…probably a jeweler’s lathe; where can they be found?
Thanks,
John
John, a cheap lathe (under $100US) would be a hobby lathe, probably like a Dremel brand. How accurate does it have to be? I think a jeweler would be doing work more precise than an entry level lathe.
This topic was brought up before. Here is some information to metal lathe suppliers manufacturers or industrial outlets that sell mini or micro metal lathes.
http://littlemachineshop.com/LMS/default.php
http://www.grizzly.com/index.html
Grizzly’s metal lathe page:
http://www.grizzly.com/fcgi-bin/lookup.fcgi/products/lookup.cfg?q=specs&kw=Metal%20Lathes&kw2=pdf
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/552834/102-2456628-6176138
https://www.wttool.com/wtool/default.asp
wholesale tool has a nice selection:
https://www.wttool.com/wtool/product.asp?dept_id=16590&pf_id=30030030p&sdept_id=95%2C1355%2C16590
http://www.emachinetool.com/index.cfm
sells sherline:
http://www.emachinetool.com/new/catalog/vertical.cfm?DestinationCategory=Mini%20Engine%20Lathe&ProductID=470
http://www.taigtools.com/
information & prices on taig lathes:
http://www.casco.net/~felice/taig.html
You could try eBay, etc, but you gotta be careful. A badly maintained lathe could have tons of defects, making it worthless for doing precise work unless you sink a lot of $$$ into rehauling it. I got my 6" Sears/Atlas ( The Glenn Schultz model)that way, and I was pretty lucky. Check out yard and garage sales too.
Before you start shopping, you should be able to narrow down the type of lathe which would do your job. If you will be turning any metal or plastic, you’ll need a metal lathe rather than a woodworking lathe. Next, decide on the largest dimensions (length and diameter) which you’ll be turning. This will determine the swing and the distance between centers you need. Then you can look at the specs of the various makers, and identify what models will suit. The jewelers lathes are really very small, and I think you would soon run up against their limitations. I do a lot of my flute-making work on a Grizzly 7x12 (7 inch swing, 12 inches between centers) lathe, which sells for under $500, and is an extremely well-made machine.
Dave Copley
Loveland, Ohio
Try Harbor Freight http://www.harborfreight.com
Personnally, I use a Bradford Machine Lathe that was made in 1920 with a Surplus Motor drive from Surplus Center in Lincoln Ne.
[ This Message was edited by: Daniel_Bingamon on 2002-03-07 22:31 ]