Why I bought a lathe

[henryarnold]

Guys,

I have a lathe to make parts for my mill. I use my bandsaw to cut stock for the parts I make on my lathe. I use the mill to soup up the bandsaw. I needed a welder to make bases for my bandsaw and my mill. Sometimes I need the mill to repair the lathe. Seriously, I do use my tools to make parts for things other than my machine tools but it is true that you need machine tools to fix or upgrade your machine tools. I originally bought the lathe and quickly found that the illness was just starting. Soon I had a bigger lathe, a mill, bandsaw, two welders and a few sheet metal machines. I'm hopelessly hooked.

Once my wife asked why I have all these tools and why she can't park in the garage. I told her "You're right, I'm going to get rid of all of this junk and buy us a trailer with some dirt bikes. We can go out the the desert and ride dirt bikes every weekend" She never asked about my tools again. No offense to anyone that rides dirt bikes. I like motorcycles too.

Henry Arnold

[EdK]

Henry,

It sounds like your strategy worked.

Ed

[henryarnold]

(05-18-2012, 05:54 PM)EdAK Wrote: Henry,

It sounds like your strategy worked.

Ed

I have to admit that I have made a lot of parts on each machine for the other machines. I don't tell my wife about it but I think she knows there's something fishy about my hobby.

[EdK]

Henry,

You've got to throw in a hero project. Fix something of hers using your tools and she'll never complain about your tools again.

Ed

[henryarnold]

When I was a kid, my Dad always talked about someday having a lathe. He loved tools but was hesitant to spend money on things. He was raised during the Depression when buying expensive tools for a hobby would never be considered. A few years ago it occurred to me that it would be fun to get the lathe that my Dad and I dreamed about. My Dad is no longer alive. Finally having a lathe has been fun and I often think about my Dad when I use it. He should have just bought the lathe all the years ago. Life is short.

[henryarnold]

(05-18-2012, 05:59 PM)EdAK Wrote: Henry,

You've got to throw in a hero project. Fix something of hers using your tools and she'll never complain about your tools again.

Ed

Maybe I could buy her a small lathe and fix it up with my other tools No that wouldn't work I'll have to think of something else.

Actually I have done loads of work with my woodworking tools so that gets me some understanding for my tool addiction. My wife doesn't know the difference between the woodworking and metalworking tools so if I build her a new vanity, she's happy.

[stevec]

This is an interesting subject, this evening when I went to fire up the propane "Barby" I noticed that at full open "heat this sucker up"
setting I was only getting a tiny little flame.
I deduced that the the regulator had given up the ghost.
An inventory check turned up a regulator with double outlets so I decided to "unscrew" the "exrtra" hose.
It broke off, it was a cast in barbed outlet.
Well, undaunted I decided to drill and tap where the broken off barbed fitting was . That done, I blew out all the cuttings (I hope) and put in a 1/8 NPT plug.
I installed the "new" regulator connected everything up and lit the "cue" up as it should lite.
Not a masterpiece of machining but an example of what knowledge, tools,inventory can do. Supper was delayed about 40 minutes and was delicious.
Not a very " Machinist " story but just another justification for what we do other than "pure" machining.
I enjoy keeping my wife "amazed".

[TOM REED]

I bought my lathe as I love tools and making things now I have to work longer to pay for them. Really I bought them so I have something to do when I retire besides die. Tom

[stevec]

Tom, as you may know I am retired and have no designs on dying (although physical things seem bent on my destruction).
Keep busy, it'll extend you life!

[PixMan]

I bought the lathe for my dad because he was retired from working as a toolmaker/moldmaker and had built a shop. We (my next-younger brother, older sister and mother) had pitched in to buy him a Bridgeport, he had bought a 7x12 bandsaw, and I bought him a 15" Enco drill press. The lathe was the next logical piece to add, but the others were tapped out and the task fell upon me to find & buy because I knew what he'd want and had the funds to buy an old 9x12 or something.

At that time I was working for a machine tool sales company and had installed a new CNC screw machine for a guy in Ohio. A year later, he bought another because he was making so much money with the first I put in. When I got there he had a lathe, a Bridgeport clone and a clapped-out bandsaw in the middle of his floor. I asked the owner what his plans were for the surplus lathe. He told me he was putting it in the local paper for $500, so I told him I'd buy it.

The owner tried to discourage me from buying, saying "my guys beat the craps out of it, you don't want it." I insisted I could fix it up. The next few days I installed his new machine and trained his guys on it. We got the first job running well, and he was making far better time on it than he quoted. When I was ready to leave I asked him how much I should add to the $500 for the cost of throwing it on a wooden skid. He told me simply "Just send the truck, it's yours."

He refused to take my money. I called the owner of the company I was working for to get an OK, and all my boss's boss told me was that I couldn't accept the machine. :(

However, my dad COULD! My employer agreed to let me store it in his warehouse until spring. I had it trucked there for $545. The guys at the warehouse found shipping damage, so I filed a claim with the trucking company. Their insurance asked my for a repair estimate, including parts, so I got a quote from my employer. I got a check for $400, and spent $275 of it on parts. I replaced the broken handles and installed the new cross slide screw & nut myself.

It cost me $450 to get it moved from the warehouse, into my dad's shop, and leveled. My total expense for a 1974 era Victor 1640 with Mitutoyo DRO, Dorian CA40 QCTP and 3 holders was about $840, and it runs like new. I've since added a new-old-stock 250mm Pratt Burnerd Super Precision 3-jaw scroll chuck, a 300mm Atlas 4-jaw independent, a 15" faceplate, replaced the coolant pump and one of the DRO scales. I still hadn't reached the $2000 mark.

I got a LOT of well-tooled machine in a good all-around size for less money than many pay for a stripped 12x30. That's why I bought a lathe!