# Lathe advice



## FredM (May 4, 2008)

I want to work on mag-lite and mag lite size stuff. Well I will be working on smaller stuff as well but mag's are about the biggest. 

I know length is a problem but I can cut stuff down with my port-a-band first to say 8 inches or so before it goes on the lathe.

Which size lathe is the best deal for something this size? I have seen the 7x10 and thats just to small. 

IS the 7x14 big enough to easily make cuts on the end of 6-8inch stock? Should I go to the 9x20 size?


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## Mirage_Man (May 4, 2008)

My advice is get the biggest most powerful lathe your budget can tolerate. You will be glad you did down the line, trust me. Now that said you will likely end up spending as much and eventually more on tooling. So keep this in mind.


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## FredM (May 5, 2008)

The difference in price between the 7x14 (~620) and the 9x20 (~800, lower if used) are so close and the lack of a DC motor control on the 9x's has me wondering if I really need the extra size.


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## Mirage_Man (May 5, 2008)

All I can say is I started out a couple years ago with a 10" South Bend Heavy Ten and now I'm saving for something _like_ THIS.


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## ICUDoc (May 5, 2008)

Also check out the spindle bore so that you can fit in whatever you think you'll need to. Bigger lather usually means bigger bore.


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## FredM (May 5, 2008)

ICUDoc said:


> Also check out the spindle bore so that you can fit in whatever you think you'll need to. Bigger lather usually means bigger bore.




Yeah it seems on almost all of the chinese lathes they have the same spindle bore. They are all to small for most of my applications.


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## will (May 5, 2008)

If you want to do inside threading on a C or D maglite, the 7 x10, 12, 14 are going to be too short in length. The mag body will not fit in the chuck, now you have 8 inches hanging out side the chuck. The carriage is going to be all the way to the right. The end of the threading tool most likely will not be in a position to be at the end of the mag body. Also, you will need some kind of steady rest to hold the un supported end. 

I have a 7 x10 lathe, I can work on the outside of C or D maglites with a live center, not on the inside.


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## precisionworks (May 5, 2008)

The 9" or 10" South Bend (like the Heavy 10 that Mirage Man has) is a great starter lathe. Tons of available tooling on eBay. 36" bed leaves plenty of room for a long boring bar and a longish workpiece. My South Bend Light 10 is 36", and I'd want nothing shorter. Neither has been made since the late 80's, but there are lots of used ones on Craigslist, eBay, local shoppers, etc. You will not outlive a South Bend


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## KC2IXE (May 5, 2008)

precisionworks said:


> ...snip... Neither has been made since the late 80's, ...snip...



Actually NOT true - the Heavy 10 is still made to this day (at least according to their web site) - however when I last priced them (about 7 years ago) you can purchase a nice restored HLVH or 10EE for what a Heavy 10 is going for (I think last I looked is was something like 29K with NO accessories at all)


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## Mirage_Man (May 5, 2008)

KC2IXE said:


> Actually NOT true - the Heavy 10 is still made to this day (at least according to their web site) - however when I last priced them (about 7 years ago) you can purchase a nice restored HLVH or 10EE for what a Heavy 10 is going for (I think last I looked is was something like 29K with NO accessories at all)



South Bend closed it's doors last year.


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## KC2IXE (May 6, 2008)

Mirage_Man said:


> South Bend closed it's doors last year.



Interesting - as the web site is still up (a subdivision of LeBlond)

BTW althought they no longer MAKE lathes, Logan Machine still exists, and they do support their lathes - Scott Logan is quite active in the Home Shop Machinst groups


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## Mirage_Man (May 6, 2008)

KC2IXE said:


> Interesting - as the web site is still up (a subdivision of LeBlond)
> 
> BTW althought they no longer MAKE lathes, Logan Machine still exists, and they do support their lathes - Scott Logan is quite active in the Home Shop Machinst groups



Leblond bought the rights to sell the South Bend parts inventory several years ago.


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## FredM (May 6, 2008)

I would love to get one of the Logan lathes but it would have to be within 200 or so miles considering gas prices. (I would never ship that sucker!!!)

It would be a little over budget but I would take it.


Anyone want to put out there vote for either the:

7x14

or the 

8x19/9x20 (I put them in the same category)

Thanks!


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## Anglepoise (May 6, 2008)

Mirage_Man said:


> My advice is get the biggest most powerful lathe your budget can tolerate. You will be glad you did down the line, trust me. Now that said you will likely end up spending as much and eventually more on tooling. So keep this in mind.



Great advice.


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## precisionworks (May 7, 2008)

The South Bend GS26LT does look like the 10L, and perhaps it is the 10L. But it does not make a lot of sense to call it the GS26LT, as that means nothing to anyone on earth, when calling it the Heavy 10 or the 10L is instantly recognized.


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## SafetyBob (May 12, 2008)

My two cents is if you are going to get serious about playing around with [email protected], then look for a big lathe. Make sure its big, and make sure it's heavy. If not, get one of the small ones to get started in this hobby, knowing that you will be selling that smaller one in a year or two once you find out "exactly" what you want in a lathe. 

14 years ago I let a machinist sell me a 1980 version made in China 16 x 40 lathe. Foot pedal, coolant, all the goodies. It needed work which I did and I now would like a better lathe (let's just say I know what I want now), but unless I win the lottery, I doubt I will upgrade. Still, that big, heavy hunk of metal does everything I want to do........really I am the limiting factor. Still learning. 

Except for having a huge thing in the garage, you will never, ever regret buying to much lathe. You will need that capability one day.....I promise!!

Bob E.


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## zelda (May 14, 2008)

I have a very small 180 lbs lathe, (I learned lathing on a 6'000 lbs lathe ) but with with an upgrade to a larger chuck, I can do 2D projects: 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/149417
If you want machinig only soft material, save some money for sharp tools, like positive holders for the indexable inserts. (Sandvik CoroTurn 107 / 111). I can't use negative holders and inserts, because my lathe is not very stable. 
I spent around 1000$ for tools and a multifix system.

zelda


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## SafetyBob (May 14, 2008)

Zelda, good points. What kind of small lathe do you have? 

I also use Sandvik products almost exclusively (that's what my machinist friends use at work). You hit the nail on the head with quality tooling. It sure does make me look better. I am almost exclusively turning in aluminum. 

I don't have alot of experience, but most of the machinist guys are suprised I can finish as good as I can. Guess I have had good luck so far!!

You might also query the guys at home shop machinist. Tell them what you think you will be doing and they can hopefully suggest exactly what you need.

Bob E.


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## precisionworks (May 14, 2008)

> I am almost exclusively turning in aluminum.


Most suppliers make an aluminum-specific insert, and they work great. Very sharp (no hone) edges, polished rake face, upward tilted to give even a negative insert (like CNMG or TNMG) a positive rake.







The insert above is from Seco-Carboloy. They say this in the description:

_The new inserts are ideally suited for aluminum machining due to a highly polished rake surface, a 17° positive rake angle, and a sharp cutting edge. These combined characteristics reduce chip drag and often completely eliminate metal build-up, a major cause of poor surface finish and even chippage of the insert edge._


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## zelda (May 15, 2008)

My lathe is called "MJ480", noname from Taiwan. For channing gears, I have to change the gear wheels and set the play between the gear wheels :sick2:
Its not recommend to buy.

Some pictures of my most needed tools: (12mm x 12mm)

HSS:




carbide: (except the parting-off tool)








You can also buy inserts with Ti-coating, but they are not 
so sharp and need continuous cooling. 
The polished insert need at least force, 
but are very expensive. 




My allrounder: (r=1.6mm) 




zelda


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## precisionworks (May 15, 2008)

> carbide: (except the parting-off tool)


You may want to try the inserted parting off tool. The most common (and cheapest) insert is the GTN, and it's available in really skinny widths that work well with smaller, less powerful lathes. I mostly use a GTN-2, which is 2mm (0.087") wide. They are available in both a blade style holder (which can cut to the center of a larger diameter) and a fixed holder which is much more rigid.


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## tvodrd (May 15, 2008)

KC2IXE said:


> Actually NOT true - the Heavy 10 is still made to this day (at least according to their web site) - however when I last priced them (about 7 years ago) you can purchase a nice restored HLVH or 10EE for what a Heavy 10 is going for (I think last I looked is was something like 29K with NO accessories at all)



$29K- Geeze! My Kent 13x40 Taiwan 2000+# beast with 3-axis DRO, US-made 5C quick-closer, and taper attachment was _only_ ~$17K delivered. (Importer is local.)

The ACVF drive is bitchin as it works fine on 220V, single phase. When you turn it on, the cooling fans for the control enclosure roar to life, prior to even starting the spindle. I couldn't find a decent pic to link. Kent's site isn't the greatest.

Larry


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## sortafast (May 16, 2008)

I have an 8x14 and my boss has a 9x whatever HF lathes. While I like my 8x14 I think for the $$$ if you are stuck between the 2 I would go with the 9x lathe. It just seems like a better machine imo. Plus there are more aftermarket parts available for it (at least there was when I bought my lathe). I am glad I go the lathe I did as I have learned a lot on it, but I really want a lathe that I need machinery to lift, not just some help from a buddy. Like he man said, get the biggest machine you can afford.


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## SafetyBob (May 17, 2008)

Oh, let's spend a couple of minutes on the inserted parting tool.....just get one. You will not believe the difference. 

One of my nieghbors has a very small Unimat that was just having all sorts of problems parting anything off using a regular blade type cutoff tool. He asked his machinest guys at work and they set him up with a holder and a couple of inserts (that by the way should last him the rest of his life). It was appropriately small for the Unimat and it allowed him to part off stuff for the first time without issues. 

When I saw what it did for him, I got what they recommended for my sized "big" lathe and I could not believe the difference it made on my machine. Noise and chattering are now a thing of the past (OK, within reason of course) while parting. The quality and speed of the cut are noticably improved by this setup. 

Put this on you must have list or Birthday list. 

Bob E.


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