Lathe question

I have a little Jet that runs quite true. i think i got mine for 1800 bucks. However i would love to have an american made machine. A south Bend Heavy 10 would be ideal. One day i will run across one. Lee
 
The problem I see with buying a used American machine is they come with issues and are not cheap. Add the cost to rebuild it and it is no longer cost effective. I think we all would love to get our hands one that is in as new condition at a reasonable price but they are far and few between. That is what makes those two Grizzly Lathes so attractive and they are more than capable of doing quality barrel work as well as other general lathe work. I currently own an older DF12X37 Grizzly gap bed lathe and it serves me well. At some point in time I would like to get one with a little more mass that comes with precision spindle bearings. I might just end up changing my bearings as the machine is in as new and slightly used condition and it would be hard to justify the expenditure for a new one.

J.Louis
 
Butch I was just trying to point out that a good one might be hard to come buy for under the Gentlemans 5000.00 limit.
 
I dont think so. Bearings dont cost much and from what i understand they dont wear out all that easily or often. As long as the ways are good. I am not machinest so this is just my opinion. Lee
 
Louis J.,
It would probably help this gentleman understand what the consequences are of buying a used lathe for gunsmith work. Why don't you tell him what is important to check and how to do it? A new lathe does not guarantee that it will pass your test will it? I'm sure your machining has not been done only on an internet forum.
Clue us in.
 
I am not sure what rubbed you raw but your response has rubbed me raw as well so it's best to just leave it at that. I know your abilities as I have seen your work and it's first class. I can't speak for myself in regards to my work but it does go beyond just BSing someone on a forum.

A quick search will get him there and he will have the ability to review more than one man's opinion as it has been a very popular subject.

J.Louis
 
skeetlee said:
I dont think so. Bearings dont cost much and from what i understand they don't wear out all that easily or often. As long as the ways are good. I am not machinest so this is just my opinion. Lee
Click to expand...
The last 2 Monarch 10EE's I sent to Monarch-Sidney for a factory rebuild in 1995, the spindle bearings alone were just over $18,000/set. Granted the 10EE is a top of the line machine, but spindle bearings for better quality machine tools ain't cheap. They are not like wheel bearing sets for a boat trailer.

You can still find good American iron, much, much better than the current crop of imports for under $5,000 and even if they are pretty worn they will still produce better work than said imports!!
 
If your thinking of buying the Grizzly I suggest you try and get behind one first...you will soon see how cheaply they are made which immediately turned me away. I'm not shelling out 5 grand for this
Now I'm not putting them down because I own quite a few of their OLDER large woodworking machines....with that said they are NOT made like they were years ago which is why I searched for my SB Heavy 10 and found one in excellent condition, not a ding on the ways, runs true and feels great, cuts awesome...I'm very pleased....they are out there.
 
My rebuilt South Bend Heavy 10 produces work as good as the state FTR Long range Champion can shoot. It also out produces my shooting on any day. My warranty was it will hit the berm most of the time.

John
 
John,
The problem that most folks have is not knowing what is important. I would never want a worn out lathe, but what is important in accuracy gunsmithing? It would be nice to have a thread addressing this.
How does worn ways affect chambering, making small parts, or whatever? What does a slightly out of indication of the tailstock have on your work?
 
I believe Butch has hit the nail on the head! It boils down to the guy operating the machine. I have a pair of heavy 10's that have seen a lot of use and I'm quite sure they still have the capacity to produce barrel and chamber jobs that could win the "super shoot". There are still quite a few heavy 10's out there for sale at reasonable prices and parts for them are not a problem.
 
I do not chamber for a living nor do I want to. It is simply for pleasure to get away from a construction company I own. If I had to do it for the cost of a Lester Bruno chamber and I know how many he turns out as I live in Phoenix I would loose my behind. Lester loves his job as much as I enjoy my hobby. It is very satisfying to have a top shooter shoot a barrel that I chambered. I believed what I produce is beyond my shooting ability and now I know my work was good. On a good day I shoot above average scores with sling and irons but to see my barrel win 3 times last year and come in second in the two others was reward enough for me. My old South Bend is rebuilt beyond what it should have been but parts were easy to get and I didn't want a new lathe. Some one has to save some of the old iron and it may be my kids that keep it or someone else will say it is a great machine that was saved. Don't short cut the tooling and if you add it up I could of had any of the top gunsmiths do more barrels than I will shoot out for the money I spent on the project. Fun and enjoyment... Priceless.

John
 
Butch Lambert said:
John,
The problem that most folks have is not knowing what is important. I would never want a worn out lathe, but what is important in accuracy gunsmithing? It would be nice to have a thread addressing this.
How does worn ways affect chambering, making small parts, or whatever? What does a slightly out of indication of the tailstock have on your work?
Click to expand...

Butch I would like to see a thread addressing these issues also, especially by some with experience in chambering and some qualified engineers. One other thing I would like to see discussed is can someone with little to no engineering/lathe experience produce the same results as a qualified person with a worn lathe??

To me these things are more important to answer than "which lathe to buy"

While I am not a qualified engineer working through a thought process I have come to the conclusion that worn ways up by the chuck would possibly cause tapered threads (possibly) if chambering through the headstock (this would depend on how worn the ways are).........would this matter?? I don't know.

Perhaps some of the people with far more experience than me could try and answer these questions, and give us some insight into what things are important to look for in a lathe and why.........Ian
 
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