New to the site, this is my first post. Question is if you won the lottery and could buy any lathe you wanted which one would it be and why? To help the new guys like me please describe your method too (barrel through spindle, between centers etc.)
Gunsmithing Whats your dream lathe
- Thread starter cdement
- Start date
My dream lathe is the on someone else runs for free! 
New build Monarch EE. Probably the finest toolroom lathe made in America. Not currently in production, but Monarch will build one on a custom basis. A tremendous amount of info about the 10EE, and other high quality machine tools on practicalmachinist.com
Im a pretty reserved feller so nothing too fancy, Sharp 13x40VS. Take the rest that I didnt need to spend on a more expensive lathe and buy some CNC machines and lock myself in the shop for awhile.
Kc
Kc
Aside from the 1 7/16" spindle bore I would call my Atrump 1340 gearhead ideal for me. Very accurate, repeatable, smooth and quiet. The spindle bore diameter isn't bad, it would just be nice to have a smidge more room in there. A little wider spread on gear range would be nice, lowest speed is 56 rpm.
The price was right, I snagged it from an electronics company that was going out of business for $2500.00, when I got it home and cleaned up the only chips I found were phenolic resin, brass and nylon.
One of these days I will pony up for a DRO.
The price was right, I snagged it from an electronics company that was going out of business for $2500.00, when I got it home and cleaned up the only chips I found were phenolic resin, brass and nylon.
One of these days I will pony up for a DRO.
Gornatti Leopard.
Haas CNC...and maybe a CNC mill to compliment each other.
Haas SL30, plenty large bore,live tooling, lots of power and consistently repeatable
Doosan Mectec 280NII Slant bed turning center w/FANUC control. (got one!)
Hardinge Tool Room for 2nd op work.
Haas can suck it when it comes to lathes as far as I'm concerned. A bunch of guys in my I.P. have them and they all regret it. Buy a brand new 80K machine and it pisses coolant all over the floor because they don't bother to seal the enclosure?
Gay!
Buy a TL series and the tail stock bangs back and forth .100" because they weren't smart enough to put a tapered pin lock in it?
GayX2!
Just sayin. All I know is both shops have a HAAS service rep van parked out front at least once a month for service/warranty issues. Not a good sign. Especially when they are driving all the way from Minneapolis! (Ugh! Ever drive across South Dakota? I'd rather play with a dull razor in busy traffic.)
JMHO.
C.
Hardinge Tool Room for 2nd op work.
Haas can suck it when it comes to lathes as far as I'm concerned. A bunch of guys in my I.P. have them and they all regret it. Buy a brand new 80K machine and it pisses coolant all over the floor because they don't bother to seal the enclosure?
Gay!
Buy a TL series and the tail stock bangs back and forth .100" because they weren't smart enough to put a tapered pin lock in it?
GayX2!
Just sayin. All I know is both shops have a HAAS service rep van parked out front at least once a month for service/warranty issues. Not a good sign. Especially when they are driving all the way from Minneapolis! (Ugh! Ever drive across South Dakota? I'd rather play with a dull razor in busy traffic.)
JMHO.
C.
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Axelson 45.5x312
I like 'em big
Okay...that may be a bit too large for rifle work, but would be great for some of the other things I'd like to do.
How about a Hendey 14x30 geared head lathe.
--Wintermute
I like 'em big
Okay...that may be a bit too large for rifle work, but would be great for some of the other things I'd like to do.
How about a Hendey 14x30 geared head lathe.
--Wintermute
Already own them. An American Pacemaker for the big stuff, an Enterprise 16x40, a Logan 11x30 with a 1-3/8 bore & 5C collet cloeser, & a LeBlonde 19"x84" for the long stuff. For gunsmithing I'd say the Enterprise if the right size & very heavy built for it's size.
Not my personal experience...
Always bashers somewhere in the background...
Have the TL-2 and VF-3, absolutely no regrets.
Want a better than Haas, go Mazak.
Got the Hardinge - took the collet closer off, removed the key in the spindle the collet closes against - can handle 1.350 barrels now. Added spider on aft end, have choice of spider on front end for shorter barrels, or a Set-tru for longer barrels. Like very much the threading feature on the compound, very fast and easy to do.
DRO is nice to have also.
Am wanting another - this time with the Babin digital threading add on. Can do almost any thread, metric, pipe, Acme, multi-lead, not that expensive to add on either.
Have a big Grizzly for the things that won't fit in the Hardinge. Got rid of a pretty good Clausing Colchester, too small to be big, too big to be small.
It aint bashing. It's reporting. Don't kill the messanger. Shop next door to me does a very sizable portion of the manufacturing for Badger O..
They have been HAAS loyal for years. Owner was at my shop 3 Friday's ago Muthah phukkin Haas like no other. Then asking me about auto pallet changing horizontal full on machining cells with 240+ tool magazines.
Then there's the boys on the other side of the IP doing the same thing. (cursing the Red and White)
My little VF-1 milling center works great. It's been a very robust machine for what I use it for. (stock inletting, fluting) But that's all I use it for too. Just saying that there ARE other options to a TL lathe for someone committed to automating his process.
Mazaks are bad ass. So are Mori's and Daewoo's. Them "little yeller feller's" in Korea got that stuff down pat. Lots oh parts made on Daewoo machines.
C.
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So, which South Bend model would Papagrizzly go with for a small to mid size gunsmithing shop?
FYI: I was out at Gordy's place a while back. He speaks very highly of you. You will be seeing an article in Rifle Firepower magazine on that visit...
Thank you! Gordy is one of the best Gunsmiths in the country.
I would go with the Heavy 13 EVS South Bend Lathe Co.
I would go with the Heavy 13 EVS South Bend Lathe Co.
I am limited by having to drag mine through an interior door into my basement- that said I love my G4003G and couldn't be happier. That was as heavy as I could go down a flight of stairs- the bridgeport was nuts- I won't be doing that again.
Any word on the arrival of the new Heavy 10's?
We are on the second prototype stage of the lathe. Looks great. Should be completed soon and then we can get the first shipment in.
Testing it thoroughly so we avoid issues after they hit the market. I would say Summer to Fall 2014.
Testing it thoroughly so we avoid issues after they hit the market. I would say Summer to Fall 2014.
Another thing one has consider here is single phase and 3 phase converters can get expensive. For most home users they don't have access to 3 phase so one has also keep in mind of this. seems what all you guys are listing are 3 phase machines so be sure you either have 3 phase at your pole or you allow for added expense of a converter.
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VFD's are a game changer here. I used to run a 20 HP rotary phase converter and have since gone to VFDs. They have come down quite a bit and price and work well.
Chipsfan what is your setup? Lathe? H.P? VFD to handle said H.P?
There was an amazing Okuma manual lathe on the local craiglist for $10k awhile back. Beautiful lathe. Had ever conceivable option and even had a hydaulic tracer set up. Was in as new shape. I had to wipe the drool off my chin. Would have loved to pick that thing up.
For me I just want a lathe big enough to do barrel work on. Maybe a grizz or something. My lathe just doesn't have the through spindle to get it done
For me I just want a lathe big enough to do barrel work on. Maybe a grizz or something. My lathe just doesn't have the through spindle to get it done
Just bought a 3HP Hitach VFD for $300 shipped for my mill, have to order another one for this now:
Just bought a 3HP Hitach VFD for $300 shipped for my mill, have to order another one for this now:
I had a 3hp Teco (westinghouse) drive on my manual mill. Ran low voltage controls to the front for Speed, Fwd/Rev, On/off. It was a great little thing to have. Got it for $200 from a local controls company. It was a better price than online and I didn't have to pay shipping. Couldn't have been happier. When you do it for the lathe, look at putting on a huge braking resistor. I never got around to it on my mill, but supposedly I could have had that spindle stopped in like 0.1sec if I wanted. But being able to have a 1-2sec wind down could be quite nice to have. If you can or haven't already, see about doing the low voltage controls to the front of the machine. Makes life sooo much easier. All I needed was like a 7 or 8 conductor wire (found it at a local electronics surplus shop), a couple of 5k or 50k trim pots and a couple switches. well worth the couple hours to install.
That's the plan, hitting the tiny buttons on the front of the VFD isn't going to cut it longterm.
My lathe is a 4003G single phase. My mill has the VFD- Its a late 80s vintage Bridgeport with the 2J head. I installed a Hitachi VFD from Drives Warehouse (link below):
AC Drives, DC Drives, Variable Frequency Speed Drives Warehouse
Call them and tell them your application and they will tell you which VFD you want- its mindless. I made the mistake of reading the better part of the 400 page instruction manual and realized I didn't need the majority of the functionality. If you aren't electrically savvy, ask a friend who works in HVAC- those guys work with VFDs all the time.
I mounted mine on a bracket on the side of the mill's head where the switch used to be. For my VFD the power goes into the VFD and directly to the motor. I can slow the motor at the VFD if I want (I only really do that to show my friends how it works)- I typically use the knob of the
I have woodshop with a bunch of 3 phase stuff. I have a 20 HO motor that is started by a pony motor that serves as my rotary phase converter. Its old technology but it works. the VFD is awesome.
I'd like to convert my lathe to 3 phase with a VFD but the controls get awfully complicated. The only problem with the 4003G is that its slowest speed is 70 RPM, and the next one up is 200. I'd like the ability to go slower and go at an intermediate speed. I just don't think I want to go through all that hassle just for that.
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Just be aware that there are some code issues when wiring up a VFD. When I had one on my Sharp HMV, I put it in a spacious electrical box that I put under the ram on the back side of the column. The unit I got wasn't sealed or in some sort of fancy (and expensive) NEMA 4 case or whatever. You just have to make sure that you can have air flow around it and that the box has proper venting and such. This is mainly a CYA thing in the event of a fire or something. That way the insurance company doesn't have a way to weasel out of a possible claim.
If you do swap your lathe over to 3ph and put a vfd on it, wiring up a control panel is stupid easy, at least it was when I put in my VFD. If you can under stand some simple electrical schematics and take your time, its super easy. Also, I had to call the guys at Teco-Westinghouse 3-4 times and their engineers were awesome. Great Customer Service.
Thanks for the code info- I will ask my electrical dude for some clarification- I'd imagine destroying all my worldly possessions with out a claim would piss my wife off pretty bad. I have mine away from oils and on the head in front because I was worried about it heating up too much. I never ran it long enough to even get it hot too the touch. My mill is basically a uber expensive drill press I only use for short periods of time.
I chose a SB Heavy 10. I'm also fond of the SB 13's, which I did my last rifle on while mine was H10 getting ground. A Hardinge would be nice too. I'm sure there are tons of lathes out there that would fit the bill but there is something about old American iron that I like. Plus I got 2 Heavy tens for under a grand total off craigslist. Bought the first one and then a bigger one showed up when I got home. Grabbed that one the next day. This after looking for about a year for one. When it rains it pours I guess.
+1 for VFDs. I chose Hitachi on both my mill and lathe. Great CS, great features and a great manual. Easy to setup and work well. I looked at the Teco's but the Hitachi had a few extra features/options I wanted in the same price range.
I used a NEMA 1 box from Zoro tools to mount mine in. Was like $35 for a 12x12x8. Put a window in it so I can see the display and mounted a Radioshack pot to the side of the box. Ran liquid tight metal conduit to prevent from oils and the metal shielding in the conduit (versus liquid tight without) to protect against any electrical interference. Make sure you use stranded wire, not home electrical wire, to wire up the motor. Belkin I believe makes VFD cable that's properly shielded (and expensive). Was going to go that route as you can find it on ebay by the foot by I was in a hurry and just ordered separate strands of machine tool wire (MTW) in the right gauge and twisted them in a drill.
Used 18 gauge shielded plenum (cheap) from Mcmaster to run the control wiring. I as well don't feel like having to lose everything and find out my insurance won't cover it.
+1 for VFDs. I chose Hitachi on both my mill and lathe. Great CS, great features and a great manual. Easy to setup and work well. I looked at the Teco's but the Hitachi had a few extra features/options I wanted in the same price range.
I used a NEMA 1 box from Zoro tools to mount mine in. Was like $35 for a 12x12x8. Put a window in it so I can see the display and mounted a Radioshack pot to the side of the box. Ran liquid tight metal conduit to prevent from oils and the metal shielding in the conduit (versus liquid tight without) to protect against any electrical interference. Make sure you use stranded wire, not home electrical wire, to wire up the motor. Belkin I believe makes VFD cable that's properly shielded (and expensive). Was going to go that route as you can find it on ebay by the foot by I was in a hurry and just ordered separate strands of machine tool wire (MTW) in the right gauge and twisted them in a drill.
Used 18 gauge shielded plenum (cheap) from Mcmaster to run the control wiring. I as well don't feel like having to lose everything and find out my insurance won't cover it.
Mine would be a Hardinge HLVH tool room lathe that was stretched to 40" between centers and having 1.75" through the spindle. With the inch metric gear box. You would think with as much steel as I have fed through the one I have had since it was a pup it would of grown up by now.
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If you really want to buy a good lathe, make sure you have a look at this.
DMT Kern: CD 480
Ausstattung
SEIGER || Drehmaschinen - Sondermaschinen
In my opinion these are the best machine tool for one of a kind part production.
Weiler is normally the sturdiest one. The other have nice features.
And: In my opinion they are all far superior to Hardinge, Doosan and on.
And: No, I´m not into bashing.
And I´m no sales representative.
DMT Kern: CD 480
Ausstattung
SEIGER || Drehmaschinen - Sondermaschinen
In my opinion these are the best machine tool for one of a kind part production.
Weiler is normally the sturdiest one. The other have nice features.
And: In my opinion they are all far superior to Hardinge, Doosan and on.
And: No, I´m not into bashing.
And I´m no sales representative.
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