Lathe masters, please chime in..

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
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**probably in the wrong topic, please move if necessary mods.

Looking to drop some money on a lathe. Just something small, obviously for things like Maglite mods, custom pills, and the sort. ALSO, I am an avid firearm modder/collector, with a few ATF stamps in my collection :). I would really like to start on some Form 1 suppressors.

Is it even feasible, to get a decent mini/desktop lathe around the $5-600 mark. I have found a few ‘Asian lathes’ on Flebay, but I don’t know squat about the subject. I know I have hours of learning and research ahead of me, but I would like to know about what I will have to shell out to get going(turning, cutting, boring, threading, the works.)

I am really hoping some of you experts can chime in, and help me out here. Would this be a decent choice to get going… Digital 7 x 12 Precision Mini Variable Metal Lathe

for your viewing pleasure, my completely custom Colt 1911 Defender .45 I just finished redoing (over $2000 in this build):

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… so far, not done that, as I haven’t found a .5k-dollar lathe that will do everything I want for gunsmithing.

I happen to have tried some things…

First off, if you get this lathe, BELIEVE ME when I tell you to get a spare “digital” controller assembly. Somehow, Industrial Tool designers don’t seem to be able to get complex micro-controller circuits to both interface properly with the Machine Tool in question, and withstand the rigors of the tool’s normal-life duties.

Bottom line, the Rule is still “Buy Cheap, Pay Twice”. I just suggest paying twice up front, because you may not be able to find the parts you need when you need them (even from Sears Craftsman, which is from where my experience comes). For me, I’d spare myself the horrors of “digital control” and put my money in a better Machine Tool where I am the only “brain” in the task. And this is from someone who has all the skills, tools, experience and many of the parts to actually repair the controller…

Second, this one only swings 12” between centers. That’s going to put you in “small-pistolsmithing-only” mode w/o access to any “legal” rifle. That kills it for me.

Thirdly, feedback from a gunsmith friend who tried this (with a highly-regarded brand of this type of lathe) and ended up with a breadbox full of shredded stud-gear and other drive parts. He may have been the agent of his own disaster, but the resulting mess makes the whole thing “scrap”. To me, him, and quite likely you as well, Threading is very important. Solution: Buy Twice again, this time the entire contents of the stud gear box. Top tip: Do NOT use your spare gears, but replicate them as needed and use the replicas!!! Just saying…

On that note, you surely already know that the threads on a suppressor are “backwards”, yes? In most barrels, the impact of the bullet in the rifling lands gives the system a “tweak”, which will unscrew “normal” (“Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty”) threads… I mention this because the OP lathe doesn’t mention it can change directions. Many do not, surprise-surprise! Might have missed it, though.

Be Sure or Be Sorry.

Another point about cans, if you decide to move up to more-advanced styles, some require two sets of threads, normally with different diameters but identical pitch, which will obviously need to be synchronized (not necessarily on the same degree — you can offset them enough that the tolerances cancel each other out & you actually put the can under tension or compression some)… That precision and repeatability is hard (for me and my friends) to find in a cheap lathe.

YMMV on all this, of course!

All I ask is, when you do find a Good Lathe, please come back here and report on it?

Dim

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Be aware many of the smaller lathes, even if the spindle can be reversed, the feeding and threading direction cannot be changed. That means no left hand threads can be cut.

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^ Nice, Im a kimber man myself but they all copied colt.
The lathe you linked can do what your asking, but there is another lathe that I would recommend over it for a few hundred bucks more. The 8x12 or 8x14 they are the same lathe, some companys just do not measure the same way, distance between centers but they are the same. The Harborfreight 8x12 can probably be had the cheapest. The lathe goes on sale from time to time but I have not seen it on sale it quite a long time. They do however let you use those (20% off one item) coupons over the phone orders. The 8x12 lathe is so much more rigid than the 7x12 as it weighs twice as much and will need 2 people to place it or a engine hoist. Most people report ready to use right out of the box (setup true). A lot of the low cost lathe’s out of the box need some fine tuning out of the box to be accurate. Its always a good idea to true any new lathe first to make sure. I’am not going to go into all the details why the lathe is so much better. You can do research and see for yourself, the web is littered with details and mods for the 8x12.
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Now which 8x12, the HF lathe is probably the cheapest but here’s the catch. It doesn’t come with a lot of the tools you will need to work with like a steady rest or a follow rest or a 4-jaw chuck. All these extra tools will have to be purchased separately. Littlemachineshop carries a lot of the stuff needed to finish off the tools needed. By the time you have tooled up for the lathe you have spent more money than if you had just purchased a lathemaster 8x14. They are the same exact lathe just a different color. http://www.lathemaster.com/LATHEMASTER8x14Lathe.htm
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Your not done spending money yet though. The tooling needed to get started will cost you some where around half what you paid for the lathe or more depending on what you buy. One of the best tools you can treat your new lathe to is a QCTP and holders, makes changing tooling much faster and easier. Then you will need various indexable boring bars and cutting tools in different profiles with lots of inserts. Inserts can be expensive. Try to pick tools with common size inserts, the more common or well liked they are the cheaper they usually are. Ebay is a good place to look for inserts.
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Then you will need various measure equipment to do the job accurately. This is a department where there are 2 types of tools, budget tools and professional tools. You get what you pay for. Look for brands like mitutoyo or starrett . They are some in between brands that can be had for a reasonable price. What you are making needs to be fairly accurate and alot will depend on what your measuring that accuracy with. Ebay can be your friend in this department too.
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One thing that I have heard several times and applied to me too. Buy the biggest lathe that your wallet can afford for the space you have to work with. You can never really have to big a lathe for the job but you can have too small a lathe for the job. Once you begin turning out some parts there will always be something come up that you would like to chuck up in the lathe but you just cant because the lathe is to small. Things you never thought about chucking up, until the neighbor comes by asking “can you fix this”. So if you ever think you might need to chuck up something bigger than what a 8x14 will handle, save your money and wait until you can afford something bigger like a 12x36, a much better lathe all around.
Anyways, that just my my 2 cents. :slight_smile:

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Wow. alot of information here. I truly appreciate it guys.

Basically, it looks as though I need to keep on saving, and in the mean time READ!

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Thats correct save your money for the biggest lathe u want/space for trust me i no :slight_smile:

i started out with a 7x12 lathe since i though i would be only doing small lights like mini mags and small heatsinks, then i changed to larger flashlights like a MagD, so i moved up to a 9x20 grizzly well i hated all the tools needed to keep the body from moving and falling off my chuck so then i moved to a larger grizzly that could do anything but it started to leak oil, so a guy offered me a good chunk of $$ i could not pass up so now im deciding on buying me a PM1236 lathe before they go up AGAIN

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Yeah, I have all the room I could possibly need, its the $$$ that’s the issue. I could, if I thinned out my savings a little, probably drop 4k on one right now. However, after reading, I still don’t think that’s going to be enough to get going, and on top of that, I HATE cutting myself short.

So, for the time being, I will continue to save, and drool at the thought of owning one. That PM1236 looks NICE!

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Only what sucks ever few months the PM1236 goes up $100 at a time. i emailed Matt and he said it will go up by the first of the year again :frowning:

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This PM1236 tops out with accessories at ~$3500, a few hundred for liquids (cutting fluid, lubricants, Prussian Blue) & hand tools like calipers, and Bob’s yer Uncle!

If you live in any industrialized country, raw material is already close to hand…

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If you are turning internal threads a foot brake would be handy as most threads are not machined in through holes. Mine doesnt have a brake but if I bought another it would. The largest spindle diameter you can get is also better.

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Please look here. www.taigtools.com they are made here in the US (Phoenix, Arizona) they are built by people in the aviation industry. They are less expensive than the china stuff. Manual & CNC options. The very basic lathe is $160!!! A fully built desktop lathe is $489

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Is the PM1236 made in China?

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Yes

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Other than using a lathe in high school 30 years ago I don’t know much about them but I do have to say when I first looked at the images I was expecting a price around 2 grand. It’s not just flashlights and cell phones that can be bought cheap in China. Shipping included too. wow.

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True, and very nice for small-item prototyping, but I can’t find any screw-threading accessory, and they only swing 4.5” diameter and 9” long. That’s not enough for most pistols, nevermind rifles…

They advertise a CNC Mill… I didn’t see a CNC Lathe. On another thread, a user is prototyping new Reflector designs. For that, a CNC Lathe this size would be awesome!

Thanks!

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That is one sexy gun!

Threads like these make me want to go get the 9 x 20 lathe out of my garage and into my basement so I can actually start using it ;) I bought it from Chicago X at least a year ago now and haven't done anything except turn down a few things.

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I’ll echo what others have said already - it’s the tooling that will kill your wallet, not the lathe. Unless you spring for one of the ready to roll kits (3 + 4 jaw, follow and steady rest, drill chuck, live center) you can easily spend as much as the lathe on tooling. Just a quick change tool post and a set of holders with indexable cutters can easily set you back $3-400 for a mid-sized lathe.

My advice would be to keep your eye on Craigslist (use Search tempest) for an older 9-12in lathe that comes fully equipped, usually from the family of some poor old codger who’s just kicked the bucket. It may have had little use and they’re usually happy for it to go to someone who’s going to appreciate it. I’ve seen Atlas/ Craftsman/ Logan/ Southbend lathes in this size range go for ~$6-800 fully tooled. Some of the large lathes (10-12in) have a decent sized through bore which I’ve heard is important for gun smithing. Oh, and save up for a bench mill too!

It’s what I plan to do when I’m in a position to get a large lathe and not have to move it for many years :slight_smile:

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I have a PM 1127VF LB. I like it a lot. If I had to do it all over again, I would have saved a little longer and bought the Grizzly G0750G though.

It's WAY more lathe for $1000 extra.

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I’m sure there is a few people here that be glad to keep her oiled up for you. :bigsmile:

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I am no Lathe master but I did stay at a Holiday Inn express once.