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**GEEDUBBYA** · 03-01-2008

Howdy Kong,

Well, I have been a machinist all my adult life and had 2 grandfathers and 3 uncles who were also machinists so i have been around machiningequipment for all of my life and in answer to your question, I would say "YES" you do need a lathe.
Now, for your next question...a cheap inexpensive lathe. My first thought was to look on Ebay (however i am in the United States and the shipping might be abit much for you if you are in the UK, however, here is the link to the results I got while looking for "mini lathe" under the "all categories" in ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ATHE&category0=

I know there is a UK Ebay and that might be a route to look into.
Personally all my experience has been with large industrial type lathes, milling machines etc.. so i cant really tell you what type of mini lathe would be good...simply cause i have no experience with the smaller ones.
My only advice would be get one that can be used for many things, I know that there are many times i have used lathes for repairing things in and around the house. And if you are mechanically inclined, machining is a useful and marketable skill, meaning that you could possibly even make some money with whatever you invest in through oddjobs for other people or through manufacturing of "custom yo-yo's" in your case.
Just remember, you get what you pay for. And even though this will be primarily for your own enjoyment, there are ways to get returns on your investment.
As for tooling, the required bits would be determined by what material you are machining. And i would look to industrial supply companies for reccomendations on the tooling to suit your specific needs, again, you get what you pay for and cutting bits can be expensive.
And as always, take all safety precautions when working with any power equipment, I have seen guys i work with hurt pretty bad by lathes, milling machines drill presses etc. Remember: no loose clothes, no rings or jewelry, wear safety glasses/goggles, always be sure the material being cut is secured in the head of the lathe etc. And never...never ever....leave the lathe head "chuck wrench" in the chuck. Inadvertantly turning on the lathe with the wrench in the chuck head will send the wrench flying at incredible speeds and it will break things...you included lol.

Have a good day,

Greg aka GEEDUBBYA (GW)

03-01-2008	#3 (permalink)
GEEDUBBYA Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pine Bluff, Arkansas Real Name: Greg My Models: model planes tanks and helicopters as well as missiles and rockets Visit GEEDUBBYA's Gallery Posts: 1,030 Images: 329	*Howdy Kong,* Well, I have been a machinist all my adult life and had 2 grandfathers and 3 uncles who were also machinists so i have been around machiningequipment for all of my life and in answer to your question, I would say "YES" you do need a lathe. Now, for your next question...a cheap inexpensive lathe. My first thought was to look on Ebay (however i am in the United States and the shipping might be abit much for you if you are in the UK, however, here is the link to the results I got while looking for "mini lathe" under the "all categories" in ebay: *http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ATHE&category0=* *I know there is a UK Ebay and that might be a route to look into.* Personally all my experience has been with large industrial type lathes, milling machines etc.. so i cant really tell you what type of mini lathe would be good...simply cause i have no experience with the smaller ones. My only advice would be get one that can be used for many things, I know that there are many times i have used lathes for repairing things in and around the house. And if you are mechanically inclined, machining is a useful and marketable skill, meaning that you could possibly even make some money with whatever you invest in through oddjobs for other people or through manufacturing of "custom yo-yo's" in your case. *Just remember, you get what you pay for. And even though this will be primarily for your own enjoyment, there are ways to get returns on your investment.* As for tooling, the required bits would be determined by what material you are machining. And i would look to industrial supply companies for reccomendations on the tooling to suit your specific needs, again, you get what you pay for and cutting bits can be expensive. And as always, take all safety precautions when working with any power equipment, I have seen guys i work with hurt pretty bad by lathes, milling machines drill presses etc. Remember: no loose clothes, no rings or jewelry, wear safety glasses/goggles, always be sure the material being cut is secured in the head of the lathe etc. And never...never ever....leave the lathe head "chuck wrench" in the chuck. Inadvertantly turning on the lathe with the wrench in the chuck head will send the wrench flying at incredible speeds and it will break things...you included lol. *Have a good day,* *Greg aka GEEDUBBYA (GW)*