Hello folks! http://www.hgrindustrialsurplus.com...sion=&SortASC=&pageSize=50¤tPageIndex=0 Ahhh thats my dream. But how do i get it!?? o.k. now onto the thread. I want a reasonably sized lathe, mostly for case modding. I would like somthing under 600/ish, and i want bigger then the 7x14 mini lathes... Ive looked everywhere, craigslist, ebay... soon ill check garage sales but still. I would like somethign in the 9x20 range to 12x36" range, but i can't find one on sale for a reasonable price. Suggestinos welcome and links needed. Thanks a lot! p.s. a lathe info discussion would be nice. edit: also lookign for used
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45861 a little more realistic lathe? is buying a 700$ tool at harbor freight wise?
A lathe can only do a certain amount of tasks, you might find you'll need a milling machine as well - especially if you are making cooling blocks. Try to avoid lathes that offer milling attachments, what you will end up with is a machine that will be a series of compromises and will be fine as a lathe but isn't really good at milling. I think it holds true in just about every application, if you have a tool or an item that can be used for several widely diversified tasks then it tends to end up being very average at all of them.
true, For now im pretty content with my sliding vice, if i ever get a mill i want one that can mill large sheets. I understand a lathe is limited, however i still am interested in one. The one that sings out most to me is the harbor freight 9x20, and most harbor freight tools are junk, some are great. I was wondering the quality of it. thanks
Also, consider that if ya have really innovative or cool ideas for some of the stuff you make, you could possibly make a few runs of it and sell the stuff and recoup the cost of the unit. I hate to make it capitalistic like that, but it's pretty much the truth. I personally love to support the small guy, especially if he or she's got a cool idea.
lathes are serious investments, and generally the phrase "you get what you pay for" holds true. I've never really looked into buying one, as once I became a competent machinist I started learning CNC machining. I know in the detroit area there are used tooling centers that sell everything from radial drills to several ton hydraulic press brakes. That's where people I know go to look for old heavy machine tools. in regards to price, it won't be impossible to find an old engine lathe at a reasonable price, however there's many other things that add to the cost besides just the machine itself, as you'll most likely need to by seperate tool posts, and then tooling bits for the post, center drills etc. Don't forget guages too. Nothing is worse than getting a cheaper tool and finding it underpowered, too small, or precise enough for the work you want to do. then again I don't know what you already have. All I'm trying to say is that machine tools are an investment and generally cost quite a bit to get into. oh and johnnyboy, the reverse tends to be true in CNC machining, 4 axis milling machines with indexing tables, or Lathes with live tooling can make almost everything you want on one tool. I use to work with a precision screw turning machine with live tooling and I was always surprised what we were able to make on that thing
i have $$ and am willing to fork quite a pretty dollar into it. I have a deal with someone to make some evaps(phase change). I think it is a wise investment, IMO. I want to use it for more then modding, and i know that it is overkill and unnesarry for modding, but it can't hurt. For the accessories, the basics. Say i do'nt need a new chuck... Drilling chuck lots of tools(links?) what else?
good link, but to $$$ new. Ill keep a look out for a used grizzly lathe. I would need to convert a lathe or mill into one, no? so i would have to have the initial purchase of a milll or lathe? and do yhou have any links?
you can build your own mill. i've seen many cnc mill / routers in the project log look at the homemade cnc router thread . you would just need to change a few things to cut metal like make it mainly out of metal instead of wood. also check out www.instructables.com and look for cnc. i haven't seen anything about homemade cnc lathes though. i am hoping to build a cnc mill / router next year. won't cost too much. it'll have like a 2 foot by 2 foot cutting base so i can do fancy cutting for computer cases.
yes i know the instructables cnc mill. Its a dremel And can MAYBE engrave in plexi thats about it..... I want something "ligit" and now im starting to think more about getting a mill..... How big/expensive would i have to get to be able to mill stuff in panels?
or if you really want to fork out go for a lathe and a mill! lol but nah seriously a mill would be awesome to invest in.
yes,a big mill like say, for NLM, but one that size is thousands. Im looking for nothing crazy, yet i want to be able to mill pretty big things and i hear that doesn't happen... p.s. a mill and lathe are like slr cameras: most of the investment is in tools, accesorries, but the tools can be used on both lathes and mills.
yer i know they are like cameras therefore you should try and invest as much money as possible into buying the kit.
How are mills and lathes like SLRs? SLRs require medium initial investents and then substantial investments in order to increase their capabilities. Also, am I missing something here? Doesn't a lathe rotate the workpiece and a mill rotates the bit? With a lathe you move the cutting/carving tools into the workpiece, and with a mill you're basically moving the workpiece into the bit? I dunno, am I visualizing things wrong? Are you sure this is wise? I mean, maybe you should wait until you a) have the equipment, and b) develop the experience to provide quality productions.
um dremels can do lots of stuffs. not just engrave plexi. learn to use one properly and have the right bits and you can do alot with it. but you can make the mill accept a router if you want. you can make it take any cutting tool really. just instead of making an adapter for the dremel make it for a router. i plan to make mine so i can use dremel or router. router for wood and dremel for everything else probably. you dont need something huge to mill panels. a dremel can do it. or a router. figure out how big of a cutting base you want and build the thign according to that. as i said i will probably do 2' x 2' so i can do case panels and such cause i dont have room to be able to have a 5'x5' machine. if you use the right parts and build it well you should be able to build a machine for under $200 without the motors and electronics. add another $300-$400 for the motors and electronics and you're good to go. but you will need a cutting tool like a dremel or router to mount in it of course.
I must ask, whats the swedish word for a lathe? To me it looks like something called "svarv" A tool that rotates the materia and allow you to work with it while spinning, making alot more easy to do for example a "carv-in" around a metalbar. I feel a bit lost, could you guys explain?