Lathe recommendation

[terrymcc]

I recently completed a Mill Turn conversion to Acorn/CNC12. I enjoyed doing the project and am very happy with the end result. The controls and software are very solid.

I am thinking I would now like to have a dedicated lathe. Nothing very large. I am a hobbiest, but like quality, accurate tools. I don’t know much about metal lathes as far as features, options,.... Are there any obvious lathes out there I should be watching for or ones I should stay away from for a conversion? I assume it would be better to get one with variable speed rather than gears but don’t really know. Should I be looking for an older well known manual lathe or what about one of the variable speed Grizzlies.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[tblough]

Well, I'm partial to Hardinge For a CNC conversion, a TFB is the best choice and is usually much cheaper than the HLV since it doesn't have the threading capability which you will correct with the CNC addition.

[terrymcc]

Thank you. I’ll start watching. I’ve seen some called tool room and some called engine. Is that an accuracy difference or features?

[martyscncgarage]

Thank you. I’ll start watching. I’ve seen some called tool room and some called engine. Is that an accuracy difference or features?

Hardinge Super Precision are the best in my opinion. (Tool Room)
EMCOTURN's are a good machine too. Many were in the school system and never saw production. EMCOTURN 220 is a 5C capable machine.

Just find a good purpose build CNC lathe to begin with.
You need to think about the max diameter and length of part you want to turn. That will dictate the size of machine to look for.
Be realistic....start with something and then upgrade in the future if you really need to.

Marty