Which Lathe?

B

Bob Essex

Western Thunderer
As with a lot of aspects what machine tool is best for an individual very much depends on what it is expected from it in my view. If you work in 7mm and above then yes a lathe larger than the Unimat size is better especially if speed of production of multiple items is required if you have the space, but under that then as far as actually seeing and working with small turnings goes Unimat’s and under have an advantage In my experience.

The biggest problem for anyone who’s never had a home lathe is not having any knowledge with where the limits lie relative to their particular needs and circumstances. Advise from others is very valuable in raising aspects such as all the tooling that needs using to undertake certain jobs and I firmly believe that reading up on basics via books such as Stan Bray’s is invaluable before you take the plunge. Because it can be a bit of a rabbit hole to dive down for the unwary.

Bob
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Probably fair to say that having the right accessories brings out the real value of a lathe.

Now Archie appears to have made his decision I can reveal I recently got a truly awful lathe from a Costa motorway services outlet - maybe the barista had used oat coolant instead of full fat (I did say full fat....).
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Its the accessories (bits and pieces) that add significantly to the cost (and usefulness) - John's lathe has a good quality 4 jaw chuck, perhaps a full list of what goes with it might tempt someone, Simon?
The surface rust is very superficial, and from what I saw close up it looked a very nice machine and if I didn't already have one....
 
Last edited:
WM183

WM183

Western Thunderer
I have a Unimat 3. It's a great little lathe but it is a LITTLE lathe. It is fine for brass or small diameter mild steel, but struggles to do anything large or harder. The little milling column attachment is... neat. Not great. Fine for drilling. All but useless as a mill.

I am looking for a Myford and saving my pennies. Thankfully they're relatively common here in windmill clogland.

Amanda
 
B

Bob Essex

Western Thunderer
Lathe carriages have never been meant to accomodate the same milling forces as co-ordinate tables which is why the all-in-one machine setups are so poor in this respect. Using a vertical slide is the only sensible way to attempt small milling jobs with a lathe if you have no other choice.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
What's New?
Top