Lathe questions
 

I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Lathe questions
 

On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 2:11:21 PM UTC-7, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet: "Hi buddy. Can you give me your opinion please. Are these junk, or usable for me? Can I turn 1..5" on them? http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678 http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093 Or is something this better for me? http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774 http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471" Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to suitibility of any of them. Anyone have any comments? Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols Gunner

The best of the lot is the EMCO but 1.5 inch dia is going to stress it unless it is plastic of AL.
The cheap imports spin fast so threading can be sporty

I found this EMCO 11 X 24 on creag's list and it is realy good lathe. I had one in our lab and loved it.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/3715386389.html

I often see a SB 9 X 18 for sale at around $600. IMHO this would be a much better lathe.

Good luck

Lathe questions
 

On Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:11:21 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:

I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Don't get any of the ones that use rods for ways -- they're flexible as
hell. You can turn big things on them, but you have to do it one teeny
cut at a time.

Note that some of those lathes don't have compound slides. The Unimat
that I started on would let you swivel the head to turn tapers, but it
just ain't the same as a compound.

I've heard good things about Taig lathes, but I couldn't even tell you if
they have compounds...

--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?

Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Lathe questions
 

On 4/2/2013 2:11 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner


Have him look for a small Prazi lathe with 3 and 4 jaw chucks and, if
possible the collet chuck and collets. I have had one for years and sold
it to my company and replaced it with an EMCO.

The Prazi lacks the ability to reverse the lead screw, so no left handed
threads, but that is something rarely done.

Paul

Lathe questions
 

On Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:11:21 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols


Turning 1.5" covers a multitude of procedures. Has he considered a
Taig?

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Lathe questions
 

d32 wrote in
:

On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 2:11:21 PM UTC-7, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
ver
y small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet: "Hi buddy. Can
you give me your opinion please. Are these junk, or usable for me? Can
I turn 1.5" on them? http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093 Or is something this better for
me? http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471" Ive had zero experience with the
little ones so dont have a clue as to suitibility of any of them.
Anyone have any comments? Ive been trying to find him a decent small
South Bend or similar with little luck. He has very tight quarters and
only works on pistols Gunner

The best of the lot is the EMCO but 1.5 inch dia is going to stress it
unless it is plastic of AL.
The cheap imports spin fast so threading can be sporty

I found this EMCO 11 X 24 on creag's list and it is realy good lathe.
I had one in our lab and loved it.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/3715386389.html

I often see a SB 9 X 18 for sale at around $600. IMHO this would be a
much better lathe.

I have a Super 11, and it is a VERY nice machine. I've done a moderate
bit of gunsmithing on it, and it works great.

I wouldn't bother with anything that doesn't have a big enough spindle to
take 5C collets.

Doug White

Lathe questions
 

On Apr 2, 3:35*pm, d32 wrote:
On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 2:11:21 PM UTC-7, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet: "Hi buddy. Can you give me your opinion please. Are these junk, or usable for me? Can I turn 1.5" on them?http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678...250978927093Or is something this better for me?http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471" Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to suitibility of any of them. Anyone have any comments? Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols Gunner

The best of the lot is the EMCO but 1.5 inch dia is going to stress it unless it is plastic of AL.
*The cheap imports spin fast so threading can be sporty

I found this EMCO 11 X 24 *on creag's list and it is realy good lathe. *I had one in our lab and loved it.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tls/3715386389.html

I often see a SB 9 X 18 for sale at around $600. *IMHO this would be a much better lathe.

Good luck

Agree with your good advice.

Lathe questions
 

On Apr 2, 3:11*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. *He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Little Machine Shop now turns out a product-improved version of those
Sieg lathes that HF and Griz has sold for many years. They're 7x
whatever, usually 10-12". The beds are more like a large lathe, the
headstock takes #3 Morse taper, tailstock is #2, so more like a big
machine made small. I've turned 6" cast iron rounds for faceplates,
mounting flanges and chuck mounts on the HF I have. Took some very
sharp HSS tools to do, but it worked. These are about the largest
lathes that can be slung onto a shelf. LMS has had a "stretch" bed
kit for the HF lathes that extends to like 24". Has the longer bed, a
longer lead screw, longer tray, a splash plate, a few fasteners and
instructions. I've run mine off a hefty inverter and a 12 v battery,
so backwoods operation is possible. Stick it on top of a Workmate and
turn anywhere. These are miles better as far as stiffness than the
old Atlas 6" or AA-Sears jobbies. Not as cheap as they once were, got
mine for under $200 on sale with a 50% off coupon.

Stan

Lathe questions
 

On 2013-04-02, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:11:21 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:

I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

[ ... ]

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

This one is pretty nice, and very well equipped with accessories
(except that it is missing a 3-jaw chuck). I've got the CNC version of
the Compact-5, and it is nice, but I'm not sure that it is sufficient
for pistolsmithing. Especially if it comes to fitting a new barrel.

It does have a compound, and a nice set of ER series collets
(probably ER-25.)

If it had a larger spindle bore, I would consider it a nice
machine, and well equipped -- but the price seems too high to me. (I
guess that it is turning into a collector's item these days. :-)

[ ... ]

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Don't get any of the ones that use rods for ways -- they're flexible as
hell. You can turn big things on them, but you have to do it one teeny
cut at a time.

Those would be like the Unimat SL-1000 and Unimat DB-200, and
yes, they are very flexible. :-)

Note that some of those lathes don't have compound slides. The Unimat
that I started on would let you swivel the head to turn tapers, but it
just ain't the same as a compound.

I've heard good things about Taig lathes, but I couldn't even tell you if
they have compounds...

Sort of. There is a compound which bolts onto the T-slot in the
carriage, but it takes up more of the workpiece diameter, so that makes
it a smaller lathe. You can handle bigger workpieces without the
compound in place.

Really -- someone else mentioned finding an Emco 11" on
Craigslist which would be a much better choice. But that has been
removed -- so I never even saw what they were asking for it.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

Lathe questions
 

On 5 Apr 2013 20:42:02 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2013-04-02, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:11:21 -0700, Gunner Asch wrote:

I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

[ ... ]

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

This one is pretty nice, and very well equipped with accessories
(except that it is missing a 3-jaw chuck). I've got the CNC version of
the Compact-5, and it is nice, but I'm not sure that it is sufficient
for pistolsmithing. Especially if it comes to fitting a new barrel.

It does have a compound, and a nice set of ER series collets
(probably ER-25.)

If it had a larger spindle bore, I would consider it a nice
machine, and well equipped -- but the price seems too high to me. (I
guess that it is turning into a collector's item these days. :-)

[ ... ]

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Don't get any of the ones that use rods for ways -- they're flexible as
hell. You can turn big things on them, but you have to do it one teeny
cut at a time.

Those would be like the Unimat SL-1000 and Unimat DB-200, and
yes, they are very flexible. :-)

Note that some of those lathes don't have compound slides. The Unimat
that I started on would let you swivel the head to turn tapers, but it
just ain't the same as a compound.

I've heard good things about Taig lathes, but I couldn't even tell you if
they have compounds...

Sort of. There is a compound which bolts onto the T-slot in the
carriage, but it takes up more of the workpiece diameter, so that makes
it a smaller lathe. You can handle bigger workpieces without the
compound in place.

Really -- someone else mentioned finding an Emco 11" on
Craigslist which would be a much better choice. But that has been
removed -- so I never even saw what they were asking for it.

Good Luck,
DoN.
I've got a nice Myford Super 7. Cost me $1200 about 15 years ago

Lathe questions
 

On Wed, 3 Apr 2013 12:32:38 -0700 (PDT), Stanley Schaefer
wrote:

On Apr 2, 3:11Â*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. Â*He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Little Machine Shop now turns out a product-improved version of those
Sieg lathes that HF and Griz has sold for many years. They're 7x
whatever, usually 10-12". The beds are more like a large lathe, the
headstock takes #3 Morse taper, tailstock is #2, so more like a big
machine made small. I've turned 6" cast iron rounds for faceplates,
mounting flanges and chuck mounts on the HF I have. Took some very
sharp HSS tools to do, but it worked. These are about the largest
lathes that can be slung onto a shelf. LMS has had a "stretch" bed
kit for the HF lathes that extends to like 24". Has the longer bed, a
longer lead screw, longer tray, a splash plate, a few fasteners and
instructions. I've run mine off a hefty inverter and a 12 v battery,
so backwoods operation is possible. Stick it on top of a Workmate and
turn anywhere. These are miles better as far as stiffness than the
old Atlas 6" or AA-Sears jobbies. Not as cheap as they once were, got
mine for under $200 on sale with a 50% off coupon.

Stan

Got a link Stan? I could only find parts.

Gunner

Lathe questions
 

On Apr 6, 4:21*am, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 3 Apr 2013 12:32:38 -0700 (PDT), Stanley Schaefer





wrote:
On Apr 2, 3:11*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. *He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Little Machine Shop now turns out a product-improved version of those
Sieg lathes that HF and Griz has sold for many years. *They're 7x
whatever, usually 10-12". *The beds are more like a large lathe, the
headstock takes #3 Morse taper, tailstock is #2, so more like a big
machine made small. *I've turned 6" cast iron rounds for faceplates,
mounting flanges and chuck mounts on the HF I have. *Took some very
sharp HSS tools to do, but it worked. *These are about the largest
lathes that can be slung onto a shelf. *LMS has had a "stretch" bed
kit for the HF lathes that extends to like 24". *Has the longer bed, a
longer lead screw, longer tray, a splash plate, a few fasteners and
instructions. *I've run mine off a hefty inverter and a 12 v battery,
so backwoods operation is possible. *Stick it on top of a Workmate and
turn anywhere. *These are miles better as far as stiffness than the
old Atlas 6" or AA-Sears jobbies. *Not as cheap as they once were, got
mine for under $200 on sale with a 50% off coupon.

Stan

Got a link Stan? I could only find parts.

Gunner- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Under "Machines" on the site:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...ory=1271799306
Looks like they think a lot of their product-improved version,
although you could probably spend a bunch of time(and cash) upgrading
to about the same level on an HF or Grizzly. Would be the one I'd buy
if I wanted one known to be good to run out of the crate and could
afford it. I didn't have any initial problems with my cheapy HF, many
have, although most are fixable. Those are more of a parts kit that
may(or may not) need some help. Aren't nearly discounted to what they
were, either. If there's an HF store nearby, get it there, it can
always be exchanged if it's a dud. And LMS has a raft of aftermarket
tooling for those, not stuck with what HF deigns to carry.

Stan

Lathe questions
 

On Mon, 8 Apr 2013 12:39:33 -0700 (PDT), Stanley Schaefer
wrote:

On Apr 6, 4:21Â*am, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Wed, 3 Apr 2013 12:32:38 -0700 (PDT), Stanley Schaefer





wrote:
On Apr 2, 3:11Â*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
I got an email from a pistol smith buddy of mine who is looking for a
very small lathe..something with a footprint under 3 feet:

"Hi buddy.
Can you give me your opinion please.
Are these junk, or usable for me?
Can I turn 1.5" on them?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350747008678

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250978927093

Or is something this better for me?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111027293774

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251243228471"

Ive had zero experience with the little ones so dont have a clue as to
suitibility of any of them.

Anyone have any comments?

Ive been trying to find him a decent small South Bend or similar with
little luck. Â*He has very tight quarters and only works on pistols

Gunner

Little Machine Shop now turns out a product-improved version of those
Sieg lathes that HF and Griz has sold for many years. Â*They're 7x
whatever, usually 10-12". Â*The beds are more like a large lathe, the
headstock takes #3 Morse taper, tailstock is #2, so more like a big
machine made small. Â*I've turned 6" cast iron rounds for faceplates,
mounting flanges and chuck mounts on the HF I have. Â*Took some very
sharp HSS tools to do, but it worked. Â*These are about the largest
lathes that can be slung onto a shelf. Â*LMS has had a "stretch" bed
kit for the HF lathes that extends to like 24". Â*Has the longer bed, a
longer lead screw, longer tray, a splash plate, a few fasteners and
instructions. Â*I've run mine off a hefty inverter and a 12 v battery,
so backwoods operation is possible. Â*Stick it on top of a Workmate and
turn anywhere. Â*These are miles better as far as stiffness than the
old Atlas 6" or AA-Sears jobbies. Â*Not as cheap as they once were, got
mine for under $200 on sale with a 50% off coupon.

Stan

Got a link Stan? I could only find parts.

Gunner- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Under "Machines" on the site:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...ory=1271799306
Looks like they think a lot of their product-improved version,
although you could probably spend a bunch of time(and cash) upgrading
to about the same level on an HF or Grizzly. Would be the one I'd buy
if I wanted one known to be good to run out of the crate and could
afford it. I didn't have any initial problems with my cheapy HF, many
have, although most are fixable. Those are more of a parts kit that
may(or may not) need some help. Aren't nearly discounted to what they
were, either. If there's an HF store nearby, get it there, it can
always be exchanged if it's a dud. And LMS has a raft of aftermarket
tooling for those, not stuck with what HF deigns to carry.

Stan


Thanks!

Ive forwarded this one to my guy

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...y=127179930 6