Looking for stock tube material for lathe work. 1" OD - 3/16" ID - SS, Delrin, anything?

[Java_Az]

Ok, so is that essentially the 16" version of the 7x14" 550w lathes on ebay? I jsut don't want to get a crappy lathe, but I want to spend the least amount of money. Especially because I will be working on under 4" pieces.. mostly at least.

The ones on Ebay are of the C2 design , They used to only come in 250 and 350 watt motors 商品展示
The micromark and little machine shop lathes are the SC2 design and come with the brushless 500 watt motors.
My best guesses are they have switched over to putting brushless motors in the C2 models Or they have upgraded the brushed motors and are slapping higher Wattage ones in them OR last we have some false advertising going on. I really couldnt say for sure. I do have the old 250watt motor in mine and it does fine for what i need it to do. Maybe send a few of the sellers on ebay a question about if the motors are brushless or brushed.

 

[subver]

Ok, I know I went through all this trouble but.. I think I'm gonna pick up the 7x10 from Harbor Freight this weekend, for a couple reasons.
1) with the coupon it's only $400
2) it's local, so I can get it tomorrow
3) they have a 90 day guarantee, so worst case scenario, I need a bigger or better one, I can return it.

I do want to get the best one, but at the same time, I will be making pretty simple 3-4" long tanks and whatnot, maybe shorter.. At least this way I can see how it all works and get a better understanding of the lathe.. then maybe I can exchange it and get the better one on ebay.

But then again, maybe I'll change my mind, I'm so indecisive..

Is that a stupid idea?

 

[Java_Az]

Problem with using the 20% coupon is It cant be used with items already on sale the $499 is a sale price. http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-10-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93212.html But i have had the cashier mess up and give me a 20% off a sale item before. So it might work for you. I guess there is one way to find out.
The 20% off should work on this one for sure which would bring it to a bit more then the ebay 7 x 12 models cause you have to pay tax. http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-12-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93799.html

 

[subver]

Ah, that makes sense.. I think someone else told me they used the 20% coupon on the 7x10. It says if you're not satisfied you can return or exchange within 90 days. I'll have to get a list of tools and stock material together and see what I can do in 90 days.

I'm still not 100% confident in the 7x10 but I feel like I should at least try it. I wish I could buy the other better ones locally as well..

 

[Java_Az]

Ah, that makes sense.. I think someone else told me they used the 20% coupon on the 7x10. It says if you're not satisfied you can return or exchange within 90 days. I'll have to get a list of tools and stock material together and see what I can do in 90 days.

I'm still not 100% confident in the 7x10 but I feel like I should at least try it. I wish I could buy the other better ones locally as well..

Doubtful but it might be worth a look on CraigsList for a used 7x10 i got mine for 250 slightly used. You can also find some deals on drill presses from time to time. I got this drill press here for 40 bucks because it had fallen over and bent the three pull handles Amazon.com: JET JDP-17MF/354169 Drill Press: Home Improvement Which is not a big deal still works like a champ.

 

[subver]

Hmm.. so the best mini lathe for under $900.. the SC2 design, which would be the 7x12 HiTorque from Little Machine Shop? Is that the same as the Grizzly 7x12?

Basically, I've got about $1,000 that I can spend on a Mini Lathe, Drill Press, tools and stock material, along with all the other little doodads I'll need to make some tank atties for myself.. I really don't want to spend more than that right now, and I would love it if I could come under that..

I'm still tempted to get the 7x10 from HF but, I don't know.. everyone keeps telling me it sucks, but I've also read some good reviews on it.

so frustrating!

 

[Java_Az]

The Grizzly is a C2 design not a SC2. It is the same as the harbor freight 7X12 With 20% off the HF 7x12 it would be cheaper.

It is not that the 7X10 sucks it is a good lathe. It is the fact that the work space is very limited. You can work on 4" long stock with it , That needs to be drilled. Thats is the main thing the drill bit length eats into your work space. a 1/2 drill bit is usually 6 inches long. reamers tend to be even longer. ideally you would want to drill the work piece a bit under sized and then use a reamer to the exact size. this is much faster then drilling and boring to a final size. So thats the main problem with the 7x10 it limits you in the length of tooling you can use in the tail stock and the length of the work piece. If you were just making something that needed the OD cut down no drilling involved you would get full use on the 10" between centers.

 

[nicotime]

Dont forget to save some money for a grinder and CBN or diamond wheels for shaping and sharpening your tooling if your going with cobalt or carbide.

 

[subver]

ok, so maybe I will spend the money on a better lathe, but I'll have to wait for 2 weeks until my next check to get the rest of the stuff. So maybe I will get the 7x12 from little machine shop. I hear they have good customer service right?
First I'll email that ebay seller about the 7x14 lathe.. I just don't want to get ripped off if they are lying, but that would probably be the best deal if it's an SC2 for $610 right? That just seems too good to be true at this point...
So, maybe I'll do the LMS 7x12 and some tools for now and maybe a few stock pieces of Delrin and Stainless Steel. Then I can fiddle around for 2 weeks and get the Drill Press and anything else I might need.

I can't believe how hard this is haha.

Oh, Nicotime. Good call. I actually have a small bench grinder as well, I would probably just need a finer grit wheel, but luckily I already have that

 

[Java_Az]

ok, so maybe I will spend the money on a better lathe, but I'll have to wait for 2 weeks until my next check to get the rest of the stuff. So maybe I will get the 7x12 from little machine shop. I hear they have good customer service right?
First I'll email that ebay seller about the 7x14 lathe.. I just don't want to get ripped off if they are lying, but that would probably be the best deal if it's an SC2 for $610 right? That just seems too good to be true at this point...
So, maybe I'll do the LMS 7x12 and some tools for now and maybe a few stock pieces of Delrin and Stainless Steel. Then I can fiddle around for 2 weeks and get the Drill Press and anything else I might need.

I can't believe how hard this is haha.

Oh, Nicotime. Good call. I actually have a small bench grinder as well, I would probably just need a finer grit wheel, but luckily I already have that

Not sure where you are at but Little machine shop wanted 175 bucks freight It was 5 bucks cheaper to get the micro mark since it is $65 freight

The ebay lathe is also a C2 it is not the SC2.

To cut your stock into 4 inch pieces you going to need a metal cutting chop saw also. Or a horizontal metal cutting band-saw. First option is cheaper

 

[subver]

I'm in upstate NY. Wow, that's a lot for shipping... crap. Is this the Micro Mark lathe you're talking about?
I wish they had a cheaper 7x12 option. For that + shipping would be about $940..

As for stock, I did find one place that sold stainless steel stock in the length you specify, so I was hoping to get by with that, for now at least.

Well, now I want to find an SC2 model, hopefully $7-800 or less (wishful thinking?)

edit: also, I read some pretty bad things about the micromark lathe, maybe that was the older models?

 

[asdaq]

Just as an aside to the lathe, the HF 5 speed drill press often can be had for $50, if you wait for the right sale/discount combination. For your listed requirements it sure sounds adequate enough. Good luck with the lathe too.

 

[subver]

Thanks asdaq! I will definitely keep an eye on that.
Now I'm actually considering 7x16 MicroMark... just wish I could get that LMS one without the hefty shipping fee... If I did get this, I wouldn't really be able to order anything else for 2 weeks so the lathe would just be sitting there, which would definitely not be fun.
It's so tempting to get one of the C2's, but I'm pretty hesitant after reading other people's reviews of them..

edit: actually, I'd probably be more inclined to get the LMS one only because it's 27" long and the MicroMark is 38" long... which is probably way too big for my apartment

 

[Java_Az]

Micromark 7x16 lathe is really the best one out there. You have to take reviews with a grain of salt for hobby lathes. A lot of guys will post bad stuff about something they have no idea how to operate correctly. I went to machinist school way back in my younger days. It is not too difficult to run a lathe but your also not going to just pull one out of a box and have it mastered in a week. There is a learning curve to it. Here is a review from a guy that knows what is going on. Micro-Mark 7x16 Mini Lathe also a ton of good info on that site here is a link to the home page mini-lathe.com home page

 

[asdaq]

Any lathe is probably too big for an apartment, but who is that to stop? Just build a retractable platform for it into a coffee table and reap the benefits of it being also an interesting conversational piece.

 

[Java_Az]

Going to be fun trying to get stainless steel chips outa the carpet. Hope you dont plan of getting your deposit back when you move.

 

[subver]

Yeah I've been reading through that site.. nice info. I'd love the MicroMark, but I also have to think about the space in my apartment.. and I should be realistic, like maybe the C2 would be fine for me.. the Grizzly 7x12 would be about $675 after shipping. But on the other hand, I don't want to just get a piece of junk.
But for making little tanks and scubagen and maybe G-Tank US types of pieces, do I really need the top of the line? Can the C2 give me nice fitting threads, if I were to make pieces that screw onto each other?

I don't imagine I will be pumping out 100 pieces either... but I also don't really want to, or rather know how to tweak a lathe to work properly. I'm willing to learn, though, but if I would just end up having to put more money into a C2 to get it working well, I may as well go for something that costs more that just works..

So that's my dilemma really. Ideally, I would love to just drive over to Harbor Freight and grab the 8x12 for $800 (with coupon) but I know HF isn't too good either.

I just want to be able to make myself some mods..

I'm such an indecisive person, too, and I always want the best I can get, so this is super hard for me.. I know I'm just going in circles here (I'll settle for HF, wait no.. I'll get the best.. but I don't want to spend all that money if I won't need the better lathe.. so i'll get the HF... but I want better.. etc etc)

aye aye aye..

 

[subver]

and yeah as far as the apartment... I have an extra room which has all my tools in it right now... I could probably lay down an old blanket or something for the chips at least... that's the least of my worries I have my mind set on making tank atties now, I gotta do it somehow

 

[Java_Az]

Just to point it out again all these lathes grizzly , HF , LMS , Micromark are all made by SIEG in China. A lot of the bad reviews are user error and/or user ignorance. Knowing how to properly operate the machine and adjust it just is not known by most people who buy these lathes

 

[subver]

Right, well.. knowing myself I will probably get the LMS 7x12 HiTorque one and complain to my girlfriend about the high shipping cost.
Just out of curiosity... can these lathes turn stone at all? Specifically the SC2. That would be wonderful..