Gunsmithing Lathe
- Thread starter AZgeek
- Start date
Pretty much going to have to be something used. Nothing new in that price range, that is worth a damn, to my knowledge.
I recommend limiting to what you can find locally so you can inspect it before purchase. At that price point, you're probably limited to Chinese, so try to find a brand that you can actually get parts for. Owning a cheap lathe is pretty much a hobby in and of itself. So be ready to spend a ton of time messing around with the lathe, and don't be in any hurry to make anything really quickly.
My first lathe was a PM1236, yes Chinese, but plenty capable of turning out a good product.
Good luck with your search, wish I had a better recommendation for you.
I recommend limiting to what you can find locally so you can inspect it before purchase. At that price point, you're probably limited to Chinese, so try to find a brand that you can actually get parts for. Owning a cheap lathe is pretty much a hobby in and of itself. So be ready to spend a ton of time messing around with the lathe, and don't be in any hurry to make anything really quickly.
My first lathe was a PM1236, yes Chinese, but plenty capable of turning out a good product.
Good luck with your search, wish I had a better recommendation for you.
See what you can find in a late '70s Taiwanese or Korean 3 phase manual lathe. Webb, Yam, Yang, Cadillac, Whacheon, Hwatcheon. Webb imported a lot of these and rebranded them.
Most garage guys won't look at the 3 phase machines But, because of that reduced demand, what you can sometimes save will buy a rotary phase converter and there are good deals to be had in the old iron. Many times chucks, rests and some tooling comes with as the people that used these old workhorses upgraded to CNC machines. Add a DRO when you're ready, but you don't need to get in a hurry.
I found a 70's Cadillac 1760, completely tooled including phase converter for $3500. 2 1/8" spindle bore. Rigid as a wedding dick and will hold tenths all day long. Deals are out there, just start looking. Learn where and what to look for to establish condition, both under power and not. There are some fairly good Youtubes.
Thank you,
MrSmith
Most garage guys won't look at the 3 phase machines But, because of that reduced demand, what you can sometimes save will buy a rotary phase converter and there are good deals to be had in the old iron. Many times chucks, rests and some tooling comes with as the people that used these old workhorses upgraded to CNC machines. Add a DRO when you're ready, but you don't need to get in a hurry.
I found a 70's Cadillac 1760, completely tooled including phase converter for $3500. 2 1/8" spindle bore. Rigid as a wedding dick and will hold tenths all day long. Deals are out there, just start looking. Learn where and what to look for to establish condition, both under power and not. There are some fairly good Youtubes.
Thank you,
MrSmith
If you find a used machine I recommend taking an indicator with you to check runout on the spindle and see how good the bearings are. I'd look in the head stock to be sure there aren't any chipped gears (obviously run it under power through all the speeds). My first lathe was a Taiwanese Jet 1236 that sat for a while and I refurbished the entire cross slide and carriage, re-greased everything, ect.. If the machine has sat for a while expect to do quite a bit of cleaning.
Size wise the 12x36 lathes are cool for small shop/garage lathes. If you have the space I'd recommend a gear headed 14x40 size and try to find something Taiwanese or Korean. The heavier and more rigid the machine the better results you should get. Single phase is easy to wire and 3 phase you'll need a converter which can get expensive.
Hope this helps
Size wise the 12x36 lathes are cool for small shop/garage lathes. If you have the space I'd recommend a gear headed 14x40 size and try to find something Taiwanese or Korean. The heavier and more rigid the machine the better results you should get. Single phase is easy to wire and 3 phase you'll need a converter which can get expensive.
Hope this helps
I went down a similar road about 4 years ago. I started out with a south bend 9a that I paid $2500 for. It’s a nice first lathe, but fairly limited due to size. I then purchased a nardini 14x40 for $4000. Id definitely recommend that if you have the room for it. I have it running on a rotary phase converter. Nardini does also make a 12x30 that would be a nice size. Although, they are about as common as unicorn farts. If I remember right, one of the bigger gunsmiths on this forum used to run one.
Estate sales and machines shops closing down is where I go for this stuff.
Definitely. Especially with the amount of cutters and shit you break for being a dumbass
If I had a dollar for every time I said that looked like a great idea on paper I’d be rich.
How did you like the 1236, someone selling one local to me for a pretty decent price and been trying to find a reason not to buy it.
3phase is better, but single is "easier" for the home guru.
Make sure spares come with it, like chuck (3 and 4 jaw) traveling and fixed steady, and any other gears for scree cutting.
Free standing, not bench mounted. Thats key.
Make sure spares come with it, like chuck (3 and 4 jaw) traveling and fixed steady, and any other gears for scree cutting.
Free standing, not bench mounted. Thats key.
It’s hard to recommend Chinese, but if it’s in your budget and you aren’t expecting perfection out of the box they are fine, just takes some adjusting and patience to get good results.
If you can swing it, the 1440gt is quite a bit better lathe for not a ton more money.
The PM 1440 is a great lathe. Especially to learn on. Even the grizzly’s are decent. I actually believe they are from the same factory in Taiwan.
If you have a Grizzly tool somewhat close check out their scratch and dent. We bought our gunsmith series lathe and our mill from them. But went for a gear head drill press awhile back and the scratch and dent was quite a bit cheaper and nothing wrong with it
I'm sure I'll get shit for this, because the internet..., but you don't need all that much lathe for rifle building in the garage. You are only working on about an inch of the bed so if there is a little bit of taper, you won't notice it. You'll likely be using a floating reamer holder, so having the best bearings isn't critical, nor is absolute headstock alignment. Find something clean and complete.
(2) Damaged PM-1440E-LB METAL LATHES SOLD AS IS FOR PARTS TO MAKE 1 MACHINE | eBay
Machine 2 had fallen on its end cover (Where the belts are, this cover is not there because it was smashed) - The carriage did not take a hit and all with with that end of the machine looks good. So use one for parts, combine them to make a good machine.
www.ebay.com
hell i might grab those!(2) Damaged PM-1440E-LB METAL LATHES SOLD AS IS FOR PARTS TO MAKE 1 MACHINE | eBay
Machine 2 had fallen on its end cover (Where the belts are, this cover is not there because it was smashed) - The carriage did not take a hit and all with with that end of the machine looks good. So use one for parts, combine them to make a good machine.www.ebay.com
As long as I get a finders fee.
I have been watching them and I was on the fence on bidding but I am looking to start a new home this spring and
dont need another project.
I dont either and honetsly im not driving to PA to get them. But that would be a really good project to piece together a working one. they even come with DRO's which is awesome.
The problem with buying used id this: Unless you are very lathe savvy, how do you know what you bought doesn't need an ass load of work?
Do you know how to check to see if the ways are true?
Do you know what to do if they aren't?
Is this going to be for regular use, or is it for an occasional job?
Are you intending on threading barrels?
The work you do for truing a rifle and cutting threads is NOT heavy duty stuff, but if you plan on doing numerous jobs a year, you'll want to buy a bigger, heavier machine.
If you just doing a couple of barrels a year, and an occasional turning, then a good quality benchtop will suffice.
This will actually do for barrels and truing actions, but not for production:
www.toolots.com
"%20x%2029"%20Benchtop%20Brushless%20Lathe%20Variable%20Speed%2050%20-%201800%20RPM%202HP%20(1500W)%20With%206"%203-jaw%20Chuck&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyracBhDoARIsACGFcS4Th5V3YKSbpBYb04zF5rLZ6uXx8fmG2rQxVwco6TuutEGH9OfRZHUaAj7XEALw_wcB
This is a very good, Taiwanese made lathe:
https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pm-1236t/
Do you know how to check to see if the ways are true?
Do you know what to do if they aren't?
Is this going to be for regular use, or is it for an occasional job?
Are you intending on threading barrels?
The work you do for truing a rifle and cutting threads is NOT heavy duty stuff, but if you plan on doing numerous jobs a year, you'll want to buy a bigger, heavier machine.
If you just doing a couple of barrels a year, and an occasional turning, then a good quality benchtop will suffice.
This will actually do for barrels and truing actions, but not for production:
Toolots, Inc. - Reliable Equipment Fast.
Toolots.com is a one-of-a-kind international B2B online marketplace for factory direct industrial equipment, parts and supplies.
www.toolots.com
This is a very good, Taiwanese made lathe:
https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pm-1236t/
Not sure how small (or cheap) they get but I've been running Kingstons at my shop for 15 years they are solid workhorses, Tiwanesse, and have support states side. We run the HDs so 26" x 160". A tad much for gunsmithing me thinks. And I have no idea but what does the crowd say about Hardinge tool room lathe? Too small? All I know is they are accurate little bastards!
