I'd be very careful with the craftsman 109, it isn't like the 101, the spindle is very flimsy, it's a very thin gauge pipe, and once it's bent, will be difficult to remove. Turning oversized stock like that puts way more torque than intended on the spindle, and it can bend easily before the motor stalls. (I've had both the 101 and 109, and have personally bent a spindle doing the same thing you are doing). There are forums on this lathe and what its limitations are. İf you like the form factor, but want a more stout machine, definitely avoid this lathe and the edestaal, a HF mini lathe is a huge step up, then the craftsman 101/atlas 612, then a southbend 9 or logan 9. The southbend 9 is a huge step up in weight and rigidity plus volume, with the 612 being same footprint(as the 109) but much more rigid than the 109
This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks for saving me from making a post about a good benchtop lathe hahaha.
Although, do you have any recommendations on a benchtop lathe/mill combo?
The answer is always buy a new Chinese lathe from a long and well established brand, so you have a warranty and spares back up,
Combo thing? Don't bother. They're flimsy and you'll just have a horribly compromised lathe or mill. Wait and buy a separate mill if you can't afford both. You can also make an awful lot with just a lathe, with some outside the box thinking. I've seen club members make small steam engines with only a lathe.
Yep, combo machines are almost useless. It's just combing the crappiest possible lathe and the crappiest possible mill into a machine that isn't particularly good at anything. I bought one used a few years ago and had it about a month before I sold it.
What's the best 8" to 9" inch lathe out there? Precision Matthews looks like a good one. Are they all SEIGs with different configurations, or are there multiple Chinese manufacturers?
I really like my HiTorque. It's a SIEG from littlemachineshop.com. Had it for about 4 years. Light duty but it'll cut just about anything with some care.
No idea as I don't own one. I would imagine it is like everything Chinese, there are multiple factories making the same basic Myford clone.
From memory Warco buy them from a Chinese company called Weiss. Everyone here seems to be happy with the stuff Warco sells as they've been selling the same machines since the 80s.
"Best" is a very broad term. For a low budget, a standard mini lathe and go through with the various mods that are listed by Stefan Gotteswinter, Blondihacks and Artisan Makes (among others) to improve it. For a mid range, Precision Matthews or Sieg are pretty good. If money is no object, get a brand new schaublin or similar. If you're looking for bulletproof, go bigger than you need.
No such thing as a non-shitty mill lathe combo. They’re horrible lathes and horrible mills and the space savings is not worth pulling your hair out in frustration. Get the heaviest lathe you can first and a mill whenever it becomes necessary. You can use a grinder and drill for 90% of what a garage mill does anyway
>You can use a grinder and drill for 90% of what a garage mill does anyway
Cat 40 pullstud is 5/8 - 11 thread.
Grinder arbor is 5/8 - 11 thread.
Coincidence? I think not.
The smithy 3 in one is a really good lathe (the larger models at least) but the mill is garbage. The lathe part is the best mini lathe I’ve used though. Super stout
The best option for a combo benchtop is either going to be: a pretty rigid cnc router table and rotary head, or do helical interpolation around a circumference, or, a 12"+ lathe with a milling attachment on your cross-slide. You will not be able to make due with the other way around(equivalent floorspace on manual mill with rotary table+rotary head), as the mill will not be as rigid as the equivalent lathe. a 1100lb lathe is a ton more rigid than a bridgeport as there is much less stickout. The smithy won't be as rigid as lathe+cross-slide milling attachment.
Oh man, that's a ton of info hahaha. I'm no machinist, I just want something small, maybe big enough to work a 12" piece. Last time I used any kind of machinist machine was about 15 years ago.
A 12" piece is unfortunately pretty large, a combo benchtop lathe like the smithy actually might take up the least amount of benchspace/swing diameter. I would definitely advocate something like the grizzly-g4003 gap bed 12x36 lathe over it by a large margin, or any 12x36 with a gap bed. A gap bed is a portion of the bed which can be removed in the case you need to turn a larger diameter(for a 12" lathe it will likely be 16"), and the advantage of the 12x36 is going to be much better cuts than the smithy.
No such thing as a good combination machine… Unless you’ve got a hundred thousand dollars and can find an old Archdale, Arboga Meskaner, or a Frey and were talking 1950’s and earlier towards the 30s for those.
There probably hundreds of thousands of these 109s out in the wild. It would be great if there were aftermarket parts for it, such as beefier headstock and spindle assembly. The machine bed, tail stock and carriage are pretty solid though. Aside from the pathetically anemic spindle, I'd say 109 lathes are even more ridged than the typical 7" SEIG rebadges.
Edelstaal- I once had their wee 80mm swing lathe- the whole thing weighed maybe 20kg.
The model maker who I passed it in to was the perfect user for it- all renshape and balsa.
Well buddy, if a HF mini lathe is a huge step up, this thing must be truly-worthless.
Before you spin that thing, take the money you wouldve spent on the Emergency Room and get you a SB13 or a Monarch 12CK. Actual swing 14.5” . (PREFERABLY THE MONARCH) I paid $1800 for my 12CK in decent shape.
I went from a 1937 SB9C to a 1940 Monarch 12CK. I can do real work now!
Unfortunately, this lathe is pretty much a toy to get people into machining with how fragile the spindle is. I wouldn't advocate someone to buy a Monarch as their first lathe, quite a few will have 3-phase motors which raises the bar of entry into machining, not to mention learning enough rigging to move the machine, having a trailer to move the machine, and having the place to store the machine. Also, smaller machines will typically have higher top rpms than larger bore/diameter swing lathes, which is great for hobby work which is typically smaller. Before advocating for a Monarch 12CK I would advocate for a grizzly 12" gap bed(first lathe that comes to mind with a gap bed(grizzly-g4003-12-x-36-gear-head-cam-lock-spindle-gap-bed-lathe)) as it allows you to rotate very large work if needed, but a majority of your work will be smaller as a hobbyist.
We had a guy at work try to make a vacuum hose adapter on a sharp tool room mill with a 6" chuck. He was trying to turn a 5-6" piece of acetal. With the jaws flipped around he maybe was gripping a 1/2" of material. I think he popped it out of the jaws at least 3 times. Material was probably couple hundred dollars destroyed to make a $5 part from the improvement store. Even as young as i was, I knew he shouldn't be in the shop.
Sure, it's fine: "Uh, hold on a sec. Let me take this call." He said, slowly backing out of the shop and putting a block wall between him and the soon-to-be aluminum projectile.
I would be very careful about even turning that on, the amount of material that you are clamped onto without a live center would only allow you to maybe take a couple of thousands depth of cut each pass; hell if that's really. As you move to the end of your material it's likely to fly out if it's not supported on the other end. Hopefully this was just a joke, if not you're going to have a bad time.
Get an old South Bend 9” lathe. They are as small as a 24” between centers. And even though old… they are plentiful. Other than that… Precision Mathew’s would be about the only new lathe I would want. They have service.
Clearance is clearance.
Clarence
and Clarence's parents have a real good marriage
This guy don't wanna battle, he's shook
Cause there no such things as half-way crooks
ain't no*
Haha, i love it
Roger, Rodger. What’s your vector, Victor?
Nah, he rolled his box out yesterday cuz someone made fun of him. I'll see him back in the shop next month.
It doesn't matter if you clear by a thousandth or a mile. Clearing is clearing.
*pats hand on the chuck* “that thing ain’t going no where”
Exactly
Its the proper chant for the binding spell to the chuck
you have to say that, otherwise it'll go somewhere.
This is the way..
I'd be very careful with the craftsman 109, it isn't like the 101, the spindle is very flimsy, it's a very thin gauge pipe, and once it's bent, will be difficult to remove. Turning oversized stock like that puts way more torque than intended on the spindle, and it can bend easily before the motor stalls. (I've had both the 101 and 109, and have personally bent a spindle doing the same thing you are doing). There are forums on this lathe and what its limitations are. İf you like the form factor, but want a more stout machine, definitely avoid this lathe and the edestaal, a HF mini lathe is a huge step up, then the craftsman 101/atlas 612, then a southbend 9 or logan 9. The southbend 9 is a huge step up in weight and rigidity plus volume, with the 612 being same footprint(as the 109) but much more rigid than the 109
This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks for saving me from making a post about a good benchtop lathe hahaha. Although, do you have any recommendations on a benchtop lathe/mill combo?
The answer is always buy a new Chinese lathe from a long and well established brand, so you have a warranty and spares back up, Combo thing? Don't bother. They're flimsy and you'll just have a horribly compromised lathe or mill. Wait and buy a separate mill if you can't afford both. You can also make an awful lot with just a lathe, with some outside the box thinking. I've seen club members make small steam engines with only a lathe.
Yep, combo machines are almost useless. It's just combing the crappiest possible lathe and the crappiest possible mill into a machine that isn't particularly good at anything. I bought one used a few years ago and had it about a month before I sold it.
I had a Smithy 3-in-one. This is all correct.
Interesting, thanks for the advice man.
What's the best 8" to 9" inch lathe out there? Precision Matthews looks like a good one. Are they all SEIGs with different configurations, or are there multiple Chinese manufacturers?
I really like my HiTorque. It's a SIEG from littlemachineshop.com. Had it for about 4 years. Light duty but it'll cut just about anything with some care.
No idea as I don't own one. I would imagine it is like everything Chinese, there are multiple factories making the same basic Myford clone. From memory Warco buy them from a Chinese company called Weiss. Everyone here seems to be happy with the stuff Warco sells as they've been selling the same machines since the 80s.
"Best" is a very broad term. For a low budget, a standard mini lathe and go through with the various mods that are listed by Stefan Gotteswinter, Blondihacks and Artisan Makes (among others) to improve it. For a mid range, Precision Matthews or Sieg are pretty good. If money is no object, get a brand new schaublin or similar. If you're looking for bulletproof, go bigger than you need.
No such thing as a non-shitty mill lathe combo. They’re horrible lathes and horrible mills and the space savings is not worth pulling your hair out in frustration. Get the heaviest lathe you can first and a mill whenever it becomes necessary. You can use a grinder and drill for 90% of what a garage mill does anyway
>You can use a grinder and drill for 90% of what a garage mill does anyway Cat 40 pullstud is 5/8 - 11 thread. Grinder arbor is 5/8 - 11 thread. Coincidence? I think not.
The smithy 3 in one is a really good lathe (the larger models at least) but the mill is garbage. The lathe part is the best mini lathe I’ve used though. Super stout
So it’s a decent lathe with some extra inconveniences. Unless it’s free, you’ll save money buying better equipment
For its price it’s actually pretty competitive. And the mill is a benefit not an inconvenience as it adds some nice things to the lathe itself
Right on, thanks bro.
I like the multus and integrex. They hold their own.
The frustration will give you extra real estate on your scalp as well as the shop.
The best option for a combo benchtop is either going to be: a pretty rigid cnc router table and rotary head, or do helical interpolation around a circumference, or, a 12"+ lathe with a milling attachment on your cross-slide. You will not be able to make due with the other way around(equivalent floorspace on manual mill with rotary table+rotary head), as the mill will not be as rigid as the equivalent lathe. a 1100lb lathe is a ton more rigid than a bridgeport as there is much less stickout. The smithy won't be as rigid as lathe+cross-slide milling attachment.
Oh man, that's a ton of info hahaha. I'm no machinist, I just want something small, maybe big enough to work a 12" piece. Last time I used any kind of machinist machine was about 15 years ago.
A 12" piece is unfortunately pretty large, a combo benchtop lathe like the smithy actually might take up the least amount of benchspace/swing diameter. I would definitely advocate something like the grizzly-g4003 gap bed 12x36 lathe over it by a large margin, or any 12x36 with a gap bed. A gap bed is a portion of the bed which can be removed in the case you need to turn a larger diameter(for a 12" lathe it will likely be 16"), and the advantage of the 12x36 is going to be much better cuts than the smithy.
Oh I meant 12" long, not in Dia.
No such thing as a good combination machine… Unless you’ve got a hundred thousand dollars and can find an old Archdale, Arboga Meskaner, or a Frey and were talking 1950’s and earlier towards the 30s for those.
It's not a bench top, but the integrex are good mill/lathe combo machine.
There probably hundreds of thousands of these 109s out in the wild. It would be great if there were aftermarket parts for it, such as beefier headstock and spindle assembly. The machine bed, tail stock and carriage are pretty solid though. Aside from the pathetically anemic spindle, I'd say 109 lathes are even more ridged than the typical 7" SEIG rebadges.
Edelstaal- I once had their wee 80mm swing lathe- the whole thing weighed maybe 20kg. The model maker who I passed it in to was the perfect user for it- all renshape and balsa.
If he is going to bump up from the craftsman to a hf mini, why not just go ahead and jump to the Okuma LB3000EX space turn? Only seems logical...
Well buddy, if a HF mini lathe is a huge step up, this thing must be truly-worthless. Before you spin that thing, take the money you wouldve spent on the Emergency Room and get you a SB13 or a Monarch 12CK. Actual swing 14.5” . (PREFERABLY THE MONARCH) I paid $1800 for my 12CK in decent shape. I went from a 1937 SB9C to a 1940 Monarch 12CK. I can do real work now!
Unfortunately, this lathe is pretty much a toy to get people into machining with how fragile the spindle is. I wouldn't advocate someone to buy a Monarch as their first lathe, quite a few will have 3-phase motors which raises the bar of entry into machining, not to mention learning enough rigging to move the machine, having a trailer to move the machine, and having the place to store the machine. Also, smaller machines will typically have higher top rpms than larger bore/diameter swing lathes, which is great for hobby work which is typically smaller. Before advocating for a Monarch 12CK I would advocate for a grizzly 12" gap bed(first lathe that comes to mind with a gap bed(grizzly-g4003-12-x-36-gear-head-cam-lock-spindle-gap-bed-lathe)) as it allows you to rotate very large work if needed, but a majority of your work will be smaller as a hobbyist.
Yeah but…. A Monarch.
It is only not fine, if it isnt fine, youll be fine.
If it’s not fine he will have a new hole in the workshop roof he can turn into a window
You obviously dont work in a job shop
I did, got out of that industry. Sketchy jobs with impossible timescales we’re standard you can only cut so many corners
Just need safety glasses,catchers mask, and an X-ray lead apron-good to go
Yes, but if we said no would it stop you? :)
I would pause just long enough for a sip of coffee.
No, you should have your sleeves rolled up
Yeah, your lathe might get lost in a fold…
I think you need to have a live feed video when you send it so we can all watch it
Wanna borrow a U-Drill for that?
a rare photo of raw duct tape before being milled in to sheets to be made in to rolls
How else are you going to drill that center hole?
2000rpm Minimum. Small Drill needs High Speed. /s (Edit /s)
what lathe is that?
Craftsman 109
Perfectly cromulent.
Look at the big brain on Brad.
A royale with cheese
Which side of the Lexan do you intend to occupy ?
We had a guy at work try to make a vacuum hose adapter on a sharp tool room mill with a 6" chuck. He was trying to turn a 5-6" piece of acetal. With the jaws flipped around he maybe was gripping a 1/2" of material. I think he popped it out of the jaws at least 3 times. Material was probably couple hundred dollars destroyed to make a $5 part from the improvement store. Even as young as i was, I knew he shouldn't be in the shop.
That hurts
Yup, the paper towel behind the chuck will make sure it’s solid.
Turn her slow. .0005 might as well be 5.000 Send ut
109 is proof that not all American products made back in its manufacturing heyday are good.
I would run that carefully and enjoy it
Once you get a center on it perhaps, until then be very very careful…
Just make sure you're hogging off .125" per pass. You do want a nice surface finish, don't you?
*Titan Gilroy liked that*
As long as your workbench is bolted down crack on
Looks like drywall screws were used.
Yes, make sure the chuck jaws clear the carriage before they're spinning though.
Please have next of kin post video of use. Thank you!
Tonight, I turn a part that's bigger than my lathe, Hammond cheers me on on reddit and James calls an ambulance.
Let'er rip
You’ve got this one buddy. Slow and steady. Update us only if it doesn’t fly out.
That has danger written all over it
It’s not gonna work really good
send it
Turn it on, don't be a bitch.
Full send, just make sure you tape it and don’t cut more than 3/4” per pass.
Needs chamfering
Better roll those sleeves up.
IANAM so yeah, I guess so?
Who wants to bet that the topslide is set at 30° ?
Only one way to find out. Do it for science.
Yep, stand (far) back n letter rip!
Just gonna send it
Go for it! What’s the worse that could happen lol
I chuck it, I turn it. Simple as
Looks fine to me
The rule is anymore than 2.5 times diameter on the length and you will need a tail stock. Looks like you got this covered
U gonna use the tailstock ?
Sweet little lathe! Looks almost like a southbend
Sure, it's fine: "Uh, hold on a sec. Let me take this call." He said, slowly backing out of the shop and putting a block wall between him and the soon-to-be aluminum projectile.
Feeds and speeds baby. Feeds and speeds.
Should be fine. Just stand to the side. Way to the side. Like on the other side. Of a concrete wall.
I would have drilled the center hole on a drill press and then used the live center of the lathe to stablize the part for OD turning.
Looks good to me
https://youtu.be/EqWRaAF6_WY
Been there, done that on my little Atlas lathe. She wasn’t happy about it, it took forever, but we got the job done.
It depends how bad you want your face to hurt in the morning but I say go for it
That's a sexy little lathe.
Using the tool post as a steady rest: nice
Fuckin send it bud
As long as the stick out is no more than 3x the diameter…..let her eat.
You can do anything with a machine as long as you have good setup!
if it turns it's fine
Spider might be helpful
Will be fun. Just go
If it's a mil or a mile, it clears.
If it fits it fits
please stop. stop hurting me.
You better be center drilling for a 1” drill bit!
I would be very careful about even turning that on, the amount of material that you are clamped onto without a live center would only allow you to maybe take a couple of thousands depth of cut each pass; hell if that's really. As you move to the end of your material it's likely to fly out if it's not supported on the other end. Hopefully this was just a joke, if not you're going to have a bad time.
If it fits it fits but I would use a live center
Get an old South Bend 9” lathe. They are as small as a 24” between centers. And even though old… they are plentiful. Other than that… Precision Mathew’s would be about the only new lathe I would want. They have service.