# Home Lathe Advice



## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

I've been looking at home lathes such as the Clarke 300. I can't make my mind up between old post war lathes or whether to go for the modern Chinese stuff? I don't want anything too large or too small. I've looked at a Clarke 300 and that seemed to be about right in terms of size. All comments appreciated.

Mike


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## bry1975 (Feb 6, 2004)

Mike,

Have you spoken to John Bentley he's the lathe man IMO also worth checking Axminster's lathes IMO.


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Try Johnbaz too, as he's known for messing around with the odd bit of metal


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Those cheap Chinese things from the usual high street sellers are junk, they don't last five minutes if you give them any sort of hard work. I've had a couple at work and they just fall to bits or break.

If size isn't an issue personally I'd try and pick up an old Colchester, Harrison or Boxford and the like. Colleges and Schools up and down the country used to use them and there are plenty around at reasonable money. The same goes for tooling, some of the cheap far east stuff is just rubbish, go with the better known brands and again there is plenty of used stuff on offer.


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

We used to have a Boxford student lathe at the school I taught at but I'm really looking for something smaller. I have used the bigger lathes at uni and I know that they can handle anything but I probably won't need anything big as I intend to use it for models engineering or watch cases only.

Mike


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

tixntox said:


> We used to have a Boxford student lathe at the school I taught at but I'm really looking for something smaller. I have used the bigger lathes at uni and I know that they can handle anything but I probably won't need anything big as I intend to use it for models engineering or watch cases only.
> 
> Mike


Even so I would still steer clear of the cheap Chinese stuff, not only is the quality poor but more importantly so is the accuracy, if its smaller that you are after maybe have a look at older Myfords, not cheap but good sturdy machines with any number of attachments available. That being said my mate had a nice Boxford in an average sized garden shed and still had room for a decent work bench.


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## Delroyb (Jul 17, 2013)

I have a granville senior, probably 30s vintage. you can't beat the quality of old brit stuff provided it's in gwo. Its like my drill, a 40s fobco star, it is made to last and you wpuld pay thousands for similar quality new.


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## saxon46 (Mar 7, 2013)

get a myford........good quality kit and at reasonable prices on the bay,don't get any of that crap from clarke its cheap and nasty

also look on gumtree and preloved

let me know when you get one.......might need a few little things knocked up


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## vw1978 (Nov 2, 2012)

I bought a Clark bench drill press last year from a popular high street seller, all I will say is if you can afford to spend a bit extra on a decent brand do so (I wish I had), from my experience with the Clark drill I wouldn't recommend Clark to anyone, there just cheap and nasty ( but this is only my opinion ), if you can't afford a decent brand right now wait until you can.


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## marmisto (Jan 1, 2009)

Get a Myford, loads of kit for them and lovely to work with; try this site [got my workshop stuff here] they're not ebay scammers ....

http://www.homeworkshop.org.uk


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

Agree with the Myford suggestions, all sorts of accessories are available on fleabay for them!

I acquired a Granville Senior too, The chap that I got it from said it came from a school and was made in 1953, it was the best of the the machines that were at the school when it closed, the chap that he got it from was a teacher at the school and bought the lathe as they were all being scrapped 

There is no wear on the machine at all, My Faircut however needs the bed scraping back to true (wear in front of the chuck in the dovetail bed)..

The Granville Senior (was still in my car when I took the pic!!)..










The old Sheffield made Faircut..










A diminuative little Flexispeed 7, as with the Faircut, this was made in Sheffield too!..










A Wade machine, both this and the Flexispeed 7 have right hand threads on the adjustments (Lead screw, traverse and top slide) so movements are opposite to the normal ones with left hand threads, it's all too easy to thing you're backing off the cutter and BANG!! the workpiece is ruined :yes:










Good luck to the OP, hope you get a good machine and have years of fun with it :thumbup:

John


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Mike,

If you're only using it for model engineering and watch cases, I think even a Myford would be too big.

I'd go for a 2nd hand Japanese make like Toyo ... their ML-210 is bigger than a watch maker's lathe but smaller than a Myford and the quality is superb. And take a look at the Proxxon PD 230/E230 which is slightly bigger than the ML-210.

About 10 years ago, I managed to pick up a new-old-stock Record branded ML-210 plus milling attachment and most accessories. And those Record accessories that were missing came from Proxxon in Germany as they were interchangeable:


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## Timez Own (Oct 19, 2013)

I don't have much experience with really small lathes but, remember, you can make small things on a big lathe but you can't make big things on a small lathe. The older Harrisons are excellent for most anything I can think of. You can use them for really tiny things, there are lots of accessories available and decent ones pop up on the bay......plus if you get a gap bed version you can even skim your brake discs if needed


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Have you tried a Sherline 4000a lathe? I own a small one, its about 40cm long and quite nice, i got it through mill hill tools, cost about Â£400 10 years ago...................http://www.sherline.com/prices.htm

I also have the indexing tool but have not got the time at the moment to cut my own gears, but this is something for later on as wish to make my own skeleton clock......

p.s. love Mike's set up with that ML 210 lathe, looks awesome!! :yes:


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Well folks, thanks for all the helpful advice. Some super bits of kit there. I've actually settled on and brought home a 1945 Myford 3 1/2" lathe. It has been standing for some time and was a gift from an engineer father to his son. It seems that the son has simply stored it in his shed, with all his other projects (a real Alladin's cave actually), until his other half has given him some grief to "clear up or ........". It has come with the change gears, two chucks, a faceplate, some tooling, the transfer shafts and pulleys, a 1 hp motor and switchgear and some surface rust which has beaten the copious amounts of WD-40 applied to it. All appears to be free ( yet tight - if you get my meaning). He also gave me a Boxford stand (with oil tray- needs slight alterations to fit). So here I go. Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I haven't touched a lathe since my college days (which was a quick trip to a certificate on beautifully clean and well maintained piece of kit!). I need to clean off the rust and repaint the shiny bits, strip, clean and lubricate (don't know what with yet?) the moving parts and then put it all to back together, positioning and aligning all the belts and shafts as I go. Pics to follow.

Mike


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## saxon46 (Mar 7, 2013)

well done on the myford.............to clean the machined stuff on the lathe like the bed etc..........use an oil stone and some clean oil,should come up a treat,


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

tixntox said:


> Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I haven't touched a lathe since my college days (


Check the trueness of the 3-jaw chuck(s). If it's seen a lot of service, it will probably be out and it would be worth investing in a new one. Obviously, not a problem on a 4-jaw chuck...assuming there is one...if not, get one of these as well.


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Silver Hawk said:


> tixntox said:
> 
> 
> > Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I haven't touched a lathe since my college days (
> ...


Thanks for that. There is a 3 jaw and a 4 jaw so shall keep that in mind.

Cheers,

Mike


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Good choice, way better than the far east rubbish. If its been looked after a quick clean up should see you good to go.

@Silverhawk that also looks like a nice bit of kit as well.

Was doing a bit myself today, probably won't fit in a watch though.

:lol: :lol:


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## Haggis (Apr 20, 2009)

Clarke 300 is good I have one. :thumbup:


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Pic of lathe "as found"!



It looks much worse than it is "honestly"!

It seems that much of the "rust" (as I thought), is in fact engineers brown grease which comes off very quickly with some WD40 on a rag! All the bits are slowly coming off (very easily) to be cleaned and lubed/painted as required. I've had to dig out my Whitworth spanners and sockets (lucky I didn't ebay them when I sold the BSA!).

Mike


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Looks good Mike :thumbsup:


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

Hope the last owner wasn't 'dragged in' as I can see just his boot :lol:

It looks fine and has the proper suds tray for coolant :yes:

Also, it has proper Vee pulleys too rather than flat belting, much better imo :thumbsup:

Cheers, John


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

johnbaz said:


> Hope the last owner wasn't 'dragged in' as I can see just his boot :lol:
> 
> It looks fine and has the proper suds tray for coolant :yes:
> 
> ...


I almost didn't go to look when I saw the photo! I'm glad I did though as it in super nick under all that filth. I'm just building a couple of solid concrete block walls at the back of my garage to mount it on. I'm not going to use the current stand/drip tray as it is a Boxford one and doesn't fit the lathe. (Anybody want to buy a very heavy Boxford lathe base?) The pulley system is also to be mounted on the back wall, with the motor on the bench. Electrics queries to follow! I'm dreaming up methods of mounting the lathe onto the top of the block pillars. I may cast a concrete top (to tie the two pillars together) with threaded rods protruding from the top to go through the mounting holes in the base. That should firm everything up and allow for levelling, using washers and shims under the mounting holes.


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## marmisto (Jan 1, 2009)

tixntox said:


> johnbaz said:
> 
> 
> > Hope the last owner wasn't 'dragged in' as I can see just his boot :lol:
> ...


I've mounted the motor of my Myford on the wall above the lathe to save space and have got adjustment in it to take up slack - could stick a pic of it up to give you an idea?..


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

> I've mounted the motor of my Myford on the wall above the lathe to save space and have got adjustment in it to take up slack - could stick a pic of it up to give you an idea?..


That would be very helpful thank you. I'm just at the sketching, head scratching, book reading, googling, measuring, remeasuring, dreaming etc., :wallbash: stage at the moment! :yes: I've been throwing ideas around in my head of mounting the countershaft equi-distant from the motor and lathe pulleys, in a pivoted, angle iron frame, on an variable threaded mount for belt adjustment. 

Mike


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## marmisto (Jan 1, 2009)

tixntox said:


> > I've mounted the motor of my Myford on the wall above the lathe to save space and have got adjustment in it to take up slack - could stick a pic of it up to give you an idea?..
> 
> 
> That would be very helpful thank you. I'm just at the sketching, head scratching, book reading, googling, measuring, remeasuring, dreaming etc., :wallbash: stage at the moment! :yes: I've been throwing ideas around in my head of mounting the countershaft equi-distant from the motor and lathe pulleys, in a pivoted, angle iron frame, on an variable threaded mount for belt adjustment.
> ...


Message me an email address and I'll get some pics tomorrow


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

PM'd

Mike


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

The workshop across the way bought a couple of new lathes a week or so ago and were going to skip this, a bit well worn but plenty of spares available and to good for scrap so we forklifted it across to or workshop.

A nice winter project for the apprentice


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

What a cracking bit of kit! :yes:

Mike


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Set the apprentice away, the first problem is that all his tools are metric but even worse he has no clue whatsoever about imperial. It needed a 1" AF ring spanner to take the tool post off and I would have had more luck asking him to get a tin of tartan paint.

:lol: :lol:

Needs a few bits but they are still all available


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Set the apprentice away, the first problem is that all his tools are metric but even worse he has no clue whatsoever about imperial. It needed a 1" AF ring spanner to take the tool post off and I would have had more luck asking him to get a tin of tartan paint.

:lol: :lol:

Needs a few bits but they are still all available


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

My latest query is with switching the 1/2 HP single phase motor. It was on a simple switch but I have been reliably informed that I should have an on/off pushbutton switch with thermal overload protection. The hunt is on!

Mike


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## greasemonk (Oct 4, 2012)

tixntox said:


> My latest query is with switching the 1/2 HP single phase motor. It was on a simple switch but I have been reliably informed that I should have an on/off pushbutton switch with thermal overload protection. The hunt is on!
> 
> Mike
> 
> hi mike,dont forget to mount the pushbutton switch where you can hit it quick preferably with either hand in case of emergency,cheers,greasemonk


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Will do. I bought a "New" one from ebay but it came with half its innards missing! It seems that the seller's hubby had "opened it up" at some point during its shelf life and they had been spirited away! I have a couple of folks hunting in cupboards but as time is getting short now it will probably be another ebay jobby.

Mike


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

New switch ordered. Should be rotating before long! :thumbup: Just wait till her indoors sees the tooling bills that will be coming! :sweatdrop: Lokks like there may have to be some of mine wandering onto Sales Corner sometime soon! :bangin:

Mike


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