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chance to get a W & S 1.A turret lathe for $900

451johnny

Plastic
Joined
Jul 7, 2016
hi everybody I used to be a machinist some 35 years ago and now that im retired I want to turn my two car ( detached ) garage into a small machine shop for a hobby and also to make a couple of bucks on the side and I have the chance to buy a Warner & Swasey 1A turret lathe in good running condition for $900..would this lathe be an over kill for a small shop like mine ?? I know I have to run a 3 phase line which is no problem and Im also getting some tooling with it..?? johnny
 
Does not sound like 6000 lbs of PRODUCTION lathe with "some" tooling is going to be much fun. These things REQUIRED great piles of tooling. Get yourself their book on tooling aptly titled TOOLS - it will give you an idea of where you are headed if you go this route.

Such machines were intended to make lots of the same part - not much handiness or versatility

hi everybody I used to be a machinist some 35 years ago and now that im retired I want to turn my two car ( detached ) garage into a small machine shop for a hobby and also to make a couple of bucks on the side and I have the chance to buy a Warner & Swasey 1A turret lathe in good running condition for $900..would this lathe be an over kill for a small shop like mine ?? I know I have to run a 3 phase line which is no problem and Im also getting some tooling with it..?? johnny
 
Good running 1A as starter machine ....I like it

I think it depends on your level of comittment to the shop project , and the general direction you want to go
as well as how much $$ you want to spend. I would dearly love to have a 1A especially if it was a 3" bore ...they made also 2.5 hole.
Power tends to be a big issue ,,,,,since you have 3 phase available ,and its just a matter of running wires you are far ahead ...it would be hard to find an inverter for $1000 that would run it. OTOH $900 might get you a 12" craftsman lathe that you could do small stuff with and probably would cut threads. Do you want to do larger work ...or smaller work ? Things will go much faster in starting up with a smaller machine, however you seem to be somewhat hopefull that this is what you want. This thing will hog metal and do cutoffs and drilling like crazy. Probably does not have the threading attchment.....I am about to rig somthing up like Hardinge uses ....master follower...have been looking for the threading attachment stuff a long time. You can cut metal and turn diameters with very little tooling, and you can adapt most turret tooling from smaller machines....bu making bushings
 
You guys have to be crazy to even consider something like this. A turret lathe takes half a day to set up for one part then you manhandle it for the next six weeks doing some simple job. Not at all what you want for home. Not at all what you want for production anymore, either.

Why not go all the way and get an 0AC for home ? That'd be useful ... not !
 
Well ...a start is a start . he says he wants to make money at his homeshop hobby . Probably one percent of home shop guys with easy set up homeshop lathes even pay back for their investment. Find guys that you can help ....all those guys with small screw cutting lathes and find the ones that want to help you . begin trading work. Get one drill chuck and begin to do what you can with what you have...make bushings for your turret for center drills and drill , research and make a couple floating reamer holders.....get ONE reamer and learn how to make close tolerance bushings....learn to use this machines amazing capabilitys ....you can do SO MUCH with 1) just a cut off tool 2) a couple handground bits in the crosslide 3) one drill chuck make several boring bars of different diameters and lengths , with bushings . Your success in making money depends on decveloping contacts, you will find ppl that admire your persistance and work ethic . who will loan you tools as you establish yourself as reliable and trustworthy . Get ahold of Joe Martins book "making Money The Old fashioned way" ...how he built the Sherline machine tool company up from the ground. Your lathe ....if you get it turning can do a huge variety of important ..but simple larger work with VERY LITTLE tooling. Lots and lots of guys are out there that can thread your sized and center driled larger pieces they wouldnt do the job bc the piece wouldnt got hrough their headstock . Warner Swaseys are AMAZING machines very fast to set up on simple jobs ...really faster than an enging lathe because you will have a drill chuck and two larger bits and a boring bar already mounted two or three bits in the squair turret cutoff tool already in the back upside down . At each point focus on the work you can do with you have and DO IT !
 
Lets not be to crazy.. Turret lathes can be setup on a part in < hr. On the other hand A 1A is a bit big in the garage but reasonable. Tooling is more rare and almost needs shipped on pallets rather than a flat rate box like a 3. My turret lathes pay for themselves atleast every month.
 
Don't forget the other part of this equation, you need to have someone to buy what you make. Scout around for prospective clients before committing to this. These machines are not much fun to run, you become the robot that feeds it and you will be covered with cutting oil.

Tom
 
Digger, do they earn their keep?

They've kept the floor from flying away in high winds for going on 10 years now.....

Pretty good condition, make good parts, I've amassed much tooling and collets
for them (all organized on shelves for quick set-up).

But no, waiting until I have more time to get some work for them
 








 
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