# What's your pick for lathe size if you could only own one?



## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

As the title says....

You can only own one lathe your entire life. You have to take it with you to every home you'd have. 

I am debating ordering a 1/2 or full container load of goods.


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## Degen (Jan 25, 2022)

12x36 largest bore possible, foot brake if possible, no solid state crap that way it doesn't fail.


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## Proxule (Jan 25, 2022)

some thing small maybe


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

Proxule said:


> some thing small maybe


Okay so a taig? or a 7x12 cheapy?


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

Degen said:


> 12x36 largest bore possible, foot brake if possible, no solid state crap that way it doesn't fail.


I personally have a 12x37 with a 1.375 bore thru the spindle just because I thought trying to move anything heavier multiple times would kill me.


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## Darren (Jan 25, 2022)

onlt one? My 16x60 Standard Modern. Heavy, super accurate, threading is a dream...but the controls are heavy and I like having 2 lathes


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## Brent H (Jan 25, 2022)

@TorontoBuilder: I would say for the size and such that a 12 x 48 would be very suitable in the 3 Hp range of power.  If the 12” has a gap bed I think you would be all good. 

On the ship we have a 13 x 24 with 10 Hp. It is a gap bed with variable speed.  At times it is a bit short - we used to have a 72 inch lathe and it was way too long.  

At home I have 2 lathes 10 x 24.  But they are good for closer to 11. The 24” between centres has not been an issue for what I am doing but having the longer length might be a good thing if you are spacing the lathe life over 20 to 30 years.


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

Brent H said:


> @TorontoBuilder: I would say for the size and such that a 12 x 48 would be very suitable in the 3 Hp range of power.  If the 12” has a gap bed I think you would be all good.
> 
> On the ship we have a 13 x 24 with 10 Hp. It is a gap bed with variable speed.  At times it is a bit short - we used to have a 72 inch lathe and it was way too long.
> 
> At home I have 2 lathes 10 x 24.  But they are good for closer to 11. The 24” between centres has not been an issue for what I am doing but having the longer length might be a good thing if you are spacing the lathe life over 20 to 30 years.



Yeah we have a gap bed lathe. Handy if you just need to have it.


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## Tom Kitta (Jan 25, 2022)

Oh that is easy, 14x40. Fully loaded with all the toys. May settle for something smaller but very heavy duty US made.  Can live with shorter bed. Maybe less swing but with gap. 14x40 is like ideal size for most projects. You can do fairly big stuff but its not so big as to be a problem for tiny stuff.


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## whydontu (Jan 25, 2022)

I‘d love to find a new 12”x24”. Grizzly G4002 and Charter Oak both used to bring them in. Same guts as the standard 12”x36”, just with a shorter bed. 1000 lbs, so not impossible to move, would fit in my shop without taking up all of my workbench space. Barring this, the 12”x36” is my next best choice.


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## Darren (Jan 25, 2022)

whydontu said:


> I‘d love to find a new 12”x24”. Grizzly G4002 and Charter Oak both used to bring them in. Same guts as the standard 12”x36”, just with a shorter bed. 1000 lbs, so not impossible to move, would fit in my shop without taking up all of my workbench space. Barring this, the 12”x36” is my next best choice.


 A 1000lb 12x24 would be a pretty decent lathe for most home shops, 100%

i love my 13x40 Emco, awesome machine, but my bigger lathe saved my butt the other day.  The 1660 SM also makes any thread, std or metric with no change gears, has leadscrew reverse during threading, which makes threading super easy. Its just big and heavy to operate all day.  A good 10x24 *and* a 14x40-16x60 would be a great combo


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

whydontu said:


> I‘d love to find a new 12”x24”. Grizzly G4002 and Charter Oak both used to bring them in. Same guts as the standard 12”x36”, just with a shorter bed. 1000 lbs, so not impossible to move, would fit in my shop without taking up all of my workbench space. Barring this, the 12”x36” is my next best choice.


yeah I would have loved a shorter bed on my lathe. That size I can actually fit in my basement. 10x24 is just not enough swing for my projects


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## DPittman (Jan 25, 2022)

Well only one lathe my entire life?  Hits pretty close to home.  I'd prefer a smallish lathe (<12") with a pretty short bed (< 30") but very well made and rigid (possibly Standard Modern).

Most of my work is small stuff and I don't want to be running a big noisy lathe most of the time turning little dinky stuff.  When big stuff beyond my lathes capability has to be turned, I farm it out.  

I have a small lathe but wish it was a bit bigger and more rigid.


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## Everett (Jan 25, 2022)

I have always dreamed of a 15 or 16 by 60 to 80 or so unit. I don't usually turn large diameter stuff but part of my future interest is in longer stuff like shafts so a longer bed would be good. As far as moving, even this last move required renting a zoom boom telehandler, so I'm ok with a bigger machine as if we move again another rental/borrow machine is in order again, lol.


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

BTW, IF I said you were allowed two lathes hopefully you'd all pick an 11x18 ultra precision tool room turret lathe.


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## Darren (Jan 25, 2022)

I haven't came too close to maxing out the swing on my big lathe to be honest, about a 11" roller,  it'll do 17", but it maxed the length.  The weight makes a big difference on heavy cuts though. I'm not Abom, but a .375 DOC without any drama is kinda nice lol


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

dfloen said:


> I haven't came too close to maxing out the swing on my big lathe to be honest, about a 11" roller,  it'll do 17", but it maxed the length.  The weight makes a big difference on heavy cuts though. I'm not Abom, but a .375 DOC without any drama is kinda nice lol


When I was in Uni I spend some days helping in the shop where my brother was a machinist. They made pump parts for Darlington on massive lathes . Not once did I every see them take a deep cut. I swear at the time I thought this is the most boring effing job on earth.


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## Darren (Jan 25, 2022)

Most time big cuts aren't the norm. Especially with cnc, many successive cuts. I had to make a few facemill arbors, with a major dia of 3" and a shank of 0.75. It didn't take long. All the cuts were at least .250, went fast. But i could have done the same job on a 7x12.


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## whydontu (Jan 25, 2022)

Monarch 10EE is 12-1/2” x 20, new one costs about $120k US$. I think I’ll start a GoFundMe page…


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## Darren (Jan 25, 2022)

whydontu said:


> Monarch 10EE is 12-1/2” x 20, new one costs about $120k US$. I think I’ll start a GoFundMe page…



I have one that I'll possibly sell for less....


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

IF I could only own one lathe, I'd lean heavily towards the TAC-360 a manual/cnc lathe from Takisawa Machine Tool. They make their products in Taiwan.

14x30 

I think this is sort of like the Stan Canada smart lathe...


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## deleted_user (Jan 25, 2022)

whydontu said:


> Monarch 10EE is 12-1/2” x 20, new one costs about $120k US$. I think I’ll start a GoFundMe page…


I love this lathe. I want to refurb one.

I'll contribute 50 bucks to your gofundme if you do the same for mine


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## SomeGuy (Jan 25, 2022)

I'd probably go 14x40 or something around that size, 5hp, could take a serious cut but not so big that you couldn't move the thing without a heavy lift forklift.


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## Dabbler (Jan 25, 2022)

15X60.  The perfect one would be a TOS (6000lbs) but 3000lbs+is adequate.   Approx 3000lb 14X40 would be fine also.


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## ducdon (Jan 25, 2022)

The biggest your wallet, space and wife will allow. It depends so much on what you want to do. I started with a 9 inch South Bend and moved up to a 14X40. It's about right for what I do and could afford. Wish I could have kept the South Bend and had two.


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## Six O Two (Jan 26, 2022)

I think a Standard Modern 13x34 is a pretty good size. If I could be sure I wouldn't be moving much, a 16x40 Mori Seiki would be sweet though...


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## Mcgyver (Jan 26, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> I swear at the time I thought this is the most boring effing job on earth.



Possibly it is.  I work on a wide variety of part sizes and for me the fun is solving the puzzle and the sense of accomplishment when there is success.  The bit in middle, making chips, can be quite tedious when the part is larger.  I see photos of giant lathes taking cuts that span shifts and am glad that's not me.   In that sense smaller work is I would say a lot more enjoyable.

As for one lathe?  Can't be done.   My largest is a 5100# DSG 13x42 and the a smallest 6mm Lorch watchmakers lathe and a lot in between.  I could pare it down, but there are limits.  I would not want to turn a balance staff on a 5100 lb 7.5 hp lathe,  difficult if not impossible and very dangerous.

The relevant question then would be if you could only have one lathe what capabilities would you give up


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## SomeGuy (Jan 26, 2022)

ducdon said:


> The biggest your wallet, space and wife will allow. It depends so much on what you want to do. I started with a 9 inch South Bend and moved up to a 14X40. It's about right for what I do and could afford. Wish I could have kept the South Bend and had two.


Biggest? I'm not sure about that, there's ones that are 20 feet long and the chuck ways more than your 14x40...would be a bit impractical to turn 1/4" round parts on lol


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## ducdon (Jan 26, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> Biggest? I'm not sure about that, there's ones that are 20 feet long and the chuck ways more than your 14x40...would be a bit impractical to turn 1/4" round parts on lol


Ha ha. Well maybe a bit exaggerated. I did work in a shop that had a 20 inch by about 12 feet. It was possible to do pretty fine work with it. The real feature that made it sweet to use was the large hole through the headstock ( about 5 inches). I don't think in the 2 plus years I was there I ever needed to set up a steady rest.


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## combustable herbage (Jan 26, 2022)

Mcgyver said:


> Possibly it is.  I work on a wide variety of part sizes and for me the fun is solving the puzzle and the sense of accomplishment when there is success.  The bit in middle, making chips, can be quite tedious when the part is larger.  I see photos of giant lathes taking cuts that span shifts and am glad that's not me.   In that sense smaller work is I would say a lot more enjoyable.


I am with you on that I love the figuring out, taking the idea and making it real and then for a challenge throw in time, space and money restrictions or repurpose something to solve a problem for you, this brings me lots of personal satisfaction.  Sometimes its so funny to think back to the original ideas you had for something and how different the final result is or how the parts you thought would be easy were hard or vise versa.    I agree there is a certain  point after everything is setup on the lathe and you tweak things and get it running good and things get repetitive the mind wants that next challenge and its tough to focus.  
My dream lathe is out there somewhere, its dirty its neglected it needs some work, something small and old  and cheap that I can do a rebuild on maybe a south bend or a myford, build that man-machine bond when you know every bolt, gear every assembly in detail all its good and bad points.


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## RobinHood (Jan 26, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> IF I could only own one lathe, I'd lean heavily towards the TAC-360 a manual/cnc lathe from Takisawa Machine Tool. They make their products in Taiwan.



If you are going down that route, you might want to consider a made in Germany Weiler or a Knuth.









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## Dan Dubeau (Jan 26, 2022)

One lathe to rule them all?  Hardinge HLV-H-EM would probably do 99% of whatever I ever plan to make/repair and leave me with a smile on my face while doing it.  

I know enough people with bigger lathes that I could beg/borrow some time on if I ever needed.


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## deleted_user (Jan 26, 2022)

RobinHood said:


> If you are going down that route, you might want to consider a made in Germany Weiler or a Knuth.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




New Television show pitch "My lottery dream shop"


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## 6.5 Fan (Jan 26, 2022)

Hmmm 1 lathe only. I must dig in my heels on this, like potato chips, 1 is never enough. Now 2 i can live with. As for size, that will be another disagreement.


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## deleted_user (Jan 26, 2022)

6.5 Fan said:


> Hmmm 1 lathe only. I must dig in my heels on this, like potato chips, 1 is never enough. Now 2 i can live with. As for size, that will be another disagreement.


lemme rephrase...

IF someone offered to sell you a new lathe from Taiwan, at the direct from manufacturer bulk purchase cost plus only the portion of the shipping costs for full container load based on the percentage of the weight, what lathe size would you go for?

I'm not saying that is the case though... I'm merely trying to assess the most desirable lathe from a serious metal worker's point of view before I get too far into discussions with Taiwanese manufacturers. 

If manufacturers don't care about selling multiples of a single product and will discount based solely on the total dollar value of the sale I'd merely fill the excess space above what I want to import just for me with 8x16, 10x22 and 12x28 lathes and sell to newbies.


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## Dabbler (Jan 26, 2022)

I'm for at least one very large (heavy, rigid, whatever you like to call it) lathe.  It is possible, and even fun to do small work on them, but most of my work is with rather heavier pieces than most.


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