Metal vs. wood lathe

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Petermor

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Hello All
I have been visiting this forum for a few months. I will be retiring soon and wish to begin turning pen, especially for fountain pen. I am not sure which lathe to get, a metal or wood lathe?. I will be cutting a lot of threads on each pen, barrel, body, and cap will all be threaded.
Since, I beginning to get into this I will not be able to spend tons of money, I would prefer to keep the lathe under $300.
recommendations would be appreciated.

thank you
 
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I'd vote mini-Metal Lathe but your not going to get there for $300. It will be closer to $500 and another $100-$200 in tooling. I've been using a 7x10 Harbor Freight mini Metal Lathe for about 4 years now. It works but wish I had a few more inches of length for drilling. It does make it easy to turn to precise dimensions for threading. What it won't do without some modifications is turn curved surfaces and or long tapers. These are done better by hand which can be done on the metal lathe with addition of a manual tool rest.

You can use a wood lathe with a collet chuck and a steady hand to make custom FPs. Look for a lathe with MT2 tapers so you can get the right tooling. Some of the cheaper/smaller lathes have MT1 tapers restricting tool availability.


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humm..... the great debate. Unless you can find used $300 isn't going to get you much. Even less with a metal lathe. Honestly with a solid wood lathe and the correct tooling collets / taps / dies etc... Kit less is well within your reach.

with the metal lathe I am able to replicate much more consistently And to cut at more defined angles like cones. Also it gives me more threading and boring capabilities. But at $300 you are going to be dumping a good deal of money and time into getting any metal lathe you find up to par.

honestly I'd say the wood lathe will get you where you want to be. Save up learn some best practices and create a style then jump over and elevate your work with a metal lathe. But get a decent one and know it's limitations.

my background
I started out with a big sheet metal harbor freight beast. The thing rattled to all heck and I couldn't keep it camped my. Bench. (i use it for buffing now)
A friend gave me a shopsmith which was handy and slightly more precise. With limited space it served me well
During that time I saved up and waited for a sale. I bought a variable speed jet wood lathe. (trust me me variable speeds is key) Still have it still make pens with it. 14 years later
About 5 years after I bought the wood lathe I found a decent metal lathe on Craig's list.
taught myself how to sharpen
taught myself how to make threads
upgrade to a cam lock
upgrade to quick change tool rest
still teaching myself how to use it.

I still need to work for 10 more years so I'm still a youngster. But don't forget dust collection / tooling / misc materials
I own a bandsaw
I own a mill as well


good luck with your choice looking forward to seeing you work
Manny
 
The metal lathe is by far the best, IMHO, and More4dan has explained it well above. . Problem is that $300 won't get you there unless you buy a used lathe, and even then, that amount of money is quite low. . Even for a wood lathe, $300 won't go far ... especially new ... maybe used ... Hmmm?

More4dan mentioned the lathe length ... longer is better. . I have the same or similar lathe to him ... mine is 14" long ... and I really like it.
It is 10 yrs old now, well-used, and I am looking to replace it. . So my old one will be for sale, but shipping to you would be expensive and possibly sort of "problematic" because of the international border.

You might consult with .... www.LittleMachineShop.com .... talk to Chris .... he might know of a used mini-lathe being for sale.
The new lathes for sale there are of excellent quality.

Whatever you buy, make sure you get electronically controlled variable speed ... preferably right down to zero RPM for finishing (and sanding).
You may not think you need that .... but you will. . Also for threading ... especially if you are cutting custom-sized threads.

Yes to MT2 in your tailstock and headstock, whether for wood or metal

Sounds like you know what you want to do with the lathe, and from what I read you to be saying, a metal lathe is most appropriate.
 
Last edited:
Thank you all for your input and advise.

With everyone's input I have considered placing more money into the lathe, taking away from other tool.( planned on getting a dust collector, upgrade my tablesaw). I am looking at the Harbor Freight 7x12 precision tabletop mini metal lathe(https://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-12-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93799.html?_br_psugg_q=lathe.

Any better suggestion around that price point?

FYI I really do appreciate everyone's advise and time replying to this post.
Thank you.
 
@Petermor

I think you will find that lathe quite appropriate. . I am pretty sure it is what we call a Sieg lathe. . I have used such a lathe for 10 years.

Can't remember what comes with that lathe. . You might need to buy a few accessories. . A "live center" for the tailstock could be a priority, and a Jacobs chuck for the tailstock (for drilling) would be another. . To fit the tailstock, both of those items would require a MT2 arbor. . Ask for advice and I am sure you will get it !
 
Petermor said:
Thank you all for your input and advise.

With everyone's input I have considered placing more money into the lathe, taking away from other tool.( planned on getting a dust collector, upgrade my tablesaw). I am looking at the Harbor Freight 7x12 precision tabletop mini metal lathe(https://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-12-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93799.html?_br_psugg_q=lathe.

Any better suggestion around that price point?

FYI I really do appreciate everyone's advise and time replying to this post.
Thank you.
Click to expand...

Look for a 20% off coupon for Harbor Freight, they will also have 25% coupons a couple times a year.

There is one good through tomorrow: https://www.harborfreight.com

They run it every other month or so. Lower cost tooling can be found here: www.banggood.com

Parts and tooling are also here: www.littlemachineshop.com.

If you have any questions, send me a PM and I'll send you my mobile number. Happy to help.

Danny


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Petermor said:
Thank you all for your input and advise.

With everyone's input I have considered placing more money into the lathe, taking away from other tool.( planned on getting a dust collector, upgrade my tablesaw). I am looking at the Harbor Freight 7x12 precision tabletop mini metal lathe(https://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-12-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93799.html?_br_psugg_q=lathe.

Any better suggestion around that price point?

FYI I really do appreciate everyone's advise and time replying to this post.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
That lathe has a faithful following. There is a lot of resources online that will help you better understand what you are buying. GL
 
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