If you want to chamber barrels, both are too small. The 7X10 is a good machine to learn the basics on. The 9X20's aren't rigid enough for their size, and also not large enough for a large tool. Save up for a 12X36 or 13X40, which will work well in concert with the 7X10 for the small work.
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
I can't comment as to usefulness of the 7x12, but just as you, I wanted a mini lathe to learn (OK, play ) a bit on. I decided on the Homier 7x12, which is basically the same lathe as the Grizzly 7x12 and Harbor Freight 7x10, and is made in the same factory. The Homier at $300 was the cheapest, even though all three seem to be of similar quality.
Wonderful site! Mucho Information. I was wondering if anybody has worked with small CNC lathes or mills? We had one at my highschool, a cnc lathe, very small work. A friend of mine is considering getting into custom bike parts (he rides those BMX type bikes), and was thinking about getting some equipment maybe. Anybody had much experience? Anybody know approximate costs?
Thanks very much!
Red
Posts: 4742 | Location: Fresno, CA | Registered: 21 March 2003
I'll have to say my advice would be to save a little more money and buy a real lathe. You can pick up a functional 10"-12" lathe for less than $1000. I got a pretty good South Bend 13" for $1200 and then spent another $500-600 on it. I tried the concept of "learning" on a small lathe. What you really do is learn to work around the inadequacies of a small, flexible lathe. While they are handy later for small simple tasks like working on cartidge cases, you will learn much faster if you get a decent lathe, and the cost is not that much more.
Posts: 1238 | Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA | Registered: 04 February 2003
I got a mini lathe with a saddle so compliant, it will not cut metal.
So I have relegated it to secondary operations. It does a great job on: 1) boring small parts 2) spindle and wire wheel 3) Dremel flex tool mounted in V block on the tool post as a poor man's tool post grinder 4) spinning bore brushes for cleaning the inside of case necks
So the mini lathe sits outside the shop in the grinding area, while my Clausing 5914 sits in the warm clean shop.
quote:Originally posted by Dago Red: Wonderful site! Mucho Information. I was wondering if anybody has worked with small CNC lathes or mills? We had one at my highschool, a cnc lathe, very small work. A friend of mine is considering getting into custom bike parts (he rides those BMX type bikes), and was thinking about getting some equipment maybe. Anybody had much experience? Anybody know approximate costs?
Thanks very much!
I've used Omnis and the American Way brand gang-tooled lathes. I would go with the Omni for reliability and customer service. You're looking at about $20,000.00-$30,000.00 for an Omni or American Way lathe. This kinda falls back on the same principal of manual lathes too. Get a bigger lathe that can run spindle RPM's in the 5000 range, and you can not only do the small stuff, but you can also run larger parts with more standardized tooling. If you go that route, you'd be looking at anywhere from 30,000- $60,000.00 for one that's used. In this class of machine, which would be a turret lathe with at least 8 tools, and a 2" spindle bore, I'd pick Mazak hands down. For accuracy and simplicity of programming, they can't be beat.
Red
Posts: 1021 | Location: Prineville, OR 97754 | Registered: 14 July 2002
Thanks much for the info. With those costs I am going to tell him that he should start out with a manual control lathe until he can see some profits from it.
Red
Posts: 4742 | Location: Fresno, CA | Registered: 21 March 2003
Sometimes this is one of those things that requires a leap of faith. He may never see any profits without a CNC lathe. That is the unfortunate part of the industry today. Something to keep in mind, even though they cost that much, it doesn't mean that you have to pay all of it at once. He could look at a finance option with only $5,000.00 down and some modest payments, depending on his credit. I've been down that road myself since I was seventeen. It sometimes takes balls, but it builds character.
Posts: 1021 | Location: Prineville, OR 97754 | Registered: 14 July 2002
Another possibility is to make prints of the parts and contract a job shop to turn them out. As I understand it, theres a program to write and tooling set-up and then back up!! Or be covered up in parts.
The first CNC I saw run was in Denver at the big machinery show. It was a tiny lathe/mill combo that was turning out the cutest little brass screw drivers I ever saw....Cute, but useless, of course.....unless you're demonstrating CNC machines. It was a marvel......
I think we should really put up a banner indicating that under no circumstances do you want to waste your time with a Smithy.
Didn't mean to rant Citori, but if you want to start machining, get a lathe and mill seperate, not a combo of the two. What you end up with is a mill that can't take a cut, and lathe that can't turn worth a crap. Even on the most expensive 3,4, and 5 axis lathes. The milling sucks compared to a standalone mill.
Posts: 1021 | Location: Prineville, OR 97754 | Registered: 14 July 2002
Thanks. I just wish that we had scales in camp to weigh him. With the skin on and absolutely no stretching, and not dipping down into any of the curves on the body, he was right at 8 feet. After the skin had been in the salt a couple of days I laid it out flat on the ground (once again with no stretching), and it still went about 8'4" (wish I had measured it when it was first skinned out ).
Jim
Posts: 1206 | Location: Georgia | Registered: 21 July 2000
For the past several months I went through the process of "Which size and what type of Lathe". You have to crawl the web and ask everyone. The final decision is a fateful one. I finally settled on a Grizzly 12x36 gear head. I'm very happy with it. Great fit and finish for the most part, but count on fixing and setting everything up and a whole lot of playing around to get the most accuracy out of it. I wouldn't get anything smaller if you are going to do any barrel work. Of course, when I win the Lotto I will get a slightly better quality CNC......dooda. In the mean time I have barrels and actions and tools-in-the-making scattered from hell to breakfast and indicators sticking in and out everywhere. Ebay and I are on first name basis and the UPS truck is getting worn out running up and down my dirt road.
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) a bit on. I decided on the Homier 7x12, which is basically the same lathe as the Grizzly 7x12 and Harbor Freight 7x10, and is made in the same factory. The Homier at $300 was the cheapest, even though all three seem to be of similar quality.
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).
