Lathe Question once again....

[MartinDWhite]

Each time I go to buy a lathe I look at the ones that are a little bigger and think they would be better.....well I startout wanting a small 8x14....I little looking (really a LOT of reading) and some advice from EVERYONE saying get a bigger lathe. I have decided on a PM12x36 which has a 17 11/16 gap. It comes with a bunch of stuff, but is about 2 times what I had originally planned to spend. It should be big enough to do every thing I want for a long long time. If anyone cares I will be getting this one tomorrow. http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM1236.html I called today, but they were closed today before I got home to call.

1 1/2 inch spindle bore. lots of other good stuff. I do not plan to get the DRO for it, maybe later.

Don't any of you dare tell me I need a bigger lathe for my first lathe :-) ....hearing that is what got me to one this big...;-)

    Martin D. White

[RCnMo]

I've got a very similar 13x40 and am very happy with it. There has only been one project so far that I had wished for a bigger lathe. A local farmer brought one of his front axles off one of his tractors and wanted me to build it up and turn it down where one of his bearing races had spun a groove in it. It weighed about 65 lbs and was awkward as you know what. Even if I could mount it to my face plate and get it spinning true, I would have had so much counter weight attached to the plate, I wouldn't even want to be near the thing when I threw the power to it. I think it will be more than enough lathe for airgun purposes. The added mass will trump your 8x14 and being able to pull .050 off at a time is a breeze for one of these machines. Not to mention, if you do any screw cutting, the qcgb is a God send.

[Gene_SC]

What are you planning on doing with your laeh Martin? The lathe in the picture probably has more features than you will ever need. Remember the tooling is the most expensive part..:)

[MartinDWhite]

I have had many projects in the part where I used a drill and a clamp to simulate a small lathe and I am tired of doing that.
My brake rotors need turning on a more frequent basis than most....Something about 350 hp going from 0 to 60 to 0 is hard on brakes.
I have several metal projects that have been in my head and drawn out on paper for a while. There MIGHT be some new custom parts coming to the airgun market soon.....if I can learn to use this thing.

I have more money than that lathe in airguns and firearms. Most need to be modified (or have been modified) in a way that requires (required) a lathe. I would rather do it myself than have someone else do it.

but the number one reason.......I LOVE TO MAKE THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....which will probably lead me to get a small mill next......

    Martin D. White

[normal]

Nice.  For tooling, try ebay.  Lots of stuff at sometimes amazing prices.  For doing small stuff on a big lathe, you can chuck up an ER collet holder with a straight shank and go to it.  Look for ER11, 16, 25, etc., sets on ebay.  I've done well with ebay sellers 800watt, discountmachine, and others.  ER collets make a nice quick change tooling arrangement on a mill, too.  You can double up collets for both machines.  I have ER8, ER11, and ER40 sets.  All were amazingly cheap on ebay.

Enjoy!! Now you can be one of us who wonders how people can live without a lathe!