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Metal cutting lathe??

Tom Albrecht

Tom Albrecht

Joined
Feb 8, 2014
Messages
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Location
Evanston, IL USA
Don't bust me on this, I am just trying to learn.

Are there any woodturners here who also own, and use, a machine lathe? I am thinking of getting a small one.
 
Tom,

I have a metal lathe that I use to make tools for my wood working projects and tools for another guild.
I have an older Logan lathe which is similar to a South Bend metal lathe.
There are websites and YouTube videos that cover the refurbishing of the older lathes.
The older metal lathes were made of cast iron and the weight helps in absorbing the vibration when cutting metal.
There are plenty of older machines out there and they last forever.
Depending on what types of metals you plan to machine will determine the size and type of lathe.
If you want to cut threads you will also need to choose a lathe with that function as well.
 
If you go for a bench top one, most are made by Sieg in China. The specific brand sets their standards. I opted for the one from Grizzly. Just got it and haven't had the chance to use it yet.

Plan to use it to make parts for ornamental turning and for really accurate wood turning for ornamental turning.

Kind regards,
Rich
 
Hi Tom,

I don't have the time or space, but growing up in my Dad's metal shop was sure fun. A couple days ago I went by our local machinist to straighten out my mega jumbo jaws and he had a two foot wide chuck on his biggest lathe that weighs 500 pounds! I bet you're thinking a little smaller than that...

An interesting fellow on Instagram is Wes Piley. He mixes wood and metal, and it's worth scrolling through his pictures:
https://www.instagram.com/wes_pilley/
 
I have a Smithy lathe/mill combo machine. Right now it's down with a couple of minor problems I've got to solve but I'm too busy getting some turning out. I used to have one of the small mini lathes. Don't recommend them they have almost no power so you have to take really tiny cuts. I would rather have a good quality lathe and mill but simply don't have the space.
 
Thanks all. Yes Zach, I'm thinking smaller.

I am absolutely a born and bred wood lathe man. But every so often I try "machining" something requiring more accuracy and precision than I can achieve with a wood lathe and a drill press. I don't want to make model railroads, or steam engines, or guns. I just think that having a bench top engine lathe around would be useful sometimes.

My recent interest was piqued while searching for HSS tool bits when I ran across an old ATLAS 10" lathe with all the fixings and a load of books and tools to go with it. It is truly a beautiful machine in pristine condition http://www.alencotool.com/lathepages/lathe073041.html

But, for that price-- which is fair, as I am told my local machinists-- I can buy a well equipped Chinese Mini that will do a lot more.

I have spent loads of hours recently on forums and Youtube. I am saturated.

I'm just wondering if we have any diversified turner's here, like Rich and Mike above.
 
I spent around $600 for a similar, new one from Grizzly.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
Don't bust me on this, I am just trying to learn.

Are there any woodturners here who also own, and use, a machine lathe? I am thinking of getting a small one.
Click to expand...
I spent almost two decades as a Machinist/Toolmaker before going to college. A metal lathe is a marvelous thing. In the right hands with the right tools is is a lathe & milling machine & a grinder. The metal lathe is to machining like a the piano is to music. Just don't buy crap. A lot of the Taiwanese and especially the Chinese made machines are basically made of stiff Crisco.
 
I have a 10” South Bend that I use for restoring old woodworking machines – making bearings, shafts, and such. A machine lathe has a different learning curve than wood turning; the similarity between the two is really just in the work holding and lathe layout.
 
Owen Lowe said:
I have a 10” South Bend that I use for restoring old woodworking machines – making bearings, shafts, and such. A machine lathe has a different learning curve than wood turning; the similarity between the two is really just in the work holding and lathe layout.
Click to expand...

Oh yes… to echo other comments, you should be able to pick up an old(er) South Bend, Atlas, Logan, etc. with the basic accessories (tool holder, cutting tools, chuck, tail center) if you keep an eye on the usual sales outlets. These machines are sturdy, well-built, and if you decide it’s not for you, selling it for equal $ won’t be a problem.
 
One thing to consider. Tooling is expensive. If the lathe doesn't come with a lot. I spent more money on things like Chucks, collets, etc than I did on my lathe/mill. Of course that was partly because it is a lathe and a mill so I had to make both of them work.
 
Tom almost 60 years ago I taught myself turning wood on a large metal lathe in our family’s shop, as there was no-one to show me how to around.
It was an uphill battle, but I persevered and had a lot of fun, found out that turning hard tropical wood was the way to go, using the scrapers I made myself, no bowl gouges around yet.
The nice thing was that I had a good friend that had a family with a specialty sawmill that often cut the hard tropical logs that were shipped into Rotterdam, fairly close by.
Then here in Canada I again bought a metal lathe to turn larger pieces, and thus was able to fabricate the accessories I needed to turn wood on that lathe.
I do have a couple other smaller lathes also.
But to turn the larger bowls I like to turn on the outboard that I build, as you are facing the turning and there is no bed/ways to hinder the way I can hold my cutting tools.

These two pictures are in my previous shop where I build the stand and all the pieces I wanted to use to turn wood.
My lathe.jpg

Outboard setup.jpg

This is in my new shop where I live now
in the new shop.jpg
 
I have a small Taig metal lathe that I use for tool and jig making projects. I have it set up so my Oneway 1640 provides the drive power. Works pretty slick
 

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John Lucas makes another good point for looking at a used lathe, most of the time they come with a large
selection of tooling and chucks. The extras that come with the sale usually exceed the value of the purchase
of the lathe by itself.
 
Thanks Larry, There's some nice stuff on that Mathews site, thanks, and they were very responsive to questions.

I went back to the local dealer that has the Atlas for $1900 today and poked around at it. It is definitely a machine in almost new condition, but still way overpriced. I can't see paying more than $1000 for that machine, but have not offered anything yet.
 
Tom,

I would check CraigsList on a regular basis, you will usually find several listings for metal lathes on a regular
basis. It is only a matter of time before the right one comes up for sale, not unusual to find an older good
quality metal lathe and accessories for $500 to $1000 range. The hard part is loading and transporting and
setting up the lathe. You can usually break them down into component pieces so that one person can load
and unload them and put them together. The cast iron ways are usually the heaviest piece to deal with, a 2-wheel
cart works well for moving these around. If you transport the lathe assembled make sure you strap it down well,
the metal lathes are very top heavy and will tip over easily in a truck or trailer if not secured firmly.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
Don't bust me on this, I am just trying to learn.

Are there any woodturners here who also own, and use, a machine lathe? I am thinking of getting a small one.
Click to expand...
HI Tom
I have an old Boxford AUD with a quick select gear box for threading. I used it extensively to build my Rose Engine and I have rigged it up to thread wooden boxes as well. It beats the heck out of Threading jigs for wood lathes because I just select the thread I need and go. I mount a Rotozip on my compound slide driving a 60 degree cutter. Works like a charm. Basically I agree with those who have said buy an older non-Asian lathe but take care that the cross slide, compound slide and other components are not badly worn. It could cost you quite a bit to re-furbish.
 
Don't know any WWers but am familiar with some custom fishing rod builders who go all out and make their own reel seats from various metals. I would say that, in some instances, they would be useful.
 
Gary W Miller said:
HI Tom
I have an old Boxford AUD with a quick select gear box for threading. I used it extensively to build my Rose Engine and I have rigged it up to thread wooden boxes as well. It beats the heck out of Threading jigs for wood lathes because I just select the thread I need and go. I mount a Rotozip on my compound slide driving a 60 degree cutter. Works like a charm. Basically I agree with those who have said buy an older non-Asian lathe but take care that the cross slide, compound slide and other components are not badly worn. It could cost you quite a bit to re-furbish.
Click to expand...

There are a number of machinists that make the repair parts for many of the older lathes, most times the cross slide, compound slide parts are available along with carriage 1/2 drive nuts etc. There are plenty of YouTube videos that outline the process of replacing these common parts.
 
Quick update: This past week I found my wood & metal lathes very compatible with each other.

First, the handles on the metal lathe's compound slide & cross slide hand wheels were fixed & didn't freely spin as I wanted them to do so. I made some on my wood lathe that work greatly. Probably could have used aluminum instead of walnut, but the wood looks good to me.

IMG_0711.JPG

IMG_0714.JPG

The cone on the PowerMatic's live center had become quite "messy". I was able to use the metal lathe to clean it up and it looks great !

IMG_0715.JPG

Seems there is a use for both forms of lathes in my shop.
Rich
 
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Tom Albrecht said:
Thanks Larry, There's some nice stuff on that Mathews site, thanks, and they were very responsive to questions.

I went back to the local dealer that has the Atlas for $1900 today and poked around at it. It is definitely a machine in almost new condition, but still way overpriced. I can't see paying more than $1000 for that machine, but have not offered anything yet.
Click to expand...

I have an old 9" logan in my shop that I bought for $900. The problem is if there is too much backlash, the price for the rebuilds goes up quickly.
If it is in great shape, and depending on what chucks and tooling come with it, it may be worth the money
 
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