Thread: New lathe advice.

G’day all,
I’m looking to buy my first lathe and I was hoping to get some suggestions and feedback please.
I was initially looking at a ‘7 x 12’ mini lathe, but I’ve rationalised that a ‘10x22’ would be a more useful size. I don’t have a lot of room in my shed, so anything bigger than that is not really doable.

I’m not interested in buying a used one as they don’t seem to be advertised close by, the joys of living in a country town I suppose, so new it is.
My last efforts on a lathe were at TAFE during my electrical apprenticeship about 30 years ago, so hopefully it’s like riding a bike😉 (and lots of reading and youtubing).

Of the lathes that I’ve checked in that size, most seem to variable speed via electronic speed control. The only ones that I’ve seen with a gear driven head are the Hafco AL250G or Weiss WM250G. Weiss also have several variable speed models in that size. I haven’t found any that are purely belt/pulley/stepped speed adjustment.
I’ve heard some bad things about the Hafco model, but there’s a great video on youtube by a bloke that stripped and rebuilt his. The Weiss models also come with some extra gear that the Hafco ones don’t, so I’d be leaning towards them at this stage.

What are the pros and cons of variable speed vs gear head?
Is there anything specific that I should be looking out for?
What do I need (apart from the lathe) to get me going?
Thanks for looking.
Steve

Just be aware that depending on what you want to do with the Lathe that the tooling to go with it could cost about as much as the lathe and needs to be included in the budget.

Roger

My tip is is avoid learning on scrap steel - take the time to find or buy some different sizes of reasonable well dimensioned free machining steel and practice.

Setting up with dial gauges etc
Facing off
Turning down.
Drilling
Boring
Parting
Tapers
etc

Originally Posted by Lovey71

What do I need (apart from the lathe) to get me going?

If you go for insert tooling, stick to holders for CCMT/CCGT (as a general rule, 'M' for steels, 'G' for soft materials like brass, aluminium and plastic) style inserts; they have a huge range of grades for various materials and the positive geometry is much better for smaller machines. A right hand DCMT holder is also handy to have for getting in close to a live centre in the tailstock where a CCMT holder will collide.

Originally Posted by BobL

My tip is is avoid learning on scrap steel - take the time to find or buy some different sizes of reasonable well dimensioned free machining steel and practice.

Different steels machine differently, so by knowing what you have you'll be able to properly learn how they behave. Mild steel (either 1020 or 1045) and 4140 should cover most of it, maybe some 303 stainless as well. 6061 aluminium is one of the nicer grades to work with and a bit of brass as well.

G'day all,
as a follow up to this, I got a good deal on a Weiss WBL250F (brushless DC variable speed motor) and I'm looking at somewhere to install it. The lathe came with a cabinet, which I was thinking of bolting to the shed floor.
My questions are :

- is it necessary to bolt the lathe to the floor? If so, what anchors (dynabolt, loxin, ankascrews)?
- how much room do I need to allow around the lathe? The manual says "Enough room to be able to service the lathe on all four sides".
I have a bandsaw which is 385mm wide and is on a mobile base, so the area to the left of the headstock will be a make a good storage area for that and allow easy access to the headstock.

Once I get the lathe set up, I'll put some pics up if anyone's interested.
Thanks for looking,
Steve

Hi Steve, Guys,

I have my lathe and mill for that matter, sat on a length of 1/2" (12 mm) thick rubber conveyor belting, neither of the machines are bolted down. The rubber absorbs any small discrepancies in the flatness of the base and provides a sound base.

The belting is amply wide enough to extend out and provide a surface to stand on, a big advantage if you are on cold concrete in winter and it makes it easy to clean up all the tiny bits of metal up so that they don't get embedded in your shoe soles and then you walk them into the house.

She who must be obeyed gets quite upset when that happens !

In terms of bolting down it really depends upon the type of machine. Smaller machines in the bench top style don’t usually require much fastening as they can’t take cuts that unsettle things. However, you’ll find that any decent machine will have a recommendation in its manual.

I always double check that the area is level before starting work. Some slabs have significant falls or irregularities and that won’t allow precision work. If the area isn’t flat (within spec) and the tool must go there, hiring a professional concrete grinder is the best solution, over the life of a decent machine it’s cheap. He’ll get an area adequately flat for a good sized lathe or mill with a couple of hours work.

Whatever you do, do not use expanding anchors (dynabolt style). These crack concrete and can’t be retightened if they break free. If fastening into concrete and masonry I use chemical anchors. The basic stuff is available from hardware stores but the suppliers are very good and any special orders have come to me within a couple of days. There are specific tables on the sites of the producers of properly engineered anchors that tell you the loading and application range.

Most of my stuff is set in using Ramset chemical anchors. One bit of gear has its own footing which required cutting a hole in the slab and making a deeper, inset, foundation in a specific mix of concrete. There are also different ratings for different adhesives and different loads for different anchor types and sizes.

You’re going to need to know how deep your slab is before you go drilling into it as the anchor won’t meet spec if you drill too deeply. The anchors have specific minimum margins that are required at edges and behind/below the anchor.

To drill the holes themselves you’ll need a rotary hammer drill. Don’t try a standard hammer drill, they just make a mess and fracture the surrounding substrate. Rotary hammer drills are cheap to hire and your arms and body will appreciate it. Make sure you have good ppe, the dust is a bit unpleasant and it’s noisy.

The holes must be the correct size as per the spec sheets and there is a correct procedure. Drill to correct size and depth, vacuum waste, blow hole out with compressed air, brush hole out with hole cleaning brush, blow out more dust, brush again, blow again. Leaving dust/grit in the hole will negatively affect Fastner performance.

There is a specific volume of anchor for each sized stud. I work that out with squeezes of the manual trigger on most jobs but on bigger ones I have borrowed a Ramset branded dispenser tool which allows you to set the volume. You need to twist the studs into the unhardened chemical anchor and allow it the correct time to set/cure before tightening. Always check the torque, too tight will damage the adhesive and too loose will result in failure as well.

I mark out with the equipment in place and then move it for drilling and the cleaning process before putting the machine back. Once it’s lined up I add the adhesive and wiggle in the studs. This means any small variation in hole accuracy can be compensated for by adhesive. With this method you don’t have to lift the machine over the studs.

If you upgrade or change layout you’ll sometimes need to remove old studs. I cut them off if I can’t reuse them. With properly engineered studs and adhesive this is ok to do and doesn’t negatively impact the strength or function of the slab.

Sorry if that’s a bit of a ramble.

Thanks Horaldic for your detailed reply, not a ramble at all.

I, too, was a newbie a few months ago. I bought an Optimum 2004V, as I am fundamentally a woodworker & also have limited space. I have enjoyed the learning curve & am now able to design & make stuff to a reasonable standard (read adequate, OK, passable!!).
- BobL is right, practice, just get a feel for the way it works. The lathe will talk to you
- Learn about HSS cutting tools. Eccentric Engineering sell the Diamond tool holder & it is a gem, and the parting tool is fan-bloody-tastic!!!! ( I had my standard tool post modified to part off above centre)
- The QCTP is optional. It is overkill on the Optimum. I have packers set up for all my 8 & 10mm tooling & made a gauge to check the height (QA-100 QCTP is for sale)
- BlondieHacks is a great start on YouTube
- Only buy quality metal. The scrap is just that
- A collet chuck is fan-bloody-tastic
- The four jaw chuck is your best friend
- You have to have, at least, a test & dial indicator on a magnetic base
- Level the bench as accurately as possible, front to back, side to side- Enjoy!!!

G'day all,
Just a quick follow up post to this thread, as I installed it yesterday.
I gave myself a 1 metre gap from the headstock and 400mm behind, which is the width of a broom head, and gives me a little bit more storage space.
I haven't bolted it down yet, I put it on a piece of 10mm thick rubber mat. I figure that if it moves around or needs bolting down, I can do that at a later stage.
Thanks to everyone for their advice, help and suggestions, I really appreciate it.
Now to dirty her up a bit.
Thanks again,
Steve.

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Lovey71

G'day all,
Just a quick follow up post to this thread, as I installed it yesterday.
I gave myself a 1 metre gap from the headstock and 400mm behind, which is the width of a broom head, and gives me a little bit more storage space.
I haven't bolted it down yet, I put it on a piece of 10mm thick rubber mat. I figure that if it moves around or needs bolting down, I can do that at a later stage.
Thanks to everyone for their advice, help and suggestions, I really appreciate it.
Now to dirty her up a bit.
Thanks again,
Steve.

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

Hi Steve,

That looks to be a very nice machine ! I particularly like the cabinet and the drawers ! The colours are nice too. [/Envy mode off]

Two things that I would comment on is the back splash, mine is actually leaning against the wall, which is fine except that under some conditions it vibrates making a right royal row. The other is the lack of a handle on the leadscrew shaft ! I find that having one, particularly if its calibrated as mine is, a great help when doing precise positioning.