Help me spend some money! :)

[mklotz]

So here's a nice weighty difficult to answer question: would I be better off spending less on accessories for the lathe and instead getting both lathe & mill and a very basic setup for each?

It's a question only you can answer but I expect you already know that.

Two thoughts to throw into your decision-making Magic 8-ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_8-Ball).

Buying your tooling slowly and incrementally as you work will minimize the possibility of buying unneeded 'glamor' tools.

Once you have a basic complement of fundamental tools the lathe/mill combination will allow you to fabricate many of the tools you need, gaining valuable experience in the process.

 

[Trizza]

Good answers, both, thanks

For only a mild increase in budget I could get the SC3 (7x16 with the brushless motor) lathe and the X1 with a pretty basic set of gear for both. So a revised shopping list:
Stuff to get initially

• Sieg SC3
• 100mm 4-jaw independent chuck & backplate
• Parting tool
• HSS blanks
• Dead centre
• Jacobs chuck & arbor for tailstock
• Center drills
• Sieg X1L
• Basic MT2 collet set
• Basic vice
• Set of parallels
• Set of end mills

I should be able to sort this lot within £1200. I just got a nice share dividend payment that covers the difference between my initial budget and this revised one For another £150 or so I could have an X2 instead of an X1.

Near future, prioritized:

• ER32 collet set, chucks for lathe & mill
• QCTP
• Face plate
• Tilting vice?

And of course the sky is the limit after that..

Hows this sounding? Again I've left out some obvious stuff like drills, taps, die, calipers etc as I already have many of those. Grinder too, since thats pretty much a given. Would it be worth getting a DTI and stand in the initial wave of purchases?

 

[kvom]

You'll need a DI or DTI to tram the vise.

A tilting vise is probably a non-important option. Many, if not most, parts can be held in a regular vise with angle set by inexpensive angle blocks or a protractor.

 

[Tin Falcon]

the disadvantage with a tilting vise is it uses valuable z axis space.

just seems to be yet another hobby rabbit hole to fall into

My son was pretty heavy into airsoft tactical games for a while. he got me into it a bit.
Like I told him my hobby can build your hobby.
the beuty of having a home shop is you can make things for the home other hobbies and tooling for the HSM and engine building.
Tin

 

[Trizza]

Off the deep end I go! Order placed. There should be a song called "While my credit card gently weeps" Now to source some materials for my first few projects. Probably a couple of bits of tooling and then a simple wobbler to start with. And I'd better clear some space in my hobby room and set up benches for the new machines

Thanks for all the fantastic advice everyone, its been invaluable! With any luck I'll have a build thread on here soon.

the beuty of having a home shop is you can make things for the home other hobbies

Sure is - my missus is heavily into knitting and wants to get into spinning. She's bought a vintage spinning wheel that could do with some replacement metal parts and some new bobbins. When I started talking about getting a lathe, she didn't roll her eyes, she said "Hey would that mean you could make a set of rosewood knitting needles for me?". Thats actually one of the reasons behind going for the 7x16 rather than a 7x12 or smaller. So I guess I'll be doing some wood turning on the lathe in the future - as much as I'd rather not, it'll definitely help keep SWMBO on board Now... how to get her to approve of the mill...

 

[Tin Falcon]

No worries triz. when I first got my 7 x10 I did a lot of pen & pencil sets. cherry , mahogany & walnut. Then did a bunch of Corian.
Like others have said if you are worried about the dust keep the shop vac on while turning. I never uses a wood rest just cut it like metal more or less with the tool in the QC tool holder. I figure the 100 plus P&P sets over time paid for the lathe, sander, and band saw.
As far as a first engine the http://npmccabe.tripod.com/mccaberunner.htm is a nice alternative to a wobbler for yer first engine. Not that there is anything wrong with a wobbler IIRC my first three or four were wobblers.
Tin

 

[Trizza]

Machines arrived today! Service from Arc Euro Trade was excellent, although it did take them a surprisingly long time to get the order despatched. The lathe's size positively surprised me - the 7x16 has a good heft and presence to it. It feels like a much more serious chunk of metal than the 7x10s I've seen.

Let the cleaning begin

 

[maverick]

Looking good Triz. I see a late night in your future playing with your new machines.

Regards,
Mike

 

[deverett]

That's an interesting lathe tool you've got there - that long black one. How you going to fit that in a small lathe?

Dave
The Emerald Isle

 

[jct842]

same mill I have. you will be ten times happier with it over a milling attachment, and money ahead in the big picture. I wish They would have had that lathe instead of the 7x12 I have. that extra length will be a lot handier than you realize right now. What you have now is the most fun that can be had with clothes on. john

 

[Trizza]

Cheers folks Only problem is they arrived a couple of days before I expected them so I haven't finished setting up the new spot in the hobby room for the mill, or clearing the space for the lathe! I'll have to finish that off and then disassemble & clean them in the storage room and cart them upstairs piece by piece.. I won't be up and running for a few days yet.

That's an interesting lathe tool you've got there - that long black one. How you going to fit that in a small lathe?

With a shoehorn!

same mill I have.

Any suggestions about mods and adjustments? Tips for the X1 seem a little thin on the ground. I think I'll have to DIY a belt drive conversion, and maybe a brushless motor upgrade.

I wish They would have had that lathe instead of the 7x12 I have. that extra length will be a lot handier than you realize right now.

I'm looking forward to finding out! The new Super C3 has a bunch of advantages over the old C3, brushless motor, tonnes of low range torque, belt drive, cam lock tailstock - this is the same as LMS's HiTorque machine but with a longer bed. Should be fun

 

[jct842]

I would take it all apart and clean it and adjust then I would tram it up and use it a bit. that mill even as it is small can do a lot. I bought the LMS belt conversion. I think I could have done it my self after seeing how simple it is. I may make a jack shaft to slow it down some and get some more low speed torque. I just got a set of 7 m2 collets. that gets you maybe 3 more inches of tool to table height. I got a cheap rotary table and have actually made some gears with it. reading just about every post here has helped broaden my knowledge. I had never even touched a milling machine before mine. I would be out there now playing with the new collets except I can not risk a cut or infection as my knee surgery is next monday and the va has been jacking me around for a year before setting the date to replace the knee. a drill chuck can be used to hold a mill cutter but is not a good idea. I used one for several years with no extreem bad results but.......my work could have been a lot better with out the chatter and so on from the drill chuck. john

 

[Trizza]

I bought the LMS belt conversion. I think I could have done it my self after seeing how simple it is.

Sadly the company that was making the conversion kits for the X1 has gone out of business, so I'll have to come up with my own I guess. Doesn't look like theres too much to it.

 

[krv3000]

HI well i need a mill you can by it i will play with it and i will send you pics of haw im looking after it for you

 

[Trizza]

First test chips made with the SC3, boy, this machine has some nice power for its size! Each of the steps in the part below were a single cut - the biggest step reduced the diameter by 2mm (~0.08"). The machine didn't seem to break a sweat, it just ate up this 6082T6. Parting was a piece of cake. Fantastic

 

[steamer]

Excellent!

Happy Chip making!

;D

Dave

 

[Drei]

Hi,

almost exactly 3 years ago i bought a weiss combination lathe. the only basic tools that i had were a dti plus holder, digital vernier, collet chuck plus 6 often used collets, parting, boring and turning tools for the lathe,vise, few drills and tapts and about 3 different endmill sizes. and the most important thing is that i had no skill since i had never used a mill or a lathe. the first project i did was the Lynx engine designed by Malcolm stride. on the way obviously i had to purchase some other tools like reamers and endmills.
i remember i often used the side of the vernier as a parall piece

but today a own some mitutoyo tools like vernier height gauge, micrometer and a dial vernier parallel pieces , block etc. and also next week the super x3 mill will arrive at the workshop finally....

above i mentioned that i owned the combination lathe. tough its a good tool for starting engine machining hobby like me, today i give advise not to buy combination lathes. this in not because that are bad quality or something, but for the reason that they are VERY limited. i am talking about the mill especially for the mill table which would be the cross slide.

Happy shopping

anderi