Lathe

erthmvr888

I would like to get a lathe for the garage/work shop, what would be a good quality used lathe to get. Have about $2500. to spend.

Trav

Lawson SP3

tough call anymore. you can buy old American made stuff but most of it is well worn and uncared for. or, you can buy new asian made machinery of dubious accuracy (though I've seen sites that tutor on how to 'tune things up'.

sagot

Some in Mn:

http://www.interplantsales.com/120.html

http://www.orca-inc.com/category.aspx?zcid=273

erthmvr888

Thank you for the input guys, looked at a lot of machines on various site and like Lawson SP3 said the old american made machine are well used, I think I will try to find a South Bend 10" in good shape . They seem to be more common than some and i think it would be work for the light duty turning i would be doing.

South Bend 10" $1750

LeBlond 13" ( from Los Alamos Lab) $2700

MarkT

erthmvr888 wroteThank you for the input guys, looked at a lot of machines on various site and like Lawson SP3 said the old american made machine are well used, I think I will try to find a South Bend 10" in good shape . They seem to be more common than some and i think it would be work for the light duty turning i would be doing. South Bend 10" $1750 LeBlond 13" ( from Los Alamos Lab) $2700

My 2 cents-- get the heaviest lathe you can afford- provided the bed is in good shape. In most older machines there is going to be slop but the more expensive ones-in this case the LeBlond -normally allows you to adjust much of it out because they have split nuts.

Since you cannot inspect it yourself you are at a disadvantage in assessing if you are getting junk. One broken gear in the box will often set you back the entire cost of the machine. Yes there are many South Bends around and parts can be had so that is a consideration. All being equal in terms of function I would go for the LaBlond or a much bigger South Bend.

Here is my Monarch 10EE that I restored about 15 years ago and love.

marvin

10" South Bends are generally overpriced because that's the size most people want/or can accommodate. I have a 16" x 56" SB and love it. Mine is in really good shape with the flame hardened bed.

BTW, often times the furniture that goes along with the lathe is worth as much as the lathe, one reason to buy a used American (or other) lathe as most of the furniture goes with it.

P.S. I'm with Mark,,,get the largest that you can handle. You can do small things on a big lathe but can't do large things on a small lathe. Also for import lathes the older Jet's are nice.

erthmvr888

Mark ,that's a nice looking lathe - a guy could get lathe envy over that one ! Well i will have to consider getting a larger machine - most of the bigger machines seem to be 3-phase power so would have to convert to 1-phase. will see what i can come up with - Thanks guys

Trav

marvin

I can send you plans on how to make your own 3 phase converter out of a delta wound 3 phase motor. I've built lots of them. For just one machine you might consider just buying an appropriate single phase motor.

erthmvr888

Marvin, I may take you up on your offer for the plans, I do have a 5hp 3-phase motor in the shed from a upright air compressor I repowed. Have to find a lathe first. I'll PM you if I need them. Thanks

Trav

marvin

erthmvr888 wroteMarvin, I may take you up on your offer for the plans, I do have a 5hp 3-phase motor in the shed from a upright air compressor I repowed. Have to find a lathe first. I'll PM you if I need them. Thanks Trav

Hi Trav,

If you use a 5 hp delta wound 3 phase motor for a converter it will only run about a 3 HP 3 phase motor. The converter has to be made of a larger motor than you plan to run. There are other more modern alternatives than a roto-phase converter. Let me know after you find a lathe and I will dig up some links.