Looking for information on the above. I want something that I can fabricate
some small hobby parts on.

What brand(s) should I be looking for, which to avoid?

Any help appreciated, including relevant instructional material as I'll be
learning how to use one for the first time.

Thanks.

John


"when hatred calls with his package, refuse delivery..."

John,
I picked up one of the import lathes on ebay. Mine was from Cummins
Tools. Unless you need some really close tolerances, you probably don't
need a Bridgeport or anything. I've been really happy with my lathe. I
think it is a 7x12. Type in "mini lathe -wood" (do not type the
quotes in the search). Be sure to type the -wood in the search string,
otherwise you will get about a 1000 matches for wood lathes.

Some people bad mouth these as not "real" lathes, but some of us do not
need .0000005 tolerances. They are going to need some adjustments out
of the box, so there are some tradeoffs.

Mike

mj wrote:

Some people bad mouth these as not "real" lathes,

And even more they have _absolutely_ _nothing_ to do with watchmakers
lathes!

Here, someone (in Germany) is selling used ones:
http://www.uhrmachermaschinen.de/Drehbanke/drehbanke.html
The top one is a watchmaker's, the other ones are high precision small
lathes.

Nick
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

Arrrrgh.
You are correct.
Mike

John Emmons wrote:
Looking for information on the above. I want something that I can fabricate
some small hobby parts on.
snip

John,
I use a small lathe from Sherline http://www.sherline.com/

It is more than sufficient for your stated use and there are many
accessories available for it. It is ready to go as-received and is quiet
in operation. Look at the package deals with all the parts you need to
get going.

--
Fred R
________________
Drop TROU to email.

Looking for information on the above. I want something that I can fabricate
some small hobby parts on.

What brand(s) should I be looking for, which to avoid?

Any help appreciated, including relevant instructional material as I'll be
learning how to use one for the first time.

Thanks.

John


"when hatred calls with his package, refuse delivery..."

I like the Taig stuff.
Check out this guy's site. He is a seller and has an extensive site on the use
of the machines, both lathe and mill:
http://www.cartertools.com/


Ron Thompson
On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA

http://www.plansandprojects.com
My hobby pages are he
http://www.plansandprojects.com/My%20Machines/

Severe stupidity is self correcting, but mild stupidity is rampant in the land.
-Ron Thompson

"John Emmons" wrote in message
...
Looking for information on the above. I want something that I can
fabricate
some small hobby parts on.

What brand(s) should I be looking for, which to avoid?

The last kind of lathe you want is a watchmaker's or clockmaker's lathe;
because:

1. They are very expensive.. even used ... if in any kind of decent
condition.

2. They are even more expensive to tool up. Nothing on sale for these
kinds of lathes because they are in great demand.

3. Far too finicky and delicate for a newbie to work with.

4. There are much better newbie choices. Sherline is often mentioned.
But you can get started with a low end lathe for as little as $500. Goto
www.micromark.com for a starter.

Boris

--

-------------------------------------
Boris Beizer Ph.D. Seminars and Consulting
1232 Glenbrook Road on Software Testing and
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 Quality Assurance

TEL: 215-572-5580
FAX: 215-886-0144
Email bsquare "at" earthlink.net

------------------------------------------

1. John Emmons
Nov 22, 3:17 pm show options
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
From: "John Emmons" - Find messages by this
author
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 20:17:49 GMT
Local: Tues, Nov 22 2005 3:17 pm
Subject: Watchmakers-Clockmakers Lathe
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Watchmakers - Clockmakers Lathe
Looking for information on the above. I want something that I can fabricate
some small hobby parts on.

What brand(s) should I be looking for, which to avoid?

Any help appreciated, including relevant instructional material as I'll be
learning how to use one for the first time.

I have a Sherline lathe (www.sherline.com) and can hold
0.001 on a good day (when I'm careful) and the right setup.
It has served me well and I'm happy with it.

In my opinion it is important to get a variable speed motor
like on the Sherline. The reason is a little difficult to explain,
but here goes: Basically for each type of metal there is an
"optimal" speed for which the cutting tool leaves a good
finish on the piece. When you're machining away metal,
the diameter of the piece obviously gets smaller, and the
surface speed of the piece changes. The variable speed on
the lathe allows you to adjust the surface speed. As the
diameter of the piece shrinks, I increase the rotational speed.

The surface speed means the speed at which a point on the
edge of the piece moves in relation to the cutting tool.
Usually in feet/min.

There are other things to consider to get a good finish, for
example the depth of the cut and feed. I just prefer to keep
those two somewhat constant and vary the rotational speed.

If you're going to do actual clockwork, you might consider a
watchmaker's lathe, but if you're into model making or just
need to make your precision parts, I'd go with the Sherline or
the Taig. I have no experience with the Taig, but most people
pick between these two for US made stuff, or go with the
chinese 7X10 imports. (or 7x12, not sure what the numbers are)

A friend of mine ordered a Taig mill and it took weeks for it
to arrive. I don't know how long their lathes take to ship.

Tom.
http://www.TomEberhard.com

4. There are much better newbie choices. Sherline is often mentioned.
But you can get started with a low end lathe for as little as $500. Goto
www.micromark.com for a starter.

Boris
The Taig is about half that.

Ron Thompson
On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA

http://www.plansandprojects.com
My hobby pages are he
http://www.plansandprojects.com/My%20Machines/

Severe stupidity is self correcting, but mild stupidity is rampant in the land.
-Ron Thompson