metal lathe people, what do you think about this?

[200x Basket]

i know nothing about these but i want to learn and this is local. is it a good deal and what else would i need?

This is an older model Clausing metal Lathe. 12" swing, about 36" between centers. Uses a 3/4 horse 110 volt motor. Has a 4 inch 4 jaw chuck, and I believe a MT#4 taper in the tailstock. Comes bolted to a heavy steel table the previous owner made. I would love to hang on to this machine it just takes up to much space in my little garage.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/LuvNStarGazn/3wheeler/3ne3o73l3ZZZZZZZZZ95c9f6cd39e8f4e1b.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/LuvNStarGazn/3wheeler/3ka3md3ofZZZZZZZZZ95c9c90892f81431b.jpg

[Dirtcrasher]

From what I've read, the Clausing was a very well built machine......

Looks like you just need some tooling, not sure if it comes with collets and a draw bar......

[200x Basket]

$600 is the asking price. how is that?

[SWIGIN]

you will sink another $600 (for starters) just getting it set up with tooling and a larger chuck.

even my 9'' lathe came with a 5'' chuck that i replaced with a 6 1/2''

i would try to find one with more tooling but if this one is nice and tight and you want it then go for it.

[Thorpe]

We picked up a 3 phase Clausing for our shop for 80 bucks at a high school auction... Cant beat it for that price... 600 seems steep...

[200x Basket]

well i guess i will pass. i do not NEED one but i want one to learn on and play with.

[Yamahondaman]

Yeah it is alittle steep in price .. the owner here where i work said that they should PAY You to haul it off :-) .. also tool post are nice to have instead of those old types ...

[twinblasters]

draw bar and collets are for a knee mill.
lathes use cutters, i went to school for machinist a few years ago
and forgot some of it. mostly involves trigonometry, geometry, fractions and decimals. threading isnt easy but is learnable. ther are books to learn the basics from(check www.ebay.com ). easiest parts to start of with would be rotors, flywheels, boring(spacers,shms) 15 washers to shim up a bolt is just plain wrong. there are lots you can do with a lathe and a knee mill. just take 1 step @ time.

also, ther are a little smaller lathes and lathe/kneemill machines that might be better for your smaller garage. last i looked ebay had a few of these also.

[Dirtcrasher]

^ Back to school peasant :lol:

Lathes DO indeed use collets and they are super important to have. They run true and hold small pieces that the chuck just isn't practical for.

Anyhow, welcome to 3WW :D

Honestly, from the prices we have here, IDT 600$ was way out of the park. Especially if it doesn't have allot of wear on it and doesn't that Clausing have a quick change gear box??

Just look at some of the prices these things fetch on EBAY:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Clausing-Lathe-with-6in-Chuck_W0QQitemZ220412774838QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_L athes?hash=item3351a009b6&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.com/CLAUSING-COLCHESTER-13x36_W0QQitemZ250420769390QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_L athes?hash=item3a4e3db26e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

[twinblasters]

oh yeah, i remember now, we were just taught the basics, setup, tramming the head, centering on a 3 & 4 jaw,calculating angles, finding edges, make our own parallels, v-bars etc.
my favorite part was learning EDM & the cnc's, hated writing the programs thou. could never get my radius's right.

like the saying goes, if ya dont use it you lose it. after that school i went back to welding/fabricating. couldnt afford the drastic 2/3 cut in pay to follow the machining trade