most things. If you need a measurement more accurate than .003", I would use a micrometer over the calipers. For this reason, I don't think its necessary to get super expensive calipers. The ones I have were about $20 and are accurate to the best I can tell. They measure my 1-2-3 blocks within .001" compared to when I measure them with micrometers.

The dial indicator, with the push pin that measures on a magnetic base is another measuring item I thought was required for any machine work. Just not sure if this item needs a 1" travel or a .0125" travel, confused on this one.

Make sure you know the difference between a dial indicator and a dial test indicator. They both have their purposes, and you will eventually need both, but they are slightly different. The dial indicator is going to have the rod sticking straight out the bottom and will be pushed up through the indicator when you take your measurements. A dial test indicator has a lever that gets pushed to make the measurement. The test indicator will have much less travel than the dial indicator but will let you measure things that are harder to get to. For example, a test indicator is much easier to use for tramming a vise. For the lathe, a dial indicator is often used to get more precision when cutting, since you can place it against the moving axis and use it to measure the distance traveled. Both can be used when you are setting up parts in the chuck, and I find the dial indicator is better for the rough adjustment, and the test indicator is better for the fine adjustment. If you can only get one, I personally would start with a dial indicator with about 1" of travel.

Sounds like the precision machinist level is not needed now, very confused on this item as well.

You may get different opinions from different people on this. Some say you must level the lathe or you are wasting your time. Other say it isn't necessary unless you are doing very precise work. I decided to use my lathe without leveling, and if I found precision to be an issue, I would buy a level and level it. Well its 2 years and hundreds of parts later, and I haven't had a single issue related to my lack of leveling. I think up front, there are a lot more important things to worry about and more important tools to purchase. If you have someone near you that has one you can borrow, that would be the best case.

Or would a kit like Fowlers 52-229-780 indicator, mag base, dial caliper & micrometer combo set be a good deal to start with?

That might be a bit overkill, but they are likely quality tools. I personally would go with less expensive options unless the budget allows for the purchase of those along with the other tooling you need.

How bad does layout fluid smell? vs sharpie?

I think sharpie has a much stronger smell. I have come to like the smell of layout fluid. It must be an association thing since I smell it when I am machining, machining makes me happy, so smelling it makes me happy. That and the dead brain cells thing maybe.

 

[starr256]

Layout fluid smell?....... Nice, yeah, nice.

 

[Creativechipper]

Lots of good info, thanks
Figured I would ask about smell, I haven't a clue as I have never played with the stuff.
Haven't turned anything on this yet.
Hopefully getting close.

 

[Aaron_W]

Depending on what you will be making, and unless you have a bottomless budget you don't necessarily need to start off with high end name brand stuff. I bought my lathe to make model parts. It was a huge step up in quality chucking stock in a drill and using files, so extreme accuracy wasn't needed.

I've got a 6" General Digital Caliper I bought new for about $40, it seems to be accurate as it shows my parallels to be their stated sizes, and it reliably gives me the same repeated measurements. My tolerances are rarely as fine as thousandths so it works fine for my needs.

A lot of hardware stores including Home Depot and Harbor Freight carry the basic measuring tools you will need to start off with, except for the Dial Test Indicator. Not sure why but I had no problem finding a cheap dial indicator, but a DTI seems to be more of a specialty item and I had to hunt one down on ebay.

Once you have the basics so you can start working, you can always start shopping for upgrades as necessary. That also buys you time hunt down good deals. I've gotten a lot of good used tools from ebay that I never could have afforded new.

 

[Creativechipper]

Definitely not a bottomless pit here.

Looking to get stuff that is inexpensive yet not trash and a waste of money. This is why I wound up with a 10x30 lathe instead of a harbor freight lathe. I was told a smaller lathe would not be a satisfying experience. That combined with eventually I want to turn steel.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Creativechipper]

What do you all think of a set of Mitutoyo 193-211 rolling outside micrometer 0-1" for about $35 used but looks good condition. Is this the sort of thing thats a good deal?