[pikolo]

hello! Some days ago i went to tha jank jard so as to buy cheap metal...there was a lathe there the one shown in the picture and the guy told me that he would give it ot me for 400 euros...
so would you buy it ? is it worth it trying to clean it and make it work? Is the price good for what it is?thanks alot for your time .

[he1957]

It looks very rusty with missing parts (tailstock quill, tool holder). I'd guess the ways are pitted or will be when you get under the rust, along with the main spindle chuck.

If rust has found its way into the motor and electrics it may be somewhat hazardous to attempt to power on without a major clean-up.

I have no idea of pricing where you are but 400 euros sounds like a lot for a what it looks like.

What's the going price of scrap metal per kg - guessing it weighs about 400-500 kg?; that may be more than what it's worth - maybe?

Personally, I'd leave it where it is unless I was looking for some hard to find parts that _might_ be refurbishable :-)

[pikolo]

hi friend and thanks for your answere!i have a toolpost from another big lathe...i own a mini lathe so maybe i could make some of the parts?it is similar to this lathe https://www.blechzulieferer.com/prod...ed+21217/offer and in this listing it says it is 1300 kg.... https://www.machineseeker.com/Lathe-420-970-mm-EMAG-UMA17/i-1981348

[he1957]

That second URL you posted for a working, (almost) ready to use machine looks like a better deal to me.


Although anything is fixable, it boils down to the time, effort and cost of fixing it and whether it's ultimately worth it to the fixer :-)

[pikolo]

i just read in some info i found that this lathe doesnt do threads,.,,,no threading can be done on this lathe :S this is the worse i thnk....even my mini lathe can do threads,,,why to have a lathe if you cant thread on it??

[victorofga]

think on to making parts for a machinetool can be timeconsuming, or very expenses if you try to order from machineshops

the first picture you posted, 100 percent sure cost way more than a same sized new one

the second picture , better looking but this is an old kind of lathe..
you can set up for seires..


I would say if oyu have job coming plenty.. make the math the go out for loan and buy a machine..

either way manual or cnc you can afford


heres a link

please note ocean freight is about 800 to your port


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/CQ62...AbTest=ae803_3

[pikolo]

thanks for your replies! i use a lathe as a hobby i dont earn money from it...more i would say i spend on it ...i though that from building a milling machine made of concrete or a lathe made of concrete this lthe maybe wouldbe better? but i have no way or tools to scrape the ways and alla the accesories for doing this are way too expensive..too pitty a cant do it with an angle grinder and something really flat :P

[ger21]

I wouldn't take that machine if they gave me 400 Euros with it.

[pikolo]

xaxa that was really funny :P liked it xexe!!a friend of mine told me the same thing more or less..

[deadlykitten]

so would you buy it ? is it worth it trying to clean it and make it work?

hi pikolo, if you wish to go this way, you have to be sure that you don't lose much, or at least you don't lose more then you expect

- if you don't have time & money, so to fix that machine, maybe is better to leave it there
- if you have time & money, and you wish to fix that machine, you may end up with it, unable to sell it to make profit, unless you find some hell-of-a-deal

- if you wish to fix it, think about what resources it requires : maybe you can spent your time & money with your friends, etc, and in time, you may find a better deal


no one complained about spending money on women, cars and alcohol

many complained about getting the wrong cnc / kindly

I wouldn't take that machine if they gave me 400 Euros with it.

i would gladly consider this offer; i will keep the $$$, and sell the machine back to the junkyard

that is easy money gerry

[pikolo]

well...i was thinking of making a concrete lathe so as to have something to remove metal fast with...i think this i way better tha a concrete lathe homemade and if the guygives it ot me to abetter price i may but it....i said may cause i would like to make some back gears so as to make it possible to cut threads..i have a cnc homemade one..momus with ballscrews much better ta momus now an it can cut aluminium gears...i also have an old very big toolpost

[wizard]

The only thing you can do here is to inspect the lathe. If there is enough functionality there then it might be worth a rebuild. The fundamental problem is the unknowns, take the time to find out the mahcines weight and don't pay more than scape metal prices for it.

[pikolo]

dear friend the machine weights 1300 kg...it is very heavy and the price is 0.3 euro for scrap metal ....so 390 euros and i arranged a price for 400 euros even less maybe i dont know..

[CNCKITMILL]

If it were free it would still not be a "good buy" Time is valuable and the number of hours it would take to fix this lathe is just not worth it.

[pikolo]

Hi there friends So i did it...i bought this lathe...i know i know....but it is a hobby for me and i love to rebuilt things...also i couldnt let it to to scrap...So with the transportation it cost me 350 euros....but the iron of the machine costs more so if i dont like it i can return it and for sure take my money back or more...I already started to derust it ith electrolysis...i also took it apart and i found that the thing attached to the gearbox has something broken in it,,,you can see the red arrow in the pics,...i found some kind of metal balls inside it. So i am thinking of converting it to cnc BUT i donw know how to do it...i have tried to find a walkthrough or something but couldnt....any help?Also if interested i may start a thread with the restoraton..

for the pictures scrol down in this page dissasembly - Album on Imgur

[hfjbuis]

I have converted my mini lathe (80 mm chuck) for about $100 to CNC (without pc). It works really great and I am now converting my second lathe (160 mm chuck) the same way. I documented the retrofit. Have a look at Mini lathe 100 $ CNC conversion and modifications - Metal Worker Tools

[pikolo]

Wow!!!!I will definately study this thread thanks alot ! I am a noob in lathe cnc and i think this is going to help me!Thanks alot!!!I see you did it this with three stepper motors! Even on the spindle howe much torque should the spindle has?cause the lathe i want to convert right now has 5.5 kw motor ith speed reducton...i should remove this and attach a stepper? A 425 oz stepper would be sufficient for this?

[hfjbuis]

I use the original spindle motor for all normal turning task. The stepper on the spindle is only used for (multi start) threading, knurling (using a cutting tool), broaching (keyway or gear), etc. When needed, it is actuated using a leaver. It then drives the spindle (and the attached spindle motor).

It is hard to guess what torque you need. It depends on what size of products you are going to turn, the pitch of the spindles you use (I use the original spindles, no ball spindles), the speed you need etc. But I think is won't hurt to start small, easy, cheap and simple. After that, it is always possible to upgrade and you will make a better choice based on the experience you than have.
My second lathe is more like yours. On this lathe I use:

• Spindle stepper
  4 Nm, the high torque is only required for threading large diameters
• X-axis stepper
  2 Nm , the high torque is only required for parting
• Z-axis stepper
  1.2 Nm , The high torque is only required for (de) accelerating the carriage.

The steppers run at 1/4 micro stepping on a 24 Volt power supply using TB6600 drivers and none of the steppers is set at maximum current. This configuration is so silent, I can do turning very late at night without disturbing my neighbors.

I only make prototypes and speed is not important for me. The "low" torque/speed steppers also prevent a lot of damage when I do something stupid.

When I started, GRBL didn't support threading so I use the spindle stepper for threading. There is GRB-MEGA fork https://github.com/fschill/grbl-Mega that does support threading by a spindle synchronization pulse, the "same" way Mach3 and Linux CNC do. I am going to test this version this on my second lathe after the retro fit is completed and if it works OK, I will support it in my own software.

[pikolo]

Perfectn thanks for helping me alot caus i am a little lost...So i have a pc with mach3 i also can buy db25 breakout board with three dm542 a and three stepper motors 425 oz ...the questions i have is it possible to mount ballscrews to the lathe and also be able to move the cariage with the apron or i have to stop using it?also can i cut threads in mach 3 if the 3 motor is attached to the spindle? i mean will it be easy via mach3 or would ihave to make fusion 360 and then cad and then mach3?

[hfjbuis]

have a pc with mach3 i also can buy db25 breakout board

Mach3 and a DB25 (paralel port) doesn't run on all windows versions. XP is ok but for Windows10 you can't use the parallel board anymore.

with three dm542 a and three stepper motors 425 oz

Using external drivers is OK, you can keep using them even if you change the controller board.

is it possible to mount ballscrews to the lathe and also be able to move the cariage with the apron or i have to stop using it?

After fitting ballscrews, manual moving the apron isn't possible unless you can modify the two halfnut's to hold the ballscrew nut. I am thinking about this a long time!

Mach3 has some built in wizzards to do tasks without cad or cam. For all the rest you need Gcode files that can be made using a CAM processor. The Cam processor requires a CAD drawing. Fusion360 is a good way to start because it has a built in CAM.

can i cut threads in mach 3

Threading in Mach 3 is only supported in the payed version. The free Lathe version is limited to 50 lines of GCode. For threading in Mach 3 you don't need an extra stepper, just an index pulse on the spindle is enough.

can i cut threads in mach 3 if the 3 motor is attached to the spindle. i mean will it be easy via mach3

Threading using a stepper on the spindle requires to keep the spindle and Z-axis in sync. Basically this it the same as turning a taper, it only requires a single line of Gcode moving 2 axis simultaneously like G91 X10 Y100 F 20 (Spindle driver connected to the controller Y-axis).

would ihave to make fusion 360 and then cad and then mach3

I don't know if Fusion 360 supports lathe threading using a stepper on the spindle.