a mini metal lathe?

[SmokeyBert]

Do you think something like this would work for an entry level pipe maker to do some work above and beyond what a wood lathe can do?



I'm curious if anyone has tried to do the basics on a rig this size/price range. I found it here http://www.amazon.com/12-Mini-Metal-Lathe/dp/B004Q70CP6 for under $500.

[caskwith]

There's a lot you can do, but also a lot you can't. My lathe isn't much bigger than that but I have various modifications that allow me to do more. I think you would likely find you want something bigger very quickly.

[SmokeyBert]

There's a lot you can do, but also a lot you can't. My lathe isn't much bigger than that but I have various modifications that allow me to do more. I think you would likely find you want something bigger very quickly.

TY for the reply!

I just had a weird deja vu moment, I hope I didn't post this same question a while back..

[pipedreamer]

Stems maybe, not for pipes. .A 9x19 is as small as you would want on a metal lathe, imho. Bigger is better. A wood lathe, with proper tooling, will make great pipes.Many full time people use wood lathes.

[W.Pastuch]

Small lathes have a serious defect, in addition to being small. They are usually of very poor quality, so unless you buy an expensive model from a good producer (which will cost almost as much as a bigger lathe of standard quality), you will find that the precision of a mini lathe isn't really satisfying.
Buy the best and biggest lathe you can afford- there are no exceptions to this rule.

[pipedreamer]

Chris and I seem to be on the same wave length.He is in England and me in florida. My Viking ancestors settled in north England, Thus became English!

[SmokeyBert]

Thank you very much for the feedback and for humoring me!

I have real shop space lined up (not just working out of the garden tub in the master bathroom!), and access to some basics; table saw, band saw (edited from ban saw to dispel concerns of idiocy), drill press, various hand tools etc. I am dreaming of getting a vertical drum sander and a lathe added in to the shop. (Happens to be my fathers shop space so I have some inherent freedoms in setting things up!)

He has no dust collection system tho so I am making one myself from a decent 12amp vacuum I had lying around added to a couple of buckets, filter(s) and some hoses.

[sandahlpipe]

I use the 7X12 for stem work and haven't had anything I couldn't do except face stummels on it. I plan on upgrading to a big one when I can afford it, but two years and no issues for me.

[seamonster]

There's a lot you can do, but also a lot you can't. My lathe isn't much bigger than that but I have various modifications that allow me to do more. I think you would likely find you want something bigger very quickly.

Hey Chris, would love to hear about / see your modifications?!
cheers, Jeremy

[caskwith]

There's a lot you can do, but also a lot you can't. My lathe isn't much bigger than that but I have various modifications that allow me to do more. I think you would likely find you want something bigger very quickly.

Hey Chris, would love to hear about / see your modifications?!
cheers, Jeremy

Some have been documented here and/or on my facebook. Unless you have my specific lathe (Myford Super 7) they won't be applicable however.

[fiddlestix]

The first 10 or so pipes I made were made at a friends shop on pretty much that exact lathe. You can indeed make pipes on it, but you will be wanting a bigger lathe sooner rather than later. The swing above the ways is very limiting and the tool carrier is forever in the way. If you turn pipes in a chuck, the shank length is severely limited. If you shape first and drill freehand, there is almost no room for your hand and as Jeremiah said, there isn't room to face the shank on many shapes.

You can make pipes on it, but it's a pain.

[SmokeyBert]

The first 10 or so pipes I made were made at a friends shop on pretty much that exact lathe. You can indeed make pipes on it, but you will be wanting a bigger lathe sooner rather than later. The swing above the ways is very limiting and the tool carrier is forever in the way. If you turn pipes in a chuck, the shank length is severely limited. If you shape first and drill freehand, there is almost no room for your hand and as Jeremiah said, there isn't room to face the shank on many shapes.

You can make pipes on it, but it's a pain.

Thank you very much! This is great info from you and all of the responders, awesome insight guys and very appreciated.

[dogcatcher]

Since you live in Michigan you live in an area that has some great Craigslist lathes. If I was in that area, I would watch for a Delta 1460 lathe that was made to be both a wood lathe and a metal lathe. It came with a cross slide and a standard tool rest like a wood lathe. In good condition they can run from $600 to over a $1000.

If not that look for some good old iron, both metal lathe and/or a wood lathe. Plenty of them come available, you just have to watch and be ready when a good one becomes available.

[DrewEstateSam]

What the above poster said is absolutely correct. Craigslist Michigan has a lot of lathes. A lot of people that had factory jobs had hobby lathes at home it would appear. I cover Michigan for work, I'm always checking craigslist for tools up there. A quick check in the Detroit area has 4-5 lathes sub $1200 currently that may be worth a look at. If you're out west in the state check Indiana, and surrounding areas on CL as well. It's worth a drive for a good deal. The old American iron is much more well built than a lot of the Chinese lathes that a lot of people run. Plus when you buy used you can usually negotiate the tooling along with it unless the previous owner is upgrading to a newer or bigger lathe. The tooling can cost you some money, and anything that comes with the lathe would help you to make other handy things with it outside of just pipes. Just my $.02

[maddis]

+1 on Craigslist. I got my South Bend 9" metal lathe there for 1K including a set of collets, steady rest, and a 3-jaw Cushman chuck. I sold the steady rest, collets, and a couple of other tools I didn't need and ended up paying about $200 net cost for the lathe.