Opinions on Lathe

[CJ Brown]

I am toying with the idea of getting a lathe...

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/petawawa/lathe-craftex-ct039-mini-lathe/1313978184

These hobby lathes pop up for sale locally from time to time. Are they up to the task of base cutting, squish band cutting, and crankshaft machining?

And how do you guys disguise your lathes to look like a ladies shoe rack??

 

[mdavlee]

That looks like the grizzly I had. It worked for what I needed.

 

[CJ Brown]

The lathe in the link has a 4" - 3 jaw chuck. It also has a 4 jaw chuck. Is a 4" chuck big enough, or would a 6" chuck be more suitable?

 

[huskihl]

The lathe in the link has a 4" - 3 jaw chuck. It also has a 4 jaw chuck. Is a 4" chuck big enough, or would a 6" chuck be more suitable?

4" is fine. See what size the lathe is. Most consider 9x19 a minimum, but a few notable builders used a 7x14 for years

 

[huskihl]

I just looked. It's a 9x19.
Price is a little high, given the lack of tooling provided with it. But that could also mean that it hasn't been used much

 

[CJ Brown]

Thank you Kevin and Mike. I am not too serious about that particular lathe, but wanted to know what I should consider a bare minimum for size and you guys answered that for me. Much appreciated!

 

[CJ Brown]

And remember that price is Canuckbucks - about $530 usd.

 

[Basher]

I am toying with the idea of getting a lathe...

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/petawawa/lathe-craftex-ct039-mini-lathe/1313978184

These hobby lathes pop up for sale locally from time to time. Are they up to the task of base cutting, squish band cutting, and crankshaft machining?

And how do you guys disguise your lathes to look like a ladies shoe rack??

Paint it pink, they won`t even notice it.

 

[Canadian farm boy]

Looks like a good lathe Chris. That's about half of new price here plus it comes with a few extras.

 

[CJ Brown]

Thanks Mike. At this point it's just an idea. But we all know where that leads to...

I have a bunch ideas I would like to experiment with and they aren't going to happen unless I have a lathe. It's looking like my hunting days might be coming to an end, so I could use my hunting funds to buy a lathe at some point. Might take my mind off of slaughtering defenseless animals .

 

[Warped5]

There are a lot of these lathe out there under various labels. Grizzly has been mentioned ... Jet is another one. There were also sold at HF for a time.

They are exactly what they seem to be .... a hobbyist-level machine. But if you spend enough time reading the online forums, they can really be improved with a little bit of work. IIRC, two of the weak spots are the tool post base and the nylon gearing.

 

[Mastermind]

That's the lathe I use....mine is just painted blue. The compound mount is weak. I made a new one. Aside from that, it's been a great tool.