Small Lathe Info Needed

flatgrinder

flatgrinder

Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
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I'm looking for a small, affordable lathe.

I heard that the Taig won't thread holes. Anyone know why? Is there anyway to make it work?

How are the Harbor Freight/ Grizzly mini-lathes in comparison to the Taig?

If you were to purchase one which one would it be?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm new to lathes. I'll be making folders with it. Also, it would be helpful if the lathe could be used as a mill to mill the lock bar when making framelocks.

(P.S. I need a small one as I now live in an apartment, sold the house, so it needs to be portable).

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
I dont know anything about the taig but I do have a HF 7x10. (Look for a 20% sale coupon when you buy one. ) Good machine for the money in my opnion. I also have an Atlas 12 x 48. I like the variable speed feature. There is a website owned by Jose Rodriguez with many good tutorials. He also has some great vidoes on using the 7x10.

The bottom line..its a good machine for small work. You have to work within its limitations. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another one.
 
The Taig does not have auto-feed so it can not cut threads. The HF 7x10 has an electronic speed control that burns out very fast, plastic drive pulley and gears that self destruct. It's drive motor is also seriousely underpowered and the mounting system is very flimsey. As soon as you try to put a new belt on it you will probably strip the mount threads out. That means you need to buy another motor.

I had a long nasty battle getting my money back from HF. After that experience I will never by thier garbage again.

The grizzly mini lathe is the same design as the HF but you will have better customer service when it goes "TU". I have a JET 9x20 and it has ran perfect for over six months of steady use.
 
At one time I was seriously looking at a mini-lathes. I discovered that they are all made in the same Seig plant in China. They all seem to work, just not especially well. I also discovered that for the same kind of money you can pick up a used Southbend or similar lathe. (The same seems to apply to milling machines.) When you find one in good condition you will have a vastly superior piece of equipment. I have found that I could have bought many large lathes at very good prices. Unfortunately, I prefer to keep my car in the garage, so I have been keeping an eye out for a small southbend. You might want to do the same.

Here are some examples from a local paper called the Bargain News;

Southbend, 9" metal lathe, w/accessories, exc precision machine, very little use, $675, (516) 798-6330 Massapequa, NY

BRIDGEPORT MILLING MACHINE, 1 power feed on X-axis, great cond, $1200 OBO. (203) 720-1681 or (203) 808-7516 . Naugatuck, CT

BPT MILLING MACHINE, 42'' table, auto feed, good condition, $1200 or best offer. (203) 715-0348 . Meriden, CT

(There were a bunch of others but I only included ones that gave the price.)​
 
Everytime Sieg or HF is questioned, I have to spring to action :)

I have, all Chinese made:

- mini-lathe, 8x14, added power feed
- mini-mill, R8, changed to belt drive, added 3-axis DRO
- TIG
- MIG
- grinder-buffer that I used for my HM belt grinder
- 4x6 bandsaw
- countless handtools
- aircompressor
- number of air tools


Never had a single problem with any of them . Accuracy is through the roof, I can hold .0002 on the lathe, easily, for shorter pieces.

If I had me money back and wuz asked what I'd rather buy, I'd buy all of these, again, w/o any hesitation.


http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=82710

this is what I'd recommend getting. It is a Sieg lathe, from a local source in NJ. It has a longer bed, which is nice.

When you get to mill discussion, Sieg X3 is highly recommended, Sieg X2 (aka mini mill) would be #2 choice. X3 is about 200lb heavier, not sure how it would factor into your decision making. I really value ability to move my lathe on-off WB by myself and move the mini-mill on the WB. 200 extra pound is a definite plus if you can have it stationary and hog serious amt of metal.
 
I have heard good feedback about Sherline lathes. They are even smaller then the mini lathes from china but are US made.

The Chinese 8x14's and 9x20's are good solid units but they also weigh just under 300 Lbs and take up a chunk of room in a small shop. Lathmaster's are built in China but under very rigid specs. I know of a few people using them and they have no complaints.

An 8x14 or 9x20 will allow you vast potential to make a multitude of projects. I use mine to turn, horz bore and mill. It is also a disk sander, buffing wheel and grinder. In the last couple months I have been turning hawk and hammer handles to. It is my 300 Lbs Dremel tool.
 
I think some folks missed the fact that he's in an apartment. A small Southbend and a Bridgeport probably won't work in this application.

As far as a lathe goes, portable really isn't usually part of the package unless you get the smallest lathes available and limit yourself to a great degree. If you're going to be making folders, you'd probably be better off buying a small desktop sized mill for several reasons. With folders and a lathe, until you get really good, about all you can make is a custom pivot and some spacers. With a small mill you can cut locks, mill all sorts of angles and curves with a bit of tooling and use it as a precision drill press and tapping machine in a footptint smaller than most lathes. For me, I use my mill more than I do my lathe.

Have you been around machine tools in operation before? If you're in an apartment, even a small mill or lathe might not go over well. Many operations take a while and the noise level might not be workable with your neighbors. Nevermind your landlord's feelings about chips in the carpet and cutting oil on the wall. You see pictures of clean shops, but running these things and machining Ti and tool steel is not clean work.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I just don't see the sense in suggesting a specific machine like a full sized Bridgeport for your application. I just want to make sure you're comfortable with the chips, dust, oils and noise and think those are workable for you in an apartment.
 
Dooh!, I did miss the line "P.S. I need a small one as I now live in an apartment, sold the house, so it needs to be portable". A small lathe in an apartment will probably annoy your neighbors, a large lathe (assuming you could even get it in) would have them at your throat.

By the way, I've never made a folder from scratch, but wouldn't a (mini) mill be more useful than a lathe?
 
Chris Meyer said:
Dooh!, I did miss the line "P.S. I need a small one as I now live in an apartment, sold the house, so it needs to be portable". A small lathe in an apartment will probably annoy your neighbors, a large lathe (assuming you could even get it in) would have them at your throat.

By the way, I've never made a folder from scratch, but wouldn't a (mini) mill be more useful than a lathe?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I was tryin to say :)
 
Thanks for the replies. They've been really helpful.

I didn't know that mini lathes make a lot of noise. I figured that I'd machine the folder and then grind the hardened blades later (I'll be moving into a bigger place in 6 months with a balcony). This knifemaking thing's tough when you don't have the space.

P.S. Do the 7"x 12" Grizzly's allow for threading? Does anyone make a milling attachment for these mini lathes? Would it be possible to mill a 5/16" relief slot at the bottom of the lock bar (scales made from titanium) with one of these lathes with a milling attachment?
 
Many people view the 7X family of chinese lathes as kits. You get the lathe, disassemble it, clean it up (both the rough areas as well as removing the preservative), fix all the shortcomings that you can, and go from there. This can be a fun process, and it lets you learn all about your new tool. For the price, you get a lot with these little critters. Homier used to sell it for as low as 299.99. I haven't checked in years though. The micromark is supposed to be a cut above the others, but I have no personal experience with that one.
 
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