# Anyone here using non-mini or domestic machines?



## ABTOMAT (Mar 10, 2006)

Just something I've been wondering about. This little board has more folks with mini-lathes and mini-mills than I've ever seen. With all the good machinery out there I'm surprised not many folks post about having other kinds of tools. I guess a lot of guys here are just itching to do flashlight work and not get involved with the machinery itself. Some really sweet home-sized lathes and mills are tucked away all over the world, sitting unused and unloved. Or for those who don't mind it, lots of decent new full-size imported gear. Most of the all-machinist boards I'm on are dominated by talk of what neat tools folks have, or have just found in some dark corner. I sometimes think people who come at it from a different angle don't realize what's out there.

So....let's have a roll call. I know several folks here have some pretty serious hardware, either older or new big stuff. Come on, out with it. Pics would be great but I'm mainly interested in just getting a demographic. I have:

'60s Unimat SL-1000 modelmaker's lathe--my father left it to me when he died
1952 Atlas QC 10x24" I found in as-new condition two years ago
1956 Clausing 12x36" the previous owner tipped over--it's a project right now
1945 Benchmaster 6x14" horizontal mill that I will probably unload--too worn
1944 KR Wilson 25-ton hydraulic press--800-pound monster I stuffed downstairs
Various drill presses from the '30s-50s
Lots of woodworking equipment that's beyond the scope of this board


-Edit: I just realized my above post might come off like I'm attacking the mini-machine folks. That's not my intention in the slightest. Those lathes and mills are nice machines that stand alone in that feature/size range and can do great work. If I get my Clausing going and sell the Atlas I may very well buy a 7x14 for metric threading and for lighter work.


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## KC2IXE (Mar 10, 2006)

Atlas 12x36" - actually a Craftsman 3990

Burke Millrite Mill (with large table option) - basically the size of a M head Bridgeport, but has a R8 spindle

OLD (not new import) Buffalo tabletop drill press (with Albrecht chuck on it)

a Sherline mill that is hanging around for me to convert to CNC


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## gadget_lover (Mar 10, 2006)

All my woodworking tools are full sized. My drill press is a floor model. For no apparent reason my metalworking tools tend to be the mini variety. Small mill, lathe, welder and grinder. It think it has to do with thinking of small parts that need to be made.

I know TVORD, McGizmo, Unnerv all have good sized machines. I sometimes wish I did too.

Daniel


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## unnerv (Mar 10, 2006)

I have a Ta Shing 14x36 that my dad picked up when he was in the Airforce stationed in Taiwan 34 years ago. Swing over the Gap is about 24 inches  and it has a 1 3/4 inch through hole perfect for long "D" sized lights.







I also have a harbor freight mini-mill, homier 7x14 mini lathe, craftsman 12" swing drill press, Harbor Freight 12 ton press, plus the other little stuff like grinders, dremels, hand held bandsaw, etc.


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## DSpeck (Mar 10, 2006)

I have a 9" Model C (QC gearbox) South Bend lathe, a Homier mini-mill (someday I'll CNC it), a 14" benchtop drill press, a 1951 (the EARLIEST model) Shopsmith woodworking machine, small sandblasting cabinet, 5hp air compressor, big variable-speed bench-mounted belt grinder, oxy-acetylene welding kit, and various (many) handtools and small powertools. I like making stuff...


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## ABTOMAT (Mar 10, 2006)

Nice rigs guys.

Wasn't the Model C the plain-jane version? Or did you retrofit a model C? The Model A was the one with QC and power crossfeed. I used to have a Model B. Power cross but changegears.


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## DSpeck (Mar 11, 2006)

My mistake - you are right, it's a Model A (powerfeed and QC gearbox). It was from a highschool, and when my Dad and I went to check through the ones at the used machinery dealer's warehouse, we found this one that had very very little play in the head's bearings, and the ways are still in very good shape, so I bought it. That was about 9 1/2 years ago. It is still serving me well. It would be nice to retrofit it with a VS treadmill motor and controller, but I haven't found one readily available yet. The lathe is belt-driven, and has 3 speeds, plus 3 more in back-gear. I'd CNC it, but I don't think it is rigid enough to be suitable.


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## ABTOMAT (Mar 11, 2006)

Only three speeds? You can get a two-speed pulley set for the motor side of things, for a total of six out of backgear, but I'm not sure how common they are on the used market.


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## olephart (Mar 11, 2006)

Mine's a South Bend Heavy 10 Toolroom Model with wide range gear box. It has taper and collet attachments.

It was born on 11/29/61 and it's first home was the Timex Watch Company.


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## Vee3 (Mar 12, 2006)

I have a Bridgeport mill with Vari-Drive head, ball screws and chrome ways for a mill.

My lathe is a Clausing 5914 (BTW, many Clausing lathe parts are still available from the Clausing Service Center).

I also have many other smaller metalworking machine tools - Two drill presses, vertical and horizontal band saw, Radiac cutoff machine, power hacksaw, grinders, buffers, welders, etc. All in my 500 sq. ft. garage.

Of course the machines would be of little use without the goodies to go along with them - I've got literally thousands of accessories, jigs, fixtures, cutting and measuring tools to go with them. I must have at least 500 taps alone.

And then there's the hand tools...


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## Christoph (Mar 19, 2006)

I have had the good luck to use these for a while














These are not mini and they are domestic I think.Other than that I don't know much about them.I put my ARC4 on the chuck of the big one for size it has 8' ways I believe. I'm no machinest just a hobbiest with some big tools. 
C


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## ABTOMAT (Mar 19, 2006)

Nice machines! The first one is an HLV-H, one of the best precision lathes ever made. Probably about a $8,000+ machine on the used market. I hope that air hose isn't being used for clearing chips. Second looks like a nice vari-drive Bridgeport. The last one's obviously a big Summit, although I don't know if it's the Indian or European model. They're an importer. Very nice imports, though.


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## McGizmo (Mar 19, 2006)

I have a beater Chraftsman (Atlas) 12x36 that will cut threads fine but does need to be rebuilt and tightened up for good precision. I used it for years until I finally popped for a freshly rebuilt Hardinge Precision Tool Room lathe with DRO. That set me back in excess of $20k but it is a move I wish I had made years ago!!!! Although I don't and won't try to use it for production, I can use it for good first article and proof of concept parts and modifications of existing pieces. Single point threading is a dream on this machine!!


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## cy (Mar 19, 2006)

9in Southbend lathe here and a full size chinese milling machine. I'd be lost without my lathe!

all sorts of other supporting machinery from full size band saw, drill press, table saw, mechanical metal cutting saw, mig welder, torch, bausch & lomb lens grinder, autoclave, geiger counter, HVLP equip, etc...


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## cmacclel (Mar 30, 2006)

McGizmo said:


> I have a beater Chraftsman (Atlas) 12x36 that will cut threads fine but does need to be rebuilt and tightened up for good precision. I used it for years until I finally popped for a freshly rebuilt Hardinge Precision Tool Room lathe with DRO. That set me back in excess of $20k but it is a move I wish I had made years ago!!!! Although I don't and won't try to use it for production, I can use it for good first article and proof of concept parts and modifications of existing pieces. Single point threading is a dream on this machine!!




Must be nice to drop 20k+ on a lathe that won't do any production work! I'm in the process of looking for an upgrade. Currently I run an Import 3 in 1 with 16.5" swing over bead and 31.5" between centers. I'm looking for a geared head machine.



Mac


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## tvodrd (Mar 30, 2006)

A couple years ago a lucked into a surplus Series I, 2HP vari-drive mill for $1500 at work. It came with a set of collets and Accurite DRO. Had to buy a $600 rotary power invertor for it, and added X and Z power feeds. 6 months later, I got a wild hair and bought a Kent TRL 1340 engine lathe from the local importer. Pic isn't accurate- mine is a 5HP, variable frequency AC drive model and I purchased the Accurite DRO, taper attachment, and Royal 5C lever closer options installed. What's cool is it will run on 220V single phase power with no performance penalty. Was ~$17K out the door and $400 more set in my garage.

Tooling everything is where it starts getting expensive. :green: A set of Japan 5C collets from 1/16" to 1 1/8" by 64ths was $1100 from McMaster. If I'd had a brain, I could have saved ~$400 at Enco- wasn't familiar with Lyndex. A complete KDK toolpost with extra blocks was ~$1500. I have a cut-knurl tool I probably paid $350 for and between endmill sets, and beeg endmill sets and ball endmill sets and miniature endmill sets and countersink sets and upgrading my drills and taps and a boring head and boring bar sets and more boring bar sets with inserts and a 6" import spacer and 123 blocks and hold down sets and gage pin sets (1/32"-3/4" by .001 ) and insert cutters and cut-off tools and V-blocks and toolmaker's vise and a new Kennedy roll-away, middle box and biggest top box (It's almost 6' tall, stacked!) $$, I don't want to know! :green: Hell, I have a slotted angle plate in route from Enco now.

Fortunately, in the past I aquired a 7" horozontal bandsaw, 14" vertical (converted to metal-cutting with a vari-drive motor) 220A Lincoln arc welder, oxy-acetylene rig (out of hydrostat) 2 bench grinders, a 12" disc grinder, a 2 or 3 HP 2-stage air compressor and a POS drill press.

I had a small shop and with the help of the GI bill worked my way through college with it making after-market Norton motorcycle goodies. I sold it off during my senior year to pay rent and finish college. I've missed it since and had always planned to build up another by the time I retired. 

Yeah, I got it baad! (And I can't imagine what it is going to take to move it all to a free state in abt 5 years.  )

Larry


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## kromeke (Apr 1, 2006)

Got a 1936 South Bend 11". Still have to wire up my VFD before I can use it. First major piece of machinery. Hardinge and Monarch have a high drool factor with me. Never seen a Hardinge up close. I've used a Monarch before, very nice machines. Mini stuff just doesn't do it for me, I'm accustomed to larger controls and QC gearboxes for my powerfeeds. I would like to get a metric machine for metric theading (I'll probably just go desktop CNC). Would love to get a Emco Compact 5 CNC with the 3 tool changer. Not American, but they are pretty cool.


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