# How many lathes and why?



## ryanthemillwright0919 (Dec 31, 2020)

Curious to see how many lathes people have and why? I have noticed a lot of guys have 2 lathes.  Does each one do a specific job or did you start small and grow?


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## Dabbler (Dec 31, 2020)

For 35 years I had only one lathe, a 12X37 Taiwanese belt drive model 1.5hp.  I wanted to upgrade its capabilities, and get a camlock instead of a screw on spindle. so I bought a Modern 14X40 in need of a lot of TLC...  A year later, a friend of mine (that told me previously that I'd never get his lathe) made his LeBlond 15X60 available to me, and so I now have 3 lathes, 2 more than I need.

Even my friend had 2 lathes, a SoutBend 9A, and the Le Blond.  Having a smaller lathe set up with a 3 jaw chuck and normal LH turning tools, makes for a quick custom bolt or thread without powering up the Big Boy...

Often people use their smaller lathe for a long time and realize they need something a little more sturdy, a little more capable.  So a second lathe is purchased.  The trouble is that a lathe can become like an extension of your hands, so letting go of the 'old friend' is very difficult in some cases.

My plan is to sell my little lathe when the 15" is up and running.  The jury is out on the fate of the 14" lathe as of yet.  Probably sell it, but not until it is running like a top.


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## RobinHood (Dec 31, 2020)

Started with a 9” SM Utilathe. Outgrew that pretty fast as the projects required a bigger swing.

 Found a Metric SM 1340, 3hp, DRO. So now I had a more capable machine - but no SAE threading capability because this 1340 was not “dual system“ by design (later models were; I have since converted it so I can thread SAE as well). Found an Imperial only SM 1120, 1.5hp, no DRO. Lots of accessories are interchangeable with the 1340 (chucks, centers, draw bars, collets, tool post,...)

Sold the 9’ Utilathe.

Found an Imperial (Metric secondary) Dual system Colchester Master 2500. It was stuck in two gears at once. No one wanted it (probably because the spindle would not turn) so the price was really low. It has a 5hp motor, no DRO. All accessories are compatible with the 1340. Plus it has FWD / REV clutches and a magnetic brake. Once you’ve used a clutched manual late, you don’t want anything else (maybe a VFD‘ one might come somewhat close).

So now I have three lathes. Here is how I set them up: one for collets, one with 3J and one with 4J. If I need to thread metric I use the SM1340 - no stopping spindle, just wind the carriage back. If the threads are SAE, I use the Colchester or the 1120. If the threads are up to a shoulder - usually I use the Colchester because it has a brake. I can leave the work chucked up in the 3J /4J and dismount the chuck and put it on any of the other two lates and continue without loosing concentricity as the spindle mounts each are better than 1/2 thousands TIR.

Do I need three lathes, no. One good Dual system lathe with DRO would do. Good lathes are hard to find (especially at reasonable prices) so when one comes along, jump on it.


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## kevin.decelles (Dec 31, 2020)

I have 3.5 (2 functional), but I'm a child among men here -- some have way more.

I started on the Gingery path.... low budget, make my own.  Got it 90% complete..... then.....

On an alcohol induced spur of the moment, bought an antique Von Wyck (~1903), because I love old machinery......     then........

Found that 120 years of wear means that even though the lathe is functional,  it needs work.  Work = needing an accurate lathe.   So...............

Bought a Modern 14x40 Chinese lathe........  Awesome!   But I still like the old-1903 lathe for a LOT of different processes such as drilling etc.  The old lathe also has features the new one does not (power feeds on apron/cross feed are reversible on the fly etc.) and the ability to turn at ~20RPM (high torque).

and then...... saw an ad for another antique lathe (Sebastian) from ~1905 and it is a bit of a basket case, but fixable. It's was designed as an 8" lathe, but with risers is setup for 10".  Belt driven.  The Von Wyck is 16", the Modern 14" and I can say that once I have this rebuilt, having a small lathe to do smaller parts (probably aluminum etc) will be handy

For the two lathes I have working, I'll set them up for different processes, or simply use them because of how it feels to operate the machine.  Moving the apron on the Von Wyck is a completely different feeling than on the Modern lathe.  How the machines flex/cut/feel is also vastly different.


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## Tom Kitta (Dec 31, 2020)

Well technically I own 4 lathes now. But two are outside under foil. 
I have one large and one small lathe. I missed a month ago having 3 lathes and converting one to CNC. 

My large lathe is 16x75 Enterprise D1-6 and it is a beaten lathe that takes too much space. I should have gotten rid of it but that is hard as well. The 16 is more or less the largest hobby size swing one can think of as anything more you need a crane to load up. The 75 is too long - 40 would be much better. I need to fix power feed on it. Bed is ... used up. Some gearing is very noisy. 

My small lathe is a Chipmaster 10x20. She is small but build like a tank. I should have gotten another one to convert into CNC. I am looking for one right now. Same for a milling machine. She is fully operational and in great condition. The main issue is its mechanical variable speed that is temperamental and I never run her at her top speed of 3000 rpm. I do most of my work on her. D1-3. 

The two outside are 13x40 SouthBends - I am hoping to sell or exchange for something I can convert into CNC. I doubt I find a small CNC for sale - been looking and its dry. No need for a 12000 lbs machine.


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## 6.5 Fan (Dec 31, 2020)

I had 2, a 13x40 import of questionable heritage that i sold last year and a 15x48 Colchester that i still have but don't use a lot. Going to purchase a smaller machine to set up in the basement, so will be back to 2. When i started out i had a very old Barnes given to me that needed a lot of TLC, as well as a little desk top machine so had 2 from the start i guess.


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## Alexander (Dec 31, 2020)

I have 2 lathes because one is CNC and the other is manual.


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## DPittman (Dec 31, 2020)

I can certainly see the desire and even the "need" to have two lathes....one big and one small one.  If a person does some sort of speciality process like grinding on a lathe, then I would imagine the desire to have more than one lathe would increase.  
I have a small lathe which is bigger than my first and I occasionally wish for a bigger lathe also but money and space won't allow that.


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## John Conroy (Dec 31, 2020)

I envy all you guys who have room for more than one.  The machines I do have need to be versatile so the lathe is a Modern GH1440W and a Taiwanese 10 X 50 Bridgeport clone mill.


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## ryanthemillwright0919 (Dec 31, 2020)

6.5 Fan said:


> I had 2, a 13x40 import of questionable heritage that i sold last year and a 15x48 Colchester that i still have but don't use a lot. Going to purchase a smaller machine to set up in the basement, so will be back to 2. When i started out i had a very old Barnes given to me that needed a lot of TLC, as well as a little desk top machine so had 2 from the start i guess.


Similar to me, I'm selling my south bend 9c as I find it useless for me with the short bed and small spindlebore. I'm in need of some thing with larger swing. But debating on purchasing another small lathe with power feeds as well and then save up for a larger 12-14 ish swing lathe later on.


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## ryanthemillwright0919 (Dec 31, 2020)

Tom Kitta said:


> Well technically I own 4 lathes now. But two are outside under foil.
> I have one large and one small lathe. I missed a month ago having 3 lathes and converting one to CNC.
> 
> My large lathe is 16x75 Enterprise D1-6 and it is a beaten lathe that takes too much space. I should have gotten rid of it but that is hard as well. The 16 is more or less the largest hobby size swing one can think of as anything more you need a crane to load up. The 75 is too long - 40 would be much better. I need to fix power feed on it. Bed is ... used up. Some gearing is very noisy.
> ...


If you were in ontario I'd be interested in one of the SB to supercede my SB 9C. The chipmaster is a fine lathe!


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## Dabbler (Dec 31, 2020)

@ryanthemillwright0919 you also might do well to find a SM13 or SB heavy 10 - both are good machines also.


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## ryanthemillwright0919 (Jan 1, 2021)

Dabbler said:


> @ryanthemillwright0919 you also might do well to find a SM13 or SB heavy 10 - both are good machines also.


I would love a SM 13. The heavy 10s would also be nice, I have been in correspondence with 2 individuals with heavy 10s. Both are projects, one wants 2500 with a few things but needs rebuild completely. The other guy wants 750, he started a rebuild had the ways ground and there it sits in boxes of parts. The last SM I seen I emailed the guy on Kijiji a few times and never got a reply, then the ad got deleted


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## Dabbler (Jan 1, 2021)

-- the one in parts might be a good deal if you love rebuilding machines. A long, tough job, but very rewarding.


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## Outboardguy44 (Feb 2, 2021)

I've had as many as five lathes at one point. Three were South Bends, one was a Logan, and the biggest one is a Cardiff Major built in Wales. I liked to acquire ones that were not in very good shape and make them look and behave better than when I found them. Enjoyed the challenge, I suppose.

The ones I let go - I had  a Logan model 820 that came out of Rome NY on one of my outboard-seeking excursions. I did what was needed to make it operational and then dealt it. I've attached a picture of the before and after. I liked it OK, but I was so used to the SB that I just didn't want to sell it, and one of them needed to go, so I sold the Logan..... that damn cover over the drive belt is a friggin death trap anyway.....

1929 South Bend 9 inch - it was in such bad shape that I thought it couldn't ever be useful, but I repaired it enough that my Dad could use it to turn wood in his hobby shop. After he passed on, I traded it to a coworker for a great set of Mitutoyo micrometers, then I helped him rebuild it, including making new half-nuts for it. I attached a picture of that one too. Its on some gawd-awful heavy gang drill press table that I found in Michigan for $40, bloody thing weighed more than the lathe.

Keepers - The main machine has been a 1958 vintage SB 9A that I bought in 2007. That thing has been worth its weight in platinum. But it can't do flywheels that I need to machine, since they are all bigger than nine inches in diameter, so I use the Cardiff  14 X 40 for the bigger work.

Waiting in the wings is a 1980-ish South Bend 10K that I just finished refurbing the headstock for. AM I gonna use it for much? Probably not, since I finally got the Cardiff home and working again. Plus it doesn't have a bench or stand to get mounted on. That one might go on the block too - unless I decide to store it for the day when the 9A is ready to retire.....

Best,
Chris S


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## Chipper5783 (Feb 2, 2021)

I have two lathes.  I splurged hard on the first lathe (nearly 40 years ago) -  Enterprise 15x60 - as Dabbler pointed out it is now an "old friend", it is now quite well dressed and certainly the machine I use the most.  I wanted to get a smaller lathe because . . . . . (no need to finish that thought).  I wanted a "nice high class" little machine, but those two concepts generally don't go together, except at a very high price point.  I variously lusted after a Chipmaster, an HVL-H (or clone), etc.  At the AGS auction (that for a couple years had ex-NAIT machines) where I got my first mill, there was an advert for a Smart & Brown lathe.  I'd never heard of that make - a little research and it was added to the lusting list.  It even had the same spindle mount as the Enterprise.  Making a long story short, I was at the next auction and the S&B came home with me.  It is an 11x24 machine, weighs in ~300 lbs more than the larger Enterprise - and is quite simply, very cool.   When I looked for that "second" lathe, I wanted something that would do some different things than the larger machine (compared to the Enterprise, this lathe has higher and lower speeds, shift on the fly, C5 collets right in the spindle nose and the controls are arranged a bit better).  Cool as the little machine is (and now it is also fairly well dressed) - I still go to the "old friend" the most.

If I have something set up in one machine, I can do a quick job on the other.  I would like something with a larger spindle bore.  I would like a CNC lathe.  Why?  (bad question to ask around here).

Fortunately you didn't ask about milling machines (a much more awkward conversation) - I now have 5 mills and the rationalization is pretty sketchy (a small one, a spare small one in case I ever needed any spares for the first small one, a medium size mill, a good sized VMC and a good sized old manual mill because it was going to get scrapped).


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## Dabbler (Feb 3, 2021)

My mill story seems to be along the same lines.  I started with a little 8X32 mill that didn't have a ram, and it only had 6 1/2 inches from the centre of the spindle to the substantial riser.  This made manual tapping frustrating.  I sold that and graduated to a 9 X 49 Bridgeport clone, almost double the weight and 4X the floor space.  That was super, but there were a few items worn out and broken.  alincochane made me an offer to give me his small horizontal mill (6X24) for almost nothing, so it now stands in the corner.   Along came a perfect condition Modern with an 8X32 table and a true ram and Bridgeport head.  It was a super bargain, and so I thought it would be a nice second mill.  Lastly no one wanted Bert's 7X42 mill, mostly because it had to be moved out of his basement, so I ended up with that also.  

I don't need or want to use all these mills, so once Bert's is reassembled and rebuilt fully at least one is going to be sold.  I probably should sell two, but that's a lot harder for me.


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## Crankit (Feb 3, 2021)

Two....Atlas 6x18 from my father and Boxford 4 1/2 I picked up a couple of years ago


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## ryanthemillwright0919 (Feb 8, 2021)

I own 2 now myself. I recently acquired a south bend 9A 16 speed V belt drive long bed. I got it for free with the purchase of a horizontal bandsaw and got a free drill press too! It's roug,h it's a large dial version missing the cross feeds dial, it has a 4jaw chuck that will work on my Harrison. I'm uncertain if I I'll rebuild it or part it out but I certainly see value in keeping it. Compared to the Harrison on small stuff it feels more "sensitive".


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## Ian Moss (Feb 10, 2021)

I have three lathes worth mentioning. A 14x60 Mondiale Celtic made in Belgium and sold as a Gardner Mondiale in Canada. Will do inch and metric threads, but the metric has to be done without disengaging the half nuts. Lots of chucks for this one. Adapted a junk yard tailstock to a lever feed tailstock and have rarely ever used the original tailstock. Love the lever feed and DRO. Going down in size, the second lathe is an antique Boley lathe with about a 7" swing. Split bed with cross slide and four position turret tailstock. It takes 15mm collets and has a 3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck, multifix AA toolpost, split bed. Lastly, a Derbyshire instrument makers lathe with lots of 10mm collets, chucks and my shop made quick change toolpost. I use all three.


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## johnnielsen (Feb 11, 2021)

I wanted a smaller lathe to complement the VDF turret lathe I have so I found a 90 year old 6 inch swing Portass. Of course I soon found a nicer lathe, an Atlas 618 then a nicer one a Southbend 9c, then a Myford ML7 and so on. I reached a total of 15 lathes before I started getting rid of some.


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## DPittman (Feb 11, 2021)

johnnielsen said:


> I wanted a smaller lathe to complement the VDF turret lathe I have so I found a 90 year old 6 inch swing Portass. Of course I soon found a nicer lathe, an Atlas 618 then a nicer one a Southbend 9c, then a Myford ML7 and so on. I reached a total of 15 lathes before I started getting rod of some.


Good lord man!  That's hilarious.  Maybe I don't like lathes as much as you but that is a good thing in my case because my space or financial resources could never permit that much lathe loving.


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## PeterT (Feb 11, 2021)

johnnielsen said:


> I reached a total of 15 lathes before I started getting rid of some.



And why not, life is short LOL. Maybe we should have a forum rule that each new family member gets at least get a brief photo introduction so it feels welcome. Lets start with that VDF Boehringer 48SR toolroom turret 19x36. Sounds very interesting!


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## johnnielsen (Feb 12, 2021)

Can do. It will take awhile as it is unkempt looking right now and has other machines in it's area.

Picture added.


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