Hydro Junkie
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 5,747
I have to agree with a few things already said:
1) All Asian made equipment is not the same. As a general rule, the stuff made in Taiwan is better than what's made in China
2) Some Asian stuff requires significant reworking before it's anywhere close to accurate BEFORE being used the first time
3) Tool tapers vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so if you want to up grade later, be sure the tooling you buy is compatible to both machines. My Sherline mill and lathe use 0 and 1 tapers and is the only one I know of to use a 0 taper. For me to buy another mill or lathe, I would have to look at all new tooling as well
4) You will find that a small mill and/or lathe will be quickly outgrown. My 3X8 Sherline lathe is good for small stuff like head buttons and cutting threads in stub shafts, but for anything bigger, unless I add the available riser blocks and get the 17" bed, forget it
5) The "You get what you pay for" comment is very true. Spend the additional on a Taig or look at the Sherline mini stuff. I would stay away from HF and, to a fair extent, Grizly.
If you're a beginner with the lathe and mill like I am, see if you can find a machinist to help you learn how to do set ups and some of the tricks to running the equipment. Since I only play around with aluminum, I can get away with rough cuts of up to .015" at best. This is due to the speed limitations of my equipment and lack of power. If you're set on a mini lathe and mill, you will want to look at HP ratings. Since I have older Sherlines, I have a max HP rating of 1/10th HP. It will do the job, just don't expect any real record breaking speeds
1) All Asian made equipment is not the same. As a general rule, the stuff made in Taiwan is better than what's made in China
2) Some Asian stuff requires significant reworking before it's anywhere close to accurate BEFORE being used the first time
3) Tool tapers vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so if you want to up grade later, be sure the tooling you buy is compatible to both machines. My Sherline mill and lathe use 0 and 1 tapers and is the only one I know of to use a 0 taper. For me to buy another mill or lathe, I would have to look at all new tooling as well
4) You will find that a small mill and/or lathe will be quickly outgrown. My 3X8 Sherline lathe is good for small stuff like head buttons and cutting threads in stub shafts, but for anything bigger, unless I add the available riser blocks and get the 17" bed, forget it
5) The "You get what you pay for" comment is very true. Spend the additional on a Taig or look at the Sherline mini stuff. I would stay away from HF and, to a fair extent, Grizly.
If you're a beginner with the lathe and mill like I am, see if you can find a machinist to help you learn how to do set ups and some of the tricks to running the equipment. Since I only play around with aluminum, I can get away with rough cuts of up to .015" at best. This is due to the speed limitations of my equipment and lack of power. If you're set on a mini lathe and mill, you will want to look at HP ratings. Since I have older Sherlines, I have a max HP rating of 1/10th HP. It will do the job, just don't expect any real record breaking speeds
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