[Napier]

hello,
Im currently looking to purchase a lathe my budget is around 2k Id like to be eventually be able to convert it to cnc. Im still fairly new with all this so thats why im asking for help. Id like to have one that can handle workpieces at least 30" in length. I have been lookin at the birmingham 1236 but im sure there is other alternatives out there. I have also been looking at the lathemasters 930. Any advice is appreciated thanks

[pastera]

Just because you can fit at 30" long part does not mean you can work the entire length. You may need to go with a larger lathe just for this reason.

Also, swing may be an issue, what is the diameter of your parts.

Aaron

[Napier]

The maximum diameter i plan to use is probably 5" ,but possibly more. How hard is it to convert to cnc? I know there is alot of information on here ,but i feel lost with all of it. Is there a good tutorial or parts list? Thanks sorry to be such a Newb

[pastera]

If you are going to spin a 5" x 30" part, you want as much weight as you can afford.

A 9x30 will most probably too small - the swing over cross slide (5 7/8") meets you needs but the carriage travel (25") won't let you reach the entire length of your part in one setup. And if your part is steel, the part would be half the lathes weight - meaning it's going to hop all over the place.

Take a look at harbor freight 46951-2VGA - $2K for a 13x40 (1200 lbs)

Aaron

[LUCKY13]

For someone as new as you appear to be about this, all I can do is recommend you spend a lot of time reading. The amount of info is overwellming to say the least. But the only way you are going to understand what direction to take is gain some understanding of it yourself, or solely depend on others to make your choices.

One of the problems with being on a forced budjet is there is so many things that you will be needing, tooling, measuring equipment, learning literature, metal stock, ect,ect....... and then you throw in CNC on top of it all.


To even begine to get a good machine at your price level puts you in a possition that can get you in trouble right off.


The first thing you need to truely consider is what you want to be able to do with this machine. Then shop size, what other tools & equipment you already have. How much money are you going to have after the purchase to assist in this.

IMHO there is very few new machines I myself would even think about buying in the price range you have given. This along would force me to buy used so that I could get more for my money, plus the chance of gaining tooling to go with the purchase helps greatly (most people end up spending more on tooling than the lathe over time). Then comes the part about you needing to know what is going on so you dont get screwed or stuck with a machine that want fit your needs. This comes back to spending time reading. I myself am dissabled, so this gives me hugh amounts of time to reseach & learn ( sometimes I spent 8 hours or more a day). I cant tell you how many times my mind as changed about What Machine To Buy. But I can tell you this, 4 months ago I could not tell you how to turn a lathe on. Now I not only know what to look for , but also with brands & models to looks for & what to expect to pay for them. One thing is for sure, if you can get this far , when it comes time to spend your money you will end up with 10 times the machine & at a fraction of the cost with extras like tooling, compaired to if you just went & bought the best recomended lathe you could find for the amount of money you have. Taking your time is very key to this.


If you cant do this then I would suggest you buy something inline with a LatheMasters lathe that will come with some tooling ( the 10x18 seems to be one of the best for the money) and it want be breaking the bank. Then as time goes you will know more about them & you can upgrade. Upgrading will be alot easier than buying because you will have gotten many of the things you need to go along with it & will have spent more time learning to know what can & cant be done with X or Y machine.


You would be much better off with a smaller machine that had some quality about it & some tooling than to have a cheaper quaity bigger lathe that is not going to hold up good & then not really be worth CNC'ing.


Wow, this is getting long. IMHO the first lathe you meantioned is one that I would not buy ( again just My Opinion) and quality is my reason for this. Now its hard to even talk about quality when your compairing one import lathe to another import lathe. But it does seem that some are better than others, even if it is small differances.

The second machine you meantioned is a good machine in the Price Performance that you get. IMHO the 10x18 is a better machine than the 9x30 ( its heavier built) . LatheMasters is also good about service & stocking parts that may be needed down the road latter & helping there customers after the sale. This could mean a lot to a new user. Compair the weight of machines of the same size when shoping. Its not the end all, but does effect things, the heaver the better. Ofcourse fit & finish is more important, quality of metal machine is made of, look at handles, knobs,gears, ect,ect.


Another very good option is these guys, here with these two lathes, They come with some tooling & free shipping & if I was to buy new in this price range then this is what I would probably get. These for the money are good machines. You dont have the after sales service like Lathemasters because they just mainly sale the machines. But they will stand behind there machine and can get any parts needed.

http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM1027.html
http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM1127.html

The first one is a bigger version of the stout 10x18's that is working out so good for many of the guys. Read the BusyBee threads. This is the same lathe with a longer bed & cabinet.

The second is a bit nicer with a little more room plus it is a stout version (even heavier) with soom nice options ( veriable speed spindle is very nice with good RPM). I really like this machine for the money. If this price is what I had to work with & I was going to buy a new import lathe it would be this one.

Again this is just my opinion from many hours of research. If the amount of money you have is limited to what you say then I would give the lathemaster a very close look. It will leave you some money for other things. But consider shipping in your pricing. But the other machines I listed is going to be a little better machine ( heaver, more options, cabinets, good tooling, free shiping, a little better quality, but cost more). Again, my opinion from research and other peoples results.

Buying a older machine would be the best in the end ( if you knew what to buy). You get a lot better machine that will hold up, and most of the time a lot of tooling to boot. But you had better do a lot of ready before thinking about that route. One good thing about older machines is given enough time you could find one very cheap. It woudl be easy to add one to a shop after you have learned more about them. Plus you would be more capable of putting it in working order if you had spent some time with another lathe already.

I cant say this enough, put some time into reading about all this. It is hard to take it all in. But the more you learn the more you start to understand what is being said about this machine & that machine. Then after you do that, I would suggest you put some time into reading about all this, then read some more. Also look into what others are doign with there lathes, projects,repairs and what not. It will help you undertsand what can be done with X size or brand lathe. There is a whole world of things that can be done with even a small lathe. That being said I dont think there is anybody that doesnt run into wanting to do things that there lathe is to small for, no matter what size it is.


Jess