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If you have a mini lathe...

Dethmachinefab said:
Machines under 10k can be done usually by myself. I did hire riggers on the last move. I used Hopatcong Rigging in NJ. They did a great job moving this 30k brake up my steep gravel drive and up onto my dock. Price was great and i will certainly use them again.

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I would have let you use my pallet jack. :flipoff2:


So how thick metal will that bend.
 
Stuck said:
Why unbolt the turret? Turn the head 90°
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to knock the overall height down to something an engine hoist can easily manage without running out of lift and so it's not top-heavy while you're fucking around getting it off the engine hoist.

Sure you can use a pallet jack but good fucking luck getting a pallet jack through a residential door.

Of course if you have a trailer or something else that can ramp to the ground everything is stupid easy but the point is you don't need that shit to move machines effectively.
 
arse_sidewards said:
to knock the overall height down to something an engine hoist can easily manage without running out of lift and so it's not top-heavy while you're fucking around getting it off the engine hoist.

Sure you can use a pallet jack but good fucking luck getting a pallet jack through a residential door.

Of course if you have a trailer or something else that can ramp to the ground everything is stupid easy but the point is you don't need that shit to move machines effectively.
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Both my pallet jacks fit through a residential door. The wide 5 ton one is only 2 inches wider than the Bridgeport base. Theyve moved many a safe through them.
 
I started with a little 7x12" chinese mini lathe (from Cummins, not HF)...it was better than no lathe...I made a whole lotta stuff, even turned down some real long stuff using a wooden V-block (well oiled) down at the other end of the work bench. Everything took forever. They are only really useful if you have a lot of time to waste and nothing else to do with your day.
I went up in size progressively as I found deals and now have a 14x40 Cadillac (Mori Seiki copy). A part I made on my old mini lathe (VW GTI ball joint spacer) that took about 6 hours on the mini, I can do it 5 minutes on the "big" lathe. Like compressors and welders...nobody ever wished they had a smaller one. Get the biggest you have room for and can afford and power.
 
Stuck said:
I would have let you use my pallet jack. :flipoff2:


So how thick metal will that bend.
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Its rated 12' of 3/16 with a 1.5" bottom die. It can do thicker with wider bottom dies as long as it does not go over the tons per ft value.
 
I made A LOT of parts on one of these. I traded it for a 13x40 gap bed Smithy and the new "lathe" is awesome but the missing mill I no loner have sucks.
And that mill sucked A LOT but it is better than no mill.

If you found a mini lathe cheap I would just get it. You will safely learn a lot just from using it, those skills will come in handy on your next high hp lathe.
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CarterKraft said:
I made A LOT of parts on one of these. I traded it for a 13x40 gap bed Smithy and the new "lathe" is awesome but the missing mill I no loner have sucks.
And that mill sucked A LOT but it is better than no mill.

If you found a mini lathe cheap I would just get it. You will safely learn a lot just from using it, those skills will come in handy on your next high hp lathe.
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What is a 'gap bed'?

I would like to find a mill/lathe combo like that. I found a smithy mill/lathe nearby but it is out of my price range.
 
Fishnbeer said:
What is a 'gap bed'?
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A section of the ways by the head-stock removes so you can turn larger diameter parts. Obviously this comes with complications for carriage travel in the removed area so it's primarily useful for boring and facing but with crazy (read floppy) tool setups you can do work on the ID and OD as well.
 
arse_sidewards said:
A section of the ways by the head-stock removes so you can turn larger diameter parts. Obviously this comes with complications for carriage travel in the removed area so it's primarily useful for boring and facing but with crazy (read floppy) tool setups you can do work on the ID and OD as well.
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Exactly.

This isn't my machine but its very similar. If you look at the gear rack and the middle of the bed you can see the line that splits the bed ways. I hope to never remove it but the option is there. The huge swing on the mill/lathe combos will spoil you.
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I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread yet, but check out banggood.com for super cheap import tooling and inserts. I've bought a bunch of it off of there and had good luck with it!
 
Might also look into machine auctions in your area. I bought my lathe (older Monarch 12x30) off Craigslist for a good deal, but had to drive 6 hours one way for it. Keep an eye out, and be ready to jump on a deal. I've bought 2 Bridgeports (sold one), a Might comet verticle mill, horizontal mill, drill press, surface grinder, and Fadal CNC off auctions and lots of tooling. Primarily a hobby now, but slowly turning it into a side business. There are very few things I've bought new, and a lot of this stuff I have paid pennies on the dollar. Have had a few bad deals, but not much, and that's to be expected. Biggest thing is be patient, and be ready to jump on a good deal. And with auctions, decide a limit (that includes tax and auction fees), and don't go over it.
 
Here is a video of a geometric die head cutting more threads on a 5/8 bolt. Yes my poor lathe needs a cleaning. It's been non stop here at the shop and that stuffs fallen behind.

First I set the dies in by twisting until it clicks. Then feed with the tailstock until it hits the depth stop, the die head keeps cutting until it pulls forward and pops open.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/J8w8hiqxyKZv3oTi6
 
Dethmachinefab said:
Here is a video of a geometric die head cutting more threads on a 5/8 bolt. Yes my poor lathe needs a cleaning. It's been non stop here at the shop and that stuffs fallen behind.

First I set the dies in by twisting until it clicks. Then feed with the tailstock until it hits the depth stop, the die head keeps cutting until it pulls forward and pops open.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/J8w8hiqxyKZv3oTi6
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I'm jealous of that. Normally I take a die and use the tailstock with a MT adapter pushed against it to start it flat and hold it with a wrench and power it on.
 
Wolfe_Man said:
I'm jealous of that. Normally I take a die and use the tailstock with a MT adapter pushed against it to start it flat and hold it with a wrench and power it on.
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I've done it like that or single point for years. Find one and you will use it all the time. I got lucky and the guy who sold me the machine had 4 die heads and hundreds of chasers he sold me for an extra $100.
 
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