TO LATHE or NOT TO LATHE

[Strofmos]

Don't do metal but I LOVE my wood lathe. Great for all sorts of projects.

second
I use my wood lathe for prop and costume parts (mainly masters to mold), but also for birthday & christmas gifts, etc...

What some people don't know it that items from a wood lathe are "hand made".
On most wood lathes the cutting is done free-handed, so not by moving a gear.
Don't get me wrong, full respect for those with a metal lathe These also create amazing pieces.
But with a wood lathe is just more difficult to create identical pieces

For Celebration VI, I made these as gift for Mr. Lucas, Mary Franklin (LfL), Steve Sansweet (ex-LfL) and CEO of Reed Entertainment.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Those are beautiful! What type of wood did you use?

I started making a chess set and MAN is it difficult to get all the pieces the same!

 

[Strofmos]

Olive wood
good advice on wood lathe: try to get it close and be satisfied
it's very difficult (unless you have a copying attachment) to get perfect, identical pieces
but then again, the little differences, in my opinion, really bring forward the "hand-made" aspect

 

[Michael Bergeron]

good advice on wood lathe: try to get it close and be satisfied
it's very difficult (unless you have a copying attachment) to get perfect, identical pieces
but then again, the little differences, in my opinion, really bring forward the "hand-made" aspect

I hear ya. But it's tough when you see them all lined up on a chess board! :lol

 

[Hammerdon]

Remember that these machines will hold their value fairly
well also. The small lathes I have (7x10 and a 9x20) have
doubled in price so if you take care of what you have now
you should be able to sell it for an upgrade later on and
not have to sink much money into the bigger machine.

 

[Avolow]

second

The first sabers I made were on a wood lathe. My shop teacher in high school would not let us near the metal lathes until we could do the wood ones without killing ourselves. :lol Wish I still had one of the wooden ones I made.

Avolow.

 

[Chris Fields]

I do alot of work on my mill, don't have a lathe anymore though, but would love one. I'll probably upgrade my mill before getting a lathe though. Also need to upgrade my grinders. I strongly suggest getting as many tools as you can, as it allows you to open up your creativity much more than you ever thought possible.

 

[pitchforknumb]

I strongly suggest getting as many tools as you can, as it allows you to open up your creativity much more than you ever thought possible.

I agree with this statement whole heartedly. Any tool you can afford to get, I say get it.

 

[Cobheran]

I got a lathe earlier this year for custom parts that I needed. I have to say it was worth every penny.

 

[Spookydad]

I have a 11 x 26 lathe, a SX3 mill, and a wood lathe. (Plus a whole bunch of other tools). I use the lathe most of all. Until 6 months ago, my drill press was my mill. Going from the drill press to the mill was like going from a jeep to a (real) Hummer. I will never go back.

Before you buy any of these tools, join the Yahoo group for the tool owners. Every one has a dedicated group. You will learn a lot about the joys and sorrows of each machine. There are plenty of both. These are hobby machines so don't expect German engineered precision right out of the gate. They require tuning and usually small modifications to get them right. They are capable of good quality work but you do have to learn the machine and how to use it. They are lots of fun and nothing beats being able to turn out a really cool prop out of metal instead of some cobbled together PVC plumbing parts.

There have been some good points being made in this thread and I want to reinforce these:

1.) The machine is only 1/2 the price. Get as much up front as you can, you will only buy it very soon after you get your lathe.
2.) These are not toys, they can injure you if you don't respect them.

I would add:

3. ) DON'T buy Harbor freight tools! For roughly the same price, Grizzly has real customer service. You WILL be calling customer service! In my experience, the Grizzly stuff is about the same quality but the only real remedy for HF is to take it back to the store.

4.) Buy the biggest machine you have room for! You will soon run into the limits of the machine. The 7x10 lathes and mini mills are only suitable for very small parts.

5.) Do NOT be tempted by the 3 in 1 combo machines. They have the worst features of both the lathes and the mills in one annoying package.

6.) Do NOT show this machine to your friends. You will not have any time left to make your own stuff. They all think their little job will only take "5 minutes", can be made out of scrap materials that you must have laying about, and they are not going to want to pay you for your time. If they do find out you have one, tell them it is cheap Chinese junk and the dang thing is broken.

 

[lmshutt]

If someone has never learned the basics from a trained lathe user, there are some important points to know:

1. A bigger Lathe can easily kill you, with luck you only loose parts of your limbs if you make bigger mistakes

2. A lathe of each size can easily cripple you

Any size lathe can kill you.

5. Starting is cheap, just buy the machine and some tools. If you want to make more special parts, you gonna need special tools -

How true.
A good start would be a set of turning tools, a boring bar and a set of drill bits. If the lathe does not come with one get a drill chuck for the tailstock. You will also need measuring tools. A dial indicator with a mount for the ways can be used to measure position along the length or you can get digital scales fairly cheap. A four jaw chuck will allow more precise work and holding odd shaped parts, once you learn how to set it up. Quick change tool posts are great time savers but not required.

For Tooling I use a set of indexable holders with either carbide or HSS inserts depending on the material.

A ball turning attachment and radius tools are on the short list for me.

6. Having a Lathe and mill is great - but you need to know what you are doing.

SmartFlix, the Web's Biggest How-To DVD Rental Store has a fairly good selection of instructional videos however last I used them was two years ago and wait time for some was months long.

 

[Quagmire9]

i have had a lathe and mill for years now. they are quite job specific as mostof the time i am sculpting. but i wouldn't be without them. case in point, i am currently making a full Robocop suit for a friend from scratch and obviously it is much better on some pieces to mill and or lathe resin or ally pieces and set them into the NSP before moulding. works great and you get a far suprior finish to merely sculpt the piece only tohave to clean up again when in hard copy.

 

[CaptainMarvel]

I got a lathe earlier this year for custom parts that I needed. I have to say it was worth every penny.

May I inquire as to which lathe you purchased?

 

[eco]

hey there,
im pretty new to this forum and ive been an engineer by trade using cnc and conventional lathes and milling machines for over 25 years. i mainly machine aircraft and mining parts but recently over the last 5-6 months ive supplied many uk star wars costumers with machined parts for their costumes or droids.
i cannot STRESS THIS ENOUGH how dangerous these machines can be if your not concentrating on what you are doin.
ive known people get scalped, loose fingers, receive serious cuts and even die thru taking their eye off the ball for a split second.
i dont want to discourage any1 at all but PLEASE REMEMBER THESE ARE MACHINES AND HAVE NO FEELINS. THEY DONT KNOW IF YOUR WRAPPED AROUND THE CHUCK OR SPINDLE.

SO PLEASE BE CAREFULL
ALWAYS
1. wear safety glasses
2. dont wear loose clothing.
3. use the guards where applicable

 

[CaptainMarvel]

I would add:

3. ) DON'T buy Harbor freight tools! For roughly the same price, Grizzly has real customer service. You WILL be calling customer service! In my experience, the Grizzly stuff is about the same quality but the only real remedy for HF is to take it back to the store.

So are you recommending or not recommending Grizzly? I ask because I have been looking at the Grizzly G4000 9" x 19" Bench Lathe - which, from what I've researched thus far, seems like it would be a good size (swing over bed, distance between centers, features, etc.) for the kinds of projects I would be doing.

Do you know anything about the "Little Machine Shop" products? I was also looking at the Little Machine Shop HiTorque 8.5x16 Bench Lathe - though it is about $500 more than the comparable Grizzly G4000 above.

Though I know I am probably getting ahead of myself (in this, the "envisioning/contemplation" stage of things), but I would also like to purchase - be it concurrently or eventually - an "equivalent sized/level" milling machine as well - such as the Grizzly G0704 Drill/Mill

or the Little Machine Shop HiTorque Mini Mill w/ Tilting Column

HOW AM I GOING TO LEARN THESE THNGS? :
I am fortunate enough to have a father-in-law who - quite literally - was a Rocket Scientist for Boeing. I mentioned my interest in learning how to use these machines (on a home/hobby level) and he is all but too happy to make me his 43 y/o Padawan Learner. (He is actually going to be coming to live with us the beginning of next year, so I will have a live-in mentor for lessons, guidance and projects ... pending eventually saving up enough to be able to get the machines, of course.

I also recently discovered that I have a local friend who has experience with machining as well - so I'm trying to find out if he either has a lathe/mill at his home or if he has access to either/both for giving me some in-person/hands-on instruction. (in my opinion, nothing can match live/hands-on/real-life instruction for learning how to perform a task).

For the "in-between" times, does anyone know of - or recommend - any instructional DVDs available?



WHAT DO I INTEND TO DO WITH LEARNING MACHINING? :
Like I mentioned, my goals/ambitions are strictly home hobby/project level. I'm not looking to build a custom chopper or engage in gunsmithing. As I may have mentioned earlier in this discussion thread, I would like to learn to be proficient enough to make parts for various prop replicas, costume pieces and some SW movie lightsaber hilt replicas - as well as create some custom design hilts as well.

I would also like to learn to fabricate small/moderate sized parts toward building/modifying/customizing other creative outlet items - such as something like an ORD BOT 3D PRINTER.

After things like that ... who knows what kind of creative innovention(s) will strike me.



Yes, I know I am thinking very ambitiously for someone who, as of this date, has absolutely ZERO experience with working with either a lathe or mill. Still, why not dream big and take the small steps necessary along the way toward achieving those dreams/goals - right?

:cool


TOM

 

[NormanF]

I have a cheapo Harbor Freight wood lathe that I use for turning foam. I might eventually use it for wood. I would not even think about getting a metal lathe unless I got lessons first. But at this point I cannot think of anything I would need it for.

 

[madmacs]

Go for the Lathe, or one of the Lathe/Mill combos. I bought a 1940's SouthBend 9" a few years back for $500 and haven't regretted it once. I could probably sell it tomorrow for The same price. They are heavy so unless you aren't paying shipping, remember to factor that into your purchase if you can't get it local. I turned a few parts for my Han Solo ANH blaster and Holster. I even bought a knurlier to make the droid caller.

Remember it's handy for other things around the house too!

I've messed up plenty of times, bent cutters, crashed it into the Headstock, left the chuck in and turned it on. bruised myself once I think. Use common sense, take a class, read some books. They don't tend to swing as fast as wood lathes, and you aren't holding the cutter.

These books are old, but the basic principles haven't changed in the last 80 or so years anyway.
http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks/lathebk/index.html

 

[xl97]

hi..

my two cents here (and it differs a bit from others before me.. so take it with a grain of salt)

"I" personally 'did' go with a HarborFreight lathe.. why? well for the machine I got.. the price I got it for was UNBEATABLE!.. (by anyone, anywhere)

I got word that the HF 8x12 (which is really an 8x14, same exact machine as the lathe master 8x14 but in red and different tooling package).. for $449..

I walked in "with" a 20% off coupon.. and ordered up my 8x lathe for $379 out the door.

waited a few weeks until it came into stock.. and went a happy camper.



My suggestions are KNOW what you want to work on, wnat you intend to use these lathes for...

you will find yourself running out of room before you know it if you dont plan ahead.

having never owned a lathe previously,. in my head these was going to be HUGE..

and I had never seen an 7x in person before either..

I stopped back a week later to HF to get something else.. and they had a 7x10 lathe on the floor... and man that thing is RINKY DINKY.. IMHO.. not much bigger than two shoe boxes tall.. and maybe1-2 in length..

with the 10" bed.... and the chuck and tail stock eating up most of the room.. you can only turn something that is around 6in or so.. (give or take)

the 8x lathe I got was still a HOBBY machine... but its MUCH more heavy/beefier.. but still a size that is manageable...

I made a 2ft x 4ft table for my lathe and it has room all around..and room for a box with my sprays some tools..etc..

actually here it is:

and here a picture of a 7x10 lathe sitting on top of an 8x lathe..

just so you have a visual in your mind.

(If you plan on doing saber hilts.. I would recommend AGAINST the 7x10 size, at a minimum the 7x12 size)



As far as HF vs other places.. to be fair.. 'most' of these chinese/imported lathes are the same. different color or brand stamped on it for whomever is selling it... maybe a different tooling package..or minor upgrade done here or there..etc.. but or the most part.. all the same.

You will need to spend time on any choice, taking it apart, cleaning it, oiling/lubing and putting it back together... so you make the call on your time vs money.

One exception "I" have found is LittleMachineShop.. most of their machines come with a better fit-n-finish then most others I have seen..


If you get a good deal/sale and can also use a coupon.. I think an HF purchase is OK.. especially if you are DIY/HOBBY minded.



I also own a mill.... I purchased this one from LittleMachienShop.com though.. (Hi-Torque, mini-mill..etc)..

here is on I own:
https://www.littlemachineshop.com/3960


if I could have afforded an X3 sized mill.. I woudl gotten one.. biggest mill you can afford and have space for is my advice on mills.

I had saw the HF X2 mini-mill on sale for like $399.. but missed out on it....(I still have coupon I think) lol..
but got the SX2 from LMS....

LMS is NOT cheap.. (matter fact almost always more expensive than anyone else).. but I have not found better customer service from ANY company.... regardless of product!!!!.. and knowledgeable too!

and when I compared the X2 features..(and upgrades I would have done.. belt drive..etc) compared to the SX2 features....(which has better motor, comes with belt drive, bigger table size, more travel..etc) the prices were 'too' far apart.. and LMS machine was ready to go out of box more or less)..


I would advise AGAINST the TWO-in-one machines lathe/mill combos.. or at least remove the mill head, get a new base like many other people have done with those combo machines..

in the end.. I am 'for' anyone getting a lathe/mill.. learning is fun.. and you'll soon find yourself fixing or making parts for others things too (I made some aluminum bushings/spacers for my lawnmower....fixed my snowblower sheared cotter pin..etc)



NOTE: expect to spend as much (if not more) on tooling for your machine, than the cost of the machine itself!!!!

Safety is a must, they are dangerous and powerful machines, but can be fun when respected!..

good luck!

 

[Father]

I mean, how can a replica prop enthusiast see this and not feel a surge of inspiration and wanting to learn the tools to make one - or many - just like it ??? :cool

That saber alone has always been my reason for wanting a lathe. I'm not sure what else I would use one for but just being able to turn out one of those would almost be worth it to me... almost.

 

[CaptainMarvel]

FANTASTIC comments and insight, everyone !!! - amazingly educational.


KEEP 'EM COMIN' !!!