Proxxon micro lathes

[Siv]

I remember seeing some time ago in a "what starter lathe shall I get" thread that Ron put in a picture of a Proxxon mini lathe. I have done a bit of digging and found that they have a small wood lathe for under $200.

http://www.proxxon.com/us/images/produkte/37020_1.jpg

 

Is this puppy practical to turn pens on? I'm not looking at doing anything really fancy, just making caps and barrels and definitely nothing larger than a pen. I know I probably can't cut threads but I'll be happy doing that with taps and dies.

 

Your thoughts?

Edited October 19, 2008 by Siv

[richardandtracy]

I remember seeing some time ago in a "what starter lathe shall I get" thread that Ron put in a picture of a Proxxon mini lathe. I have done a bit of digging and found that they have a small wood lathe for under $200.

...Is this puppy practical to turn pens on? I'm not looking at doing anything really fancy, just making caps and barrels and definitely nothing larger than a pen. I know I probably can't cut threads but I'll be happy doing that with taps and dies.

 

Your thoughts?

Yes, seems just big enough.

Proxxon are high quality, expensive lathes. In some ways, if you are a novice the better the quality the lathe the better - that way you know that problems are down to you or the material rather than the lathe.. But that's the only argument I can think of for getting an expensive rather than a cheaper lathe. Many Chinese made lathes are of lesser quality & life, but they are good enough for hobby use and will last as long as you'll need. They may not be good enough if you're churning out hundreds a day, but for one offs on an irregular basis they are fine.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[Rotomobees]

Proxxon is an expensive lathe, and I think you could get a much cheaper domestic or Chinese lathe that could the same. I have six lathes that I play with, and they are all machine lathes (also called engine lathes). These are designed to cut metal and are much more accurate and versatile than a wood lathe. By the way, you can also cut wood, plastic, etc. on a metal lathe. A better lathe, in my opinion, would be a Taig, Unimat, or a small (7x12) Chinese lathe. Another option is to get a used watchmaker lathe off Ebay. And once you have a lathe, you might as well get a milling machine too. Then you will want to take an apprentice course in machining at you local community college. Then you will want to build a workshop in the backyard for all your machines. Then you will want to air condition and heat the workshop. At least this is what happened to me. It can get rather expensive.

[Siv]

The pictured Proxxon is under $200 so not terribly expensive. The machine lathe equivalent is over $1000. I figured that $200 is not a terrible expense to give it a go and let gather dust if I don't make a go of it... I don't really want a huge piece of metal in my garage which never sees any use...

[gwilki]

The pictured Proxxon is under $200 so not terribly expensive. The machine lathe equivalent is over $1000. I figured that $200 is not a terrible expense to give it a go and let gather dust if I don't make a go of it... I don't really want a huge piece of metal in my garage which never sees any use...

 

Siv: While Proxxon makes excellent products, this one may not be ideal for pens. The headstock does not look like it takes a standard morse taper, either #1 or #2, and if you want to use mandrels for turning, that will cause you some problems. The tailstock does not look like a morse taper, either, so you may have a problem if you want to use a Jacobs chuck to drill your blanks. You would be better off going with a Rikon or Jet variable speed wood lathe, I believe.

 

[Ruaidhri]

gwilki has spotted what may be a big drawback - looking at the specs it appears designed to hold with collets.

Could be used for pens but you'd be unable to use the bog standard stuff that's out there.

 

Bets look out for something with #1 or #2 morse (ideally the same taper in head and tail stocks).

 

Cheers,

R

[Siv]

Thanks for the advice guys. I find it frustrating that the micro lathes that should be ideal for making pens are either insufficient or too expensive. Here's another nice looking one - Sherline 3.5"x8" which is probably just about the minimum size needed to make a pen but come out more expensive than larger lathes!

http://www.sherline.com/images/4000Apic.jpg

[bgray]

Thanks for the advice guys. I find it frustrating that the micro lathes that should be ideal for making pens are either insufficient or too expensive. Here's another nice looking one - Sherline 3.5"x8" which is probably just about the minimum size needed to make a pen but come out more expensive than larger lathes!

http://www.sherline.com/images/4000Apic.jpg

 

I wouldn't bother with a Sherline.

 

You'll get pretty sick of turning that crank by hand.

 

Also - there's no compound. You can buy one for it, but more $$$.

 

Basically, the Sherline is for model makers and people making very small parts.

[gwilki]

Siv: Brian Gray is certainly the guy who knows about metal lathes and pen making (among other things, of course), but why are you looking at metal lathes rather than wood lathes?

Edited October 26, 2008 by gwilki

[Siv]

Siv: Brian Gray is certainly the guy who knows about metal lathes and pen making (among other things, of course), but why are you looking at metal lathes rather than wood lathes?

 

Good question - I guess it's because I know my way around a metal lathe. Also, I would want to drill centers on the lathe and I guess I'm thinking that this can only be done on a metal lathe? Or at least one that can take a drill bit in the tailstock... Can you get these bits for wood lathes?

[bgray]

Siv: Brian Gray is certainly the guy who knows about metal lathes and pen making (among other things, of course), but why are you looking at metal lathes rather than wood lathes?

 

Good question - I guess it's because I know my way around a metal lathe. Also, I would want to drill centers on the lathe and I guess I'm thinking that this can only be done on a metal lathe? Or at least one that can take a drill bit in the tailstock... Can you get these bits for wood lathes?

 

There's no problem with drilling on the wood lathe. The tailstock will take a drill chuck on almost any wood lathe.

 

But if you want my honest opinion, I wish I had never started with a wood lathe. I'd be farther along today if I had started with a metal lathe.

 

You will be more frustrated by starting with metal lathe, as the learning curve is much more difficult, but you will progress quicker, and won't deal with the limitations that kits offer.

 

In all honesty, I haven't touched my wood lathe in 2-3 years.

[richardandtracy]

Thanks for the advice guys. I find it frustrating that the micro lathes that should be ideal for making pens are either insufficient or too expensive. Here's another nice looking one - Sherline 3.5"x8" which is probably just about the minimum size needed to make a pen but come out more expensive than larger lathes!

http://www.sherline.com/images/4000Apic.jpg

 

...You'll get pretty sick of turning that crank by hand.

Also - there's no compound. ...

I have a lathe with a crank at the end. I have to admit that I can feel it in my elbow after 3 or 4 hours turning it, but otherwise I have no problems.

 

The compound slide is important if you want anything fancy, like thread cutting.

 

The more I look at threads like this, the more it confirms my choice of lathe - http://www.warco.co.uk/shop.asp?catid=26&ProdId=137 (mine has a milling head, but in all honesty it's not worth it) it's big & heavy, and surprisingly cheap for the precision and adaptability you get. I think the same lathe is available with different paintwork in the US from Harbor Freight or Grizzly.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[Siv]

OK, two more for you to glance over.

 

The TAIG Tool Micro Lathe:

http://www.taigtools.com/Images/lathe4.JPG

 

The Clisbly miniature lathe

http://www.clisbyminiaturemachines.com/images/LatheMetal.jpg

[richardandtracy]

OK, two more for you to glance over.

 

The TAIG Tool Micro Lathe:

The Clisbly miniature lathe

The Taig (called the 'Peatol' in the UK) is a well regarded model engineering lathe. As with most metalworking lathes it runs a bit slowly for wood, but can be used.

I've not heard of the Clisby, but it looks like a good alternative to the Taig.

 

Regards

 

Richard.