Buying a harbor freight lathe, any suggestions?

[brokeitagain]

Im looking between these three, i dont need anything fancy just a hobby thing is all im looking for. these three are in my budget so any input is appreciated, i dont expect to manufacture on these, just hobby



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44859

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93212

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93799

[team3six]

Yeah dont. I talked to a few people about the harbor frieght lathes and they are all crap and float out of line.

[brokeitagain]

ok thanks, any lathes out there for a fixed budget, around 600-650, at least 7x10

[2JSC]

Grizzy seems to make some pretty decent ones. I think there is a thread around here somewhere about one.

[Joat]

Originally Posted by brokeitagain

Im looking between these three, i dont need anything fancy just a hobby thing is all im looking for. these three are in my budget so any input is appreciated, i dont expect to manufacture on these, just hobby



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44859

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93212

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93799

7x10, 7x12,7x14,grizzly/harborfreight/micromark are pretty much made by the same people, there is 2 brands really, seig and real bull
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Default.htm
Spend some time here for really good info ,
I would not get anything smaller then a 7x12, I have grizzly 7x12 , it has a fair amount of tweaks, I can cen runout under .0005, yes no typo,lapped bed and ways, yada yada, I would go with a 8x12 or larger within the budget, but your gonna spend quite a bit on tools and such, littlemachineshop.com, runs specials and packages, kinda pricey at time though

[brokeitagain]

i actually had the tools budgeted, so that isnt too big a deal

[Joat]

Originally Posted by brokeitagain

i actually had the tools budgeted, so that isnt too big a deal

600 to 650?
I know seig is coming out with their brushless 7x's, I would wait for one of those, if you can, will make a world of difference
The weak park of the current 7x's made by seig is the headstock gears are plastic and easily break, also you need to put tapered roller bearings to get consistent results, I changed all the head stock gears to metal and did the taper roller bearings at the same time, you still need to adjust the headstock for alignment
http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/Lathe_Align.html
Oh and if you want good results with a 3 jaw you'll need one of these
http://warhammer.mcc.virginia.edu/ty...tTruBackplate/
I had Rick make me one of these, this with the metal gears and tapered bearings, are prob the most important replacement mods that should be done,other mods like lapping the bed/ways and aligment are tweaks.

[brokeitagain]

the tools are figured separately, i have about 500 to invest towards that

[Joat]

Originally Posted by brokeitagain

the tools are figured separately, i have about 500 to invest towards that

Quick change tool post , I like the a2z cnc one
carbide tipped bits 1/4,5/15 and 3/8
Insert type bit holders ,I like the smaller 1/4 ones
center drills
chucking reamers
cobalt drill bits, not coated soild type
plastool holders, I love these -http://plastools.com/
Oh also on my lathe I have changed out the saddle strips for brass, and instead of set screws have done the shimm method which is far more stable and once set have not needed to adjust it in over 2 years
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe...htm#brass_gibs
I also have a 4" chuck and a 5" though the 5" is kinda too large, center work I was doing required more then the 4" could handle, the stock 3" is collecting rust somewhere

[brokeitagain]

im tinkerer too, but when i get in to something i usually go way over board, i hope im not irritating with all my questions lol.
I have always been interested in machine work, just trying to satisfy a feeling lol

[Joat]

Originally Posted by brokeitagain

im tinkerer too, but when i get in to something i usually go way over board, i hope im not irritating with all my questions lol.
I have always been interested in machine work, just trying to satisfy a feeling lol

You are not irritating me, I am the same way, I try to research things to death first then go about doing what I need to do.
Read up on Frank Hoose's site , mini-lathe.com, then read up on the alignment on gadgetbuilder's site, I asked Rick Krueger to build me a backing plate, was well worth it, I think it was under a $100 shipped.
I also have a dro's scales setup with a display, though I have only done one of the dro's , I have well over $1000 into my lathe, not including the lathe, and without any real tools other then the qctp
$500 Grizzly 7x14 I bought used with some tooling
$?? 4" chuck
$?? 5" chuck
$200 dro display
$100 adjustable backing plate
$75 dro scales
$? brass stock for sadle
$? brass shim stock
$? a2z cnc qctp -little machine shop- LMS
$? spare holders for qctp - ebay seller ,cheaper ,bigger and better design then the stock holders
$? metal head stock gears and speed change gears with installation tools from LMS
$ tapered roller bearings and spacer , ebay was cheaper for the bearings then LMS
Grease fitting or oil fittings as LMS calls it all over the lathe
Saddle bed wipers - diy
Fan cooling for the control board
I bought a large Kennel liner- hard plastic with raised sides- that sits under the lathe to catch all the chips and such
I made a rolling bench for it with drawers to hold supplies and suck
I have well over 20 hours on just tweaking the lathe including installing the bearins/gears and such, lapping the bed/ways makes it silky smooth,adding the brass saddle plate makes the saddle stable, metal gears make the head stock bullet proof, tapered bearings take out any slop in the spindle, adjustable backing plate makes work accurate,alignment makes works consistent and accurate - I still have not completed this.

[brokeitagain]

so id be better off trying to find maybe a used grizzly machine instead of trying to make a harbor freight item work, im not really up on the working of the machine it self im just looking for a good hobbyist startup, maybe something better later

[Joat]

Originally Posted by brokeitagain

so id be better off trying to find maybe a used grizzly machine instead of trying to make a harbor freight item work, im not really up on the working of the machine it self im just looking for a good hobbyist startup, maybe something better later

The machines are the same, both are made by seig, they do require a fair amount of tweaking to be accurate/consistent, but once there they are very good.
You may be better off looking for a unimat/taig/sherline , they are smaller but much better "out of the box"
Another option is looking for a used atlas or something around there, they are supposed to better, but not sure about price wise, I live in the 50th so lathes and such are hard to come by ,since shipping is crazy expensive, try search craigslist in your area, I am not sure though about how good the real bulls are out of the box?
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe...og/bigdog2.htm

[ToyTundra]

I was faced with this problem just a few weeks ago. The sherline and Taig are more my style (small, but accurate out of the box) but neither can cut threads without costly add ons. The Taig was my favorite of the two. The sherline but it only came in two lengths and neither was appropriate for me. My lathe is second fiddle to my mill (sherline), so i went with the HF 7x10 for a few reasons: It is in stock and on sale and 20% off (~$350). No shipping. Thread cutting out of the box. Light enough to move around. and it fits on my small desk.

I did spend about a week taking it apart, degreasing it and shimming some parts. I really wanted a 7x12 or 7x14, but i wasn't going to pay a lot more ($200-$300 more) for the same machine in a different color, so i looked up a replacement bed on littlemachineshop.com. ~$100 and my choice of 12 or 14". I will lengthen it if needed before i can buy some real machines.

I am just a hobbyist who needs to occasionally make some round parts. Nothing terribly precise. I looked for used equipment, but not much small stuff available in my area.

[Joat]

Originally Posted by ToyTundra

I was faced with this problem just a few weeks ago. The sherline and Taig are more my style (small, but accurate out of the box) but neither can cut threads without costly add ons. The Taig was my favorite of the two. The sherline but it only came in two lengths and neither was appropriate for me. My lathe is second fiddle to my mill (sherline), so i went with the HF 7x10 for a few reasons: It is in stock and on sale and 20% off (~$350). No shipping. Thread cutting out of the box. Light enough to move around. and it fits on my small desk.

I did spend about a week taking it apart, degreasing it and shimming some parts. I really wanted a 7x12 or 7x14, but i wasn't going to pay a lot more ($200-$300 more) for the same machine in a different color, so i looked up a replacement bed on littlemachineshop.com. ~$100 and my choice of 12 or 14". I will lengthen it if needed before i can buy some real machines.

I am just a hobbyist who needs to occasionally make some round parts. Nothing terribly precise. I looked for used equipment, but not much small stuff available in my area.

I think the 7x's out of the box is like .003 or there abouts in runout on a stock 3 jaw ?when cutting threads .003 makes a world of difference, I noticed that even .001 on a m3 x .5 I could see the difference.

["N8"]

IMO screw the grizzly lathe, and ultra screw the harbor freight bs.

A super quick search on craigslist in my area produced all these real machines capable of doing real turning on a small scale:

http://nwct.craigslist.org/tls/1600190188.html
http://capecod.craigslist.org/tls/1633810477.html
http://capecod.craigslist.org/tls/1632903572.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/tls/1641738615.html
http://maine.craigslist.org/tls/1626241997.html
http://burlington.craigslist.org/tls/1639032688.html

On your budget I would suggest this one below:
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/tls/1634545549.html

Or if not the south bend 9's are a close runner up.

[brokeitagain]

i searched craigslist for my area, i didnt find much meeting my needs, most were pretty large machines, and out of my price range

[CobbCrawler]

I have had the H.F. 7X10 for about 5 years I got it on sale for $325 I had to take it all apart, adjust and shim it to get it to their specs. The gear sets are intended for SAE threads not metric. The price was right for what I use it for, bushings, spacers, beadlock rings and that sort of work. So for what I use it for it works fine but it really is not a "precision" lathe. I guess it all depends on what your plans are for its use and your budget .

[gas]

try www.wttool.com pt#3003 -1000
been using this one for years with out a problem runs about 500.00



UOTE=brokeitagain;2357016]ok thanks, any lathes out there for a fixed budget, around 600-650, at least 7x10[/QUOTE]

[Joat]

Originally Posted by gas

try www.wttool.com pt#3003 -1000
been using this one for years with out a problem runs about 500.00



UOTE=brokeitagain;2357016]ok thanks, any lathes out there for a fixed budget, around 600-650, at least 7x10

[/QUOTE]
That is a real bull lathe, you can tell by the adjusting nut at the end of the lead screw.