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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Kiamba, QLD
    Age
    59
    Posts
    2

    Default New to turning, need advice.

    Hi Fella's and others,
    I've been mucking around with metal things my whole life and can weld etc., but am totally new to turning metal, but have used a wood lathe a little. Having bought a property in the last few years I've decided that a lathe would be very helpful for making various bits and pieces for machines etc. I have a bloke at work who is an engineer who will help me work out how to use it, but I will not see him for the next six weeks as we are on holidays. So, I'm wondering if anyone here would be able to answer a couple of questions about lathes and the anatomy of lathes. I know what the bed is and what the chuck size is. I am wondering what the 'swing' is and how it works. Also, I understand that people probably have loyalty to certain brands of lathes, (similar to the Ford/Holden, Landcruiser/Patrol brigades), but are there any standout brands of lathes I should be looking for. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, so I'm looking for an older lathe for up to $1500. This engineer bloke reckons I will get something decent for that. It must also be single phase as we are off-grid (stand alone solar) and cannot run three phase.
    Thanks in advance for any info and look forward to chatting about all things metal.
    Bearded1

  2. #2
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    7,182

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bearded1 View Post
    Hi Fella's and others,
    Welcome aboard.

    I know what the bed is and what the chuck size is. I am wondering what the 'swing' is and how it works.
    Swing is a measure of the distance between the centre of the chuck to the top of the bed.
    Sometimes this is reported as twice that distance which is a measure of the maximum diameter of an object that can be turned on the lathe

    Also, I understand that people probably have loyalty to certain brands of lathes, (similar to the Ford/Holden, Landcruiser/Patrol brigades), but are there any standout brands of lathes I should be looking for. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, so I'm looking for an older lathe for up to $1500. This engineer bloke reckons I will get something decent for that.
    A second hand, older lathe for $1500 puts you in the small but still very handy Hercus/Myford lathes, or cheap Chinese brand class lathes. I'd recommend the Hercus/Myford type over the second had chinese ones. You might find something bigger than these lathes for the same money but it most likely will be much more beat up and need a lot of work. BTW $1500 will get you a lathe but then you may also need tooling and accessories which can set you back "as long as a piece of string". This is then a tip for when you look for a lathe, even if costs a bit more, if it comes with lots of accessories and tooling then it may represent better value than one that doesn't.

    It must also be single phase as we are off-grid (stand alone solar) and cannot run three phase.
    Don't let the fact that a lathe has 3P worry you - there are neat black boxes called VFDs that can convert single phase 240V to 3Phase 240V motors and most 3P 415V can in turn be converted to run under 240V 3P.

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