Lathes for port work advice needed.

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I don’t think I’ve read that one. The title would prevent it from coming up when searching for “lathe”. I’ll give it a read.

What about that last one I posted? Seems like a fair deal for a working lathe with tooling. If it’s still for sale next weekend I might go and get it
 
You could expand your searches to Monarch and Colchester lathes as well, I have run and worked these lathes and they are well made, South Bend are fine for home machines.

12 X 20 Monarch,

s-l1600.jpg
 
If you are curious about any lathe go to lathes.uk and click on machine tool archive. Theres info on pretty much any lathe you will come across on there.

Its like the acres site that everyone goes to for chainsaws.

Most "craftsman" badged lathes that I habe seen are rebadged atlas lathes.
 
I own an Atlas/Craftsman 12x36” lathe. I have not done any cylinder or piston work on it, have not cut threads. It is what I would consider a very basic, light weight hobby machine. It does very well with aluminum, brass, bronze, copper and cast iron. It can do steels with a very light touch, good bits and a lot of time. It can produce very good fit and finish.

Cons...
It will flex, easily.
It is not a tight machine compared to others. Cross slide leaves a bit to be desired, works, more a shot gun than a rifle.
Not a fast machine compared to others.
Small pass through on head stock.
Really needs the steady and follow rest, more so than other heavier lathes.
Gears are reputed to fail easily. I have had no issues with mine however have seen a couple atlas craftsman lathes with damaged gears for sale. Check them carefully, especially if thread cutting is important.

Some pros...
3 jaw and 4 jaw chuck are actually very good. Rests work well. Tail stock is basic but functional.
Lots of new and used tooling and parts easily available inexpensively compared to heavier lathes. New import quick change post and 5+ holders are less than $200.00 delivered. Boring bar sets with replaceable carbides less than $100.00. Both are more capable than the machine.
Light enough to be easily moved by hand with two capable people.
Tons of information available.
Not much to these lathes. Easy and inexpensive to maintain, clean, lube.

Personally would not recommend going small than a 12” swing. Cannot think of any common split crankcase cylinders that would not fit and there is enough room to make things easier.
 
Justsaws great personal review of the atlas. I feel like I can live with all of that. For $650 if it’s in good shape I could buy the tooling too and not be busting the bank.
 
I would recommend watching some 12” Atlas Craftsman videos on YouTube. Give you an idea of what to look out for and what is missing. Hit EBay to get a feel for pricing on parts.

Good luck.
 
I have a 9" South Bend in really good shape, Have had it for about 10 years, wouldn't part with it, One thing about them is parts needed they are not too hard to find, Didn't change much in all the years they were made, mind you it takes a while to get all the tooling you need or think you need but another great obsession besides chainsaws.
 
Atlas and Logan are at the bottom end of old American quality machines, especially the smaller benchtop models. If you have the space then buy a bigger, heavier machine. I have a Logan 810 and don’t care for it.

What I have found is that the crispness and accuracy of control is the most important element for what we are doing. Older Atlas and Logan lathes seem kind of sloppy by design.

Also the importance of the tooling can not be understated. Good indicators and mounting systems are terribly important. As are precision chucks, centers and rests.

I originally had a budget similar to your own and put together a benchtop lathe and the tooling I needed for around $1200. After spending a LOT of time dialing in my system and getting the lathe accurate enough, I really wish that I had spent more money up front for a bigger lathe with tooling included. The frustration wasn’t worth the savings.

I also recommend you find somewhere to run a lathe before you buy one. It takes a few times to know how all the setup falls into place. Once you have a system, then you will know exactly what you’re looking at when you look at a lathe to buy.

One last thing. Only buy a lathe that you have run and cut with. If it’s not under power when you go to look at it, low ball is the only way. Lathes can look really good and cut horribly. Test before you buy.
 
Space and budget is the biggest factor. I can’t justify dropping much cash on one when really I should be using that money for house upgrades
 
I’m considering buying an atlas 12x36. Only if he comes down in price since it’s missing the change gears and comes with almost no tooling. Gunna sit on it for a few weeks though. Nothing for sale local so if I'm taking a long drive I’m going to make a weekend out of it
 
I talked to the machine shop owner who does my work now, and surprisingly he suggested buying a grizzly. Said he's bought used machines that needed so much work done to them he should have just bought new. No longer buys used equipment. I'm going to attempt to be patient with my decision. Which is hard to do when it comes to spending money on tools or things that go vroom. I do believe he was talking about non bench top grizzly models though.

How about the grizzly 10x22 lathe?

I've been reading quite a bit about the atlas lathes, and it seems aside from wear the biggest complaint is its features and speed for cutting threads. The main reason for getting a lathe is for cutting cylinders. How sturdy of a machine do I need to accurately do that?
 
There's a fair bit of torque exerted on a boring bar. Again, proper design of bed and more weight = less chatter or chance of chatter. Chatter = blowby in a cylinder. Unless you're just talking about cutting the base.

Are you cutting the inside of the cylinder or the edge?
 
I know of one guy who claims to use a Grizzly for porting, but he makes a lot of claims. The machine is probably fine.

I agree that buying a new machine will streamline your startup. Used machines usually have problems, some have loads.

You don’t need a super heavy or powerful machine for cylinders and pistons. The squish cut is the most technical cut and chatter is not good there (or anywhere).

But the reality is you will end up wanting capabilities beyond cutting aluminum. For example, if you make your own mandrels, you may try to save money by cutting them out of steel pipe. On a smaller lathe it’s a nightmare.
Extruded pipe is the worst but steel in general isn’t easy to work on a smaller lathe. It can definitely be done, but slowly and with care.

You will also find that not having a mill is a PITA. And a horizontal bandsaw, and a welder, and a grinding setup, etc, etc.

Machining is a big hobby and if you want to do it well expect to be invested in quality and probably quantity too. I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is.
 
The Grizzly lathes were the most recommended new lathes when I was starting to search, largely based on parts and tech support. Basically ended up with the Atlas because of its condition, accessories and price. Weight and local pickup also sealed the deal.

Get as big a swing as you can. In my opinion buying the lathe is the cheap part of owning the lathe, lots of bits and pieces that keep expanding the lathes capabilities are always waiting to be purchased. Not to mention project materials.

Keep looking, the good deals are gone fast, still searching for a mill. Started searching for the mill before the lathe.
 
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