Thinking of buying a Lathe

Evening all, I'm hoping for some advice on which Lathe to buy.
I have never owned or used a lathe before, but have been thinking for some time, that it might be useful to have one.
I'm not wanting to get a big one, a table top one, is what I am thinking.
Not wanting to spending a lot, but equally, don't wanting to buy one that will not be any good.

Can anyone give me a few pointers on what to consider when looking at different models and makes, what might be useful features to have.

If anyone can help, that would be appreciated.

Charlie

Hi Charlie
I would think the best thing to do is look on ebay
decide what you want to spend and see what is around for sale
you cant go wrong with a myford but they can be pricey
don't rule out the budge stuff like warco as they are very good now a days
I have a warco BH900 lathe and major mill and have done a lot of work with them and they have done everything asked of
them and more
mark

Hi Charlie

I've just bought a lathe. I looked at quite a few second hand lathes before deciding to buy new. Lathes get a lot of use near to the chuck and the bed tends to wear in this area and can chatter when in use but if you try to adjust the long travel will bind when moved towards the tail stock. Cheap second hand lathes tend to be cheap for a reason. There are probably lots of goods lathes out there but try before you buy.

I hope the above helps.

Cheers

Simon

Axminster do a nice range of reasonably priced lathes, probably worth a look to give You an idea of prices for good basic quality!

Regards,
Tony

1. Think what you actually want to do now and in the future. Small lathes are very nice, but not really very robust.
2. Think of all the accessories that are essential for the use of a lathe. When you buy a Chinese lathe they normally come with the extra bits.
3. Buying a lathe is only the first step. You will have to invest in cutting tools, drills and measuring devices.
4. Think about if you want Metric or Imperial.( I went for Metric as a first choice.)
5. Think if you will need a Milling attachment on the lathe? It will give you an "extra string to your bow".
It makes all the difference having a Lathe/Mill at home as you can take on different projects!

Thank you all very much for your advise. Got quite a lot to think about and to consider, will look at the lathes with more detail, to what it can do, the mill part, is a good idea.

Thanks very much.

Charlie

What ever size you buy, one day, it will be too small! I am now up to an 18inch capability, but I still use my 6" lathe for really little jobs. Chris

Thanks Chris, I'm looking at getting an Axminster Series C4A Bench Lathe, it has a capability of 16".
Not to small or to big for my first lathe.

I have a Boxford AUD and a Colchester 1800. The Boxford is my favourite and it's way better than a Myford. It's heritage is in industrial machining so it's a properly built machine able to do a hard days work. I've always been very disappointed with Myfords, they wimp out before tools get a chance to actually work, especially carbide. I'm a turner by trade.

Thanks for those two options, will take a look at them.
As it will be my first lathe, don't want to waste my money, if its not right for me.
I'm getting a book called, "Basic Lathe Work" by Stan Bray, I'm hoping that will help with the terminology and what to look for when buying a lath.

That's a good book to buy, in my opinion. The Workshop Practice series is generally good. Some bits outdated now, particularly the earliest ones.