shenion
Tool Pack Rat
- Messages
- 7,586
- Location
- Stone Mountain, GA USA
My small Sherline lathe just was not up to doing steel or anything big. It was very accurate, but with a brass bed, it just chattered on steel. I had a real hard time turning a 1.375" SS wirefeed roller.
After downloading the updated manual, I found it actually says for SS, the max recommended is 3/4". Says 4" swing and 8" between centers, but over the carriage, it is less than 2". Also, by the time you add a drill chuck and a drill, you only have about 3" between the chuck and bit.
So have been looking for something bigger. Here the small Atlas/Sears lathes are popular. Also would like thread cutting ability.
Found a Sears lathe locally on ebay:
6"x12" 109 model, made in the late 60's to mid 70's. 3" 4-jaw independent chuck. Power feed and thread cutting ability.
Did not do much research but could not resist the price at $210.
Turns out these have problems. The spindle has a 1/2-20 thread for the chuck. No way you can turn 6" with it; just too weak. These are famous for bent spindles (this one looks fine.) The carriage has a poor design. The clamp on the rear tends to pull it sideways off the bed more than it clamps it down. Also, the cross slide has a 24-TPI thread; that means 0.041666 per rev of wheel
.
Turning anything would chatter like crazy, reversing feed would cause tool to move considerably. It also had a 3450 RPM motor that was just too fast.
So, I went on to the 109 lathe Yahoo group. They have good info about how to get around the problems. I did some mods including a 20TPI cross-slide lead screw, brass Gibbs and front clamps for less friction. Also replaced the carriage rear iron clamp with a brass bar/pivot. Now
works well.
I managed to reuse my drill chuck and quick-change tool post from the Sherline:
Also picked up a 1750 RPM 1/3 HP motor. Now works well. Found a set of gears off ebay so I can cut threads.
Overall it is better for my use. I could get a 12"x40" turret beast locally for the same price, but just don't have the room.
Thought I would hate the 4-jaw independent chuck. But the two, 3-jaw, self centering ones on the Sherline were just too flimsy. The work would just come loose. If you tightened it down hard enough to hold well, it damaged the threads on the chuck.
The 4-jaw is a pain to set up (a dial indicator is top of my list) but it holds real well. I now prefer it.
The compound slide is nice. Turning a taper was a real chore on the Sherline. You pivoted the headstock. That meant no way to support the opposite end.
Now I have a 30-year old lathe to go with my 30-year old welders
Nice part is I sold my Sherline for $316 on ebay; about what I paid for it.
After downloading the updated manual, I found it actually says for SS, the max recommended is 3/4". Says 4" swing and 8" between centers, but over the carriage, it is less than 2". Also, by the time you add a drill chuck and a drill, you only have about 3" between the chuck and bit.
So have been looking for something bigger. Here the small Atlas/Sears lathes are popular. Also would like thread cutting ability.
Found a Sears lathe locally on ebay:
6"x12" 109 model, made in the late 60's to mid 70's. 3" 4-jaw independent chuck. Power feed and thread cutting ability.
Did not do much research but could not resist the price at $210.
Turns out these have problems. The spindle has a 1/2-20 thread for the chuck. No way you can turn 6" with it; just too weak. These are famous for bent spindles (this one looks fine.) The carriage has a poor design. The clamp on the rear tends to pull it sideways off the bed more than it clamps it down. Also, the cross slide has a 24-TPI thread; that means 0.041666 per rev of wheel
.Turning anything would chatter like crazy, reversing feed would cause tool to move considerably. It also had a 3450 RPM motor that was just too fast.
So, I went on to the 109 lathe Yahoo group. They have good info about how to get around the problems. I did some mods including a 20TPI cross-slide lead screw, brass Gibbs and front clamps for less friction. Also replaced the carriage rear iron clamp with a brass bar/pivot. Now
works well.
I managed to reuse my drill chuck and quick-change tool post from the Sherline:
Also picked up a 1750 RPM 1/3 HP motor. Now works well. Found a set of gears off ebay so I can cut threads.
Overall it is better for my use. I could get a 12"x40" turret beast locally for the same price, but just don't have the room.
Thought I would hate the 4-jaw independent chuck. But the two, 3-jaw, self centering ones on the Sherline were just too flimsy. The work would just come loose. If you tightened it down hard enough to hold well, it damaged the threads on the chuck.
The 4-jaw is a pain to set up (a dial indicator is top of my list) but it holds real well. I now prefer it.
The compound slide is nice. Turning a taper was a real chore on the Sherline. You pivoted the headstock. That meant no way to support the opposite end.
Now I have a 30-year old lathe to go with my 30-year old welders
Nice part is I sold my Sherline for $316 on ebay; about what I paid for it.
