Please help me to choose a lathe for my project

[MaximT]

Hello, I am located in Vancouver and so far I didn't have any experience with lathes except my metalworking course at the high school decades ago.

I need to be able to turn plastic and steel 7-8" diameter, 0.25-2" wide, 0.25" thick ring-like parts for my prototype. It could be done slowly but I need quite good tolerances. My space is also limited, basically a laundry area in my townhouse or (best case scenario) my friend's garage. Budget is limited too, as usual)

I monitored marketplace for the last 3 weeks but people normally sell either too small or too big/heavy machines for me.

So far I have two options that I think meet my spare/weight requirements: First is a BB cx709 machine that has 8.5" swing over carriage which should be enough for me. Second option is a lathe sourced from Alibaba (spec below). I know, it's a long delivery and quality gambling.

Do you think these above lathes will be adequate for my task? I am aware that cheap lathes are not really to use out of the box and I am ready to dismantle, clean, fine tune, etc.

 

[MaximT]

Alibaba lathe spec:

TL360MV lathe machine with big spindle bore 52mm

Product Feature
The headstock is driven by ground gears, and the cyclic shifts
changing by single handle to make the main spindle obtaining
four ranges of speeds. In the selected,range, the speed display
will show the required cutting speed by adjusting the speed knob.
The speed range is with many choics,especially suitable for
low-speed tooling.Large aperture,Spindle through holeφ52
Feeding box with 12 steps of variable speeds,
covering common threading pitches.
Longitudinal & cross auto feeding adopts inter-lock
structure with good safety.
High frequency hardened Two V-type widened guideway
with rigidity.
Inclined wedge toolpost carriage; Camlocked tailstock;
Industrial lathe operation rod

Model
TL360MVx600mm
TL360MVx750mm
Max. swing over bed
360mm
360mm
Max. work-piece length
600mm
750mm
Max. swing over carriage
230mm
Main spindle diameter
52mm
Width of bed
200mm
Main spindle taper
MT6
Max.cross travel of carriage
205mm
Max. trave longitudinal of toolpost
100mm
Metric threads range/No.
0.25~7.0mm/26
Imperial threads range/NO.
4~56T.P.I/37
Module threads rang /NO.
0.2~7M.P/27
Diametrical threading rang/NO.
4~216D.P/40
Toolpost longitudinal per spindle rotation
0.049~1.382mm/r
Toolpost cross feeding per spindle rotation
0.022~0.61mm/r
Max.travel of tailstock sleeve
90mm
Tailstock sleeve taper
MT3
Spindle speed steps
Four shifts + Speed adjustment
Main spindle speed scope
60~1600 rpm
Main motor power
1.5kw
N.W./G.W.
370/420kg
390/440KGS
Overall size
140×70×64cm
152x70x64cm
Packing size
150×76×77cm
163x76x77cm

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Hello, So far I didn't have any experience with lathes except my metalworking course at the high school decades ago.

I need to be able to turn plastic and steel 7-8" diameter, 0.25-2" wide, 0.25" thick ring-like parts for my prototype. It could be done slowly but I need quite good tolerances. My space is also limited, basically a laundry area in my townhouse or (best case scenario) my friend's garage. Budget is limited too, as usual)

I monitored marketplace for the last 3 weeks but people normally sell either too small or too big/heavy machines for me.

So far I have two options that I think meet my spare/weight requirements: First is a BB cx709 machine that has 8.5" swing over carriage which should be enough for me. Second option is a lathe sourced from Alibaba (spec below). I know, it's a long delivery and quality gambling.

Do you think these above lathes will be adequate for my task? I am aware that cheap lathes are not really to use out of the box and I am ready to dismantle, clean, fine tune, etc.

welcome Maxim, you should post an introductory message too.

where are you located? There are many good deals on used lathes in parts of the country. People can help you spot them. Also see the forum under classified called "member spotted deals" some members scour the internet for used deals and many are priced very well.

Otherwise I'd say stick to busybee, or king lathe sold here in Canada and forget ali

 

[MaximT]

Updated the location, thanks! That's my thoughts about ali too. A scenic Vancouver-Calgary road pickup trip plus some poor yet existing warranty will be anyway better than to wait and worrying for several months.

 

[whydontu]

If you're stuck for space and $$$$, I think I'd be looking at a 3-in-1 machine. They'll give you the spin diameter you need without taking up 3/4 of your laundry room. They aren't too rigid, but if you go slow and take your time they can do reasonable work. In general the lathe is OK, the mill/drill is awkward but useable as a drill press.

3-in-1 machines get a bad rap, but within their limitations it's possible to extract value from them. I've owned them so I have experience with trying to squeeze every inch of space. Anyone else ever had a 6ft x 6ft garden shed as a shop?

One in Sicamous

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One in Seattle:

Shop Fox M1018 Lathe/Mill combo - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Works as it should, some xtra’s. Light fart around use. No emails, text or call if interested please. Ted Thanks

seattle.craigslist.org

 

[Chipper5783]

To machine an 8” diameter part, you likely need a machine (lathe) that will swing at least 10” diameter (250mm). One challenge is how you will hold the part (if gripping on the OD, then you have to have room for whatever you are using to hold the part).

Holding thin plastic rings (in fact any thin ring) can be tricky as it is very prone to distortion. How are you intending to hold it? Recently I was making parts from 1/8” wall drawn acrylic tube. It was quite challenging - compensated by the wall thickness variation (0.117 to 0.145” thick). Obviously OD gripping with a chuck was not an option (big custom pie jaws would work). I ended up using a central drive mandrill and snug fit stabling collars (and very light cuts with a razor sharp tool, lots of back rake).

My point here is that you figure out how to hold and machine the material before you buy a lathe that it too small.

 

[Tomc938]

I had a Craftex B2227L. It is a 10x22 lathe. Turning a 7-8" diameter would likely be tight, but for a shorter piece you can probably get the tool around to the outside. It weighs in at about 300lbs, and has a footprint of about 18" x 36". Runs on 110v, so that's a plus.

There are many similar sized lathes available new and used, although the coast is a bit of a wasteland when it comes to used.

What would be the possibility of farming this out to someone who already has a lathe? Depends how many pieces you need, but might be easier/cheaper to get someone to do it rather than tooling up and learning how to do it yourself. Unless you want to acquire and learn.

 

[MaximT]

Yes, thanks. This is actually my backup plan. I'll first try to get a standalone unit lathe though.

If you're stuck for space and $$$$, I think I'd be looking at a 3-in-1 machine. They'll give you the spin diameter you need without taking up 3/4 of your laundry room. They aren't too rigid, but if you go slow and take your time they can do reasonable work. In general the lathe is OK, the mill/drill is awkward but useable as a drill press.

3-in-1 machines get a bad rap, but within their limitations it's possible to extract value from them. I've owned them so I have experience with trying to squeeze every inch of space. Anyone else ever had a 6ft x 6ft garden shed as a shop?

One in Sicamous

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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View attachment 52120


One in Seattle:

Shop Fox M1018 Lathe/Mill combo - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Works as it should, some xtra’s. Light fart around use. No emails, text or call if interested please. Ted Thanks

seattle.craigslist.org

View attachment 52121

 

[MaximT]

To machine an 8” diameter part, you likely need a machine (lathe) that will swing at least 10” diameter (250mm). One challenge is how you will hold the part (if gripping on the OD, then you have to have room for whatever you are using to hold the part).

Holding thin plastic rings (in fact any thin ring) can be tricky as it is very prone to distortion. How are you intending to hold it? Recently I was making parts from 1/8” wall drawn acrylic tube. It was quite challenging - compensated by the wall thickness variation (0.117 to 0.145” thick). Obviously OD gripping with a chuck was not an option (big custom pie jaws would work). I ended up using a central drive mandrill and snug fit stabling collars (and very light cuts with a razor sharp tool, lots of back rake).

My point here is that you figure out how to hold and machine the material before you buy a lathe that it too small.

my plan is to use a mandrel for plastic tubes.

 

[MaximT]

I had a Craftex B2227L. It is a 10x22 lathe. Turning a 7-8" diameter would likely be tight, but for a shorter piece you can probably get the tool around to the outside. It weighs in at about 300lbs, and has a footprint of about 18" x 36". Runs on 110v, so that's a plus.

There are many similar sized lathes available new and used, although the coast is a bit of a wasteland when it comes to used.

What would be the possibility of farming this out to someone who already has a lathe? Depends how many pieces you need, but might be easier/cheaper to get someone to do it rather than tooling up and learning how to do it yourself. Unless you want to acquire and learn.

I quoted a couple of shops around, it finally will be cheaper to just buy a lathe. 10" is imo too small. I believe I'll avoid a lot of frustrations with being able to machine it straight from the outside.

 

[trlvn]

I need to be able to turn plastic and steel 7-8" diameter, 0.25-2" wide, 0.25" thick ring-like parts for my prototype. It could be done slowly but I need quite good tolerances.

Can you say more specifically what your tolerances are? If I understand correctly, the rings you want to make are pretty flimsy. A typical 3 or 4 jaw chuck will distort a steel workpiece by at least a few thous. "Plastic" -- more! (What kind of plastic?)

Say you need a 6-jaw chuck...a quality chuck in that size will cost a lot! Or maybe you can use some kind of faceplate fixture?

Are you starting with small sections of pipe as a raw material? Drawn-over-mandrel (DOM) tube?

Maybe thinking too far outside the box but you might be able to make rings like that with a rotary table on a mill. Use a basic end mill to create the ID and OD and then a slitting saw to slice off rings?

Craig

 

[whydontu]

Faceplate, bolt the material to the faceplate in locations that will be inside the finished bore. Use a sacrificial piece between the workpiece and the faceplate. Turn the O.D. and length, trepan the I.D. to part off.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Updated the location, thanks! That's my thoughts about ali too. A scenic Vancouver-Calgary road pickup trip plus some poor yet existing warranty will be anyway better than to wait and worrying for several months.

So Maxim you are in a similar situation to myself. I'm in a townhouse with very very little space within a major Canadian municipality where shop space costs an arm and a leg. You are however in a far better position than I am since you are in Vancouver and shipping from Taiwan is much much cheaper.

I wanted to buy a 12x16" metal lathe but no company is importing them into Canada. They're quite common is australia and new zealand though.

Taiwanese company Model : LD-1216GH Liang Dei sells them. Perhaps give them a try if you can wait for the shipping

1224GH - LIANG DEI ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

www.liang-dei.com.tw

 

[Johnwa]

Have you checked out the makerspaces in Vancouver. Google shows that there a quite a few. The focus and equipment will vary but there should be at least one that has a good size lathe.

 

[PeterT]

The link @TorontoBuilder demonstrates a consideration that has not been discussed thus far. If you are turning a lot of large diameter but relatively skinny length, that is what gap beds are for. Notice swing over saddle is 6" but swing over gap is 18". Not all lathes have removable gaps, but most imports in this nominal class do. Since you are in Vancouver (somewhat close to border), you might be in striking distance to import or buy your lathe from USA. Or at least expand your options to consider it.

 

[MaximT]

Can you say more specifically what your tolerances are? If I understand correctly, the rings you want to make are pretty flimsy. A typical 3 or 4 jaw chuck will distort a steel workpiece by at least a few thous. "Plastic" -- more! (What kind of plastic?)

Say you need a 6-jaw chuck...a quality chuck in that size will cost a lot! Or maybe you can use some kind of faceplate fixture?

Are you starting with small sections of pipe as a raw material? Drawn-over-mandrel (DOM) tube?

Maybe thinking too far outside the box but you might be able to make rings like that with a rotary table on a mill. Use a basic end mill to create the ID and OD and then a slitting saw to slice off rings?

Craig

0.01' radius tolerance. Targeted steel and filled PTFE so far. Likely, I will have to use some kind of support mandrels.

Considering a mill, I need to make a groove and more features on the inner surface of the ring. Not sure how I will be able to do it with a mill.

 

[MaximT]

Faceplate, bolt the material to the faceplate in locations that will be inside the finished bore. Use a sacrificial piece between the workpiece and the faceplate. Turn the O.D. and length, trepan the I.D. to part off.

yes, a faceplate may be an option too.

 

[MaximT]

So Maxim you are in a similar situation to myself. I'm in a townhouse with very very little space within a major Canadian municipality where shop space costs an arm and a leg. You are however in a far better position than I am since you are in Vancouver and shipping from Taiwan is much much cheaper.

I wanted to buy a 12x16" metal lathe but no company is importing them into Canada. They're quite common is australia and new zealand though.

Taiwanese company Model : LD-1216GH Liang Dei sells them. Perhaps give them a try if you can wait for the shipping

1224GH - LIANG DEI ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

www.liang-dei.com.tw

sent them a message

 

[Susquatch]

I like @whydontu's advice to look at combo machines. Some guys look down their nose at them and, say they don't do anything as well as dedicated machines do. But several of my friends have them and do amazing things with them.

You have already heard others suggest using a mill instead of a lathe. It's surprising how much more you can do with both. For people with very little space, a combo machine can be a godsend. Maybe it isn't what you want, but I think you would be well served by giving them a good look before you close your mind.

I also like the idea of defining your process before you buy something that won't do what you want. A maker space is a great way to do that.

 

[BaitMaster]

So Maxim you are in a similar situation to myself. I'm in a townhouse with very very little space within a major Canadian municipality where shop space costs an arm and a leg. You are however in a far better position than I am since you are in Vancouver and shipping from Taiwan is much much cheaper.

I wanted to buy a 12x16" metal lathe but no company is importing them into Canada. They're quite common is australia and new zealand though.

Taiwanese company Model : LD-1216GH Liang Dei sells them. Perhaps give them a try if you can wait for the shipping

1224GH - LIANG DEI ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.

www.liang-dei.com.tw

@TorontoBuilder Those look like very nice machines. Any idea what the price range is landed?