engine lathes

WHY

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
4,384
Location
miami,oklahoma
Aircraft
Ercoupe and Cessna 150, 152, 172, 140, Aeronca,7ac, Citabria,Chief,Piper PA11,PA12
Total Flight Time
215
Am lookin into buying a small engine lathe to put in my hangar shop. Have looked at a number of brands and am kind of leaning toward the Grizzly brand especially since thay have a major outlet in Springfield, Mo. about 80 miles from me.

Have looked at everything from 12x36 down to a 10x22 bench top and then looked at what I would probably be involved with and while I would like the 12x36 size I think the 10x22 would handle about 95% of everything I would do, and it's a little over $1000 and the 12x36 is over $2300.

The 10x22 is a model G0602, does anyone have any experience with this model and how do they like it? Also any comments or advice is appreciated, have lots of experience in make mistakes !!!!!

Tony
 
Tony,
It looks like GyroJake is using a 9x20 Harbor Freight lathe and a Grizzley tabletop mill in his build thread. I think they are pretty good for hobby type work, but don't expect to tear large amounts of chips in a hurry with one of those. I have a 9x20 and it looks like the same tool post at the 10x22. Those tool post are bad about flexing. Go to Steve Beldairs website for the 9x20 lathe and you can get some good links to information on that lathe. Mine is bad for eating up the bushing on the intermediate pulley on the belt drive. I have made a lot of parts with it and I do enjoy using it to make gyro parts since they are mostly alum. But I like my Grizzly mill
 
If you are going to invest this much into a tool like a lathe, then spend just a little more and get a 14" X 40" with a stand. Comes with a 3 and 4 jaw chuck. That way you can actually do a reasonably sized job, also it is more sturdy and accurate than the smaller lathes. The one that Harbor freight sells is a good lathe, I've used one for years. Enco has a nice tool holder set. Next thing you want is a DRO Digital Readout). That really makes a big difference of convenience, accuracy and speed. After that, you would benefit from a collet set and draw-bar.

Buying the lathe is on thing, but buying the accessories so that you can use it is sometimes the real expense. Same with a milling machine, or its just a glorified drill-press.
 
Get the originals from Sieg. http://www.siegind.com/products-black-red.php

The ones from Grizzly or Harbour are all rebranded Sieg's. Import them straight from the factory. If you order 10 or more machines, you don't have to go via a US distributor. I got some friend together, we bought 11 machines, all different ones. My C3 lathe cost me $390, my X3 mill was $490 !!!! The shipping was not that bad, in hindsight, I should have gotten the C6B and X4. My mate got them, super machines. You can get the C6 with variable speed control and spindle DRO, just ask for it. I got DRO's on all the crossslides, as well as a grinding attachment. Also all the collets, 3 and 4 jaw chucks, clamping kits, the whole 9 yards. I CNC'ed the mill. You can get a kit for it, if you're not technical enough.

Don't bother with the combo machines, things get too crowded on the work surface then. You also bump your head a lot. If you are needing rotary tables on it, go for the larger mills, the indexing tables are just too big to fit under the smaller mills.

You get a lot of super upgrades from http://www.littlemachineshop.com Their parts fit the Sieg units.

Have fun !!
 
I have a Smithy 12-20 and it does almost everything I need it to,
If I have something larger I take it to work and spend my lunch time on the large lathe or Bridgeport that I have access to.
 
Thanks to all that replied

Mark, it sounds like you are using the lathe about like I would, more in a hobby capacity than commercial or heavy duty. My machining experience is rather limited, one year as a apprentice machinist/ plant electrician with more time as the electrician than machinist and I learned very quickly those journeyman machinist guard "their lathe" closer than a father watching his 15 year old virgin daughter, and have since learned why. Add a little training from some experienced friends and that is the total sum of my experience which would barely get me into "machining 101". I've learned enough to keep the crossfeed out of the chuck and don't try to feed the tool to fast and don't try to cut to much at one time and that's the total sum. What is Steve's webb site address ?

Dennis, I have had the good fortune to use a Enco 14x40 with a DRO and loved it but this type of machine is so far ahead of my skills and qualifications that I just could not justify the costs and my little tool room in the hangar was built for nothing bigger that about a 12x36. I have been told to get the "biggest you can buy" and explained why but these are so far beyond my qualifications that I have decided to leave any "larger" machining to some good friends that are qualified and just play in my little sandbox :eek:) .

Hobby Cad, Thanks ever so much for the info on the source of these machines, figured that they were all "name labeled " by a common manufacture. Would like to do your recommendation about getting 10 friends and buying a group lot but would have trouble finding 10 friends that would trust me and no way to find 10 friends that are involved in building things. Around here the local EAA chapter is made of of three other chapters that folded, and it only has 2 builders in it, one building a high dollar turbo prop model and the other building a VW powered fun model and they are all tooled up.

Appreciate the input and will look up Steve's web site.

Tony
 
Scott, sorry did not get you in the last post but you are using the small lathe just about like I would, only if it's a bigger job I would take it to a friend with the bigger equipment.

Tony
 
I have a Smithy. I think it has a 12" swing by 36". I was working 34" tubes at the time and it paid its way. But I never could get to like it….didn't know it was made in China until I was setting it up. Nothing is hardened, including hardware….had to change most of the socket head screws and I didn't like changing the high-low speeds. I agree that if you want a lathe, buy the best you can afford.
 
Last edited:
Hi Mark

Thanks for those links and web sites, they are VERY informative. As for soldering, no problem, 11 years microwave radio maintenance and 25 years owned two-way radio shop

Tony
 
Tony,
Swarf Rat has some good videos on the use of the mill and lathe for a beginner or hobbiest. If I could only afford 1 machine in my shop for building gyros, it would be the mill. There just are not that many parts that are turned on a gyro compared to the parts that are cut out ,drilled and shaped into different custom pieces. Thats just my take on it. And buy good quality tool bits. its better for you , your machine and your parts.
 
Top