Topic: Is this lathe worth the price?

[B.O.X.N.I.F.E.]

I suddenly have space to build pretty much whatever kind of workspace I want. I don't know much about lathes other than I've had to seek them out to have work done in the past. I'd like to pick one up and teach myself.

What should I be looking for? I found this one near by, is this typical price-wise?

http://littlerock.craigslist.org/tls/1455886214.html

[mick7504]

Price looks good.
It requires 3 phase power which is fine providing you have access to 3 phase.
With lathes, a lot of the expense is in purchasing adaptors, tooling etc.
All of those bits usually come with a secondhand machine.
I personally think that they are a great thing to have.

[B.O.X.N.I.F.E.]

My buddy is pretty good with wiring, how difficult is it to wire in three phase? It would be going inside the house...

Which begs the question, how much is it likely to weigh? We'll have to get it up 2 stairs and carry it by hand the last part of the way.

[mick7504]

Most households are single phase which means that you would have to buy a single phase motor for it.
Here is Oz, most of those motors (single phase) for that type of application require a 15 amp outlet as well.
I'm not familiar with how things are setup where you are but it would be a good idea to do some homework on that first and speak with an electrician.
Lathes are usually fairly heavy too so you will need some manpower to lift it.

[Queeg]

only industrial/commercial places will have 3phase power.  your house is single phase. 
the price is awsome. thats about what we paid for our old southbend lathe. and the tooling will run alot more. but hopefully some stuff will come with it. you can swap the motor out for a single phase one. cost might be steep. look up specs on the webs. and reshearch  the lathe. can you get parts. or will you have to make them..... wich is great cause you learn more that way.  keep your eye out at gargae sales and the surplus stores for stuff. thats how our shop got most of its tooling etc for our mills and lathe.

  if you have room its the most useable tool. i use mine about 2 times a week for random parts. and somtimes i use it just to make a mess. if you have an old neighbor who knows how to use one or owns one, make friends to learn all the little tricks.
 my buddy stays intouch with his highschool shop teacher. wich is how we got the larger  lathe you saw when you stopped by.  and he loves to talk about machining and will teach us how to do things when he needs to use the lathe now.
take a class @ the local college.  if you have any questions too give me a call and ill help you out.

 i can go on for pages, but ill save the earth from random Queeg rambling tonight!

[Terry in Australia]

Lathes are great, I've had several, and my current Chinese screw cutting lathe with a 3 foot bed and 17 inch swing has paid for itself over the thirteen years that I've had it. That lathe on CL is an old (1950's era?) industrial quality machine and probably weighs around two tons. Mine isn't as big as that, and it weighs one ton, and that bugger looks bigger and heavier.

Personally, I'd suggest that you buy a smaller single phase lathe from Harbor freight or similar to teach yourself on. This one is 700 bucks, but the difference is that it's complete, new, comes with a warranty, and you can just plug it in and use it. Cheers, Terry.

 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45861

[MRieck]

Obviously you will need to convert 3 phase to single. I use a frequency driver which has worked very well.

[Fabricator]

Box,

   Verify that the lathe pictured will do what you want.  It appears to have had its saddle fit with a turret, and I did not see a tailstock in any of the pictures.  Additionally, it appears to not have a lead screw, and is likely a "second operation" lathe.  These are more like a "horizontal drill press" than a lathe, and are not going to have the versatility of a regular "engine lathe".  Lastly, the spindle appears to have a collet system, and not a chuck.  If this is the case, you will be limited to holding small round things, and even then you will need a collet for that specific size range.   Not knowing exactly what you are wanting it for, makes guidance difficult, but if you are working on any "Jap bikes", or even general maintenance work,you will want inch and metric threading, in addition to a spindle thru-hole that could accomodate anything too long for the bed.  A 1.5" thru-hole is not only attainable in the class of machines you are after, but very handy. Bear in mind though that if you can get by with only "imperial AKA inch" threads, then your price will be nearly 1/3 less.    
Regarding the machine pictured:  If I am properly understanding the pictures, RUN AWAY!  Not to be a kill-joy, but you could not give me that machine!  I have 4 lathes, and they range in capacity from 16" X 54" to 36" x 320".  (I paid $2500 for the "big one", and it weighs around 20 tons) I think you should be able to find something ready to use, and equipped with tooling for under $1000.  For some awesome reading, go lurk on the "Practical machinist" forum.  They "tolerate" home hobbyists, so post questions with care.  Another great site is "the home shop machinist", as they are home shop only.  One of the first thing any of them will recommend is that you get a copy of an old war department book called "How to run a lathe" (I think by Fred Colvin) AND the classic treatise on lathes by the South Bend lathe works called: "How to Run an Engine lathe".  Both books are under 120 pages, and well illustrated.  Keep on searching, and consider talking to big-time (used) machine tool dealers.  Many of them do not want to mess with the little machines, and will sometimes pass these finds along.    Keep on searching, as the key is patience.  Also, use this link: http://www.lathes.co.uk/     for some good history, descriptions, and often accurate weights of potential purchases.  Best wishes in the hunt!

Fabricator

[Steve_K]

I wonder about that orange on the lathe.  Rust?  I think Enco sells phase converters, tho it maybe cheaper to get a single phase motor.  Be sure the floor can support the weight.  If in the house, be aware that chips go all over.  No barefooting.  I have used Hardinge professionally in a shop.  They are very good and accurate,  if they are in good condition.  Tooling will be expensive, unless that box have holders.  Expect to spend a couple hundred dollars, unless you can find used parts.   I have an old Craftsman lathe that I have had for years.  It does what I need.  If I have a large part I have access to a lathe at work.

Steve

[Fabricator]

Update:

The Hardinge HCR pictured is a "chucker" (that is a type of machine, and not a suggestion as to what to do with it; although it is not far off).  That is what I suspected from the pictures originally, but I did not want to mislead you.  A chucker is for collet work only, and does not have the ability to use a 3-jaw, or 4-jaw chuck (unless you make the mount, but you could not even do that with this machine).  It is devoid of a tailstock as well, and further limits its use to the versatility-minded home user, or serious tinkerer.  It weighs 1750 lbs as well.  Do yourself a favor, and forget about it.   I don't care how many folks give you the "thumbs up" because of price, they do not know machine tool equipment, and are giving you bad advice!  This was a $10,000 machine when it was made, but it was a machine with a specific purpose, (like making bushings with a 0.000025" tolerance...( Yes you read the 6 decimels correctly)   Even then, it was still limited to things you could put in collets.    There is a reason that a formerly $10,000 production machine is priced like that  .  Judging by the pictures, it is worth around $6/per hundred at the scrap yard.  Follow Terry's advice if you need a lathe quickly, and get the Harbor Freight machine.  Or spend a couple hundred more and get something from Enco, or MSC/J&L.  Those machines will likely be a good start, and actually be useable.  The unit you are looking at will be a boat anchor.  

Last bit of unsolicited advice:  If you are buying used machinery, bring some metal, and a knowledgeable friend, and actually use the machine first.  If the seller will not allow it, move on.  

Respectfully,


Fabricator

Here is an example (although not near you) of something like I believe you would find quite useful:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Hendey-Engine-Lathe_W0QQitemZ180427267935QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2a024d9f5f

[KB02]

Here is an example (although not near you) of something like I believe you would find quite useful:  http://cgi.ebay.com/Hendey-Engine-Lathe_W0QQitemZ180427267935QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2a024d9f5f

Darn it... That's pretty close to me. Around an hour and half's drive. I wish I had the coin to bid on that... and the space to put it, too, but that's another story...

[B.O.X.N.I.F.E.]

All of you, thanks a lot. It looks like this will be a project in and of itself. I was wrong to think I'd just a find a 'lathe' on CL and go buy it. I think I've got a couple months research to do before I look for one. I am in absolutely no rush, now that I have the space I'm going to slowly try to equip myself with whatever it is I may need when building a bike (and I still have the 49 Chevy to finish).

Fabricator, thanks for the in depth info, I appreciate the time you took. Same for everyone else.

[Steve F]

Keep an eye out for a good vertical milling machine too.  You don't really ever need anything larger than a standard Bridgeport size.  The most handy thing to have in a machine shop.  Besides a lathe, of course. 
Steve F

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, once you've got a lathe, you need a mill. (then a bench grinder, cold saw, air compressor, Mig welder, plasma cutter, it never ends...........)  

[mick7504]

Yep, once you've got a lathe, you need a mill. (then a bench grinder, cold saw, air compressor, Mig welder, plasma cutter, it never ends...........)  

And a fridge full of coldies too      
For afterwards of course 

[Fabricator]

FWIW,

  I just sold a Famco model 200 vertical ram turret mill (NT 40 spindle) for $300, and a Sieki XL vertical mill (similar to BP series II ) for about the same.   The Famco ran great, and the Sieki needed minor service.  I bought them at scrap prices with some other equipment, and they were both replaced with a nicer Kearney & Trecker 2CH w/3-axis DRO. In fact I got the 2CH K&T for $1500   If you are patient, you will find some super deals out there.  CL and Ebay are fine sources, as is word of mouth, and sometimes "wanted" ads.  First get those books, and learn baby learn!  Then, be the first to check you want ads, and tell every Tom, Dick and Harry what you are looking for. That is how people find nice bikes for $100, but it works for lathes and mills too!  Last year a frind called to tell me where two fully loaded Miller Synchrowave 300's were about to be trashed.... All because a vo-tech program got sponsored by "The red company".  I showed up with a truck 30 minutes later, and got machines, carts, regulators, and torches...

Regards,

Fabricator