what would be your choice of lathe?

[sourdoughsmitty]

HI GUys ,
well have been snooping the want adds here in the pnw and have found more than a few atlas and south bend bench lathes do not know where to start as to their worth ,although I do look for some with tooling. If you were looking for a 9-12" bench lathe what would you choose either new or used ? I have been looking at the grizzly models as new they are on par with the asking price of some of the used ones out there, Right now have been using the lathe at work an jett 1340 for relearning on until I can make the jump to my own , amazing what you forget in 30 years .
thanx smitty

[Allegheny]

Hi Smitty,

A lot depends upon what you want to accomplish with your lathe. For high quality and high production, you need a lathe with serious mass - like a Monarch or W&S. If you just want to make parts for a live steam locomotive, or for some other hobby related parts, either a small South Bend or an Atlas/Craftsman will do the job as long as you work within the constraints of the machine and don't push it.

I have more lathes than I really want to think about, but all are capable of doing good, quality work. I have two little Atlas 618's - one an older MK-I from 1952, and a newer MK-II from 1973/4. For small work they are just fine, but are limited to making cuts of 5-10 thou, if that. My Atlas 12" can take slightly heavier cuts and my "baby" Axelson 14" can take a cut of 0.250 - 0.375" with a really fine finish - but it weighs close to 6,000# (one of the chucks from this beast weighs more than an entire 618 and all of its tooling).

I have used South Bend 9" and heavy 10" lathes as well and are very capable machines. While I've never used one, many people also like the smaller Logans.

Also consider how easy it may/may not be to find replacement parts. Jeff (our host) provides a lot of reproduction parts for South Bend lathes (and possibly others as well) and there are tons of people selling stuff on evilBay and CraigsList for Atlas, SB, and Logan machines. When I bought my Axelson, a big factor was that Axelson is still in business and sells parts for ALL of the models that they EVER produced (my lathe was shipped in the mid-1950's).

Brian

[forrestville flyfisher]

Hey smitty I'm in the same boat as you but have already made the buy I picked up an atlas 10x 48 I paid $350.00 for it and it came with a few centers and a 5/8" chuck for the tail stock a 6" 3 Jaw chuck some boring bars(12) a lantern tool post a straight and a left bit holder #0 's a few cutting bits and some misc other related items one threading gear had a repaired tooth so I got a replacment on ebay the key for the cross feed bearing was ground off so i repaired that and i'm in the middle of painting the lathe right now I'm into craftsman so atlas was a good choice for me and since I bought it I've bought two atlas drill presses they're nice machines but I've always wanted a south bend lathe and thats my next lathe investment I could have waited and just got a south bend for my first lathe but I've learned so much in the last month and rememberd alot that I was taught in school (3 1/2 years a metal shop) a lathe is only a partial investment you need alot of other tools to make it worth while band saw to cut stock taps drills calipers drill press depends on what tools you already have prior. sorry getting off track if I was too own one lathe it would be a south bend good luck....

[used-iron]

Smitty; I wont elaborate on the previous posters comments other than to say,later model South Bends would be my choice for a bench lathe. There is a good selection of used parts & acc. ava. for them, and they are simple to repair. Can't say the same for most of the far eastern products. However there are some exceptions,mostly in the larger heaver lathes, but you said bench top.

Here is a thought for you; you can do small work in a large machine,but large work is either very difficult or impossible in a small machine. My living these days is made in my shop,our smallest lathe is a 14x40 Republic-Lagun. The other two are larger. We never turn down a job because it is to small to handle. Think collets, little 3 " chucks held in a 16" 4 jaw and etc.
Little lathes are limber, and will make you use bad language . Little far eastern lathes will really improve your bad vocabulary ,and make one want to consume quantities of intoxicating beverages. Big heavy lathes if nothing else are by nature rigid and tend to stay in trim and not move around.
Lee

[forrestville flyfisher]

bla bla bla

Originally Posted by used-iron

Smitty; I wont elaborate on the previous posters comments other than to say,later model South Bends would be my choice for a bench lathe. There is a good selection of used parts & acc. ava. for them, and they are simple to repair. Can't say the same for most of the far eastern products. However there are some exceptions,mostly in the larger heaver lathes, but you said bench top.

Here is a thought for you; you can do small work in a large machine,but large work is either very difficult or impossible in a small machine. My living these days is made in my shop,our smallest lathe is a 14x40 Republic-Lagun. The other two are larger. We never turn down a job because it is to small to handle. Think collets, little 3 " chucks held in a 16" 4 jaw and etc.
Little lathes are limber, and will make you use bad language . Little far eastern lathes will really improve your bad vocabulary ,and make one want to consume quantities of intoxicating beverages. Big heavy lathes if nothing else are by nature rigid and tend to stay in trim and not move around.
Lee

[sourdoughsmitty]

:Hi guys thanx for all the info my original post here was to get an idea on what was good in the market new vs old etc . as I have past experience in the machine trades it always makes a betterchoice to get a little more than you need otherwise you end up wishing forrest fly fisher play nice now my lathe at work is a jett 1340 says made in us but I am sure it is only assembled in the us. I tend to like projects and possibly rebuilding an older american machine is in the options. I have looked at a lot of the "eastern" lathes in the 9=10" class and agree with all here that quality wise they are not up to the task most have to be rebuilt out of the box before you can really use them . I/E when i worked for locheed in the 80's we set up our machine shop with an enco gap bed lathe overall not bad but had to toally adjust and realign the machine interally ,as well as make a new 1/2 nut for it My main interest is rebuilding older fishing tackle and minor gun work thanx smitty

[1-800miner]

i would like a machine large enough to handle any work that comes along,heavy and rigid.It needs to have all the tooling, including turret and taper attachment as well as collet setup.
It also needs to be free and delivered.Call me with details so I can clear a space in the shop.

Brand and color are negoshable.