Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

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liveaboard
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by liveaboard »

because you tall guys can easily raise a short machine, but us short guys can't easily lower a high machine.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by Bill Shields »

short people is the reason God made lumber and nails.

I have a work platform around my Bridgeport Series II machine. Even though I am 6' 1", I find it a very tall machine, so a 6" platform all the way around makes life easier for me.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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BadDog
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by BadDog »

SteveM wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2019 2:34 pmEach grinder will be on a plywood base that will lock onto the bench, so that I can have different grinders for different purposes and not have to constantly change wheels.
I've been of a similar thought for many years. In particular, my last shop was a one car detached and had NO room to spare. So most all of my variable function and utility tools went on standardized mounts. As I've described before, I have 2" receiver tubes mounted all over including several on my main fabrication table, several more on my super heavy grinder "cart" (8" double tire casters, could put a truck on it and move it around), a free standing pedestal that mounts directly to the pad outside, and a variety of others including vertical adapters for my truck hitches (front and rear), plus the trailer I sold had one. An example collection of the tools mounted to 2" squared tube include a good variety of bench grinders, vises, bar/strap benders, JD2 tubing (roll bar etc) bender, ring roller, bead roller, and so on. I've also got a couple of scrap metal "multi mounts" that have a variety of holes for convenient bolting/clamping of whatever temporary rig I decide I need. You can make any of them any height you want by simply drilling hole for the pin. Some things you don't want wobbling about due to the somewhat loose receiver, and for those I have a 1/2"-13 t-bolt (hex bolt in some) that just tightens to push the 2" tube to one side locking it solidly for bending/rolling/vise type work. The latter feature can also be used to set custom heights as needed for specific jobs. Stuff that may see months or more without use (bead roller, etc) can simply be tossed in the corner, or make a cheap mounting rack out of cheap square tubing big enough to easily drop the 2" tube base into.

Been working for me for nearly 2 decades now, and I like it so well I've continued the practice in my new more spacious shop.
Russ
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SteveM
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by SteveM »

A friend mounted a trailer hitch receiver under his bench and he has several tools with a square bar mounted to it so that he just plugs it into the bench.

As Russ said, you would want to have a method for tightening it up.

Steve
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BadDog
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by BadDog »

Most of my receivers are mounted vertically, and all tool mounts have a vertical post. For those not vertical (mainly vehicles), I have a 90* adapter allowing the use of the vertical mounted tools retaining the height variability/adjustability.

For greater stability with more displacement, a longer extension could be provided that includes a bipod. I've got a sort of plate made from an old truck receiver with frame ears cut off. It's usually used to make a step for the front receiver of lifted trucks (to access the engine compartment without having to climb in or find a tippy ladder), and has a vertical receiver section that can be combined with a right angle 2" tube to provide adjustable height. It can slide on a 2" bar of whatever length is available to provide a vertical receiver. This is currently less than ideal because the (2) 90* oriented receiver sections are in-line, so only one can bypass. However, if they were offset, then it would retain fully height variability along with variable offset with a long connecting tube. But even in its current (initial) limited form, I used it with a makeshift bipod to mount a tube bender using the vehicle as an anchor. It could obviously serve equally well with short post mounts like those found on my vises and bench grinders.
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BadDog
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by BadDog »

Oh, and those fore/aft receivers on my trucks also mount a HS9500 winch with custom built cradle (protection for winch, and handles to carry) front or rear.

Trucks very often get winches mounted on the front, which is fine for rock crawlers that use them to get over otherwise impossible barriers along the trail of choice, and for poseur mall crawlers where, like tacticool gun farkles, are only about "the look". But in real use for typical trucks (including desert/expedition/camping type rigs), the most (frequently) needed winch mount will be in the back. But that interferes with rear access and storage, so you almost never see one back there. So mine is usually stored on the front (where else?), but more often used from the back, including when I use my truck as an anchor to recover another.
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dbfletcher
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by dbfletcher »

Im back again. So the Grizzly is 0752Z is not expected to be in stock until the middle of August. I have placed my order, but now I'm comparing it to a PM 1022V/1030V https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/ ... -pm-1030v/. It seems to me the the 1022V with DRO is pretty close in specs to the 752Z but the PM also includes powerfeed on the crosslide and both left and right threading. The PM also comes with an AXA QCTP. Is there any glaring reason why I shouldn't choose the PM over the grizzly?
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by jcfx »

The Grizzly machine and the PM machine most likely came from the same factory
with different QA and paint before being crated, take a look at the manuals for both.
I was looking for a mill and went with PM, it was less money and had power down feed
( didn't hurt that it was PA to NY was a short delivery ), be aware that Chinese machinery will
need some pre maintenance before using.

If the PM is in stock and you get other goodies ( DRO, power feeds, etc ) for close to the same amount of money or less I'd say go with PM.
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by dbfletcher »

jcfx wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:37 pm The Grizzly machine and the PM machine most likely came from the same factory
with different QA and paint before being crated, take a look at the manuals for both.
I was looking for a mill and went with PM, it was less money and had power down feed
( didn't hurt that it was PA to NY was a short delivery ), be aware that Chinese machinery will
need some pre maintenance before using.

If the PM is in stock and you get other goodies ( DRO, power feeds, etc ) for close to the same amount of money or less I'd say go with PM.
I'm in PA as well.. about 1 hour from the PM facility. That was another reason I was strongly thinking about changing to the PM. The only big difference I see in favor of the Grizzly would be it has a VFD motor standard and the PM is Brushless DC. Both at 1HP so i think that is a wash.... but i have heard others say VFD is superior to brushless DC.
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by Andy R »

No matter what lathe you ultimately buy, get a 5c collet closer and 5c collets.
dbfletcher
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by dbfletcher »

Andy R wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:57 pm No matter what lathe you ultimately buy, get a 5c collet closer and 5c collets.
Can you explain the benefits over just using the 3 jaw or 4 jaw chuck that is included? Keep in mind I am starting out with basically zero lathe skill/knowledge... so I assume this is something i wouldn't need up front.. but could add later down the road when im more comfortable with basic lathe operation.

Doug
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Re: Newbie - Buying first metal lathe

Post by SteveM »

A collet is a tube with a taper on the outside and a precision hole in the center that draws into a taper in the spindle.

Unless the spindle taper, the collet taper or the hole are worn or damaged, they will center work on the spindle very well and repeatably. Even cheap collets will repeat close to or better than 1 thou.

A 3-jaw chuck has a spiral gear that mates with teeth on the back of the jaws. When they wear (and they will) the jaws not only might not repeat at the same size, but will be off different amounts at different diameters. Think about if you only used for chuck for 1" diameter work. Chances are, accuracy at that diameter is not going to be good.

If your 3-jaw is a few thou off, consider yourself lucky.

When working with a 3-jaw, you want to do all operations that need to be concentric without removing the part, and that would mean that all your work is concentric.

A 4-jaw allows you to dial a part in, and once you get the hang of it, it's pretty quick, but if you have to do a bunch of parts the same size, collets win hands down.

Steve
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