Jim Chandler wrote:
Tim Wescott wrote:
Thought 1: "Welding rod machines pretty nice"
Thought 2: "I must be demented, or have low standards"
Thought 3: "Never again will I buy a Smithy"
Just curious, Tim, what brought on the third thought? I have a 1220 and
it's O.K. for my limited experience. I've had a couple of issues with
it but nothing I couldn't solve myself.
Jim
As a "mill", the Smithy just can't compare to the real milling machines
I've used.
One full turn of the vertical feed gives you 4.2" of movement, which
severely compromises your ability to make controlled-depth cuts compared
to a knee mill's 0.1"/turn vertical movement (on the knee, at least).
It's flexible, so it's extremely difficult to make accurate, clean
milling cuts.
At the lowest setting of the milling head, I barely reach the milling
vise (and it's a thick one) with a normal-length mill, and that's with
the quill at it's longest and most flexible extension.
The tail stock doesn't overhang, and the cross-feed slide is wide, so
you can't turn a shaft between centers all in one go -- at least not
unless I go buy an MT3 extension for the tail stock, which will make it
flexible.
The compound jib tapers a bit, so if I get it adjusted right for being
fully in it binds when it's fully out; if I loosen it to where it
doesn't bind when it's out then it's loose as all hell when it's fully in.
Having said all of that, for general lathe work it's not an unreasonable
machine. I've made any number of turned gizmos on it, and even without
a split nut it's not unreasonable to make threads with (5/8-40 threads
are fun, by the by). My only profound complaint about it as a lathe is
that dang tail stock -- I can live with the compound or replace it.
But I bought a Smithy instead of a plain ol' lathe because I needed to
do milling, and I have not been pleased with the machine in that regard
at all. Yes, I can make milling cuts with it, but it takes me hours to
do what it takes minutes to do on a knee mill, and the quality is very
poor compared to what I can easily achieve on that knee mill.
So I bitch about it, and one of these days I'll get a real milling
machine, hopefully followed by a better lathe.
--
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com
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