Metal Lathes-which one to get?

ThePropsPerson said:
Heres a great page on southbends if your intrested, they've got loads of info on old machine tools there and im pretty sure that lathe you pictured is probably late 1930's:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/index.html
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Thank you, if my father and I ever get to build our garage here at home and move our shop over here. I plan on investing it a real lathe and real Bridgeport

I have wanted these machines since I was a little kid. Next time I’m in the city I’ll grab a pic of my dinosaur in the shop. She’s old and sloppy but we’ve still made some nice stuff with it.

Never had any problems with out bump steer, 4-link or ladder bar setups we’ve made on it... tie rod ends, steer shafts a lot of stuff...

Just want something newer, not brand new I could never afford that. But on Craigslist you see all the time big machines for 2500-3000
 
Danny, what about starting with round bar or tube and onve you have the ID to 1.5", then rip cutting (like a pizza), then milling the sides flat? For the price of 1 TCSS control box you could make like 25 boxes from a foot long piece of stock
 
tomm1999 said:
Danny, what about starting with round bar or tube and onve you have the ID to 1.5", then rip cutting (like a pizza), then milling the sides flat?
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That´s what i did some years ago when i needed some Kobold clips, for stuff i don´t wanted to waste the original ones from my Kobolds.
 
halliwax said:
My plan is to order a tcss box and try and mill the sides smooth(.) I just don’t know if that will make it too small.
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Hey halliwax ! slothfurnace did that on one of his builds...

http://slothfurnace.com/sabers/ROTJLuke_06.html


That groove is only 1/32" deep, so it wouldn't be too much material to remove. I'm still considering it on my TCSS Activation Box Style 1. I'll see if I can post up a pic of it for you later this evening of what I've done to mine so far.
 
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Ridire Firean said:
Hey @halliwax ! slothfurnace did that on one of his builds...

http://slothfurnace.com/sabers/ROTJLuke_06.html


That groove is only 1/32" deep, so it wouldn't be too much material to remove. I'm still considering it on my TCSS Activation Box Style 1. I'll see if I can post up a pic of it for you later this evening of what I've done to mine so far.
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lol that’s where I got the idea! ;)
 
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tomm1999 said:
Danny, what about starting with round bar or tube and onve you have the ID to 1.5", then rip cutting (like a pizza), then milling the sides flat? For the price of 1 TCSS control box you could make like 25 boxes from a foot long piece of stock
Click to expand...

I may just end up doing that, try something new!
 
Lichtbringer said:
That´s what i did some years ago when i needed some Kobold clips, for stuff i don´t wanted to waste the original ones from my Kobolds.
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Do you know what diameter the radius’ are on the kobold clip? Are they 1-1/2” as well?!

I would love to make my own TFA kobold
 
halliwax said:
Do you know what diameter the radius’ are on the kobold clip? Are they 1-1/2” as well?!

I would love to make my own TFA kobold
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Not knowing, but i just measured it for you. :lol


My silver (uncoated) ones are between 39,4mm and 39,8mm.
My black (wrinkle coated) ones are between 40,2mm and 40,3mm

On these dimeters you need a little clearance/distance on your clip, as they slide under it.

the diameter of the upper black plastic part is 39,9mm, this is where the clip sits tight.
 
Lichtbringer said:
Not knowing, but i just measured it for you. :lol


My silver (uncoated) ones are between 39,4mm and 39,8mm.
My black (wrinkle coated) ones are between 40,2mm and 40,3mm

On these dimeters you need a little clearance/distance on your clip, as they slide under it.

the diameter of the upper black plastic part is 39,9mm, this is where the clip sits tight.
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bless your little heart! thank you for this!

to make the kobold, it would probably be easier with a fly cutter right?
 
Depends - if you want to make one now and maybe somtime in the future another, yes. If you plan to make a whole batch, lathing them from a piece of thickwalled pipe, then cutting and milling may be more effective, as each workstep can be done multiple times without a complete new setup each time.
 
Lichtbringer said:
Depends - if you want to make one now and maybe somtime in the future another, yes. If you plan to make a whole batch, lathing them from a piece of thickwalled pipe, then cutting and milling may be more effective, as each workstep can be done multiple times without a complete new setup each time.
Click to expand...

Naaah I just want to make one for myself. I don’t have the time to make one for myself let alone mass produce these suckers lol
 
Hey halliwax ! Here're those photos of my TCSS Activation Box Style 1 that I modified to accept an Exactra 19/20 Bubble Strip...

Ridire Firean - LIGHTSABER - Obi-Wan Grafluki - 008 - TCSS Activation Plate Style 1 modified to .jpg

Ridire Firean - LIGHTSABER - Obi-Wan Grafluki - 009 - TCSS Activation Plate Style 1 modified to .jpg

Ridire Firean - LIGHTSABER - Obi-Wan Grafluki - 010 - TCSS Activation Plate Style 1 modified to .jpg

Ridire Firean - LIGHTSABER - Obi-Wan Grafluki - 011 - TCSS Activation Plate Style 1 modified to .jpg

Ridire Firean - LIGHTSABER - Obi-Wan Grafluki - 012 - TCSS Activation Plate Style 1 modified to .jpg

Ridire Firean - LIGHTSABER - Obi-Wan Grafluki - 013 - TCSS Activation Plate Style 1 modified to .jpg

I still haven't decided whether or not to mill off the 1/32" grooves off of its sides. I think I can just barely squeeze some Luke ROTJ HERO Arrows beneath the grooves. What I need to do is decide which side to put the arrows on, cut them out, and then if they don't look appropriate under/partially through the line, I'll mill the line off of the control box.
 
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THANK YOU! Technically, it's a Woodruff/Ketseat Cutter or as it says on the packaging "Keyway Cutter".

I got it here... https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/03062064

At first I was thinking I'd get one wide enough to cut both sides at once and run it right down the center of the box, but then that wouldn't have allowed me to make a small enough radius to catch the Bubble Strip with at the emitter side of the box. I wanted it to be small enough to make the pinch point as small as possible and to leave as much material on the Bubble Strip as I could down the lengths of its sides. It's worked out great so far! I filed the sides on one end of the Bubble Strip just enough to let it force fit into the original gap at the far end of the original channel. This will prevent the bubble card from sliding out through the emitter end of the box when the lightsaber is hung from its pommel D-ring. The pinch action helps prevent it from bouncing out of the pommel side of the slot. Eventually the Bubble Strip will probably wear out down there and become loose and I'll have to replace it, but hopefully that won't happen for a long time.

Now I just have to figure out where to put my buttons beneath it and how to activate them. One option is to sand the bottom edges of the card to help it flex down into the tops of the buttons, the other is to poke the buttons' shafts? up through a couple of small holes in the Bubbles, and a third option is to replace a couple of the Bubbles with custom made Bubble Button Tops that the buttons would sit beneath.

We'll see, there's a lot of work to do before the July 5th deadline!!! Wish me Luck!
 
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Alright guys, I know it’s been a while since I commented but I really want to make sure I don’t regret my decision.I found a 450ish lathe on eBay from China.Is it worth it? I know that quality can sometimes be bad but I know some people who say they work just fine.For example, my 3D printed is from China and it’s been working great for over 1 year.Also, where do you guys get the metal for a good price? Thx
 
1.) Where are you located? Will all the shipping costs still keep things @ $450?

2.) What lathe? Specs? (link)

3.) Plan on spending DOUBLE what you paid for the lathe in tooling.. (and more as the years go on)

4.) Most hobby lathes are from China... (but I can pick up a Chinese lathe in person at a local Harbor Freight, and to have to worry about shipping or waiting for example.... so it all depends)

5.) Metal-

Its a crap shoot right now.. and can actually vary day by day and vendor to vendor.. (and I'm not just talking about competitive pricing/shopping,.. I'm talking double/triple the costs sometimes..

I have Speedy Metals in my area.. so it usually pays (paid?) to go there to save on shipping fees. ut lately their prices have been WAY more than other areas.

Once all this tax stuff gets settled, everyone should be on the same playing field.. but for now, buy cheap when you can!
 
I wish I had a bigger place right now. I would have gotten a bigger lathe. Fooling around now for awhile you find the mini lathes limits

Well not limits but struggles

Cutting material off (parting) is almost impossible.. i go slow as dirt, cool it with oil and still snap tool bits...

I still use it a lot.. but it’s really hard to end cut.. I think if I had a bigger one it would be much easier

Do you have the space for a larger machine? If so I would save that 450 and put it to a bigger machine

Craigslist in my area has a ton, I just don’t have the space right now [emoji20]

I agree 100% with xl on this, I would just get one at harbor freight before buying from China

If something does wrong with the shipping it will be a headache..

I bought my machines online at harbor freight and had it shipped to my house, I think shipping was 24 dollars each, it was dirt cheap I thought it was a scam.. don’t know how they can freight it at that price

But I went to HF this past Saturday and they had one on display, u can always order in store and have them ship it to the store if that is a problem for ya




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is the lathe-https://www.ebay.com/itm/550W-Precision-Mini-Metal-Lathe-Metalworking-Cutter-Tooling-Drilling-Bench-Top/122238549083?epid=895598229&hash=item1c75fc3c5b:g:bPoAAOSwBWJbYovz

It has 60 dollar shipping to where I live.It seems to be big enough at a 7 by 14.
 
7x14 is much smaller than you think!

The chuck and tail stock eat up that 14 inches QUICK!

I have this lathe:
https://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-x-12-inch-precision-benchtop-lathe-44859.html

Which is more like an 8x16...

I would get a longer lathe if I had the room..

FYI... I got my lathe for under $400! It was on some secret sale for like $449.. and I used a %20 off coupon as well!


For comparison.. here is a 7x10 hobby lathe on top of my 8x lathe..

figNoggle_hf8x12_massive.jpg



The 7x10 are not much bigger than a shoe box! (ok.. a BOOT box!).. LOL

My lathe has much more weight and size to it.. (but still a bench-top hobby lathe category)..

A 9x would be my minimal sized lathe now.. like a 9x20 or something.. bigger if I had a dedicated space for toys like this! LOL

Same logic applies to mills! buy the biggest one you have space for and can afford! the table space goes SOOOOO FAST!..
 
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