Shop Equipment Question

[ADK_Pipe]

I hope you are all keeping cool... it's certainly not too cool here in the Northeast.

I am looking to move into a new house soon and set up shop. I have a shop now, but there just isn't any real direction or organization to it. One of the things that I want to set up for is pipe making...

I've got a good old drill press, no bandsaw yet but I can figure that one out. But, selecting a good lathe has me stumped. I can think of other stuff I would like to make on a lathe like bowls, etc., but I want to make sure that I get one that is suitable for turning pipe shapes.

Can anyone offer some guidance?

I like the JET company, because they seem to have a good name. Although, I'm very open to suggestions on brand and model. I'm not afraid to spend some cash on the right machine.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

ADK

 

[dshpipes]

It seems that a lot of pipe makers use the Jet 9X20.

http://www.jettools.com/us/manufacturing/en/product.html?node=4642&product=361760

 

[mark]

If you're looking for a metal lathe that will handle pipes, wooden bowls, and various small to large precision metal working projects then this fits the bill. It has a 12 inch swing, but you can remove the gap bed to give you 17 (bowls and such) Has precision hardened cast ways and beds and quite a few accessories.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-x-24-Gear-Head-Cam-Lock-Spindle-Gap-Bed-Lathe/G4002



On a smaller scale ,, good for pipes and small turning projects,,,,only 450 lbs for benchtop

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-x-22-Bench-Top-Metal-Lathe/G0602



Your best bet is to check Craigs list for used older lathes,,,better made and a lot cheaper. Boces programs and schools auction off old turret lathes regularly.

Older South bends, Monarchs, J&L, and Warner&Swasey lathes pop up from time to time and are built like a tank. Let us know how you make out.

 

[ADK_Pipe]

Thanks for the responses, gentlemen.

The 9x20 looks like a great machine... I will take a close look at that one.

I also plan to keep an eye out on Craigslist. I picked up an old Atlas drill press through a garage sale. It needed to be rewired and have a new drive belt put on it, but it's a beast. I picked it up for $50.

I will keep you guys posted on my finds and shop setup as it moved forward.

Thanks!

ADK

 

[Blackhorse]

Do you have a good belt sander yet? That's the one cheap addition to my shop that's made the most difference in what I can do...aside from the Japanese carving files (lol) but they're hand tools and don't count for this I guess.

 

[ADK_Pipe]

I do have a belt sander, but I would love to get one of those belt sander / circular sander combos.

Like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005NMRO/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15467987859&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=25485621080512260&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B00005NMRO

So many tools to get. So much fun

 

[Blackhorse]

The discs are a hassle to swap out and I hardly ever use that. The belt is the thing. And I've been told that the temperature of the piece you're working on AND of the belt depends on the length of the belt...so the longer the belt the better for working. Also, with a thinner belt (like 1" - 2") you can work on contours that you can't do with a wider belt.

The cheapo model I have I got with the disc thing (again, hardly ever use it) but the belt is 2" X 42" (yeah, gotta buy belts online) but it will also take 1" belts just fine. And I really appreciate the narrower width.

They try and protect you from yourself so much that it gets in the way sometimes. To really use the 'contour sanding' aspect it has to be done on an area of the belt where there isn't a side guard, per se. And there's only a very small area that's not "protected" on mine. Likely on all of 'em.

And of course, it all depends on what your're doing with the thing, specifically. I use mine for sanding steel billets into bladeforms and putting bevels on the blanks, etc....and sanding the corners off of brass and nickel silver pieces for bolsters and spacers, etc. The heat builds up really fast, and I'm glad that I have for longer belt for that reason.

I think the link is for one like mine. What's not to like for $140?

http://community.craftsman.com/Craftsman-2-x-42-in-Belt-6-in-Disc-Sander-reviews

And this thread discusses how to convert the 2X42 into a 2X72 unit pretty easily. By using a large 3rd wheel for extra one you could get a unit that would allow you to do bevel grinds! Pretty cool. Be sure to look at the links on the pages, some a dead but others are very helpfull.

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/662477/hl/2x42%5C%5C%5C%7Csears%5C%5C%5C%7Cgrinder/tp/1/

 

[ADK_Pipe]

That's some great info --- thanks for the write-up!

Ive thought about getting one of the longer belts, which would allow me to play with some knife making. I never thought about the "contour" aspect for shaping a pipe. That must work like a champ!

I'll check out the links.

Thanks!!

ADK

 

[TonyS]

ADK, did you ever get the lathe? The Grizzly G0602 is a great metal lathe with lotsa happy owners. It's a good size for the home small machine shop. After much researching I almost bought one but found a 1957 South Bend Heavy 10 locally in good condition that I couldn't pass up. The thing with used machinery is if you've no experience with what you're looking at/for then you could be duped into buying an $$ dust collector. If you've no experience than go with the Grizzly because (A) you'll be buying new so less chance of getting a lemon; (B) Grizzly's cstmr service is top notch.