Hi all,
Here’s a lathe for sale on Ebay Australia. Just wondering if by the specs, you’d think it would be suitable for pipemaking. It doesn’t say whether it’s wood or metal lathe but the fact that it’s also a milling and drilling machine seems to suggets it’s a wood lathe??
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=633&item=3832367941&rd=1
Cheers,
DavidG
This lathe (or one like it) is available from Grizzly industrial. It is a metal metal lathe/milling machine made in China and does not have a gear head but runs on belts, which means that you cannot use it for boring. That said, you can still make a set of pipes on this lathe with with a good bit of maneuvering.
I just got rid of one of these which I used for 2 years making pipes. I was never satisfied with it. Just too cheap… sheet metal instead of cast iron. It rattles and burns pully belts like a car uses gas.
I would suggest getting in touch with Sobel machinery in New Jersey.
Mr. Sobel is an 80 year old machinist with a warehouse full of lathes, milling machines and all kinds of other stuff that would make a machine addict, like myself, drool. I just bought a beautiful old American made Atlas lathe from him for $800.00. This lathe is 60 years old and still in beautiful shape:
http://www.dogpatch.com/bobp/sobel.htm
Have fun,
Pat Sky
ausdag,
I have a bit of a different opinion than Pat Sky. I used an older belt-driven-job and found it perfectly suitable for pipemaking and even toolmaking. It possibly is a bit slow for long hole drilling and also does not allow for any extra tools but this relatively seldom job can can be done (with selfmade tools) on anybody´s wood turning lathe. All other jobs (98 %) can be done on this one. What is important about lathes is size, price and quality of the bearings for best precision. Size and price are perfect, it is new and I just can´t imagine that a new metal-turning-lathe (even a chinese one) should cause any problems concerning the bearings.
Hans
David, I’ve never owned one of those combo lathe/mill’s..(I gotta Jet-16 drill/mill :roll: , and an old Atlas lathe 
in my little hobby shop).but my gut instinct would be to shy away from Chinese import’s…and multi purpose machine’s, especially. Even if only machining wood, rigidity really look’s questionable. Apparently, though Chinese mfr’s. use much the same casting’s, quality can vary quite a bit. I did a quicky search on Ebay Au..but all I saw were Chinese import’s. I don’t know whether that indicate’s the scarcity of used British or American metal lathe’s or not. OTOH you’re probably a lot closer to those nice Vicmarc wood lathe’s. There are some really good homeshop machinist website’s to ask for owner’s experience’s with specific machine’s.The Chaski Home Machinist site even has a forum dedicated to 3-in-1 metalworking machine’s (lathe-drill-mill). One of Google’s metalworking site’s would be another good choice.
http://www.chaski.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php
http://www.makeitsimple.com/sections.php?artid=14 (six page, well documented tale of one man’s new Jet lathe nightmare.)
Lathes (what to inspect when buying a new or used lathe.)
I use a Delta midi lathe. It was about $200 and works just fine. It’s belt driven, but that hasn’t seemed to cause any problems. I built a steady rest using formica, drawer glides and skateboard wheels. Everything seems to be going smoothly after two years of owning it. I get maybe one to two mm travel off centre for every 30cm bore. The one you’re looking at looks okay, but it may have more gadgets than you need for the price.
Marc
Pile of Shight, :roll: learn how to wood turn fisrt, get a woodtourning lathe with a three or four jaw chuck, and a custom made steady post for centre boring, slowest speed needed is around 300rpm for boring, faster speeds for turning and polishing up to 2000rpm, I just use a second woodturning lathe nothing flash on a good sturdy bench, but you need to learn how wood turn first if your going to make pipes, all the best.
Hey Marc,
Are you making pipes with your jet midi lathe? What’s the distance over centers, isn’t it too short? Or are you using the extension? What’d you mount it on?
I use the extension. The steady rest fits on the first half and I usually run the bits through drilled guide plugs that fit in the hollow tail stock. It think I’m going to cast some guide plugs in bronze soon. I mounted the lathe on a table for some piece of junk lathe from the 1950’s. I have it loaded with a lot of scap wood to keep it from wobbling. Most bore drilling happens at 500 or 800 r.p.m.. Any faster and you’re staring a fire. Gordy Tuck used to drill his bores for chanters at about 1200; how he did it safely I don’t know. If I tried it, you’d see me running up from the basement like Bilbo out of Smog’s cave yelling, “Extinguish ME!”.
P.S. This will not be my only lathe. I can see its drawbacks and will be upgrading when I can afford it. It’s a decent starter lathe though.
Marc,
I’ve been looking at that lathe for a while. Seems like a ggod buy.
what are you using to drill the bores? Are you using long bits or gun drills?
I make my own D-bits out of piano wire steel. You’ll need a wet dry grinder(Harbor Freight sells a nice one for $40-$50). One other thing with the Delta: Make or have someone make a wider toolrest for you. The Delta one is only six inches at best. I can’t see many people being happy with just six inches. 
You’ll be better off with something longer so you don’t have to adjust halfway down a chanter.
Hi people,
Thanks for all the valuable advice. There’s a lathe place just near my home in Brisbane which sell new and 2nd hand. There’s even on old restored treddle-powered lathe visible from the front entry. Anyone ever used one of these?
Regards,
DavidG
All the oldest sets would have been created on a treadle lathe. Those who have used them say the degree of control is incredible, but considering the slowness of them, this would not be surprising. And that would be the trade off - speed versus control. How long do you want to spend turning?
djm
Well, control would be my priority as I don’t really intend to go into making pipes as source of income so speed is not so much a priority.
I’m still abit nervous about lathes and the like since having a fellow student at my old High school lose an arm in wood shop class to a lathe (shirt sleeve got caught up), so the speed aspect still scares me a bit (always wear short sleeves would be one way to avoid any mishaps I guess).
Regqards,
DavidG
Tony that’s Delta’s a nice little lathe 
, as long as you’ve got 16inches between centres and if there’s more better still, and? you can get a three jaw chuck for this lathe, basicaly its all the really need to start with , has the advert have any mention that chucks are available for this lathe Tony?. you will also have to make a steady post of some kind for centre boring, the main thing with these kind of lathes is to make sure you’ve got a good sturdy heavy wooden bench to bolt it down on too, get some woodturning lessons and a way you go, there are some Leo Rowsome drone plans avaiable on Christopher Bayleys site, The world of bagpipes, its something to start you on, it will all come together with practice, but take care even a small lathe this size can still course serious injuiries, all the best.
O’ I forgot to say, 
I use one of these babie’s but with a bigger motor & and longer tool rest, it’s a excellent machine for turning and for the money. check out all the extra’s you can get for it. But I picked mine up second hand from a retired woodturner. 
Http://www.recordpower.co.uk/DisplayProductDetail.Asp?p=01131