# Metal Lathe in my Marketplace



## Aces-High

This is posted in my are, want ed to get you guys to give me your opinion please.

Thanks,

Jason






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## More4dan

I have the same lathe and had it for about 4 years. No real complaint. Price looks close to retail new for what I can see. The micrometers might make it a good deal if you need them. The lathe is about $500-$600 new. 


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## More4dan

It looks like a 7” x 10” just long enough for pens, for the full price you could get a 7” x 16” with more power. 


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## Jay

Harbor Freight has it listed at $669.99.  

Jay


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## magpens

It is a Sieg lathe, which many of us have. . I have been using mine for 10 years ... it is still serving me fine .
You need to get more details ... is it a 7 x 10 or a 7 x 12 ? ... 7 x10 is marginally too short. . I have the 7 x 12 and it is just ok for the longest of blanks that I turn
You need to get the gear set WITH IT ... allowing you to do automatic horizontal travel and threading.
It looks like it may have an upgraded chuck ... is it a 4" 3-jaw chuck ? ... that would be nice for blanks up to 0.85" diam. ... find out.
(The usual factory supplied chuck is a 3" 3-jaw which will handle blanks only up to about 0.72")
You may not be able to use that milling table, unless you have/get a milling machine.
What other accessories are there ? . That would be important, IMHO. . Otherwise the price seems on the high side ... to me.
Yes, the dial gauge is worth something, and the magnetic holder, and the work light (on top of the lathe). ... But still not enough.

Oh, and the stand is nice to have ... I forgot to factor that in ... worth about $100 ?

Does it have a quick change tool post ? ... not essential but nice to have ... find out.

I don't see a tailstock on the right hand end of the lathe bed .... YA GOTTA HAVE ONE OF THOSE ! ... preferably with live center and also with a Jacobs chuck


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## Aces-High

More4dan said:


> It looks like a 7” x 10” just long enough for pens, for the full price you could get a 7” x 16” with more power.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app



It is a 7x10...


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## Aces-High

magpens said:


> It is a Sieg lathe, which many of us have. . I have been using mine for 10 years ... it is still serving me fine .
> You need to get more details ... is it a 7 x 10 or a 7 x 12 ? ... 7 x10 is marginally too short. . I have the 7 x 12 and it is just ok for the longest of blanks that I turn
> You need to get the gear set WITH IT ... allowing you to do automatic horizontal travel and threading.
> It looks like it may have an upgraded chuck ... is it a 4" 3-jaw chuck ? ... that would be nice for blanks up to 0.85" diam. ... find out.
> (The usual factory supplied chuck is a 3" 3-jaw which will handle blanks only up to about 0.72")
> You may not be able to use that milling table, unless you have/get a milling machine.
> What other accessories are there ? . That would be important, IMHO. . Otherwise the price seems on the high side ... to me.
> Yes, the dial gauge is worth something, and the magnetic holder, and the work light (on top of the lathe). ... But still not enough.
> 
> Oh, and the stand is nice to have ... I forgot to factor that in ... worth about $100 ?
> 
> Does it have a quick change tool post ? ... not essential but nice to have ... find out.
> 
> I don't see a tailstock on the right hand end of the lathe bed .... YA GOTTA HAVE ONE OF THOSE ! ... preferably with live center and also with a Jacobs chuck



It is a 7x10.  Tailstock is in the tool box.  I’ll check on the rest...


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## More4dan

Jay said:


> Harbor Freight has it listed at $669.99.
> 
> Jay



Wow! I paid $400 4 years ago on sale and with a coupon. 


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## magpens

Aces-High said:


> It is a 7x10.  Tailstock is in the tool box.  I’ll check on the rest...



@Aces-High

It's good that there IS a tailstock ......... LOL !! 

With regard to the overall length of the lathe ....
..... remember .....  you have confirmed that it is a 7 x 10 ..... IMHO that is pretty short !!!!! . You will want longer ..... eventually !!!
You will want to round a 5" blank ..... I doubt you will be able to do that comfortably on a 7 x 10 .
Even if it looks OK as pictured ..... bear in mind that .......
The working length is shortened considerably with the tailstock in place on the lathe bed.

I would not buy a 7 x 10 ...... unless all you want to do with it is make nose-cones ..... that sort of thing ..... SHORT items .
It will be very difficult to drill on that lathe, taking into account the need for a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock, plus the length of drill bit.


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## More4dan

Mal, after 4 years of living with the short bed, there are ways of making it work for pens. For a 5” blank, turn round between centers and then you can recess it into the headstock for drilling. Shorter drill bits are also available. All that said, I plan to add a 16” bed to mine. If you can get the 7x10 (actually a 7x8) lathe at a discount, I would consider it. Full price for used with equipment you might not need, I’d find a longer lathe. The stand for this lathe doesn’t look like it has much room for tools and materials. The bench space in front of my lathe is critical for productivity. 


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## Dalecamino

Just my opinion...I would hold out for a 16" bed.


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## magpens

@Dalecamino @Aces-High @More4dan

I would agree with you, Chuck. . It's cheaper and better to buy what you want at the beginning rather than try to "make do".
At the asking-price, this particular machine that Jason wants us to assess appears to be very close to full retail.
It is not much more expense to buy a lathe with a longer bed at the beginning. . It's more expensive to retro-fit.

I am not really sure how the "LL" part of the "7 x LL" specification for one of these Sieg lathes is measured.

I just measured my lathe; it's a full 16" from the flat face business-end of the headstock chuck to the right-hand end of the bed.
From that face of the headstock chuck to the exit of the spindle from the motor/gearbox on the left side of the bed is another 3 3/4".
So you could justifiably say that the lathe bed is 19 3/4" long, altho' the actual usable length is obviously less.

Another factor is the size of the chuck. . For years I have been using a 4" 4-jaw chuck (scroll-jaw chuck, not independent jaws) and that is the chuck from whose flat face I am measuring. . The factory-supplied chuck was a 3" 3-jaw ( scroll ) which is about an inch shorter.
So, I have been underestimating the length of my lathe bed all along. . And with its length I have experienced limits to its capability.

So a 7 x 16 would certainly be my choice over a 7 x 10. . I doubt that I could live with a 7 x 10.

Drilling is the operation that requires the longest bed. . I routinely drill holes 4 1/2" long in my blanks when making single barrel pens using the so-called Artisan Clicker pen kit ( a Dayacom kit bought from CSUSA ), and also for other single barrel pens that I make ( eg. the PSI Slimline Pro modified to be single barrel). . It is true that you can start such a hole with a short bit. . But to finish the hole (without flipping the blank around) it sure is nice to have a full-length bit.

The only time I'd consider a 7 x 10 is as a second lathe to be used solely for making up short barrels and short hardware pieces.

I honestly do not think that the lathe in question qualifies as a bargain at the asking price, even if it has a fantastic set of accessories


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## bmachin

In addition to what everyone else has mentioned, the "quick change" tool post is something of a different animal. It is sort of a mirror image of the standard Aloris type post. On the Aloris the male (?) wedges are on the tool post and the female parts are on the toolholder. On this one's reversed.  I've never seen this before, but I'm not particularly well travelled. Maybe someone knows more about it.

Bill


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## SteveG

Too bad we are so far distant. I am about to put my Microlux 7 X 16 True Inch lathe (MicroMark) up for sale. I have owned it for a few years, and have a fairly extensive set of unused lathe accessories, all as a package at a reasonable price. I made ONE Damascus Steel pen on it, which I posted here...nothing else. Just going in a different direction since I shut down my pen business and relocated IOT take care of my 93 year old Dad. I settled on the 16 inch lathe after considering numerous opinions from members here on IAP.


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## magpens

@Aces-High

Jason, you should give serious consideration to SteveG's lathe that he has just mentioned in the post immediately above.

Here is another lathe to consider ... compare the price with the lathe you mentioned in your OP ...









						8”x14” Mini Metal Lathe Metalworking Woodworking Metal Gears Bench  Metalworking  | eBay
					

It’s the perfect addition to your workbench! • Compact 8”x14” Construction. • 1 x Lathe. • 5 x Turning Tools. It's 1.5 m long & 9 mm wide. It has 96 gears. • 4 x Rubber Gaskets. • 1 x Open Spanner.



					www.ebay.com
				




This lathe is mentioned in a new thread which just appeared tonight. . Here is the link ...






						Advice needed on new lathe
					

I'm looking to get a metal lathe. I've looked at the Seig lathes at LMS, HF, Grizzly, et. al. But while browsing on EBay I came across this one...



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## Aces-High

SteveG said:


> Too bad we are so far distant. I am about to put my Microlux 7 X 16 True Inch lathe (MicroMark) up for sale. I have owned it for a few years, and have a fairly extensive set of unused lathe accessories, all as a package at a reasonable price. I made ONE Damascus Steel pen on it, which I posted here...nothing else. Just going in a different direction since I shut down my pen business and relocated IOT take care of my 93 year old Dad. I settled on the 16 inch lathe after considering numerous opinions from members here on IAP.



Yes, that would be perfect.  Too bad.


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