Re: buying a used meta lathe

Posted by Scott (MO) on March 02, 2002 at 19:06:55 from (209.248.48.57):

In Reply to: buying a used meta lathe posted by dave on March 02, 2002 at 16:58:06:

Hello,
Some of the things to look for when buying a lathe is:
1) check for excessive wear in the ways (deep grooves and scratches caused from chips getting under the ways.
2)If it's an older lathe with bushings instead of bearings check for excessive play in the headstock.
3) Check for excessive play in the cross slide(how far does the cross slide handle move before it engages (just like how far does your steering wheel turn before your tires move).
4)Depending on the model of your lathe , pull the back cover off and check all the gears. A lot of older lathes have worn spur gears that are used for feeding.
*interestingly enough I have been running lathes since my teens and I'm 32 now. The first lathe I bought I was 21 and didn't pay close enough attention. The guy I bought my lathe from had bought out an old machine shop for a few pieces of equipment and just wanted to sell the rest. He had no way of powering the equipment he had bought at the time I looked at the lathe . It looked good to me so I bought it. Well, my lathe sat for 6 years until I could get things going. I hooked up the lathe ,started it and it ran good. However, when I went to engage the feed ,NOTHING.
I pulled the back cover off and all the gears were gone. $500 worth of gears and I was finally running. Hard lesson to learn.
5)Also check for accessories. The cost will add up if you have to buy these seperately. Things like:
a. steady rest
b. follower rest
c. 4 jaw chuck, 3 jaw chuck , face plate
6)Also check to see what phase your motor is . If you do not have a 3 phase converter , you will have to get one if you buy a lathe that is not single phase.
7)Also , check the ways to make sure there are no cracks across the ways.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure some of these other great guys/gals on here can help you out.Have fun making chips. Let me caution you though , IT CAN BE ADDICTING !

God Bless

Scott

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: buying a used meta lathe Scott Green 06:54:44 03/03/02 (0)
• Re: Re: buying a used meta lathe snitkawl 05:09:11 03/03/02 (0)

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