Hey guys I’m not sure how many members that own a lathe but looking for some info/help
I’m looking to use the lathe for custom host and heatsinks, boring out host ect…. I’m not looking for a big 12x36 something medium in size but still large to do jobs on.
I see grizzly has one with a DRO but are they good ?
And another grizzly that has variable speed (that’s a option I want)
Is there any other lathe I should look at before choosing grizzly ?
What misc tools/add-on should I get ?
There are other more experienced guys here that can advise you but my suggestion is get the one with a quick change gearbox.
Even if you use the same size threading all the time you still want to be able to easily change from cutting to thread speed.
Variable speed is also a really nice feature when threading. Looks like it’s fitted with spindle speed DRO which is kinda handy for learning.
Tooling suggestions would be a live tail centre, quick change tool post, maybe a large steady rest, DRO for X z axis.
HSS cutting bits take a bit of learning to grind and shape. If you don’t have a grinder or are a lazy bugger like me then carbide tipped cutting bits will get you going quickly.
In early stages of my learning I would sometimes get chatter. The machine would vibrate and make an awful noise. My machine was a little smaller and wasn’t bolted down so it would walk on the bench, not sure if a 10”x20” will do that.
Lots to learn but there are great machines.
All good info there pp. A good set of digital calipers would help as well.
the DRO should also help a lot speeding up not using calipers
Thanks guys for the info but the quick change gearbox is the 2 knobs on the lathe ??
Also is 1” spindle bore big enough to do flashlight work? I like to work on maglights and done want them hanging out 4-6 inches
Sorry I didn’t pay too much attention to those lathes you linked. You’re right they do have quick change gearbox.
What size Maglite did you want to stick down the bore? If you’re talking D size tube then that’s a decent size lathe (40mm bore).
18650 cells are, of course, 18mm diameter so add to that the wall thickness of the battery tube, should fit in the bore. You MIGHT get a 21700 tube to fit but it would be tight.
You might consider the Precision Matthews lathe. They have some models with variable speed (I cannot overemphasise how important this is). I would like to upgrade to this model
Yeah that’s the one I’m looking at not to big and not to small