tabletop lathes

[wkndfirewood]

Just starting to do some research on the pro's and con's on the various tabletop models available for the DIYer, realizing that many of the members here could provide their many years of their hands on practical experiences.

 

[Fawteen]

The majority of the inexpensive ones ( less than $1000) are made by the same outfit and painted different colors.

I have two suggestions:

1. Go to The Hobby Machinist and read.
2. Much like tractors and equipment, the source is as important as the brand. Service after the sale is what you're looking for.

I have a Grizzly and have been satisfied with it.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Define bench top? That covers a wide range of machines. The problem with smaller lathes is what can be produced in one. The typical new bench top is 7x10 or so and most every new machinist sees advertised dimensions and thinks wow, I can machine 7" diameter part 10" long in a 7x10 lathe. Problem is no you cannot. For most purposes a good rule of thumb is 1/2 the advertised swing and length. Remember anything between centers must clear the saddle and cross slide. None the less they have use with modelers or as a second or third lathe in a shop with larger lathes. If you want to make small washers and bushings or make models then you will find use for a small lathe. The larger 12x36 or so are 10 times more useful however If your looking for something to do general repairs on farm equipment save your money. Given what little information you have provided the best advise I can give is to estimate the largest part you think yoy will be machining. Then multiply those dimensions by 2 and look for a lathe that size. Otherwise you will be joining a large group of people who have small lathes sitting doing nothing because what they need done doesn't fit. I own a 16x60 and it's just about perfect for the 95% of the general repair and new fab work that cones into my shop.

 

[wkndfirewood]

The majority of the inexpensive ones ( less than $1000) are made by the same outfit and painted different colors.

I have two suggestions:

1. Go to The Hobby Machinist and read.
2. Much like tractors and equipment, the source is as important as the brand. Service after the sale is what you're looking for.

I have a Grizzly and have been satisfied with it.

Fawteen Thanks for the web site, which was unknown to me. There is surly a lot of info to take in and read

 

[cwtech]

You didn't specify if you're looking for a wood-working lathe or a metal-working lathe.

 

[redtom]

I have my dad's Atlas 6 inch metal lathe. Its good and does my hobby tasks. The one drawback of small lathes is the hole in the headstock is small. So you can't just stick a long shaft through to work on an end etc if its too big in diameter. I recently got a 12in x 36 KBC china lathe for near nothing its quite worn but it has a bigger hole in headstock and I can obviously chuck a larger piece too.

 

[CLYDE MASON]

i have one for sale i think it is a sears (three one 7 294 8two 71)

 

[drsportster]

Ask for a Grizzly catalog

 

[brendonh]

I have 3 Lathe machines in the shop currently.
2 of them could go away.

First is a 9x36 weighs about 700lbs.
Second is a cheap-o 7x12 true bench top, this one weighs less than 100lbs.
Last is the one i'm using and it's a 14x40.

The 9x36 did 90% of what I wanted, and 100% of what I needed. Good lathe, tedious to use, makes very good parts if you do your part. Belt changes, gear changes and lack of swing finally pushed me away from it.
The 7x12 did all of the little stuff. Things like new needles for carbs and things like that. Mostly brass and less than 1/2" steel work. It's variable spindle speed and that was a major plus over the 9x36.

I'd be happy to help more directly, if you like, feel free to send me a direct message if you'd like me to help ya out more.

Thanks~
Brendon

 

[Jaden]

One distinction or break point is that some have plastic gears, while the next model uses metal gears.

 

[brendonh]

One distinction or break point is that some have plastic gears, while the next model uses metal gears.

The 'mini-lathe' which covers the 7x10, 7x12 and the 7x14 will all have plastic gears. They are ok since there's no real way to overload the leadscrew and break that gear train. I've stalled the spindle motor long before the leadscrew stopped turning. This of course does not include a crash while being power fed.

For anything larger, it's a toss up as to who made it and what they used. My "Lathemaster" (no longer in business) 9x30 had cast iron gear train for the leadscrew.

Found the manufacturer of what was imported as "lathemaster"

https://www.machinetools.com/en/models/dazheng-hd250

This is my 9x30 just in a different color.

 

[m16ty]

What are you wanting to use the lathe for? I’ve got a small lathe in my farm shop, I think it is a 14x24. It is handy, but more often than not I find myself having to take a part to my day job shop where I have a 18x96 to get the job done, and even then I run into the odd job where it still won’t fit and I have to send the part to my buddy’s machine shop.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

What are you wanting to use the lathe for? I’ve got a small lathe in my farm shop, I think it is a 14x24. It is handy, but more often than not I find myself having to take a part to my day job shop where I have a 18x96 to get the job done, and even then I run into the odd job where it still won’t fit and I have to send the part to my buddy’s machine shop.

No matter what size lathe you have there will always be times that you want something bigger. I find I can do a lot with my Craftsman 12x36 that has the milling attachment and steady rest. Wish it had the taper attachment.but you can't have everything.

 

[brendonh]

Phill, I managed to find myself in possession of a lathe with a taper attachment. I don't know that I've ever really needed one before. Never having one before, I don't think in those terms.
What projects or things have you ran into where a taper attachment becomes useful?

 

[m16ty]

Phill, I managed to find myself in possession of a lathe with a taper attachment. I don't know that I've ever really needed one before. Never having one before, I don't think in those terms.
What projects or things have you ran into where a taper attachment becomes useful?

My lathe has a taper attachment but I've never used it. What tapers I've had to do have been short and I just set the compound to do it.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

Phill, I managed to find myself in possession of a lathe with a taper attachment. I don't know that I've ever really needed one before. Never having one before, I don't think in those terms.
What projects or things have you ran into where a taper attachment becomes useful?

I really don't need one right now but I like to be prepared. We had them on several lathes where I worked and we used them quite frequently. We made a lot of long tapers and it saves a lot of hand cranking.

 

[Ray,IN]

Keep in mind any lathe is only as accurate as the base upon which it rests and how it is secured to the base.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Just starting to do some research on the pro's and con's on the various tabletop models available for the DIYer, realizing that many of the members here could provide their many years of their hands on practical experiences.

A lot of guys don't have room in their shop for a larger lathe so they buy a mini or table top model.
Then they realize the bench or table they need takes up as much room as a substantially larger and more capable - stand alone lathe.
Also don't forget that if you have a lathe you will need tooling to do anything with it.
Chucks, tool posts, cutting tools, drills, measuring tools. The list goes on and on...
You're often better off buying a package deal. Pay a little more for the lathe and get some of the requisite tooling you'll need for cheap.
I second Fawteen's suggestion about Hobby machinist forum. They like newbies there.
Lastly, (and I shouldn't give away my favorite fishing holes here) a couple of good sites to find used lathes are govdeals.com and
Publicsurplus.com
Good luck and have fun.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

A lot of guys don't have room in their shop for a larger lathe so they buy a mini or table top model.
Then they realize the bench or table they need takes up as much room as a substantially larger and more capable - stand alone lathe.
Also don't forget that if you have a lathe you will need tooling to do anything with it.
Chucks, tool posts, cutting tools, drills, measuring tools. The list goes on and on...
You're often better off buying a package deal. Pay a little more for the lathe and get some of the requisite tooling you'll need for cheap.
I second Fawteen's suggestion about Hobby machinist forum. They like newbies there.
Lastly, (and I shouldn't give away my favorite fishing holes here) a couple of good sites to find used lathes are govdeals.com and
Publicsurplus.com
Good luck and have fun.

I've seen some nice lathes go for $500 on Govdeals, but you have to be able to move it without damaging it. I bought a nice one that had been dumped over because of lack of knowledge on moving it for $125. Major damage to it but I was able to sell parts and tooling for over$1000.

 

[brendonh]

I agree with UltradogMN. My 9x30 featureless tiny lathe sat in the exact same footprint as my newer Acer E1440V real lathe does. The ONLY difference in dimension is weight. 750lbs vs 2200lbs. The reason is the stand I had to build for the 9x30, simply turned out to be the same size as the stand of the larger 14x40.
The other issue is price. 9x30 was 1200 bucks 20 years ago. The acer, this model, didn't exist. Today, the Acer, is over 23,000 new from a dealer when equipped the same.

Buy the biggest, most feature packed machine you can afford and have space for, then keep it until you have to have something different.