Thread: Which Lathe

Jimako
No such thing as a stupid question when you are just starting out. Also remember that the person who has never made a mistake, has never made anything.
re the hafco 336. I have 1983 model lathe which is very similar to this except mine is a belt drive head rather than gear.
This machine is probably a bit small for comfortably machining discs and flywheels (I'm assuming you are talking automotive stuff here). It will run 450 dia in the gap but you will be right at its limit. I'm not saying they can't be done on this machine but it would be a fair bit of mucking around to do, especially with discs where you have to machine both sides true to each other. I suppose it depends on how often you want to machine discs. If its only going to be occasionally then I'd suggest take them to a brake shop with a dedicated brake lathe. Just in case you haven't seen one (my apologies if you know about them) they machine both sides of the disc at the same time.
You could get a lot of discs machined at the brake place for the difference in cost betwen the AL336 and a bigger lathe.
For the other jobs you mentioned this lathe would be fine.

hope this helps

bollie7

i have had no experience with this machine but would think that it should be capable of doing what you intend.
The swing in the gap seems quite resonable,but would suggest that you first do a little study in regards to the larger items you intend to machine to make sure that what ever method you use to hold these items still allows them to swing in the gap.
in regards to learning how to use a lathe,it is very easy,a couple of settings for speed changes,a few more for feed and threads,a lever or two to egauge to get them to work.
Nowing how to use it will be the easy part,the hard part will be learning how to use it properly.
As most on here will tell you see if you can get into some type of night course for at least a basic understanding of useing it properly,if not a course someone in the engineering trade a machinist or tool maker etc will be able to give you an understanding of the different procedures and techniques involved in useing the lathe.
Unfortunately I think there are a few people on this forum that have learnt most of there machining through trial and error with possably a bit to much error,the chances of damageing your machine is fairly low but tooling and yourself might be high if you dont get a little hands on help first.

Hi
Something to think about with the gap, if that is what your mainly going to use is how big the gap is in length (along the ways)? Some lathes have a longer gap than others, so it will allow wider things to be put on the faceplate etc. I never thought of this until I saw Retromillings lathe and noticed it was smaller than mine. Seems it varies from lathe to lathe.
Dave

I agree with Dave on this . If you buy a lathe relying on the removal of the gap bed to do normal work then make sure the gap is also far enough away from the faceplate to actually mount the job and swing it.

also bear in mind putting the gap back in can be a pain, well time consuming at least.

trouble you are going to have i think is bigger swing machines tend to be longer in the bed (not always there are some out there that are not ie student lathes) and usually 3 phase (415v) motors.

as a begginers lathe the AL-336 should cover off most general machining operations, it has many features of bigger machines in a small package.

for a bigger swing, if the budget allows you, the AL-340 and AL540 are larger and still 240v.
Then there is the AL960B and AL1000 Taiwanese machines, a bit more expensive but better fit and finish straight out of the box (except for one thread I was reading here previously where somebody got one that wasnt quite right).

I would suggest as others say and research what diameters you want to turn in it, how these jobs are commonly done and go to night school if you can find a course to learn some of the finer points of machining that will enable you to better understand your research, even do this before you buy a machine, then you can make a more informed decision and discuss with sales staff wherever you buy a machine the finer points of what you are looking for.

p.s driving a lathe isnt that hard, they (first boss and tafe teachers) managed to teach me

Thanks guys for all of your helpful input,

Bollie7:
I can live with not doing disks and flywheels, i can even experiment with this issue in my spare time. I know what a brake lathe is, however i thought they used a brake lathe because it may be smaller and cheaper, That was my guess.

Pipeclay:
The swing in the gap is not much of an issue as i don't think i would use it much but i just don't like to be limited to what i can do. As for learning i guess ill learn as much as i can on my own with lots of reading as im not in a hurry to learn.

Dave J:
The length of the gap is not a major issue as i don't think i would need it as much, flywheels and disks was just another excuse to get a lathe.

Brisbanefitter:
As much as i would like a larger lathe and a workshop to go with it an more machinery, funds just dont allow.

Another question, im sure somebody knows, does the AL336 use a 10 amp plug or a 15 amp.?

Also about lifting the lathe, does anyone think i could get away with sliding it of the trailer straight on to the stand without lifting it as i wont have lifting equipment besides for a few mates?

And another question,
Ive noticed the AL336 is branded HAFCO METALMASTER (MODEL AL-336)
The AL335 is something else (model CQ6230A)
Are both machines made by the same mob and same quality ?

With out lifting equipment you wont lift it, it weighs at least 500kg. If you ask on here, someone close might lend you an engine crane. If not you can either hire or buy one,there about $300-$350 new. They do hold there value for resale so if you wanted to buy it for this job and sell it, you would only loose $50-$100 probably cheaper than renting one.

Are you getting the deluxe mode? If you dont you will kick your self latter. A lead screw guard, quick change tool post with 4 holders and a DRO for $770, you wont buy those for that price anywhere. It sounds alot, but look around at the prices to buy them seperate latter it will be double that at least.
With you being new to lathes the DRO and QC toolpost will make life so much easier for you to learn.
Dave

Originally Posted by Dave J

With out lifting equipment you wont lift it, it weighs at least 500kg. If you ask on here, someone close might lend you an engine crane. If not you can either hire or buy one,there about $300-$350 new. They do hold there value for resale so if you wanted to buy it for this job and sell it, you would only loose $50-$100 probably cheaper than renting one.

Are you getting the deluxe mode? If you dont you will kick your self latter. A lead screw guard, quick change tool post with 4 holders and a DRO for $770, you wont buy those for that price anywhere. It sounds alot, but look around at the prices to buy them seperate latter it will be double that at least.
With you being new to lathes the DRO and QC toolpost will make life so much easier for you to learn.
Dave

Dave
I think im pushing my budget with the standard one, dont twist my arm now.
I do have a chain block but no where to hang it, so it looks like ill have to borrow an engine crane.
Thanks

Have you thought about second hand..After all you live in Melbourne which is the manufacturing capital of the country...

I just thought I should mention it, as most people want a QC toolpost soon after they buy a lathe. I bought my QC toolpost from H&F and it cost me $500 I also bought a DRO that cost $920. So I know know how expensive things can get when bought seperate. When I bought my lathe these were not an option that was available from Gasweld.
Dave

Originally Posted by .RC.

Have you thought about second hand..After all you live in Melbourne which is the manufacturing capital of the country...

I would consider second hand, but it needs to be the right lathe and price and it needs to come along at the right time.

If you are going to move it with a trailer, take it off the stand. Probably only 6 or 8 bolts.
It will be a lot easy and safer to move it this way. On the stand most of the weight is up high. very easy to fall over. Also if you leave it on the stand you might not get enough height with an engine hoist to get it in the trailer.
You can sling it with either a rope sling or webbing sling, around the bed just in front of the chuck. use a bit of hard wood or something similar (75 X 50 is ideal) to keep the sling from biting down on the leadscrew and feed shaft.The 75 X 50 on edge fits neatly between the 2 shafts (at least on mine it did) It will hold the sling away from the shafts. You can adjust the balance by moving the saddle and tailstock and/or a light rope from the hoist hook to the tailstock end of the bed. I moved mine about 5 weeks ago.

regards
bollie7

Originally Posted by bollie7

If you are going to move it with a trailer, take it off the stand. Probably only 6 or 8 bolts.
It will be a lot easy and safer to move it this way. On the stand most of the weight is up high. very easy to fall over. Also if you leave it on the stand you might not get enough height with an engine hoist to get it in the trailer.
You can sling it with either a rope sling or webbing sling, around the bed just in front of the chuck. use a bit of hard wood or something similar (75 X 50 is ideal) to keep the sling from biting down on the leadscrew and feed shaft.The 75 X 50 on edge fits neatly between the 2 shafts (at least on mine it did) It will hold the sling away from the shafts. You can adjust the balance by moving the saddle and tailstock and/or a light rope from the hoist hook to the tailstock end of the bed. I moved mine about 5 weeks ago.

regards
bollie7

The one im looking at is allready seperated from the stand, The Lathe comes in a crate and the stand comes in a Flatpack and needs assembling, i just gotta finish building my trailer so then i can go and get one.

I still think that if i assemble the stand, get the stand at the end of the trailer, blocks under the trailer so it dont tip and raised enough so i can just push, pull the lathe of the trailer on to the stand with help. Or maybe im just overestimating my self

Originally Posted by Jimako

I still think that if i assemble the stand, get the stand at the end of the trailer, blocks under the trailer so it dont tip and raised enough so i can just push, pull the lathe of the trailer on to the stand with help. Or maybe im just overestimating my self

Bit risky. Would be very easy to have it end up on the floor with bits broken and/or yourself injured. Is it worth the risk? If it starts to go over you won't stop it. You would be far better off to use an engine hoist. You can also use the hoist to get the lathe close to its final resting place once you have bolted it to the stand.
Even if you have a few mates around the problem is actually getting hold of the machine to lift it. Theres not many places to get a good grip.
bollie7