Metal Lathe

[truckster]

I really, really want a metal lathe. I actually took one in trade for some work I did for a company last year, but it's broken. They said they've ordered the parts, but I'm tired of waiting.

I've looked at a lot of lathes, both new and used, and I know some features I want. I want to be able to cut SAE and metric threads, I want to be able to turn anything from plastic to stainless steel, and I want it to run on 115v, but I could go with 230v if I need to because I installed a 230v outlet for my plasma cutter. I've looked at some combo units with a milling machine, and that would be nice but not absolutely necessary at this point.

So, given all that and a budget of no more than $2500, what do you recommend?

[mongocanfly]

Look at what grizzly has to offer.. I have a small grizzly that works fine, I just wish I had a bigger headstock hole.. I'm thinking of upsizing mine in the future

[Getter-Done]

You rung my Bell
Are you ready
I have a 10" Atlas Craftsman lathe (Probably 1940ish)

It has flat ways.
I like it, I use it all the time.

I do not recommend a Flat ways lathe though.

I am restoring a Logan 200 10" lathe currently.
It was made in 1942.
It has a Vee way like most.

Before my Daddy passed away, he drug home a New Haven lathe.
It dates around 1890-1910.
It is a 14"-16" swing, I can't remember.
It's at the shop at Momma's.

With all that said I am a Sucker for old lathes.

But the bad thing about that is,
the parts that cannot be easily made For the lathe itself can
SOME times be bought on E BaYY for a Premium.

I also have a 7"x 10 HF mini lathe.

I Do NOT recommend a Lathe Mill combo.

They are hardly ever perpendicular to each other.

I have a Grizzly Mill drill.

Grizzly makes some good stuff,
Here is one in the price range.
Link: https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...gearbox/g9972z

An older one is going to probably need work.

One more thing I have an Atlas 7B shaper.

Did I tell you I like old machines.

I will see if I can search for one other than that Grizzly tonight.

If you're still reading this

I suggest no smaller than 10" swing.
At least 24" between centers.
I would stay away for variable drive.
But that's just me because I like old stuff.

Wait I allready told you that

[truckster]

The one I took in trade is a Jet BD-920N. I know the lever for setting thread pitch and the crossfeed spindle are broken, and the tailstock spindle seems to be frozen. I don't think parts are available for it anymore.

[Getter-Done]

Another place I was employed had a Jet lathe.
It was a Piece of Junk.

We have Mutiple lathes and one Jet lathe where I am currently employed.

I will just say this.
They let me have one piece of machinery that was going to go to scrap.

If they was going to give that Jet lathe to me.

No Thanks.

Maybe some of them are, okay?

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Another place I was employed had a Jet lathe.
It was a Piece of Junk.

We have Mutiple lathes and one Jet lathe where I am currently employed.

I will just say this.
They let me have one piece of machinery that was going to go to scrap.

If they was going to give that Jet lathe to me.

No Thanks.

Maybe some of them are, okay?

That's good to know. I won't waste any time or money on it.

[truckster]

How about a Baileigh lathe? The model is PL-1022VS. Any good?

[mongocanfly]

Baileigh makes some very good stuff,dont know anything about they're lathes, but we have their benders at work..top notch stuff

[Getter-Done]

Yes, Baileigh has a Great reputation.

I realize you are probably not interested in an old Lathe.

Alot of Old Lathes have threaded Chucks.

This Means no reverse spindle Rotation.

So with that being Typed,
I have been looking on this website that keeps popping up.

I just order a Planishing hammer from them.

https://www.vevor.com/


They have some small Lathes.

Then sometimes On special /They have a 10" or 11" swing.

They seem to be the next A mo Zon.

I have held back from buying another lathe from them.

They have some good deals.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

Yes, Baileigh has a Great reputation.

I realize you are probably not interested in an old Lathe.

Alot of Old Lathes have threaded Chucks.

This Means no reverse spindle Rotation.

So with that being Typed,
I have been looking on this website that keeps popping up.

I just order a Planishing hammer from them.

https://www.vevor.com/


They have some small Lathes.

Then sometimes On special /They have a 10" or 11" swing.

They seem to be the next A mo Zon.

I have held back from buying another lathe from them.

They have some good deals.

There's a Craftsman Atlas for sale locally, but you mentioned the flat ways, and from the pictures it looks like this one has flat ways.

I've looked at the Vevors. They're made in China, so I wonder how they compare to the Grizzly, which are also made in China.

I don't think the Baileigh has a threaded chuck. I think some of the accessories that I got with the Jet might work with the Baileigh. I asked for a shipping quote, and if it's not too much I think I'll go for it.

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by truckster

There's a Craftsman Atlas for sale locally, but you mentioned the flat ways, and from the pictures it looks like this one has flat ways.

I've looked at the Vevors. They're made in China, so I wonder how they compare to the Grizzly, which are also made in China.

I don't think the Baileigh has a threaded chuck. I think some of the accessories that I got with the Jet might work with the Baileigh. I asked for a shipping quote, and if it's not too much I think I'll go for it.

Alot of it depends on how much room you have in you shop.

Would I buy a Craftsman Atlas again? No.

I am invested in it now.

Yeah , Most lathes are China made now.

Only the Old School lathes have the threaded chucks.

The newer ones have bolt patten or D1-4 or so on.

[BLAZERMAN]

I've had.my Causing 4902 10"x 24" for about 15 years and love it. I bought it as a non working unit but found somebody had miss wired the reversing switch...after a lot of head scratching figuring that thing out it worked great. I really want a bigger one now and at least want a 12"x36". When buying one try and find one with lots of tooling included. Mine came with none and I've spent way more on tooling than the cost of the lathe.

[truckster]

That's good advice - I've looked at the cost of tooling. The Jet lathe I took in trade came with a lot of tooling, so I'll hold on to that. I know I'll need some center drills a few other things, but I'm hoping that the extra chucks and face plate and other bits I got with the Jet will work with whatever I buy. I know the tailstocks of the Jet and Baileigh are both MT-2, so that should work, but the Baileigh website oddly doesn't have the specifications for the spindle taper.

As far as space, the Jet is in my shop. My plan, if I get the Baileigh, is the keep the Jet base and cabinet and mount it the Baileigh on it, so it should take up the same room.

[Getter-Done]

I looked on the website of baileigh.
With the spindle bore being(Spindle Bore 0.787")

It would have to be MT3.

Link: https://drill-hq.com/2012/04/morse-t...ensions-chart/

MorseTaperDimensionsChart


Taper# A D L B K
0 0.3561 0.2520 0.5625 2.3438 1.7813
1 0.4750 0.3690 0.7500 2.5625 1.8125
2 0.7000 0.5720 0.8750 3.1250 2.2500
3 0.9380 0.7780 1.1875 3.8750 2.6875
4 1.2310 1.0200 1.2500 4.8750 3.6250
5 1.7480 1.4750 1.5000 6.1250 4.6250
6 2.4940 2.1160 1.7500 8.5625 6.8125
7 3.2700 2.7500 2.6250 11.6250 9.0000

[Accelo]

I currently have a Myford Super 7
Likely too small for your needs but excellent small lathes with a stellar reputation.
Draw backs, to the Myfords, are a small bore in the headstock and screw on chucks.
And the price as they are at the top end of pricing for smaller lathes.
My wife has no idea how many lathes I have. LOL
She doesn't care either but they are around the shop.
3" Sherlines to a 15" Polish lathe. Love them all.
I have used Jets and they are built on price.
My brother-in-law has one and he hit the headstock with something small and it broke off a piece of bondo that was almost 1/4" thick. I typically stay away from them.
However, a Jet Lathe is better than no lathe so don't rule them out completely.
Except for the 9" and under sizes, pretty worthless at that price point.
Cheers.

[truckster]

Is $1800 (including shipping) a decent price for a used Baileigh PL-1022VS a decent price? I'm thinking I want to pull the trigger...

And MT3 is what the Jet has, so that would make all the accessories compatible, I think.

[mongocanfly]

Well, that's less than half what it cost new.. I would probably jump on it..but I'm wanting something with a larger spindle bore..and powered cross feed

[Getter-Done]

That seems like a decent Price.

I just watched a Video of changing the chuck on the jet you have.

I never thought it would be threaded.

So, is the Baileigh PL-1022VS have the same threads ?
I could not find the info on that.

Or does the $1800.oo price include a 3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck?

Changing the Chuck on the Metal Lathe (Jet...

[truckster]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Well, that's less than half what it cost new.. I would probably jump on it..but I'm wanting something with a larger spindle bore..and powered cross feed

I'll probably wish I had something with a larger spindle bore at some point, but since this is for hobbyist work (I teach a principles of engineering class as well), and since my space and budget are both limted, and since I'd really prefer a made-in-USA product, I'm going to go for it.

Thank you to everyone for your help. I'll start a new post once I get it up and running.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Getter-Done

That seems like a decent Price.

I just watched a Video of changing the chuck on the jet you have.

I never thought it would be threaded.

So, is the Baileigh PL-1022VS have the same threads ?
I could not find the info on that.

Or does the $1800.oo price include a 3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck?

Changing the Chuck on the Metal Lathe (Jet BD-920W) - YouTube

I just saw your post. It looks like it only includes a 3-jaw chuck. I guess in a worst-case scenario I could sell or trade the parts I have to offset the cost of whatever I need.

[mongocanfly]

Do yourself a favor and get a quick change tool post for it..money well spent..

[truckster]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Do yourself a favor and get a quick change tool post for it..money well spent..

It looks like it has one. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions once I get it up and running. With the Jet the only thing I've been able to turn was a Delrin (plastic) handle, and I actually had to get my router out to do that...

[Getter-Done]

Good deal about the purchase

I will be watching for the new post.

I enjoy buying more tooling for my lathe.

I even have a 5C collet chuck. With collets by the 64th.

I bet you enjoy teaching the principles of engineering class.

I have taught my 16-year-old nephew to,

read calipers, read a tape measure and use a decimal drill chart.

I get some of my tooling from CDCO
Link: http://cdcotools.com/

[truckster]

I really enjoy teaching the class. I teach Junior ROTC and US Government. I added the Principles of Engineering class last year to get more juniors and seniors interested. Right now we're building an earthquake machine - it will allow the earth sciences teacher to have his students test their building models in a controlled environment.

[MJN]

I see you already bought a machine but keep an eye out for a South Bend. This is my 1951 South Bend 9A (older picture of it) I've updated with a quick change tool post and some carbide insert tooling. It originally was purchased for the Rock Island Arsenal and still has the Corps of Engineers brass plaques attached to the bed and gear cover. I see them pop up on facebook market place from time to time, there is also a south bend group on facebook that there are several for sale on relatively well priced for a solid American made machine tool The Practical Machinist forum is also a great place as a resource. I love my lathe but it has its limitations too, if I were looking I would be after a Heavy 10 just for the larger spindle and swing diameter but this one is a nice size and has done everything I've needed.