Harbor Freight 25% off July 4th - time for a 7" x 12" mini lathe

[MrWolf]

Based upon advise from fellow members (thanks Prospector Howard and Cane_Man), I think I will order the 7"x12" mini lathe for $450 after coupon. What do you folks think as I will basically use it for making dies, tinkering, etc? I heard with a few modifications such as a 4" chuck, they can be decent machines for the money.

[Forrest r]

Sharp tools/drill bits, a slow feed and some imagination is all's that needed to get one of these hobby lathe's to be able to make a wide verity dies, nose forming dies, punches, sizing dies or other pieces & parts.

[Twmaster]

Having owned an HF lathe like that I strongly suggest you save your money and buy a real lathe.

You would be better served by the 8x12 lathe HF sells if you are hell bent on getting a lathe and using the discount offer. You are going to spend a lot of time and heartburn trying to get that 7x machine to cut well. Learning to use a lathe on a machine that is as poor quality as that will be an exercise in frustration.

Buying machine tools based on low price is a recipe for disaster.

[Artful]

7x12 3.2 stars by customer review http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-...the-93799.html
8x12 4.6 stars by customer review http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-...the-44859.html

save up and wait for next coupon when you can afford a good one.

[MrWolf]

I had not considered the 8x12 - looking at it and some of the reviews on the net it seems to be a decent machine for the price. Problem is my truck just went down with a rusted out frame (my brake lines kept rusting out and blowing) so I may end up waiting and getting the better tool. I do agree with buying better quality and for the $300 difference it makes sense. Like most everyone else I have to convince the wife I need the tool

[Cane_man]

looks like a good deal and it will get you in the game Wolf, but as Forest says above sharp cutting tools and drill bits, and i will add materials that turn easily such as 12L14, 41L40, annealed O1, etc. you will also want a bench grinder to sharpen cutting tools, and i cheat and use the Drill Doctor for sharpening drill bits

this is a great site that will give you some fantastic insights on setting up your machine:

"Varmint Al's Mini Lathe Page" http://varmintal.com/alath.htm

[Nickle]

Before you buy that Harbor Freight machine, check this one out.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-...al-Lathe/G8688

[MrWolf]

Good read Cane - thanks

[MrWolf]

Thanks for all the input. I have a lot of reading to do to figure out which lathe will do what I need it to do.

[customcutter]

MrWolf,

I haven't owned a 7X10. I have owned an Atlas 10X36. It got very little use because it was not a quick change gear box, nor did I have the change gears for it to do threading. That being said, I would suggest that you buy as much lathe as you can afford, and also have room for. Some people have done amazing work on 7X10's and there are a ton of mods you can do to them. I wanted to upgrade my Atlas a couple of years ago, so I started watching CL. I found several 12-14 inch Logans, South Bends, etc from $1000-$2000. After almost a year I found a very lightly used 14X40 Birmingham with lots of tooling advertised for $1000. I was the first caller, the seller said he would take $700 and a used HighPoint .40. I drove 2 hours one way to pick it up that afternoon. I could probably sell it for $2500 today with the tooling I got with it.

20% coupons are common at HF. Is the extra $30 for a 25% coupon worth jumping on the deal? Do you have the time and ability to search for a deal on a good used lathe? I got to where I was checking CL every afternoon several times a day.

A new small lathe, or a used worn out lathe, is better than no lathe at all.

I see the 7X10's for sale on CL from $100-300 depending on condition. So you can get some of your money back out it if you decide to buy a new one, and then decide to upgrade.

good luck,
CC

EDIT: Sorry, should have been 7X12

[Nickle]

CC is right.

I mentioned that Grizzly lathe, as I own one of those, that's my small table top machine. The other is a much larger Craftsman, older, not here, but I do the real gunsmithing on that one, and the die making and case work on the Grizzly. The Grizzly machine is Chinese, but seems to be OK. Worst case scenario, it's going to be good enough for case work.

[Cane_man]

Wolf, if i could afford it i would do as cc recommends, the only reason i have the 7x12 is because that is what i could afford... i wish i had more power and it was more stable and larger, but i gots what i gots and i make it work somehow but a larger better made lathe would make it much easier

[nhrifle]

The thing with the small lathes like the one you are looking at is that the potential is there. I have one and can do things on it that several machinists have told me can't be done. With the right tooling, I can cut inconel and similar alloys, turn a cylinder and keep taper on a 6" length within .0005", cut and bore steel that will laugh at the best files, and so forth. The cuts I can take are relatively small and change over for threading is more work than if I had a quick change gear box. It took some work to get it to cut like this, but can be done. Out of the box it chattered and did a generally poor job. If you are willing to put some time and effort into refining and fine tuning it, that lathe will cut anything you can fit through the spindle bore or into the chuck.

[Prospector Howard]

Mrwolf, This is a tough call and i thought about it myself for awhile and looked at used lathes off craigslist and just got sick of thinking about it. I decided that I wanted something new, (after looking at all the junk people were trying to sell); and even the small hobby lathe will do what I wanted it to do. So I went to HF with a 7/8 -14 nut and made sure the small 3 jaw chuck was big enough to tighten down on it -yep. Out the door for $400 plus tax and extended warranty (good idea considering everything). I figured the main problem was getting a lemon and so I bought what they carry in the store, got an extended warranty and if anything went wrong I could take it right back and get a new one and i'd be back in business in a matter of hours, (instead of months on something you have to order). I've been pleasantly surprised at how well it's worked for me, and i didn't get a lemon. Like Forrest said, good tools and bits help alot. I do wish that the one they carry in the store was slightly bigger, bit I also kind of like it not being too big and heavy so I can move it around easy. I'm not a machinist nor do I play one on TV, but it's worked for me. And like CC said, any lathe is better than no lathe at all, (by a long shot).

[newcastter]

I too was considering buying that lathe but after carful review and research and the help of many on the forum including CC I have decided to hold out and wait for a deal on a older larger model, I am watching Craigslist daily hoping for a steal to pop up.
There are plenty of bad reviews on this model lathe you are looking at and very few good ones I would seriously reconsider your purchase. But if you do go with please keep us all informed of your first hand experience.
Howard please keep us updated on your satisfaction of the lathe.

[Twmaster]

Good work can be done on the 7" chinese lathes. The lathe needs a handful of modifications to really make up for the poor fit and cr ap engineering of some parts.

I had the Red HF 7x10 lathe. It was cr ap. I have a Cummins 7x12 that has been completely worked over. While it still has problems it's much better than the stock HF lathe. I use it for small work and it now does acceptable cuts.

The biggest issue with these machines is mass. They are too light for the amount of work you often see folks trying to do. The main advantage of the 8x12 lathe mentioned is mass. It weighs in at about 250 pounds where the 7" is less than 100. I can easily pick up and carry my 7x lathe away.


Second biggest issue is a design flaw. The carriage retaining system on these lathes in one word, SUCKS. You either have to make and fit a set of shims or make a set of adjustable retainers. I can guarantee you out of the box these little lathes will not be set up correctly. The next issue is fit and finish of the dovetails on the compound and cross slide. They use cast iron gibs and these are usually warped. Straightening the gibs and lapping them and the dovetails is a must.

A carriage lock is a must. There's so much more that needs to be done that I'd be writing a book in this space.

One option I did not mention is the Taig Micro Lathe.

If you are mostly going to work on cartridge cases and not planning on doing any thread cutting these lathes cannot be beat for price and performance. They are truly precision machines. You can buy the basic lathe in kit form for about $150 or assembled for less than $200. You can add all the accessories you want from there. They also offer full kits with motors etc. the nice thing about going this route is you can add accessories and tooling as you need it rather than plunking a bunch of cash down at one time.

This dealer: Nick Carter (http://www.cartertools.com/catalog.html) offers 10% off the listed prices for almost all the items in the Taig catalog.

As others have pointed out if you are patient and pay attention to your local classified adds you may be able to find a good used machine at an attractive price. Just be ready to jump now. Be wary of buying a clapped out machine.

Sorry for the lengthy post. Just wanted to point out the pitfalls as I've been there and made most of the new machinery owner mistakes.

[Gliden07]

I got real lucky I was given a Atlas 618! No tooling, change gears or motor. I'm gonna get it going one of these days! I have no idea how a metal lathe works but want to learn can any of you guys in the know tell me a book that would get me some basics?

[sprinkintime]

If it was me I would save up just a little more and find a South Bend or Atlas that has a Quick Change Box, in decent condition and this should last you for years. I have used both and still using the South Bend it is a 9x42, I have made many dies on it. The only change I did was put on a Collet chuck so I could use 5C collets. Hope this helps a little.
Sprink

[Twmaster]

I got real lucky I was given a Atlas 618! No tooling, change gears or motor. I'm gonna get it going one of these days! I have no idea how a metal lathe works but want to learn can any of you guys in the know tell me a book that would get me some basics?

The 618 is a decent basic light machine. Change gears can be found on eBay. A great book to get you started can be downloaded here:

http://www.bbssystem.com/manuals/Lathe-Tutorial.pdf (The Text Book of Turning, by Hercus) I found this to be better than the South Bend or Atlas books.

If it was me I would save up just a little more and find a South Bend or Atlas that has a Quick Change Box, in decent condition and this should last you for years. I have used both and still using the South Bend it is a 9x42, I have made many dies on it. The only change I did was put on a Collet chuck so I could use 5C collets. Hope this helps a little.

The biggest problem with that strategy is finding a machine that is not clapped out and is reasonably priced. It's not like you can just find them everywhere and as time marches on fewer of these are still around.

Something else. Unless you are going to be turning different thread pitches throughout the day, a Quick Change gearbox is a luxury. Normal change gear machines will still do the jobs. Changing gears is NOT hard.

Just so I am clear here. I am not advocating any one brand, age or origin for a machine. I'm just trying to make it clear that buying a machine is not a trivial or easy thing. Many things need to be considered. Sadly too many go buy a lathe and figure they'll be making masterpieces or aerospace quality parts in no time. Yes, I am being the cold fish of reality.

[MrWolf]

Thanks for all the responses and thoughts. I have decided to wait and get a used machine. I've already found a 1950's commercial grade Atlas Metal Lathe, 1/3 hp, 4' work area with items for sale in my town. Already contacted seller who is the son selling Dad's tools as he is going into retirement home to get more details and what is included. I will know more in about three weeks. Won't know if $1300 is fair until I see what everything is, but from pics I did see machine looks maintained. Once I get more details I will post for opinions as I obviously do not know what I am doing at this stage