[flyingdragon]

Hi everybody,
I hope I am in the right track here! as I am new member here and I am looking to get some advises or if somebody can direct me to the right way!

I have been looking to buy a bench top lathe (small lathe ) for almost 6 months! and been searching like crazy here and there and I arrived to the 0 so I am getting almost disappointment as I think will just give up!

I am looking to find something can turn hard steel bars and rounding objects with the size maximum near to 5" ~ OD and no longer than 20" also doing metric fine and medium threads..
these parts I using them to build large scale RC helicopters and airplanes like Main shafts and tails shafts also sometimes tail gear boxes so they need to be nice accurate within .0001 -.0005 ~~~ so that minimize the runout that can cause vibration and can kill the Model!

so I was thinking to get Sherline lathe so I can add the CNC upgrade and go from there! but after a lot of reading and after I contact Sherline and talk to them they didn't recommend to buy there lathes as they made from aluminum and they will be not strong enough for hard steel!

the second option was precision mathew 1127VF also I read a lot about it then I called Mr mathew and he didn't recommend that one too!
so I asked him if any one he think is good enough for what I need and he jump into 1340GT and he said that this will get me what I need!
but it's bigger than what I need and will get me into $8k or more with tools!! so it's way above my plane as I am planing to spend another $2500 for mill also convert it to CNC in a year or so!

by the way I bought south bend 9A lathe but it need to have bed regrinding and saddle, tailstock and headstock fitting it's a mess! so I will just keep it in my garage closet till I find out what to do with it! as I live in the meddle of the desert machines (A:wave:Z)

Please help me find the good lathe and the best for that size range and money

Thank you again for all your inputs!

[hanermo]

You need a heavy version of a 12x24".
I have one, from chester machine tools in the UK.
Its small, and about 350 kg in mass.
Under 3000$.

Mass=rigidity=quality in lathes. Heavier is better. Always.Anything else is easily fixed or upgraded for 50-200$ per piece.

Do NOT buy a same-size lathe in the 200 kg range- it will be floppy, not rigid, and simply will not work nearly as well.

Rigidity is mass / (length)power of three.
So doubling the lathes length needs 8x the mass for equivalent rigidity.

The worst option is a light, long lathe.

[kawazuki]

If the pictures are examples of likely work then you may be setting the bar a bit too high? When you ask for 20" - do you need this between chuck and tailstock or between centres? If its for shafts for example, these could be mounted through the spindle so reducing overall length? 5" dia isn't huge ie a 7x14 mini lathe would take it at a push! But the hardest bit I think with you spec's is holding the 1/10 of thou - half a thou tolerance - that's loose watchmaker tolerance's and precision costs! Plenty of model engineers turn out precision models using the Myford 7 series of lathes in the UK - its been a staple machine for probably 50 odd years.

[RotarySMP]

My 9x20 is a 1970's Boley 4L from germany. Weighs 680kg. Get a good used industrial lathe.

[flyingdragon]

If the pictures are examples of likely work then you may be setting the bar a bit too high? When you ask for 20" - do you need this between chuck and tailstock or between centres? If its for shafts for example, these could be mounted through the spindle so reducing overall length? 5" dia isn't huge ie a 7x14 mini lathe would take it at a push! But the hardest bit I think with you spec's is holding the 1/10 of thou - half a thou tolerance - that's loose watchmaker tolerance's and precision costs! Plenty of model engineers turn out precision models using the Myford 7 series of lathes in the UK - its been a staple machine for probably 50 odd years.

thank you guys for all your inputs here..

I was thinking 20" between the centers, but your right! I just need to turn shafts and the bigger shaft maybe reaching the 15mm OD but I never saw that big before as I know all the big size model helicopters they have around 12-13mm OD but I believe to get something with 1" spindle bore is always good! and you feel kind of freedom on that point, but again I will take the accurate lathe over the freedom!

I was putting 20" between the centers (just in case) if I run into some needs of that space! but again I will take the short space between the centers if the lathe worth and accurate, that is why I started with sherline lathe, they are accurate but they don't cut a lot of hardened steel,
as they are made from aluminum and they are only under 30KG!


Oz

[kawazuki]

Not sure who you talked to at Sherline but they obviously haven't looked at their own info video's - see here...... Sample cuts in various materials
Cutting everything from plastic to Inconel - it'll never be fast but that stuff can stress out big machines! What you cut, how you cut it and with what you use can determine the outcome!

[smallblock]

but it's bigger than what I need and will get me into $8k or more with tools!! so it's way above my plane as I am planing to spend another $2500 for mill also convert it to CNC in a year or so!


Please help me find the good lathe and the best for that size range and money

Thank you again for all your inputs!

You mention spending another 2500.00 to buy a mill and then convert it to CNC- If you are going to buy 2 separate machines and then convert them both to CNC, you will be well over 15K and probably a year's time before you are done. You could look at the Shopmaster for 6K which would give you the CNC lathe and mill in one package right off the bat.

[Tkamsker]

Buy an Old industrial lathe then Look to convert it if you think of bussiness get a New one cnc Even if it more expensive ...

Gesendet von meinem SM-N9005 mit Tapatalk

[flyingdragon]

Buy an Old industrial lathe then Look to convert it if you think of bussiness get a New one cnc Even if it more expensive ...

Gesendet von meinem SM-N9005 mit Tapatalk

I already bought an old south bend 9 A for $1600 but it need to receive complete restoration it to be able to make a fine cut, I already contacted a grinding Co in California and they asking $800 to regrind the bed and fit the saddle, tail stock only plus another $500 for shipping, and that will get me everything flat ground within .0008 every 24 in but then I need to flake the saddle or the Bed so that the oil can stay there, and I found somebody can pick up the bed and the saddle and scrape ONLY the saddle and the tail stock for another $500

so it's to much work that I thought ! so I decided to keep this project for the future... and go head and order a good accurate new lathe so I can start making chips ! I been thinking about precision Mathew 10x30 it have power cross feed and it's around $2000!
but I don't know how much TIR the spindle have and accurate is the leadscrew etc.. I called Mathew and he didn't recommend it to me instead he recommend going to PM 1340 GT and that is so big for what I want

Smallblock;
thank you for sending me the name of the company (shopsmart) I did quick search about that company and it's looks like there are some people having problems with their machines!
there is always reason why the machine is cheap! and (you get what you pay for) so I think to stay with lathe and buy mill will save me more problems in case if the mill have problems the lathe maybe fine! also if I wont to sale the lathe or the mill or upgrade ether one of them will be easy than buy 2 in one machine! as I have no problem upgrading the both machines in future if I be happy with them and $$$ will be spent in slow motion or let say in steps not up in front!


I saw sherline videos on their wesite showing how it can cut a hard steel! so I gave the company a call and they transferred my call to the technical technician and he didn't recommend it for what I welling to use it, and he said you may cut hard steel once a month but not every day or so! it's made of an aluminum and not designed to do cut hardened steel everyday!

so I walked a way!

[flyingdragon]

I just ordered G4003 after getting 10% discount and I am thinking to convert it next year or so into CNC, will buy the CNC stuff just step by step starting with the C5 ground ball screws and ending with the steppers

the only problem with the g4003 is it need to change the motor and adding motor drive VFD so that will add to the cost a another $450


I was thinking to call grizzly and change my order into g4002 12x24 and save $100 since I will never need that big of a mass setting in my garage floor!

Thank you
Oz

[SwampDonkey]

I can build ya one for 3000.