Gunsmithing Possible rockwell starter lathe?

[jacq220]

appears to be in great shape. comes w/ several boxes of tooling, two faceplates, 3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck, quick change. its a 10x36. 7/8s spindle bore, 220 3 phase but comes with static phase converter and comes w/ metal stand w/ cabinets. 1100 cash.

am i doing well? this will be a starter lathe to practice threading and such on until i can afford the full size lathe that i need for my up and coming gunsmithing business. i start machine shop classes jan 9 and because of my fire department job i will miss 1/3 of the classes, so i thought something to practice make-up lessons on would be nice.

if its in decent shape is it worth 1100? just want to make sure i am not getting ripped off. sorry no pictures.

he started at 1600 and came down 400.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

It might not be a bad second lathe to have around the shop but the spindle is too small to do barrel work the way we do our setups these days and on the light side for working between centers. With that being said if you wanted to upgrade I don't think you would have a hard time getting your money back out it if you decided to sell it the future as long as it is in good shape.

 

[gunnergirl81]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

7/8th spindle bore makes it a bit less than ideal for barrel work. Ours is 1 3/8ths. But like Dave said, I doubt you'd have any trouble getting your money back out of it.

 

[jacq220]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

The idea is to just get something to make chips on until i am done w/ the class. I also want to get into installing choke systems on shotgun barrels, which i believe most 12g barrels should fit in this no problem. provided they fit i would keep this and make it a dedicated choke installation machine.

am i wise to back out of the deal and wait for something w/ a larger bore? i dont want to spend anymore than 1100 for something just to practice on, AND this comes w/ most of what i need to learn what i need to learn on my larger lathe.

once i am confidant that i can run a lathe correctly i will be looking at either the full size grizz gunsmith lathe, or the comparable mathews precision.

 

[gunnergirl81]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

If you're anything like my husband (he keeps everything tool/machine-wise) I'd say keep looking.

Things to consider:
Whats the threading on the spindle?
Does it come with enough tooling and accessories to make it worth it just to cut down on setup costs for a big lathe?
How compatible are these items with the ideal lathe you want?

We held out for the lathe we wanted after our original lathe and mill were stolen (yeah, a ton of dead weight stolen) and stumbled upon a deal on a tool room 10x24 that we actually made a profit on when we aquired it! My husband is a guru level horse trader, to say the least. Anyway, it was just what we needed with downsizing the work area. Along the way we passed on a lot of lathes that would have been able to work with some special efforts. We're happy we did. I didn't happen fast, but things worth the effort seldom do.

 

[jacq220]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kenda</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you're anything like my husband (he keeps everything tool/machine-wise) I'd say keep looking.

Things to consider:
Whats the threading on the spindle?
Does it come with enough tooling and accessories to make it worth it just to cut down on setup costs for a big lathe?
How compatible are these items with the ideal lathe you want?

We held out for the lathe we wanted after our original lathe and mill were stolen (yeah, a ton of dead weight stolen) and stumbled upon a deal on a tool room 10x24 that we actually made a profit on when we aquired it! My husband is a guru level horse trader, to say the least. Anyway, it was just what we needed with downsizing the work area. Along the way we passed on a lot of lathes that would have been able to work with some special efforts. We're happy we did. I didn't happen fast, but things worth the effort seldom do. </div></div>

Intersting. Most people i talk to tell me this is a good thing to do. My wife and i are paying off debt right now, so the lathe i want to end up with is 4 years out. branching off from the smith i work for now is also several years out.

you are telling me what my gut is telling me but i dont want to spend much more than this w/out just saving for the new lathe that i want. i figure anything is better than nothing at the moment, and this lathe is small enough that i can go get and not have to pay to have it delivered, and i dont have to redo anything in my shop to get it working.

honestly 1100 is 100 over my price range. if i spend anymore than this then i want something that will be permanent.

i have also had my eye on the market for over a year, and this is the first decent deal that has popped up. I almost even sprang 500 for a mini lathe several times just to get something to cut chips with.

even the other sights i have posted this same thing on have all said its not ideal but is a good deal and i am doing the right thing, but once again, you said what my gut has been saying. i just want to start the learning process sooner than later, and it would take quite some time to get anything more than 1k put back as most of my spare money is going towards getting 100 percent debt free. once i am debt free, a new lathe, w/ all the bells and whistles is an easy purchase.

 

[gunnergirl81]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

Not knowing the market in your area I cannot offer any sort of worthwhile opinion on if its worth the risk of holding out for the "one".

One thing I think we all agree on is (barring the economy getting much worse) you won't lose money on this deal. If the lathe is solid, in good condition, and you maintain it then it should be at the least a good investment. Just be sure it will do the minimum you expect it to. When we first saw ours my husband had a single point bit and a old chunk of AR15 barrel in his pocket. He asked the guy if he could test the machine, the guy said yes, and he set up and threaded the barrel stub. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, we knew it would do what we wanted.

Just don't be down the road a year with a $1100 hat rack in your shop and wishing you had a lathe that made chips AND money.

 

[Wade]

Re: Possible rockwell starter lathe?

I started on the same lathe. I still have it though it is my dedicated case prep lathe. The spindle nose is cut for 4c collets too. The collets (usually hardinge brand in that size) are dirt cheap on ebay because of the odd size and a simple tube closer would be a good early project. I would try to get an experienced machinist to look it over for you first.