First lathe

[buzzy16]

I wanted to see what you guys thought of this lathe. it's only a mini but I really don't plan on doing anything big and for the amount i'll probably use it I don't want to drop a heap of money on one.

but just let me know what you think about this

http://www.hobbytools.com.au/proxxon-precision-lathe-fd-150-e/

thanks Buzzy

[rsd53]

I wanted to see what you guys thought of this lathe. it's only a mini but I really don't plan on doing anything big and for the amount i'll probably use it I don't want to drop a heap of money on one.

but just let me know what you think about this

http://www.hobbytools.com.au/proxxon-precision-lathe-fd-150-e/

thanks Buzzy

Buzzy, my first impression of this lathe is to keep looking.

Looks like it will do almost anything a lathe should do, but I'm confused about which axis is which.

Following is a quote from a ship building forum on this model; "The cross-slide has to repositioned by clamping it to the bed. Which means that the longest piece you can cut is not the bed length between the centers as in other lathes, but only the travel of the top-slide". This is a giant "red flag" for me.

One of the things missing in the spec is the horsepower (kw) rating of the motor. Smaller HP = more cuts to obtain the dimension you want. Another thing I would be concerned with is the aluminum ways. They could be a wear problem over time, and over tightening of the tailstock could distort them. If you plan on cutting any threads, this lathe won't do them, as it doesn't have a lead screw. I'm not sure if you generally work with inches or mm. If you typically work in mm, there won't be any problems, otherwise you will have to convert between the two standards. Pay close attention to the maximum travel of each. Finally, they call it a "precision" lathe, but never say how precise it is.

Try to search for this, or any other lathe you decide to purchase, and see what others have to say about it.

If you can live with its limitations, go for it. Otherwise spend a little more and get a lathe with a lead screw, carriage, cross slide, and compound slide.

Rob

[22fatcat]

I would have to agree with rsd53, it also looks like it would be a pain in the but to use because it is so small. We have a Sherline in our shop I have only used it a few times but I was impressed with its ease of use and good cutting ability . Just my 2 cents

[Lil Giants]

I had this tabletop mini lathe yrs ago, and it worked pretty good for its size. What I liked most (and miss on my current larger lathe) was the variable speed switch, that was slick to fine tune the right speed to make the best cut per pass.

It's a China lathe that's sold through tool wholesalers like House of tools or Princess Auto in Canada. I've seen the same lathe in (USA) Harbor Freight's inventory.

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/Lathes-And-Milling/Mini-Lathe/8507659.p

[pigeonfarmboy]

I have to replace my Taig Micro Lathe from the fire. It will be replaced by the first machine I should have gotten. A Sherline with variable speed. Pulleys are quite limiting to what operations you can perform. For instance there is no way to get the lathe to spin slow enough for cut-off operations.

[BiLLy bOb]

i'm new here so i know there my opinion isn't much at this point, but here it is.

The harbor freight style mini lathe is a nice machine once plenty of time and elbow grease has been applied to bring it into acceptable tolerances. straight out of the box, they leave something to be desired.

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

this website has LOTS of very useful info on these style lathes.

I ended up with a mid 80s craftsman tabletop lathe that was made by sherline for craftsman. I also have a sherline mill. Love them both. For the $$ involved, for small stuff, sherline/taig is the way to go in my opinion. If i need something larger or more rigidity, i'll swallow hard, and begin looking for a larger older south bend/clausing/craftsman etc,etc.. to do the job. As pigeonfarmboy pointet out, sherline does have an advantage with adjustable speed controler rather than having to swap belts on pulleys.

here's a quick shot of my little work spot in my living room. going to get moved into my 4x6 box trailer in the next week or so. getting tired of cleaning up aluminum chips in the living room. even working on a 10x10 tarp stapled up on the wall working in a corner, its amazing how far across the LR i find dadjim ally chips.:mad:

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m548/BiLLybOb_1980/IMG_0209_zps898bbf89.jpg.