With all the recent posts on lathes I fancy a go, so what should I look for in a lathe? Bearing in mind I am a complete beginner. But would like to have the facility to make threads.

I have a budget of £3-400ish and I would like as much as possible for the money, ie tools and other accessories

I don't have a huge amount of space so was initially looking at the Clarke CL250/CL300 stuff from Machinemart but unsure if its decent stuff. Any other makes/brands would be worth looking at that are a similar physical size?

[Edited on 24/1/12 by Alfa145]

2nd hand boxford, that's what I've got, built like a tank, and great, single phase motors easy to hang off the back too

I bought mine from a place in Derby, but there are others.

do a lot of reading first, to understand what you really want or need. Id say secondhand ones are a better option, you get a lot more machine for your money and also better quality, plus someone else has already splashed out on all the bits to go with it, tooling etc.

I’ve been looking myself but have decided to hold out for a slightly bigger more industrial machine. Clark stuff, I’m afraid is rubbish, OK for small bushes and the like but I can’t see them holding accuracy for long.

If size is an issue some of the old “training” lathes might be worth a look a good site for info is www.lathes.co.uk

avoid chinese clarke / machine mart type..they are shizzle

myford are pricey and tend to be expensive for what you get IMHO.

you won't go too far wrong with a boxford as stated, tough as old boots and nice and compact for a small garage. Might be luycky and pick one up in your budget, but stretch that a bit and you should get a nice AUD model???

here's mine tucked away in my single garage

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7244&stc=1&d=1233818114
[Edited on 24/1/12 by clanger]

[Edited on 24/1/12 by clanger]

The trouble is that cheap (old) lathes can be worn or even worn out! Usually if they are any good people hang on to them.

I have a Myford ML7. Parts are still available, and you can still ge the beds refurbished. Although this is not cheap!
Best to get a half decent lathe without too much wear and tear.
Look for backlash in the gears and wear on the bed.
I recon 3 phase motors are easily changed for single phase ones.
Its not a major job, and the prices can make it worth buying a three phase lathe and change the motor. It all depends on the price, but worth considering if its a good lathe.

Agreed on the above, and http://www.lathes.co.uk is a good site for mucho info on the subject.

Mainly made bushes and spacers and a few shaft type bits for my radio gear.
Definately a useful tool to have.

see what i mean

MYFORD ML4 240V MODEL MAKERS LATHE WITH EXTRA TOOLING AND STAND VGC | eBay

that Myford must be made of gold!!!

This is a better cost shed find,.. boxford lathe | eBay

shame it's so far, quite expensive to ship,...

but this one looks much better



hthboxford lathe | eBay just as far away, but a much cleaner looking machine

[Edited on 24/1/12 by HowardB]

Somewhere on here there's a thread where I advertised a couple of Denford Viceroys - classic secondary school training machines- and a pair of little used Clarke CL300 s which are surplus to the school tech dept I run. Located in Carlisle.

The Denfords don't cut threads but even with a choice of 6 lathes I tend to reach for threaded bar or just cut threads with dies- using chuck as a work holder, so I wouldn't get hung upon the thread cutting. One is single phase other is 3 phase and was all professionally rewired when installed a few years back.

The Clarkes are fine for small stuff and have only been used for working with brass, ali, nylon and as buffing machines for bits of plastic and jewellery, they do thread cutting but see comments above.

The kids tend to turn brass knobs, finials spigots, model cannon barrels, one of the old guys is a time served turner so the machines and tools are spot on.
Had plenty of interest but they are still here, no rush to sell them but the plan was to rationalise and make space and replace the redundant 4 with a single new machine to match one of the existing lathes bought a while back.
I now have to consult school finance dept before disposing of any large plant so U2U if interested.
atb
Mike

I would wait personally and save a little more... you should be able to get a Mk1 Colchester Student for around £500... or £700 for a Mk2 if you shop around!

Ok, so the student takes up a lot of space but its big and powerful enough to do any jobs you might have....

Even turning teeny tiny bits on my student having that bigger machine I find helpful, more room to manuver etc and you always have capacity to do bigger stuff.

If you don't have any turning experience I would say that buying a cheap and wobbly lathe is akin to buying a rubbish welder to learn to weld.

In experienced hands, even cheapy tools can work OK as the user will know how/what to do to to get by the weaknesses of the machine. When you're learning, you need a machine that will forgive your errors. If not it all just goes wrong, you assume you're a dead loss at turning, the lathe sits in the corner of the garage for a year and then gets sold on Ebay for nothing.

So it's another vote for a secondhand, but substantial lathe. I just got lent (given?) an ML7 which will be fine for my purposes. Was I having to buy, the Colchester Student is an excellent machine. Not too big or heavy but a good performance and not too dear. That said I would expect to pay at least £1000 for a decent one. All the stories of "I bought one for a fiver" are rare indeed and akin to finding a real Lotus in a barn...

That myford makes mine look cheap @£700 all in.
<<<<<<<<
<<<<<<<<see here and in my archive.

Regards Denis.

Thanks for all the info, looks like I have some reading up to do.

The reason I was looking at the Clarke stuff is size. I have a limited amount of space, so unless I leave the car outside to get soggy I won't be able to fit a nice big lathe in the garage But I could put the Clarke on the bench to use it and the put it in a cupboard while not using it.

I've said it before, but it's worth repeating... don't under-estimate the weight of a lathe!

A good amateur's lathe (Myford, small Boxford) is a two-man lift, if you value your spine. They really only work accurately if you mount them on a substantial bench or steel stand - it should weigh at least as much as the lathe,preferably a lot more. 'Shoving it in a cupboard' is not really an option, if you're talking about a proper machine - maybe putting the bench and lathe IN a cupboard is an option - open up when you want to use it.

Look at the size of the cabinet under kipper's lathe... those are made of hefty sheet steel.

As a guide, my 1940's Zyto 3.75" lathe would be just about liftable by one person. It sits on a steel stand that weighs 75Kg.
My Colchester Student Mk1 is a fair bit heavier than my Locost...

And I haven't even started to talk about accessories!


[Edited on 25/1/12 by David Jenkins]

The Myfords fetch relatively big money because they are used by the retired guys in their sheds. So there is a biggish demand.

I'd recommend you get as big a lathe as you can fit in your workspace, with a limit on bed length of about 4 feet.

You can do small work on a good condition big lathe, but not big work on a small lathe.

I used to have a big Wilson(even spoke to the old boy who worked on its build prewar), and that was just too big, with a 6' bed. Though handy for the longer carbon transmission shafts. today I get that work done by the guy who bought it. Today I have a Colchester Master, bought for £1500 ten years ago and in near new condition.

Cheers,
Nev.

Ex-Ark Royal. Surely not...........


Churchill-Redman 7' Swing Imperial Lathe c/w 3 and 4 jaw chucks + 2 faceplates | eBay

Whilst scanning ebay for parts for my lathe, I can across these:
EARLY ATLAS LATHE WORKING BUT IN NEED OF TLC, PLUS MANY EXTRAS | eBay
and
Atlas Lathe TV42' model with metal stand | eBay
I've got a Globe lathe, which a British made copy of the Atlas (it really is identical). These are good machines, should be suitable for learning on but sturdy enough to also make some mistakes. They also have an ok capacity (10" swing). Just in case anyone's looking
Really tempted to get one myself, just to have some of the kit and spares lol.

Those two posts above are both a lot of metal for your money. Really wish i wasnt broke, with no time and space to boot. And indeed, no projects on the go that need it!

There's a Harrison and a couple of smaller Colchesters on ebay for fair money.

Nev.

quote:

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Originally posted by Badger_McLetcher
Whilst scanning ebay for parts for my lathe, I can across these:
EARLY ATLAS LATHE WORKING BUT IN NEED OF TLC, PLUS MANY EXTRAS | eBay
and
Atlas Lathe TV42' model with metal stand | eBay
I've got a Globe lathe, which a British made copy of the Atlas (it really is identical). These are good machines, should be suitable for learning on but sturdy enough to also make some mistakes. They also have an ok capacity (10" swing). Just in case anyone's looking
Really tempted to get one myself, just to have some of the kit and spares lol.

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Damn it - i've no space or time but that sheffield lathe is very very tempting

bargain for you lads 'op north........

Cheap Lathe

that harrison is worth a grand every day of the week. if one of you northern lads dont bite his arm off im going up with the trailer.

i have a very late harrison l5 9inch swing 64inch gap bed and that bugger weighs over a tonne with the base. when i moved it into the workshop it took 3 of us to man handle it in using my engine crane. you could see the engine crane flexing under the wight it was that heavy. even three of us lifting together couldn't even pickup a corner.

bugger me! That guy is going to have a lot of people calling him monday morning, me being one of them.

Not quite sure how it can be moved unless they have some equiptment on site. A tonne you reckon? Might be time to chase my friend up to get my crane back!

omg I want that

I was chatting to a farmer who was dragging his 1940 colchester master out of the shead. Some one elts has first offer I have second. Its not run in 10 years and will need a restro but it has got a single phase motor.

I know where there is another 1940's lathe under a tarp but its to big

sent a message, fingers crossed I get it

What a bargain!!

Rob

Holy crap! That's insane!

when i picked mine up we managed to turn the levelling studs on the feet all the way out enough to get a palet truck under it. we used that to get it out of the school to the car park then used the engine crane to lift it as high as possible then backed the trailer underneath it and lowered it down got it home and reversed it into the workshop and lifted back off the trailer with the engine crane. then all i had to do was pick up the other two

btw i got all three lathes for free the school were going to be charged to have them removed and the electrics isolated. i removed them and disconnected the electrics then i paid an electrician £50 to sign it off to say it was safe for the schools insurance.

i kept the best lathe for myself, but they were all in virtually A1 condition. anyway then i sold the other two one went on eBay for£950 and i sold the other one to a fellow locost builder for £400 as i wanted it to go to a good home where it would be appreciated

[Edited on 28/1/2012 by ashg]

quote:

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Originally posted by femster87
sent a message, fingers crossed I get it

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No reply, tried calling as well