In the market - Metal Lathe

[wisemanpipes]

ahhh no doubt that the PM will last you a lifetime, but dropping 5k on a hobby (presumably) that you are not already a huge success in, is kinda ridiculous. obviously I don't want to tell you how to spend your money, I just think you can get a equally great lathe for a fraction of the cost. maybe its im just jealous because I want that lathe;)

[M.Jones]

I hope in the long run that it becomes more than just a hobby, but I have no illusions that I will ever make enough to pay this thing completely off. Though, I am hopeful and optimistic.

I have a decent corporate job that will fund my insanity in the meantime.

[Vermont Freehand]

I think if you wanted to do it once and do it right and have a tool for other projects, a 12" would be your best bet. You don't need to go above 2-3,000 to get a really nice, used, old American rig. Then a couple thousand on tooling and you'd have a setup that you can always sell for whatever you have into it, if you ever wanted to sell it

[wisemanpipes]

well if you have a good job and 5k isn't that big of a bomb, then I am very jealous.

FTR I got my clausig lathe which is 12x36 for 800 bucks, came with quick change tool post, three jaw chuck and all the other tooling.

when you buy an older lathe, usually the previous owner amassed a large amount of tooling they don't need, so they give you it with the lathe. just keep checking kijiji/craiglist if you want to save some cash.

but just remember, lathes don't make great pipes, you do. (unless your Chris Askwith)

[M.Jones]

Agreed, my only issue (as someone already pointed out) is that I don't have the knowledge or experience to know how to buy a used lathe. I would definitely prefer not to spend so much money, believe me. I'm not rich, I just have a decent job. I will definitely feel the ~$4 to $5k.

[M.Jones]

Just found this old Southbend on CL. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/tls/4171178920.html

Not sure the size though.

[Charl]

What! Chris, are you sick? I see no mention of Myford...

[W.Pastuch]

Well let's be honest, if you can afford it, go for the best tool you can buy (that's always a good rule). A good lathe will last you literally a lifetime and you will never have to worry about that again.

I get the jealousy

[wisemanpipes]

Just found this old Southbend on CL. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/tls/4171178920.html

Not sure the size though.

way over priced.

for 3100 in my area I can buy a 16x60 Colchester lathe with foot brake and all the fixins'. just because it cost 3100 doesn't mean you should be looking in that price bracket. my suggestion is do research. lots of people want to buy stuff but don't know anything about it. why should I buy a Honda civic over a Toyota corolla? you just cant tell if you don't know anything about either car.

spend some time looking at lathes and researching them and their function both in machinist terms and pipe making terms. it will pay for itself when you want to buy one.

[M.Jones]

Actually I wasn't looking in any specific price range. It just seems to be that way in this area. Check this one out: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/for/4192052167.html

I am doing research (Youtube videos/reading), and I think buying new will likely be the more expensive option but better for me so I don't make any big mistakes.

[M.Jones]

Well let's be honest, if you can afford it, go for the best tool you can buy (that's always a good rule). A good lathe will last you literally a lifetime and you will never have to worry about that again.

I get the jealousy

Thanks, I hope people are not jealous or feeling like I am some guy with more money than brains.

I just want to make a long term decision that I won't regret.

[wisemanpipes]

Actually I wasn't looking in any specific price range. It just seems to be that way in this area. Check this one out: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/for/4192052167.html

I am doing research (Youtube videos/reading), and I think buying new will likely be the more expensive option but better for me so I don't make any big mistakes.

yeah I was checking in your area and there is a 9x20 jet for 1500.
I don't know why lathes are like gold where you are

why don't you just continue to use your wood lathe? metal lathe are great for turning tenons, but delrin is commonly accepted as a superior tenon material and you don't have to turn it accurately. If you have a decent wood lathe, you don't really need a metal lathe. anyway good luck.

[d.huber]

I agree with everyone who's already mentioned that there's no need to spend $5000 to get a high quality lathe. If you've got a wood lathe, be patient and wait for a good deal to come along.

I lucked out with my Taiwan Made Jet 12X24 that I found on Craig's List one day for $1350 with all of the tooling I could want and more. It's an exceptional machine and I really doubt having to buy another one unless I drive this one into the ground.

Deals are out there and will pop up.

[M.Jones]

Seems my searching needs some improvement. Honestly, I wouldn't know what to buy in a used lathe, I will keep doing my research. I appreciate the comments so far!

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/hvo/4229127131.html

[wisemanpipes]

that logan is nice! id send back an offer. you could probably get him down to 1000

[M.Jones]

Thanks! It looked nice when I first found it.

[The Smoking Yeti]

I personally am biding my time. When I'm a big famous pipemaker, I'll probably get a second larger(PM) lathe, and then just use my 9x20 for smaller tasks. Until then... I'll deal with any of the quirks and oddities it throws at me.

[Tyler]

This thread is a bit odd to me: too much dogmatism for my taste.

For those in the wood lathe is fine camp: yes, you can make a pipe with a wood lathe I had a wood lathe exclusively for about two years. It works. These days there is a lot of good info out there for using a wood lathe to much success. I pre-dated that, and made marginal pipes in my wood-lathe-only phase. I don't recommend this route, but it's certainly a workable route.

Wood lathe, tiny metal lathe combo: this I did for about 9 years, though I wasn't very active for 6 of those. My pipes made a huge leap in quality when I added a Taig. This combo has some restrictions on what's possible, but it is, IMO, vastly superior to the wood-lathe-only approach.

Small metal lathe only: (here I'm talking about the Jet BD920 or the horrid Harbor Freight 7x11). First, do not buy a 7x11 Chinese lathe. If you are given one, sell it and buy something else, say a 12-pack of beer maybe. The Jet 920 is another story. It is decent, though I absolutely wouldn't pay what they go for new these days. If you stumble on a deal, this is the lowest end of a function metal lathe to use for all aspects of pipe making. It is a better setup, IMO, than a wood-lathe only and slightly better than a wood/Taig combo. I had this setup up for a year, and didn't fall in love. I still owned my wood lathe and Taig when I had the Jet 920, and used those two a surprising amount because certain aspects of the 9x20 annoyed me.

Large metal only, used iron: There is no doubt great deals can be found in this category. Remember though, success in this category has a strong regional component. I watched Craig's list fairly regularly for 4+ years and was never successful. My area just didn't have used lathes. Also, in this category you do have to know enough to not get bitten by a worn out lathe. The good news is what we are doing is relatively easy, but buying crap is painful. Plus, I HATE working on tools instead of pipes. I consider myself very lathe ignorant. For those reason I was very nervous about used. Had I found a big name lathe on the cheap that looked clean, I would definitely would have taken the plunge, but I didn't. I watched a LOT. I didn't go this route. It can be a great deal.

Large metal only, new Chinese: This is my current setup. It is the last setup I'll ever need. I LOVE IT. I have commented several times to friends that I feel I am in one of those rare circumstances in life where I'm not counting the days and saving pennies for the next thing I need or want to upgrade. My shop is set. I am content. Sure, I could tweak a few things like install permanent piping to the blasting cabinet (and I will), but I don't feel I can improve my tooling situation much. I spent a week with Todd Johnson a year and a half ago, and I learned a lot about tooling. At his shop I used a 7x11 Chinese, a Jet 9x20, a Precision Matthews 10x26, and a Precision Matthews 12x36. The latter two were so superior to the former two there is no comparison. I ultimately opted for the 12x36 (it was a tough decision), but I don't regret it a bit. I LOVE this lathe. It works like I've always thought my lathe should (but never did). It doesn't move. It doesn't flex. It is precise. It is spacious. I think it is the perfect pipe making lathe. (Side note: I've never turned a stummel on this lathe. It'll do it, I promise, but that's not how I usually make pipes. Just throwing that out since several posts have alluded to the issues of off-center turning. I don't love this lathe because it is a remedy to that problem -- though it would definitely remedy that -- I'm just talking stem work and pin gage work.) Another note, you don't have to tool the PM up much. All I've added are some HSS tool blanks that I ground to profiles I wanted, and drill bits. It comes with chucks and a quick change tool post with holders.

Does everyone need to buy a 12x36? Absolutely not! You can make pipes with all the above options. Will a 12x36 allow you to make better pipes? Not really, but it will make you MUCH faster at the highest level of quality if you know what you are doing. (That's an issue, a new guy doesn't know what he's doing nor does he know what highest quality even means regarding pipes.). Will a 9x20 prevent you from making high grades? Ask Rad. Todd had this setup for quite awhile, and so did Jeff (and he told me he regrets buying the PM 11x26--I think he's crazy for feeling that way). As for wood lathes, lots of guys got started with wood lathe. Some stick with it and stick their tongue out at us losers that rely on fancy toolin'.

All will work. I guess we could ask it this way, do you want to work the way the tool makes you?

Bottom line: there are a lot of ways to skin this cat. Short buying a 7x11, this is hard to screw up. Most of the stuff you buy can be sold for a reasonable fraction of the buy in when upgrade time comes, and that upgrade process teaches a lot.

[wisemanpipes]

Tyler,

that was a fantastic post. if only you could extract that post from the rest of the thread, im sure this would help a lot of people decide on their tooling setup, or simply know there are other options available.

thanks for being so concise with what will work

[caskwith]

I don't like Tylers post, far too much common sense in there for my taste!