Which mini lathe....?

globalstar66

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Hi guys

New on here (from Canada) and about to make my first mini lathe purchase, but seriously confused with all that's available and all the positive and negative reviews of what's available on the market. I want to use it to make and modify small parts for various hobbies, and for aluminum parts for my airrifles too.

I was leaning towards either of these as they are all similar in price:
- Little Machine Shop 5100 7x16
- MicroMark 7x16
- DroPros Weiss 8x16
- Grizzly G0765

I also looked at a Proxxon PD 250/E which I could import from Germany for under $900, so again same price as the above more or less.

The Proxxon is really small, but bug enough to make the parts I would need - I'm just sceptical about it's very lightweight (under 30 lbs), although it seems to be a VERY well made, very accurate lathe....

I like the brushless motors of the MicroMark and LMS 5100....

Any thoughts would be appreciated - looking to spend around $800-$1000 plus a tool kit of another say $200 - so around $1000-$1200 all in.

I do not have the know-how to really rebuild a new machine with all sorts of upgraded parts, so looking for something what comes out of the box, pretty much ready to use. I don't mind disassembly to clean it all up nicely, but not looking to have to do major upgrades.

Thanks in advance, and sorry if this topic has already been covered over and over, but I cannot find anything specific that includes the Proxxon with the LMS and MicroMark.

Cheers

Robbie
 
plus a tool kit of another say $200
Will barely get you started, even if you scrounge... Sad but true. You can save money by getting used machines, especially ones that come with tooling. Going that direction you need to know the difference between a great deal and scrap metal, and it is often not obvious. Finding an experienced local mentor to help with your search would be very helpful to you, whether you are looking for new or used stuff. Stick with this forum as well, so you get multiple opinions to weigh and choose from.
 
I have used one of these Chinese 7" lathes a few times but do not own one. You have to live with a lathe to really have a worthwhile opinion of it. However ...

The Proxxon looks good but I don't see an option for an Imperial change gear set. If that is not available, that would be a deal breaker for me. It also has a die-cast Zinc saddle and I would look for reviews as to how that holds up before buying one. Proxxon makes good tools and they tend to engineer stuff well but to be honest, if I were looking for a lathe in this category I would buy a Sherline lathe.

Before the flames begin, allow me to defend my position. The 4400 long bed lathe is larger than the Proxxon, has a reliable DC motor that actually can turn most stuff that will fit in the chuck and you can cut more threads on it than any other lathe I've seen. It is also a very precise lathe when used with good cutting tools; taking a 0.0005" cut is routine on this lathe, and that is just using the hand wheels. Almost any accessory you can think of or possibly use on a lathe is available from Sherline, at a cost that is reasonable and of good quality. Every part on this lathe can be replaced at very reasonable cost and every part Sherline makes is backwards compatible to the first machine they made.

I have been on this lathe for more than 25 years and could go on and on about it but I won't subject you to that. I just wanted to put it on your radar screen because it is a good lathe for what you're going to use it for. I also have a larger lathe but when I need to make small precision parts, the Sherline is the lathe I opt for.
 
Hi and welcome! What do you want to make? What kind of accuracy are you expecting? How much room do you have? Plan on using the lathe the rest of your life? How versed are you at the metal lathe? If answered, it can better help understand you needs…Dave.
 
Hi guys

Thank you for the help so far. I will look at the 4400.

Chips&More, I think I have kind of given an overview of a few of your questions for what it's worth - I want to make small items for my airrifles from aluminum (not sure you'd even know what I am talking about, but things like sidewheels, windicators and levels) and I want to make myself some modified cases by drilling and tapping once fired brass cases. And as I mentioned upfront, I am looking for a lathe under $1k, meaning I'm not expecting massively accurate lathes, and not too big and heavy either, hence me mentioning the ones I am looking at.

I am really looking for advice as to which of the above machines (and ones I didn't look into like the 4400) are better than others.....

I am a complete novice (although I have worked on a friend's lathe with his assistance), but know nothing about what to look for...
 
You Tuber named ShopDog Sam says his A number one tool is his Sherline lathe. I started with a Taig Micro lathe.... love the thing.
 
Hi Robbie, I have the LMS 5200, it's a great little lathe ,it took me awhile to get used to its size and limitations, (my only experience with metal lathes was when I worked in custom metal fabrication shop and on occasions used full size/ridgid production lathes),this little lathe has not let me down yet,the one I have comes with cross slide and compound slide DRO as well as a set of QCTP, you could get away without the DROs but if you decide to go with LMS 5100,I highly recommend you get their quick change tool post set.

looking to spend around $800-$1000 plus a tool kit of another say $200 - so around $1000-$1200 all in.
The cost of shipping to Canada is over $500! you may find better shipping arrangement, I used LMS to ship it directly to me ,everything went smoothly and don't forget , LMS has one the best customer service I'm sure many of the members who own tLMS lathes/mills can vouch for that.
BTW, welcome to the site and if there's any other questions you have ,just PM me and I'll get back to you ASAP.
 
My first lathe was a HF 7x12. I purchased it because I was extremely space limited and a cheap SOB (paid <$500 shipped). Like Ken, above, my only previous experience was sneaking into the machine shop department and muckiing about with the huge LeBlond. I fought that HF in the beginning. Part of my problem was me overestimating it's real world holding capacity. But more of a problem was chatter and repeatabiliy. I got the production run I needed done out of the way, as tolerances were not at all critical on the parts. I then started reading the various websites, and figured out that what Carroll Smith said so long ago still holds true. He was speaking of the English built race cars of the 70's, but it's still accurate. "These things are assembled purely for the convenience of shipping. Upon delivery, the thing was be totally stripped and assembled cleanly and correctly". I took that HF lathe apart. Found that the gibs were not only out of adjustment, but the lock nuts were loose. The carriage bolts were loose. Things like. Once it was reassembled and properly adjusted, it cut much more accurately. Since I doubt any of the importers can take the time to do this, especially at this price point, I would strongly suggest doing it yourself.
 
To all that have commented - thank you SO much for all the advice and replies, and to Ken, thank you for your insights too - much appreciated!!!

If I end up buying either the LMS 5100/5200 or the MicroMark, I will have them shipped to Montana and collect it, as it's only 250km from me and I have a commercial shipping address there.

I have spoken to Bill at LMS a few times over the past 2 days, and he's given some good advice regarding pros/cons between the 5100 and the Micromark. LMS, because of higher shipping and slightly higher price, works out about 23% more than the Micromark.

This from LMS: "There is one con to each machine. The con to the micro mark is that is comes with a 3” chuck vs our 5100 that comes with a 4” chuck. The con to our 5100 is that the leadscrew pitches for the cross slide and the compound slide are 1mm so it come out to about 0.040” per revolution vs the micro mark machine which comes with 20tpi screws with come out to a 0.050” per revolution."

I have also looked at the Sherline, and it seems I can get one from Quebec with free shipping for the exact same price as the US price once converted to CAD... I do think over the long run, I would MAYBE get more use out of a slightly bigger/stronger machine like the LMS 5100 or the Micromark??.... What I don't like about the Sherline, is it's pretty expensive for such a small machine.

Looked at the TAIG too, price seems pretty good, but I don't like the fact that it's all kind of "strapped" to a wooden base.... And the small motor worries me a little, although I cannot find too many owners complaining about it.

So I am kind of leaning toward the Micromark at this point. I will make up my mind in the next few days and buy whichever one "tickles my fancy".
 
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