Thread: Metal Lathe and Milling machine - need some advice please

I think the lathe would be a reasonable to size for hobby work, there have been few jobs I've done recently that couldn't be done on a machine of that size.
The mill however is really tiny and I would not like it myself, it only has 180mm of travel, so you won't be able to face mill anything much longer than 100mm, and it would be a pain to set up with such limited movement. an X3 is the smallest I'd consider, for general home use.

but of course, if you become a watchmaker this may not apply
Google it, sieg machines are popular and there is lots of info online

I think the C3 would be a good little lathe in that size range. It has Morse tapers 3 and 2 which is quite good. Also the high/low range is a good feature. I think it also has a tumbler reverse gear as well. The C3 is a popular small unit and quite capable from all accounts - within it's size limitation.

Price wise they aren't bargain basement, but if you want small, then these would be good.

The little mill would be pretty useless IMHO except for really small and light metal work. I would pass that one and look for something several sizes bigger. Expect to pay about $1800 for something half decent. The only problem is that the mills become big and heavy as they become more capable.

Have a good look at other units before deciding. There are plenty of options around if you care to look.

Cheers

Rob

Andrew, Rob,
Thank you both for your responses.

It looks like the C3 might be the go.

Not sure about the milling machine yet.
A spend of around the $1,800 mark is a bit beyond the realms of reasonableness at the moment as I can't identify a specific need.

Do you have any thoughts on a milling attachment for the lathe?
An apparent drawback highlighted by Geoff at Carba-tec was that, because the machining was done on the vertical rather than the horizontal, it was difficult to see the work surface past the chuck.

Ian

Originally Posted by Ian Smith

Andrew, Rob,
Do you have any thoughts on a milling attachment for the lathe?
An apparent drawback highlighted by Geoff at Carba-tec was that, because the machining was done on the vertical rather than the horizontal, it was difficult to see the work surface past the chuck.

Ian

Hi Ian,

I do all my milling on the lathe.

It can do an excellent job, but you are restricted by the amount of cross slide travel you have, and the orientation of the work makes it more difficult to line stuff up.

I wouldn't seriously consider it on a small lathe like the C3, but it works OK on my 10 x 18.

Unfortunately decent mills are expensive, big and heavy things that need to be that way to do the job.

Wimpy el cheapo's just don't cut it (excuse the pun) and are a waste of money unless you only work in aluminium.

Cheers

Rob

Rob,
At this point I envisage working mostly with nylon, plastic and aluminium so I won't rule out a small machine just yet.

Thank you for your comment

Ian

A small one would be quite OK for that material.

Cheers

Rob