lathe/mill combo

[hogmister]

Anyone have suggestions on a lathe/mill combo? something along the lines of the smithy brand lathe/mill/drill machines. good, bad, ok, what's available, who has em? thanks.

[Schuetzenman]

Well if you absolutely have to split the difference the Smithy is probably one of the better ones. IMO, much better to get separate distinct lathe and a knee mill.

[hogmister]

Well if you absolutely have to split the difference the Smithy is probably one of the better ones. IMO, much better to get separate distinct lathe and a knee mill.

I agree having separate machines is definately the best option. that may be possible down the road a piece, but for now the problem is, my workshop would be completely overtaken by two separate units. i figured this would save space.
what other brands/companies are out there that have quality products?
for now however, i just found a local guy who will let me do some small projects in his race shop. scratch his back, he'll scratch mine. thank goodness for friends of friends!

[Goodman]

Check out www.grizzly.com

ETA: http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=465000

http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchresults.aspx?q=gunsmith&new=1

[El Laton Caliente]

Those are the two I've beenn drooling over. I can't justify two pieces either... I'd have to build another shop...

[hogmister]

thanks for the tip Goodman!

[hogmister]

Those are the two I've beenn drooling over. I can't justify two pieces either... I'd have to build another shop...

no matter how big you build it's never BIG enough.

i've been trying to sell one of my classics to buy one of these set ups. no luck yet.:(

[Partisan1983]

Go MAZAK ;)

[hogmister]

Go MAZAK ;)

little too rich for my blood. but we can all dream........

[Partisan1983]

little too rich for my blood. but we can all dream........

Sorry man, I was just tryin to be funny. They are my dream job at my shop ;)

[abpt1]

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=422-0435&PMPXNO=7865044&PARTPG=INLMK3

[hogmister]

Sorry man, I was just tryin to be funny. They are my dream job at my shop ;)

it was funny. kind of like getting hit in the you-know-whats. hurts now... funny later.:)

you run those fancy little gizmos?

[Partisan1983]

it was funny. kind of like getting hit in the you-know-whats. hurts now... funny later.:)

you run those fancy little gizmos?

I wish....right now I run Thread Roller machines, and I am an alternate for the heat treat furnace's.....my dream is to end up in the Toolroom and operate all the different MAZAKS we have.

[hogmister]

I wish....right now I run Thread Roller machines, and I am an alternate for the heat treat furnace's.....my dream is to end up in the Toolroom and operate all the different MAZAKS we have.

cool! good luck to ya!

i'm livin the dream here. it's 1:15 am on a saturday and i just finished an overall paint job on a '67 t-bird. :sleep:
what a land yact! i'm ready for a nap.

[Partisan1983]

cool! good luck to ya!

i'm livin the dream here. it's 1:15 am on a saturday and i just finished an overall paint job on a '67 t-bird. :sleep:
what a land yact! i'm ready for a nap.

Well if we are talking "REAL" dreams.....I would love to be a cameraman for girls gone wild.........or a pornstar, either or (both would be even better) ;)

[circuits]

A 12x20 will be decent for handgun work, and close to useless for long gun work.

The spindle bore is too narrow to pass all but the skinniest rifle barrels, meaning you can only work on what you can chuck fully between centers, and it will have far more flex than even the most basic of gap bed lathes or knee/bench mills.

IIRC, about $3500 can get you into a new 12x36 gap bed lathe and a new R8 angle-head bench mill, which isn't much more than you're proposing to spend on a grizzly or smithy.

[El Laton Caliente]

http://www.smithy.com/images/image/granite/photo_zoom/GRANITE1340IMAXb.jpg

This is the one I want, Smithy 1340

◦Timken Bearing Upgrade
◦220 V, 2 HP Variable Drive
◦Industrial Tool Pak
◦40" Between Centers

Sale $4,479.00
Estimated Shipping Cost: $329.00

BUT, it comes with $1,400+ in tooling and accessories. I don't have tooling for one so if you look at Grizzly or others it turns into a good deal. The Grizzly is $2,995.00 +$225.00 shipping but then buy $1,450.00 in tooling for a lessor machine.

[Schuetzenman]

You need to look at the details of the machines. What is the head stock through hole size? What is the max turning length and swing over bed? What is the cross slide travel? Does it have a screw / thread cuting feature? Metric, Inch, how small and how big? For the Mil part; what is the work height limit, how big can something be and fit under the spindle with an end mill in it? What's the cross slide and traverse travels? What is the quill depth, how deep of a plunge cut can you make?

Most of these combo machines are going to be good for pistol barrels and very small rifle barrels. Milling of dovetail slots on slides, etc. They will take a long time to do a job compared to dedicated machines of each type.

[El Laton Caliente]

Here are the specs on the Smithy, see what you think.
http://www.smithy.com/index_inside.php?id=961

The Grizzly.
http://cdn0.grizzly.com/specsheets/g4791_ds.pdf

[circuits]

All I can tell you, sir, is that the 1340 looks like a toy compared to either of my two discrete tools, and combined, they cost less than it does.

Having gone to look at machinery prices at enco, I see that things have come up a bit, and the combo I described is closer to $5000 than $3500 now - $3k for a 13x40 gap bed and $2k for a 21" bench mill/drill.

Invest in the heavier equipment - you will not be sorry that you did.

Even if the lighter equipment serves carefully and dutifully, under your supervision, it can't make up for its basic lack in weight, stiffness and power, over the long run. It may "do", but it'll never be enough.

If you stay in the machining game, you'll be investing here and there in tooling over a lifetime. But the first "aw shit" realization that you want to fit a toy to your machine that it's flat-out not big enough to handle will wipe away any joy you had from your earlier savings. I started with a 9x19 combo machine, and hit my limits on what it could do in six months. Then I had to save up for a year or so to get the (still limited) but much more capable machines I now have.

For a $500 difference in cost, get the more capable machines.

[El Laton Caliente]

The cost isn't any more of a problem than space. I have a heated & a/c shop that is one bay of a three car garage. It is about 12x24 but has a 30" work bench along one wall and thee 30"x36" floor to ceiling cabnets and two doors, one outside and one into the garage. I already have a frig, hobby mig w/ gas, 12 ton press, floor size drill press, bench drill press, 20K+ ammo, dillion press, two 12 draw Lista cabnets, 30"x72" tool box and more in there.

The wife is saying just buy a bigger a/c and take the whole three car garage... lol, what am I going to do with all the crap in there...

[circuits]

The 13x40 gap bed will have the same footprint as the smithy 1340 you're considering - no gain or loss there, and it can mount to an existing bench in lieu of a steel cabinet/base. The 21" mill/drill will have only a very slightly larger footprint than your current drill press, and can completely replace it for drilling duties if there's no other way to shake loose more space. The mill/drill can also be mounted either to an existing bench, or on a steel cabinet/base.

I also recommend getting 240 wired in and get both the lathe and mill/drill running on it. 3phase would be best, but you can make do with 240 single phase easily. 120 single phase is also an option, sometimes, but big machines draw a lot of amps at the lower voltage.

Here's pics of the relative meat of my 13x40 and mill drill, with my floor standing drill press for relative size comparison:

http://i52.tinypic.com/k503s3.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/swcu2s.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/30lfakg.jpg

[hogmister]

that's a nice set up circuits. they don't take up that much room really, and like you said, having the mill eliminates the need for a drill press. the other issue is having to run either 220, 240, or 3 phase service to the shop for the bigger machines. it's about 75 yards from the house and the service line runs underground.
i would probably not live through putting them in the basement. my better half would kick my butt.:club: