Metric lathe?

[Cato]

Some of the upcoming plans and work will require some bits and bobs turning/fabricating. It will all be metric so I'm thinking about getting a metric lathe and that leads me to the 'what should I be looking for@ question.

My requirements will be for a small unit, similar in size to a Smart and Brown L or M. It wouldn't need to be set up for batches of stuff as it will be one offs mostly. 3 phase is fine, in fact preferred. Somewhere around a grand ideally, but if there were some exceptional feature or it came with tooling I'd pay more naturally. I have no knowledge of makes/models/features so any suggestions of what would be a good starting place?

The where isn't too important if that gives me more options. I'd need to involve @fizzy for transport as shoving a lathe into the van isn't likely to work.

 

[Rannsachair]

Some of the upcoming plans and work will require some bits and bobs turning/fabricating. It will all be metric so I'm thinking about getting a metric lathe and that leads me to the 'what should I be looking for@ question.

My requirements will be for a small unit, similar in size to a Smart and Brown L or M. It wouldn't need to be set up for batches of stuff as it will be one offs mostly. 3 phase is fine, in fact preferred. Somewhere around a grand ideally, but if there were some exceptional feature or it came with tooling I'd pay more naturally. I have no knowledge of makes/models/features so any suggestions of what would be a good starting place?

The where isn't too important if that gives me more options. I'd need to involve @fizzy for transport as shoving a lathe into the van isn't likely to work.

Do you need screw cutting capability? what sort of diameter and length of parts are you likely to make?

 

[Cato]

Do you need screw cutting capability? what sort of diameter and length of parts are you likely to make?

I would prefer to have the capability. Dimensions, I can't imagine I'll need it for anything more than 50mm dia, say double that and add a bit I guess we'd be looking at 125mm. Length, 300mm. Roughly the same sort of thing as the Smart and Brown sized machine 4.5" x 13.5".

That'd be the minimum and give the right sort of size machine in terms of footprint. If something suitable was a bit larger it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Rannsachair]

There is a nice looking Harrison L5 with metric dials on model engineer that may fit your spec:
https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/classifieds/view_ad.asp?ad=20026

 

[Hood]

I wouldn't worry about a metric lathe as long as it has metric threading capabilities. Reason is the first thing I would put on it is a DRO and that will mean you can work in metric easily and likely more accurately than you could by using the dials.

 

[Cato]

There is a nice looking Harrison L5 with metric dials on model engineer that may fit your spec:
https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/classifieds/view_ad.asp?ad=20026

This bit put me off "It will have to be dismantled to extract it from its present location,". That looks like a cellar nightmare!

 

[Cato]

I wouldn't worry about a metric lathe as long as it has metric threading capabilities. Reason is the first thing I would put on it is a DRO and that will mean you can work in metric easily and likely more accurately than you could by using the dials.

I've never used such new fangled stuff.

That's the sort of info on options which helps though. So a machine with a DRO and metric screw cutting capabilities may be an option. Although wouldn't that make it more expensive than a metric manual machine?

 

[Hood]

...

Although wouldn't that make it more expensive than a metric manual machine?

Maybe yes, maybe no. Just depends what comes along. BTW DROs are not expensive nowadays, you will find them under £200

 

[m_c]

I would go with Hood's suggestion as well.
Once you've used a DRO, you realise just how much time you wasted measuring and re-measuring.

 

[Agroshield]

Do you already have an imperial lathe? With dials, it is surprisingly difficult to flit between the two, in a similar way to if you have one lathe whose cross slide is diameter reduction and another whose cross slide is radius reduction. Changing from working in imperial to working in metric is way easier with a DRO (and you can do so in the middle of the same part, if it so requires).

The Harrison above is a bargain. For the money you are talking, there is not much about - metric Boxfords (the 'modern' Boxfords) are a lot more; there has never been a full metric Myford; metric Bantams are a lot of money; metric Chipmasters are silly money (see eBay). You could look at some of the better machines sold by Warco and Chester, but again, they are a lot of money and it is rare to see the import lathes on the used market.

 

[Rannsachair]

This bit put me off "It will have to be dismantled to extract it from its present location,". That looks like a cellar nightmare!

I assumed just the lathe needs removed from the stand.... though not as easy as on a pallet.

 

[Agroshield]

This one fits your price, looks to be native metric, and looks to have dual dials if you do want to work in imperial:

Harrison M250 Lathe | eBay

<p>Harrison M250 Lathe. Used Condition. 3 Phase. All parts move freely but unable to test as I don't have 3 phase. Cash on collection only. Viewing is advised before purchase. Will remove if sold as have it listed elsewhere.</p><p>Relisted due to time waster. Please do not bid if your not...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[not done it yet]

If an imperial lathe includes a 127 change wheel, exact metric conversion for screw-cutting is catered for.

My lathe approximates to metric by using other gear combinations. I’ve never yet been troubled with metric nuts fitting (or rather not fitting) on my single-point threads.

My Raglan 5” lathe is imperial but my Raglan mill is metric. I have no bother when changing between metric and imperial. My Centec mill is imperial. They all have DROs fitted but they only get used regularly on the mills.

I’ve always moved Raglans in my hatchback without any problem (but not the very heavy stand that came with my Little John0. The 5” is much superior to the LJ.

 

[Cato]

This one fits your price, looks to be native metric, and looks to have dual dials if you do want to work in imperial:

Harrison M250 Lathe | eBay

<p>Harrison M250 Lathe. Used Condition. 3 Phase. All parts move freely but unable to test as I don't have 3 phase. Cash on collection only. Viewing is advised before purchase. Will remove if sold as have it listed elsewhere.</p><p>Relisted due to time waster. Please do not bid if your not...

www.ebay.co.uk

I saw that one. The thing that put me off is not being able to see it running, and as he doesn't have 3 phase he hasn't either. Used machinery is always a risk, but that seems additionally risky.

 

[Cato]

Are these Warco combined lathe and mill machines any good? Or is it a case of doing several things adequately/poorly rather than one thing well? Warco lathe and Mill.

It's not a make I'm familiar with, but this Pinnacle with a DRO caught my eye.

 

[not done it yet]

There is a looong thread on model eng. forum

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/harrison-lathe-Copy-Pinnacle/333532266920

I haven’t read it all!

Warco import from China. Some like them…

 

[Cato]

There is a looong thread on model eng. forum

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/harrison-lathe-Copy-Pinnacle/333532266920

I haven’t read it all!

Warco import from China. Some like them…

Thanks. So an adequate hobby machine rather than a workshop or tool room machine. Makes sense with the price, especially new.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

There is a looong thread on model eng. forum

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/harrison-lathe-Copy-Pinnacle/333532266920

I haven’t read it all!

Warco import from China. Some like them…

Linky no workee?

 

[not done it yet]

Not surprising. That was an old ebay listing, pasted by mistake I’ve corrected my mistake in the earlier post.

You could have easily found it by goinng to the mod eng forum and searching pinnacle

Here is, I hope, the correct link:

404 | Model Engineer & Workshop Magazine

It looks like we've lost a piece!404: Page not found This page could not be found. Maybe try a search? If it's a forum topic you are looking for, ...

www.model-engineer.co.uk

 

[Hood]

Just to also clarify regards a DRO and the lathe. I would be fitting a DRO no matter whether the lathe was metric or imperial, they just make the lathe much easier to use and make accuracy easier to achieve.