Model engineers lathe buying advice.

[Robbie260]

Hi guys

Was looking at getting a 8" model engineers lathe for some general turining duties, don't really have the space for anything bigger at the moment. Do you guys have any advice probably for the hundredth time on what to look out for. I was thinking about getting a one that needs a bit of work but not to much.

I understand trying to get as much tooling with it as possible as this is the expensive bit.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I think you need to provide an idea of what you hope to spend, it will help others advise which are worth considering in your price bracket.

 

[brightspark]

buy one that doesn't need any work doing there normally clapped out if they do

 

[Robbie260]

I think you need to provide an idea of what you hope to spend, it will help others advise which are worth considering in your price bracket.

£300 is a price bracket I would not like to move out of because some of the model engineers lathes are stupid money because of the demand for them.

 

[cumbriasteve]

It's not impossible to get something nice for £300 just quite difficult, as you say demand keeps prices high.

Facebook and Gumtree can be good for bargains, sometimes you get sellers shifting something they don't know a lot about and therefore under price it, the downside is you have to be fast as hell or even faster, get there and get it bought because others will be racing with you but someone has to win.

Last year there was a nice Myford 7 with a heap of tooling including 4 chucks for £275, it sold fast

 

[addjunkie]

300 will buy a lathe, but good luck finding a decent one.

These are a cracking machine, but guess this will end up about a grand.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boxford-AUD-lathe/263384607990?hash=item3d52f22cf6:g:nKYAAOSw0wRaMA3f

Some of the imported stuff can be had for sensible money but some brands way way better than others

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warco-25...806910?hash=item4d69a388fe:g:ZQkAAOSw-09aL8dC

Some of the small older stuff is very usable, some needs work, at the budget your looking at there is a fair bit of junk about, but also some bargins if your happy to be patient and do some fettling

 

[rikrobson]

When I was looking for a lathe(Boxford) there was little available in Scotland. I got mine from near Newcastle. I'd be considering upping your budget to maybe nearer the 500 mark. You'll usually get a fair bit of tooling for that price. Youll probably get something for 300 but I doubt it will be fully working or in fair fettle, so be expecting to do some work on it.also you'll need to consider transportation.

 

[gaz1]

the info i got is here

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/talk-me-into-why-i-need-a-lathe.77903/

and Richards own post below my own questions in the subject bargains are there depends on your waiting time and collection area

 

[frank horton]

Don't be in a rush is the best answer, if u arn't a member yet look at the model engineering forum on yahoo.....when I started out, I to looked at Warco but was always outta my budget and with hind sight to me they seem to be always in trouble from what I read into the ME forum posts........most of the cheap stuff was worn out junk...in the end bit the bullet and went with a 1 owner Myford 7....cost 1200 and many brownie points at home.....hahaha......it came with some tooling but cost a fortune to set up tooling wise.....
Not so long ago in a deceased sale a Myford Super 7 and a decent bench top milling machine with every tool u could ever want went for about 4,000.....a lot more than u wanna spend but that lot was a cheap bargain, I bet the tooling would cost 1/2 that much.......
I know it doesn’t help u but this is what ur up against....don't bother with a junker cos then u'll end up having to buy something else and then u'll need to shift the crapper......I'd save up and go better first off....
Check out ebay as much as poss every hour or two and put into ebay a request for what u want, u just never know.....have seen what,s best described as a boat anchor Myford 7 that’s been cleaned up and resold for loads,a money....get a machine with some history if u can.....
ps I know of a place with 1/2 dozen Boxford's that have been stored in a damp barn with no protection, no tooling and without a second chuck, either 4 or 3 jaw and he's asking £750 each.....so there u go.....
It seems to me there are more people wanting lathes than there are machines on the market and I have personally taken three outta the county for my own use....
Sorry, but I wish u luck with ur quest.....
have a look on YouTube for ''make ur own lathe from scrap'' might be just as good as a cheapo.....I truely wish I could help but with early retiree's it,s only gonna get harder.....
I did know of an early 1910-20's lathe no gearbox, flat belt driven with the motor mounted on the wall behind the lathe, size wise like a Myford S7 that may be still for sale at ur kinda money but it'll cost u about 300 squids to get it back to the UK....
It's such difficult thing ur asking.....perhaps u could put an add in the local paper under deceased wanted etc...
Also the smaller the lathe the more people want one.....build a bigger shed and go small industrial....
Sorry to be the bringer of doom.......Frank

 

[Robbie260]

Don't be in a rush is the best answer, if u arn't a member yet look at the model engineering forum on yahoo.....when I started out, I to looked at Warco but was always outta my budget and with hind sight to me they seem to be always in trouble from what I read into the ME forum posts........most of the cheap stuff was worn out junk...in the end bit the bullet and went with a 1 owner Myford 7....cost 1200 and many brownie points at home.....hahaha......it came with some tooling but cost a fortune to set up tooling wise.....
Not so long ago in a deceased sale a Myford Super 7 and a decent bench top milling machine with every tool u could ever want went for about 4,000.....a lot more than u wanna spend but that lot was a cheap bargain, I bet the tooling would cost 1/2 that much.......
I know it doesn’t help u but this is what ur up against....don't bother with a junker cos then u'll end up having to buy something else and then u'll need to shift the crapper......I'd save up and go better first off....
Check out ebay as much as poss every hour or two and put into ebay a request for what u want, u just never know.....have seen what,s best described as a boat anchor Myford 7 that’s been cleaned up and resold for loads,a money....get a machine with some history if u can.....
ps I know of a place with 1/2 dozen Boxford's that have been stored in a damp barn with no protection, no tooling and without a second chuck, either 4 or 3 jaw and he's asking £750 each.....so there u go.....
It seems to me there are more people wanting lathes than there are machines on the market and I have personally taken three outta the county for my own use....
Sorry, but I wish u luck with ur quest.....
have a look on YouTube for ''make ur own lathe from scrap'' might be just as good as a cheapo.....I truely wish I could help but with early retiree's it,s only gonna get harder.....
I did know of an early 1910-20's lathe no gearbox, flat belt driven with the motor mounted on the wall behind the lathe, size wise like a Myford S7 that may be still for sale at ur kinda money but it'll cost u about 300 squids to get it back to the UK....
It's such difficult thing ur asking.....perhaps u could put an add in the local paper under deceased wanted etc...
Also the smaller the lathe the more people want one.....build a bigger shed and go small industrial....
Sorry to be the bringer of doom.......Frank

Thanks for the advice, I'm only 22 so it my dads shed which I have err comindered as my workshop, tryed to persuade the old man into getting a bigger shed and offering to pay but that didn't work he likes his garden. I have plenty of time to wait. I would really like a big industrial size lathe like the ones we have at work but it just a space issue until I could find my self a small business unit to buy to put it in.

 

[Keith 66]

Three hundred quid might buy you one if you look hard but its liable to be old or big & heavy, then you gots the problem of moving it. The boley 4Le i just bought cost me £100 but is going to take me some time to sort out.
My father in law used to have a lathe, about the size of a bantam it was flat belt drive machine made in 1918, it was frankly knackered but was still capable of good work if you knew what you were doing. I would be cultivating your local scrap dealers.

 

[winchman]

I paid £160 for mine with all the tooling etc, its tiny but has still been handy, it was more to show my son how to use one, its a Shearline, I just placed a wanted ad on homeworkshop.
I feel you location is the problem as its less densely populated so less for sale, I sold a nice Chinese one with a milling attachment for £200 it was no Rolls Royce but worked well and whilst you have one you can always get your money back if you find another

 

[optima21]

hope you're meaning 8" swing rather than 8" centre height.

 

[Robbie260]

hope you're meaning 8" swing rather than 8" centre height.

Yes 8" swing.

I might just hang on to my cash for just now and have a look at it agian when I have the space for something bigger.