Why do people buy massive lathes for their home shop?

greenthing · Nov 4, 2021

Sometimes I'll see people online with massive lathes in their home shop like a 13" by 40", sometimes even bigger. I'm just wondering what could you possibly need from a lathe that size? Obviously I don't have a problem with it, I think it's cool (and I'm slightly jealous) but I'm just perplexed because I've never needed to make anything that big.

What size do you have in your home shop?

plastikdreams · Nov 4, 2021

Sometimes you gotta buy what's available...it's always better to have more machine than you need than coming up an inch short.

CarbideBob · Nov 4, 2021

The price difference in used or actions is often not that much more.

beckerkumm · Nov 4, 2021

The best deals are on machines too heavy for most to lift.

Dave

Finegrain · Nov 4, 2021

Since when is 13x40 a massive lathe?

Regards.

Mike

plastikdreams · Nov 4, 2021

Finegrain said:
Since when is 13x40 a massive lathe?

Regards.

Mike

In hsh land its a behemoth!

Garwood · Nov 4, 2021

greenthing said:
Sometimes I'll see people online with massive lathes in their home shop like a 13" by 40", sometimes even bigger. I'm just wondering what could you possibly need from a lathe that size? Obviously I don't have a problem with it, I think it's cool (and I'm slightly jealous) but I'm just perplexed because I've never needed to make anything that big.

What size do you have in your home shop?

On what planet is a 13X40 a massive lathe?

nearly everything I do would be too big or too slow for a lathe that size.

My little lathe is 18" x 30". My long lathe is 20" x 120" and my big swing lathe is my 4" HBM. In theory it could swing 17 feet diameter if I move the bridge crane out of the way so the part is unobstructed to the 20' ceiling. The lowest speed is 17 RPM though, so going past about 7' diameter is pushing the SFM limits for steel.

I know people that have home shops that make my little place look small.

Homebrewblob · Nov 4, 2021

16x84 southbend here, in a 2 car garage. Was just wishing I had a lathe that could swing my brothers 26” rim to true up that lip he bashed on a curb.

greenthing · Nov 4, 2021

beckerkumm said:
The best deals are on machines too heavy for most to lift.View attachment 333718 Dave

I can see that, most people probably can't fit or maneuver a 8000lb Cincinnati/Monarch into their garage

plastikdreams said:
Sometimes you gotta buy what's available...it's always better to have more machine than you need than coming up an inch short.

Yeah but what do people make with them? Every video I've seen it's people making knobs and screws like so https://youtu.be/vg6ug0FDhos lol

greenthing · Nov 4, 2021

Garwood said:
On what planet is a 13X40 a massive lathe?

nearly everything I do would be too big or too slow for a lathe that size.

My little lathe is 18" x 30". My long lathe is 20" x 120" and my big swing lathe is my 4" HBM. In theory it could swing 17 feet diameter if I move the bridge crane out of the way so the part is unobstructed to the 20' ceiling. The lowest speed is 17 RPM though, so going past about 7' diameter is pushing the SFM limits for steel.

I know people that have home shops that make my little place look small.

Holy moly, do you live in a Home Depot?

What do you make with it? Drive axles?

dalmatiangirl61 · Nov 4, 2021

13x40 is barely into the usable size imho, anything smaller is a toy, but I'd add some toys to my collection at the right price.

plastikdreams · Nov 4, 2021

greenthing said:
I can see that, most people probably can't fit or maneuver a 8000lb Cincinnati/Monarch into their garage

Yeah but what do people make with them? Every video I've seen it's people making knobs and screws like so https://youtu.be/vg6ug0FDhos lol

My point was, sometimes ya buy what ya can get. Say there's 3 lathes available, 2 are smallish but clapped out, one is really nice but is on the larger side...

Rex TX · Nov 4, 2021

Maybe "just because I want it"

In 2019 I helped my best friend's widow liquidate his estate, primarily his machine tools. His prize was a gorgeous Bradford 15x40 lathe in near perfect condition, moved like silk. An 80 year old man with heart issues showed up to load it on a 5x10 trailer. I sent him home for another trailer. Next day we spent hours winching that monster into a horse trailer. He also bought a nice pantograph, and added on a beautiful Harding BB4 I had lovingly restored. He spent over $6000 for the lot.
A few weeks later I drove 100 miles to take him a part that had been dropped off his trailer. When I got there I was horrified to see all three machines sitting out in the weather, standing water in the chip trays, already covered in rust. I was sick. He wasn't bothered to even throw a tarp over them.
Some people buy things because they can.

mnl · Nov 4, 2021

A 13”x40” is an awkward size. In my hierarchy it would go something like: small instrument lathe, I.e. Lorch, Schaublin, then bigger instrument lathe 10ee or hlvh, next step from there would be 17” to 20”. The 13x 40 doesn’t fit, too big for the small work and too small for most else.

greenthing · Nov 4, 2021

Homebrewblob said:
16x84 southbend here, in a 2 car garage. Was just wishing I had a lathe that could swing my brothers 26” rim to true up that lip he bashed on a curb.

How much does a lathe like that increase your power bill?

greenthing · Nov 4, 2021

Rex TX said:
Maybe "just because I want it"

Yeah I didn't mean it in a confrontational way since I know a lot of people nowadays are control freaks. I was more prying for ideas to justify to myself maybe buying a bigger lathe... :scratchchin:

plastikdreams · Nov 4, 2021

greenthing said:
Yeah I didn't mean it in a confrontational way since I know a lot of people nowadays are control freaks. I was more prying for ideas to justify to myself maybe buying a bigger lathe...

Maybe just because you want it

DavidScott · Nov 4, 2021

plastikdreams said:
In hsh land its a behemoth!

hsh???????

Rex TX · Nov 4, 2021

I see people buying bigger lathes if they have a hobby farm and need to fix things occasionally.
I see people buying a bigger lathe than they wanted just to get a bigger spindle bore. Or they think they can justify it by turning brake rotors (bad idea)

Surely someone will say "You can make small stuff on a big lathe, but you can't make big parts on a little lathe". True, up to a point, but I don't want to make firing pin on a 16" lathe. Too much mass spinning close to my near-sighted forehead. I keep a good 7" lathe for that stuff.
I do most of what I need on a 9" Logan.
I have a lovely 11" Powermatic Logan but I almost never need even that much capacity. I just can't bring myself to sell it.

plastikdreams · Nov 4, 2021

DavidScott said:
hsh???????

Home shop Harry

It's a household name

Why do people buy massive lathes for their home shop?

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