Hobby machinist - Is it worth starting?

[cs86]

Lately I've been really interested machining as a hobby. I've always had an interest with it, but never much of a use for it. I went to school for mechanical drafting and have always been interested with precision fitting of parts. Unfortunately the area didn't have much for jobs on the mechanical side. I still draft, but nothing needs less then a 1/16 tolerance in my current field of work so I never continued education on the high tolerance mechanical side.

With the joy of casting and all the equipment that goes along with it, I've wondered if it would be justified to get some machining equipment (lathe or mill) to machine my own parts. Such as push thru dies or sizing dies, check makers, nose punches, etc. I'm wondering if I have enough of a use for the equipment to justify starting a venture down the road of equipment and tooling.

Away from the reloading side I've tried to see if there was anything else I could find a use for this type of equipment and about the only thing I could come up with was occasionally turning down disk brakes or drums on the vehicles when needed. If I was still ranching I'm sure I'd come up with many more things to machine on occasion, but probably wouldn't have time to cast, reload or shoot .

What do you guys find yourself using your lathes or mills for on a periodic or regular basis? Is it worth it for just the shooting, reloading, and casting side?

[GOPHER SLAYER]

cs86, to even get started in building the equipment for a machinists hobby will require more money than you will ever save in doing it yourself. I had a well equipped machine shop in my garage including two lathes, milling machine, surface grinder, drill press and I had little money in any of it. The reason for that fact is simple. I the 1970s in southern California many machine shops were going out of business because the oil and aircraft industries were in deep financial trouble. This put lots of used equipment on the market. I was forced to sell all my equipment when we moved to a senior facility. Living in a less populated area as you do I doubt if you will find many machine shops going out of business. I will admit it is neat to have your own equipment. If you need a small part and you can make it yourself and that is the only way to look at it. As for saving money, it just won't happen.

[AJB]

The amount of money saved on machining projects yourself is very unlikely to be less than the cost of machinery. Most people, me included, just enjoy doing our own machine work and like all hobbies it has a cost. Still, to me it is an enjoyable hobby that I still invest in.

The most useful machine that you can buy is a lathe. Most people I know will tell you that their lathe gets used 5 times more often than a mill. With that in mind, you may want to consider a small Asian lathe to learn on and move up to larger equipment if you find that your interest grows.

[plus1hdcp]

Great question and I look forward to the replies. I am slowly treading into the hobby machinist territory myself. Is it worth it? My answer to that question has been is reloading and casting worth it? I most likely have spent more money in equipment, primers, powder, bench space, etc. than I would without loading myself. I would not dare calculate my cost per round versus off the shelf purchases. I do know the returns I have received have been priceless. I have enjoyed being able to take my children to the range to shoot customized 38sp loaded lightly to shoot in the absence of 22lr. My father who has is fighting stage IV cancer can accompany me to the range and we shoot as much as we dare to shoot. Much of this shooting is with the AR and it is comforting to know I can swage my own and shoot as we see fit. I cannot put a price on having the ability to share my hobby with my family.

The key word is hobby. My forum name is plus1hdcp which I developed from my time as an avid golfer. Golf was my hobby but it was my hobby and not my families. I can get my son down to the reloading bench from time to time. My desire with the venture into machining is to not only teach myself a thing or two while developing more tools for my hobby but hopefully have my son with me and teach him the skills also. We plan on building a small scale engine or two and see where it goes from there.

Good luck

[cs86]

As for saving money, it just won't happen.

I don't think it is for saving lots of money that I'm necessarily looking for. I might break even eventually. I think of the term "hobby" as more of a pass time with enjoyment. I consider a lot of my shooting as more of a hobby, and getting to be quite the expensive one. Machining would add to this hobby, but would it add enough to be practical or beneficial. A 20k lathe or mill is not practical for me, but 1-3k might be, which probably only scratches the surface of the machine itself.

I'm trying to find other means to justify investing into something like this. Like maybe some of you guys might be rebuilding cars and find that you use a mill or lathe all the time make parts that are hard to find or expensive. Or, you have a relative that likes to play with model planes and you can work on parts for the engines.

The key word is hobby. My forum name is plus1hdcp which I developed from my time as an avid golfer. Golf was my hobby but it was my hobby and not my families. I can get my son down to the reloading bench from time to time. My desire with the venture into machining is to not only teach myself a thing or two while developing more tools for my hobby but hopefully have my son with me and teach him the skills also. We plan on building a small scale engine or two and see where it goes from there.

Stuff like this ^

I think part of the thrill is I get to learn something new!

The most useful machine that you can buy is a lathe. Most people I know will tell you that their lathe gets used 5 times more often than a mill. With that in mind, you may want to consider a small Asian lathe to learn on and move up to larger equipment if you find that your interest grows.

That was my same thought.

[454PB]

If you shop around (Craig's List, etc.), you can find something that will fill your needs. For the casual hobbyist, one of the Asian combo Lathe, milling machine, drill press serves well. I found mine this way, and have less than $700 invested, which includes some additional tooling I bought.

[bangerjim]

Start out with a lathe. A lathe is the only tool that can make parts for itself! I have done it many times in years past. There is a current thread on here about modern Asian lathes you should read. HIGH QUALITY Asian lathes is the key!!!!!

I have a FULL machine shop and I can make and repair just about ANYTHING I need or want. I look at it as I do casting and loading.......do I save money...heck no! Do I enjoy it...YES. Is it relaxing....YES. Is it nice to know I can make anything that floats around in my head? YES and YES.

All my friends know of my "shops" and skills and do pester me to "fix this" or "turn this part" or I lost this, can you make one for me?".

You will need a significant pile of money to establish a full working accurate (key word) shop from scratch. I have been building mine since 1973 and adding and improving on it all the time.

Model making shops can be set up on a fairly small budget using Sherline and other small precision lathes and mills. They have their place in the hobby world. Saw a video on-line of a guy that built a complete mini machine shop..........in a closet in his apartment! He made parts for small things...precision parts. Not loading dies or gun barrels.

I do not make any gun parts or press parts or swaging dies at all or mess with ANY car parts! (I lease all my cars!). Although I easily could. All my machining is for scientific instrument repairs and reproductions and antique clock repair. And anything else that pops up that needs fixed around the company or house. I have never found anything I could not make which gives me a lot of warm fuzzies. I have made custom parts for some of my industrial customers when they were in a bind.

Example of $$ involved..............I bought (a long time ago) my vertical mill for around $1.2K. Since then I have probably spend $8K on all the tooling, rotary tables, dividing heads, attachments, etc. I now have 3 mills. (All tooling & accessories are interchangeable!). Same with the 5 metal lathes I have. Many $$ involved in tooling and accessories. And that does not even include all the metrology measuring and precision gauges you need to do precision work. I have a whole closet full of those. For me, precision is a ¼ thousandth of an inch.

1/16 of an inch will not cut it in metalworking.

Metalworking is not like woodworking (which I do a lot of in my wood shop and keep tolerances down in the thousands also). If you mess up, you cannot just glue a piece in the hole and start over or slop glue in a poor-fitting joint! Or crank a clamp down tighter while the glue sets!

Lathes and mills and surface grinders and the such are really fun and a great hobby. Don't plan on making a whole lot of money from them unless you are trained machinist. It is just fun and relaxation.

"Anytime a hobby starts to not be fun.......it becomes a JOB!" Thanks, but I have one of those already!!!!!!!

Best of luck on your future endeavors in the world of metal working!

bangerjim

[cs86]

If you shop around (Craig's List, etc.), you can find something that will fill your needs.

Been looking. I haven't found anything quite what I was looking for yet.

[oldred]

What you will quickly find is that home machining is a hobby that is limited only by your imagination (and of course your wallet!) as it will open up doors of opportunity you never even dreamed of! When my wife and I settled on our farm I found myself needing a torch and welder and of course general shop tools in order to keep our farm equipment going, this was the type of work I had just retired from anyway so it was a natural. Almost immediately I discovered the need for a lathe and taking everything into consideration I was sure a small lathe was all I needed so I bought a New Jet 9x20 and was happy -for a while! I was bitten by the home machining bug and there is no cure for the disease that follows, I found myself doing and building things I had never even thought about before so before long I was in the market for a much bigger lathe. I soon found myself doing little jobs for my neighbors and other farmers that for me has grown into a fairly profitable sideline that has more than paid for the equipment, however even without doing that and just absorbing 100% of the cost this is still the most rewarding hobby I have ever tried. The farm equipment work almost immediately turned to tinkering with my guns and that very soon morphed into building entire rifles from scratch. The point is if you are interested in this type of thing, and obviously you are or you wouldn't be asking, then you OWE it to yourself to at least try it out. Taking a class at a tech school would be an ideal way to get started but I realize that's not practical for a lot of folks but if you can get any "hands on" experience anywhere I am sure you will be convinced in short order. The sky is the limit with this hobby and it's just something you have to experience yourself to fully appreciate, one way or the other you need to put this curiosity to rest and turn it into experience, the longer you wait the more you are cheating yourself!

I have met and known many machinists that thoroughly enjoy the art, and that's what it is, but I have never known or heard tell of anyone who got into this hobby and regretted it!

[cs86]

it will open up doors of opportunity you never even dreamed of!

That's what I'm kind of hoping for.

Taking a class at a tech school would be an ideal way to get started but I realize that's not practical for a lot of folks but if you can get any "hands on" experience anywhere I am sure you will be convinced in short order.

Thinking about it. Not sure it will work with my full time job and don't really want to spend the money, but could see how it would be well worth it.

building entire rifles from scratch

That sounds like fun!

[sdcitizen]

As a fellow Black Hills resident, I know what you mean about not finding much used on craigslist, etc. You should go down to Industrial Secondhand, its on Dyess avenue north of the interstate. That guy has scads of used machine equipment, and is willing to deal if you find something you like. Much better prices than Shoener's Machine. I only have a small 7x12 mini lathe, and its pretty surprising how many things can be made on such a small machine. I also just do it as a hobby, most of the things I make is for reloading/guns, but even the ability to make the odd custom bushing for other projects is nice.

[Jeff Michel]

Old Red in post #9 nailed it. You will never live long enough to learn all there is to learn when it comes to machining. Start in and make some chips, get a couple reference books. Machinery handbook is the one everyone recommends, but I'm not sure why. Definitely not for a novice machinist. Check out the workshop practice series, they are available through Amazon. They are geared for people just starting out. You will hit a learning wall eventually, and you will find it difficult to climb over or go around. This is the time for classes. At some point it just won't make sense and the additional knowledge will allow you to proceed. If you can get a mentor that will be an enormous help to you on the occasions you get stuck. It is doubtful you can find a more rewarding hobby.

[oldred]

I too have to wonder about the worth of the Machinery handbook for a hobbyist, for sure it has a wealth of information for a pro or an engineer but about all I have ever used mine for was just finding simple info that is available MUCH cheaper and free on the 'net. Not saying it's not worth the cost for all that tech info because I'm sure it is but someone starting out trying to learn the basics will almost certainly find this publication rather useless.

This one however is the classic and it most certainly is useful to a beginner, it has the answers to the common questions of "How do I,,,"!

http://www.amazon.com/How-To-Run-Lat.../dp/1603864679

Cheap too!!


Another good one,

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Lathewor..._bxgy_14_img_z

[HollowPoint]

I've been tinkering with stuff since I was in elementary school. Buying a lathe and a mill was just a natural progression. I started out with a cheap little harbor freight mini-mill and mini-lathe. It was quite a step up from shaping metal with a hacksaw and metal files. These entry-level toys/tools is what I learned my basic machining skills from.

In the back of my mind; even back when I was a kid, my ultimate goal for my projects was to dream them up, draw them up and machine them up. Now days I've been longing to buy a 3D printer to add to my dreams.

If you have a similar dream, you have to start somewhere, otherwise procrastination will rob you of more and more of your time on this earth.

HollowPoint

[oldred]

I would STRONGLY recommend starting out with at least a 12" swing, preferably one of the common 12x36 models, if buying an import -or even "old iron" for that matter. The quality of the 12"+ machines is like night and day compared to the smaller mini lathes, even the extremely popular 9x20 ( the same machine is also sold as a more realistic 9x19) that is sold under a bunch of different brand names comes up severely lacking for all but basic work. These little machines normally only power feed in one direction (when you can even keep the feed working!) and normally the cross feed is only a manual setup. They have many other shortcomings but of course the physical size of the work is the biggest headache unless it is only used for very small projects, still they can be useful IF a person is willing to accept their limitations. From 12" swing on up these import lathes are normally much better built with most having a quick-change gearbox, wide selection of speeds and feeds (in both directions including the cross slide), Imperial and Metric threading capability and of course the ability to accept much larger projects. Used imports in this price range can be found at some really good prices and even new they won't break the bank but unfortunately they seem to have undergone substantial price increases in just the last couple of years. If you are fortunate enough to find one of the old American or European built industrial machines at an affordable price and not worn out then they can be a good buy, a hobbyist would likely never wear one out and they will only increase in value as time goes by, good luck finding one of these old beasts however!

[alamogunr]

I'm not a machinist but when I was working as a manufacturing engineer, I used Machinery Handbook quite often. But in all honesty, only about 5% was useful to me. Back when I started, the internet was not even a word, so the "handbook" was about the only source of data and information.

I wish I had taken up lathe operation as a hobby along with several other skills. Too many other things take up my time now and time is getting shorter every day. If you are under 70, I would encourage anyone who has a "hankerin" to dive in.

[bangerjim]

In my occupation I use both Machinery Handbook and Chemistry Handbook regularly. But as said, if not in an engineering curriculum, chances are you will not utilize to the fullest.

Watch for older copies in junk stores! Found one for a friend for $2......was only 8 years old. Things do not change THAT much.

If all you need is drill sizes and thread info, get it off the web.

bangerjim

[oldred]

If you are under 70, I would encourage anyone who has a "hankerin" to dive in.

And the sooner the better!

[alamogunr]

I'm a book junkie and several years ago I ran across a Machinery Handbook published in England in 1940. Considering it's age, it was in very good condition. I could just see it being used in the war effort over there. I'm sure that much of the content is the same as now.

[bhop]

I'm a book junkie and several years ago I ran across a Machinery Handbook published in England in 1940. Considering it's age, it was in very good condition. I could just see it being used in the war effort over there. I'm sure that much of the content is the same as now.

1 inch 75 years ago is still 1 inch today lol.