Looking to buy a new Lathe need some advice.

Purestock22 · Jan 15, 2018

Hello all

Been lurking for a while...This is my first post so hope it's in the right/best area of the forum. I am looking a buying a new Lathe. I am a retired automotive instructor/mechanic and have experience on automotive lathes/measuring tools etc so I think my learning curve on actual operation won't be too bad. However I have no real grip on the machine's capability/tooling/metallurgy. My intended usage is strictly as a hobbyist at this point.

What I'm wanting to do is have the capability to cut down (lighten, machine off teeth,etc of some smaller automotive gears and machine some one off small parts(likely aluminum) I know the gears are hardened but I don't know what kind of tooling and lathe would be needed to accomplish this. I have machined aluminum and cast iron no problem on an a automotive lathe but hardened steel is another story. It's hard to find many machine shops here doing small jobs so I decided this might be something I can do.

I've been looking at a couple of new bench lathes. . I know next to nothing about tooling, cutters I might want. Here's an example of what I might want to do. Will either of these machines fit the bill? thanks for your input and sorry for being long winded!

DDoug · Jan 15, 2018

Please try over at:
homeshopmachinist.com

Purestock22 · Jan 15, 2018

That looks like a broken link... thanks

michiganbuck · Jan 15, 2018

Hard parts and turning off teeth might be more than a low quality small lathe can handle..What is the end product?
May be better to just make it from scratch..

jpevner · Jan 15, 2018

If they are hardened, I am not sure any lathe is going to like that. It's more of a grinding thing.

regards,

Jon P.

Purestock22 · Jan 15, 2018

The gears in the pics were some out of an old transmission I had cut down in a lathe to lighten the rotating weight in a transmission used for off road racing.

I don't know what size type of lathe was used . It's hard to find somebody who wants to deal with it though. I don't know whether the size of the job is not worth their time or the difficultly involved. Also when I say hardened I don't know exactly what classifies as "hardened steel" but automotive gears generally have some hardening process done. They grind easily but are definitely steel.

I would like to do some of this type work but I'd like to have some idea of whether either of the lathes I'm looking at would be capable of this.

steve45 · Jan 15, 2018

Try this link: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/activity.php

We're not trying to be mean or anything, but the machines you mentions are banned from discussion here. Please read the guidelines again.

You might re-phrase your question like this: What is a good entry level lathe that can perform these operations?

Good luck!

Monarchist · Jan 15, 2018

Purestock22 said:
The gears in the pics were some out of an old transmission I had cut down in a lathe to lighten the rotating weight in a transmission used for off road racing.

Good grief!

Might find greater savings faster and more cheaply if you employ a lighter driver.

Or maybe just skip breakfast.

implmex · Jan 15, 2018

Monarchist wrote:
"Or maybe just skip breakfast."

Maybe a pre-race enema as an alternative??

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
www.vancouverwireedm.com

Purestock22 · Jan 15, 2018

steve45 said:
Try this link: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/activity.php

We're not trying to be mean or anything, but the machines you mentions are banned from discussion here. Please read the guidelines again.

You might re-phrase your question like this: What is a good entry level lathe that can perform these operations?

Good luck!

I had no idea...thanks for the heads up.

Monarchist · Jan 15, 2018

implmex said:
Monarchist wrote:
"Or maybe just skip breakfast."

Maybe a pre-race enema as an alternative??

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
www.vancouverwireedm.com

Seriously.

I'm a believer in "adding lightness" on go-fast stuff.

But WTH? How to justify the tedium or the cost of narrowing hardened steel gears instead of using a whole lighter rig to begin with?

Person needs a SERIOUS lathe - carbide & ceramics capable - do do that quickly. Even so - how OFTEN is it needed, vs just hiring it done by someone who already has the machine-tools and experience for it?

DDoug · Jan 15, 2018

Monarchist said:
Good grief!

Might find greater savings faster and more cheaply if you employ a lighter driver.

Or maybe just skip breakfast.

HEY !

I resemble that remark.....

I weigh more than that lathe does..... :skep:

Limy Sami · Jan 15, 2018

digger doug said:
HEY !

I weigh more than that lathe does.....

Come on Doug, ..........you could have a perfect BMI and still weigh more than that lathe

Purestock22 · Jan 15, 2018

Monarchist said:
Seriously.

I'm a believer in "adding lightness" on go-fast stuff.

But WTH? How to justify the tedium or the cost of narrowing hardened steel gears instead of using a whole lighter rig to begin with?

Person needs a SERIOUS lathe - carbide & ceramics capable - do do that quickly. Even so - how OFTEN is it needed, vs just hiring it done by someone who already has the machine-tools and experience for it?

I wouldn't be buying a lathe for that one reason but Id like to know the lathe's limits. I wasn't aware that not all lathes wouldn't accept carbide tooling. I'm a do it yourself kinda guy and got free time on my hands. Maybe a benchtop lathe isn't up to the task. thanks

Monarchist · Jan 15, 2018

digger doug said:
HEY !

I resemble that remark.....

I weigh more than that lathe does.....

Surely HOPE so!

Told the carpenter I "donated" the new-as-of-1968 @las 6" X 18" to yesterday that I thot' it weighed 90 lbs.

I mean.. you can't get a MACHINIST to waste the energy to carry it off, even with a scrapper but a mile or so away.

cyanidekid · Jan 15, 2018

haha! thanks guys for the laugh of the day

!

my westing champ buddy would have all the best tricks to "make weight", but I'm sure there is something about "rotating mass" that the OP is trying to reduce. not sure I want to know anything about that though..

jccaclimber · Jan 15, 2018

Purestock22 said:
I wouldn't be buying a lathe for that one reason but Id like to know the lathe's limits. I wasn't aware that not all lathes wouldn't accept carbide tooling. I'm a do it yourself kinda guy and got free time on my hands. Maybe a benchtop lathe isn't up to the task. thanks

You could put it in, but more like it wouldn't be enough. Sort of like trying to put wide racing slicks on a bicycle. It costs a lot, the bike wasn't traction limited to begin with, and the constant leaning makes the wide flat tires wear out faster.

PmGRacer · Jan 15, 2018

I have cut a powdered metal hard as Kryptonite Park pawl cog for a Mopar 727 on a South Bend 400. Using carbide it was not a fun job!! Would have had been better to fixture the cog in a Suburban Master grind spinner and grind it on a surface grinder. I have tried cutting the back side of a Ford 9 Inch ring gear on my South Bend 10k- the ring gear laughed at me!! My 10k was in no way ridged enough for hard turning.

A South Bend 10k is quite a bit more stout than most small foreign jobs and it has a tough time cutting hard material. A South Bend Heavy 10 or South Bend 13 might be a little more capable. For a racer always doing something custom or off the wall, the South Bends are very capable. Using a tool post grinder might work well to cut down the teeth on main shaft gears.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

michiganbuck · Jan 15, 2018

Qt; [carbide & ceramics capable - do do that quickly.]
It is possible grinding would do it at lowest cost.(QT:jpevner post #5.)

If just reducing the diameter..

Still I am surprised gear strength is not important enough to want the full size...but that is not my field so likely you know more...

Actually I think cutting hard on a lathe is much like grinding that it gets hard stuff in the innards of the machine.Same with most older mills..they are not well designed for hard stuff machining...Yes newer mills are better designed for such.

Grinders are designed to have protection from hard grit getting in the works

Purestock22 · Jan 15, 2018

PmGRacer said:
I have cut a powdered metal hard as Kryptonite Park pawl cog for a Mopar 727 on a South Bend 400. Using carbide it was not a fun job!! Would have had been better to fixture the cog in a Suburban Master grind spinner and grind it on a surface grinder. I have tried cutting the back side of a Ford 9 Inch ring gear on my South Bend 10k- the ring gear laughed at me!! My 10k was in no way ridged enough for hard turning.

A South Bend 10k is quite a bit more stout than most small foreign jobs and it has a tough time cutting hard material. A South Bend Heavy 10 or South Bend 13 might be a little more capable. For a racer always doing something custom or off the wall, the South Bends are very capable. Using a tool post grinder might work well to cut down the teeth on main shaft gears.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I can/have ground the gears teeth with a hand grinder...Not something I can do with any kind of precision. I've had them machined before just not convenient.

Looking to buy a new Lathe need some advice.

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