It's funny, I went through the same exercise as you when I bought my lathe.
Here's what I decided:
I don't need that stuff. Especially starting out, I can get by with the
stock tool post and the standard HSS non-indexable bits. Those accessories
will always be around later if I decide I need to expand and upgrade.
My lathe came with a chuck for end drilling and I bought a set of end drills
to use. I also bought a set of calipers/dividers and a spare set of cheap
turning tools. Check out www.harborfreight.com for great prices on lathe
tooling. There's probably a local HF store you can go, too, but they don't
always stock everything on their web site.
- Doug
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Thomas Lum
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 2:04 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [TANKS] Re: Lathe recommendations?
I am almost ready to jump in but I have one question lurking in the
back of my head. After figuring out the lathe cost, I started adding
up what I needed to make the lathe functional and here's what I came
up with:
Lathe $400-$500
QC Tool Post $100
Turning Bits with inserts $120
Drills w/ chuck $35
Boring Set $40
Cut Off Knife $10
Larger Chuck? $100
I'm looking at almost the same price in accessories as I am in the
machine. I have heard that this is a reasonable amount to plan, half
of budget on machine, half on tools, but I am hesitant since this
thing is not much bigger than a toy! I wouldn't mind spending that or
a little more on a bigger, better? machine but will the tooling cost
increase as well?
There is a huge community of people using these lathes and a lot of
support for them, can all of them be wrong?
Tom
On Dec 16, 2008, at 7:47 PM, elf wrote:
>
> Can't go wrong with a lathe. I have an older Logan 10x24 machine in my
> shop. Some of the best money spent over the years. I've often thought
> about the purchase of one of the smaller 7x12 lathes described in
> other postings. But for the most part I can do anything needed on what
> I have.
> I personally don't consider my model making shop complete without a
> metal cutting lathe.
>
> A small machine once tuned in will generally do much of what you need
> for these models. Take your time and don't expect to remove a lot of
> metal in one shot. A little bit at a time is the key. Do check out the
> forums devoted to these small machines, a lot of useful info there.
>
>
> Beware though, once you get bitten by the metal working bug, you will
> be looking at milling machines next.
>
> Rusty
>
>
> On Dec 16, 5:36 pm, "Derek Engelhaupt" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> But would you cut steel into circles on your table saw? ;-)
>>
>> Derek
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 4:16 PM, Steve Tyng <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>> Does anyone have recommendations for small lathes that would be
>>>> suitable for this hobby?
>>
>>> Who needs a lathe? I've got a tablesaw! ;-)
>>
>>> Steve "I Do It My Way" Tyng
>>
>>
> >
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