• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

New Lathe Advice For Basement Shop

I am retiring my old lathe do to overwhelming mechanical issues I don't have time for. I want to run the machine, not work on it. Having said that, what NEW lathe would you all recommend for a basement shop? Weight is unfortunately a concern, but I don't have a garage/pole barn/shop to put a lathe in so my basement has to do for now. I'll be using the lathe for barrel work and tinkering around at home with. I have been looking at the Precision Matthews 1228VF-LB and it fits my size and budget. I really like the PM-1236T, but it's both a stretch on my budget and the weight concerns me getting it down my basement steps. I have also looked at some of Grizzly's offerings. Most of my experience has been with higher end lathes from Clausing, American, and Monarch. My only experience with an import is from an older JET. Any input is appreciated, thanks!
If you haven't thought of it yet, look into renting a stair climbing hand truck.

CW
 
I have a little 12x36 Atlas / Crapsman Professional in the basement. I disassembled it, took it down in manageable pieces and put it back together on site.

Couldn’t imagine moving a 1300# or more lathe down the steps and into location in the basement. Not unless I had a walk out maybe.
 
That should work well chambering through the headstock.
Interested in seeing how thing go and what you decide.
I would definitely want a tiawan model if I was buying.
I know my 1236 is about as heavy as I want to deal with but I think I would force myself to deal with something heavier if I could find a nice 1440 tiawan model.
 
After much consideration and research, I've decided to fix my current lathe and save up for a couple years and get something nice. I am accustomed to nice manual lathes, I don't want to jump into something that feels cheap or that I'm not happy with and regret. I think I'll eventually get a Harrison M300/Clausing 2500 or something else nice like a Sharp 1340 and maybe have a little shop to put it in.
 
After much consideration and research, I've decided to fix my current lathe and save up for a couple years and get something nice. I am accustomed to nice manual lathes, I don't want to jump into something that feels cheap or that I'm not happy with and regret. I think I'll eventually get a Harrison M300/Clausing 2500 or something else nice like a Sharp 1340 and maybe have a little shop to put it in.
A smart move!
 
It sounds like you've made a smart decision, just to follow up on your query re: PM 1228 VF-LB. I decided to buy one as my REALLY small shop doesn't have 220 v (and it would be expensive to install). Plus, I'm just a hobbyist. I installed the DRO (purchased from Precision Matthews), and I also fabricated the spider which I use for chambering. So far, the barrels I've chambered have performed well. BUT, I must make very shallow cuts, and therefore everything takes longer. But, I'm retired so that's OK!!
IMG_3022.jpeg
 
It sounds like you've made a smart decision, just to follow up on your query re: PM 1228 VF-LB. I decided to buy one as my REALLY small shop doesn't have 220 v (and it would be expensive to install). Plus, I'm just a hobbyist. I installed the DRO (purchased from Precision Matthews), and I also fabricated the spider which I use for chambering. So far, the barrels I've chambered have performed well. BUT, I must make very shallow cuts, and therefore everything takes longer. But, I'm retired so that's OK!!
View attachment 1560879
Very nice looking piece of equipment, it looks like it's never been used, and I love a clean organized work area.
Question, did the DRO come with that lathe or was that a separate purchase?
 
It sounds like you've made a smart decision, just to follow up on your query re: PM 1228 VF-LB. I decided to buy one as my REALLY small shop doesn't have 220 v (and it would be expensive to install). Plus, I'm just a hobbyist. I installed the DRO (purchased from Precision Matthews), and I also fabricated the spider which I use for chambering. So far, the barrels I've chambered have performed well. BUT, I must make very shallow cuts, and therefore everything takes longer. But, I'm retired so that's OK!!
View attachment 1560879
I look at how clean and organized this is and I realize that I really don't like you! LOL, I try really hard to keep my shop this clean and then the projects and mess piles up. Impressive!
 
Jeez, a year later and no reply from me??? I waited too long for the DRO model preinstalled on this lathe, and so I bought the DRO "kit" from PM and installed it myself. Worked out great!! Yes, it was stressful, and yes, I learned a lot. Bottom line is that it works!! Very precise! SO, I've chambered at least 30 barrels and have threaded muzzles on almost that many with this lathe and all the tooling that I've bought, but mostly made via the lathe and a small bench mill. These rifle builds and barrel "replacements" have all shot very precisely. Many hunters and two target competitors have done well via my efforts. And yes, I have an type 07 FFL. Anyway, this lathe has served me very well. I would be happy to specify the tooling I have made and/or that I have purchased to make this work. AND, yes, sometimes the workspace is a little more cluttered/dirty........but not much!!:)
 
It sounds like you've made a smart decision, just to follow up on your query re: PM 1228 VF-LB. I decided to buy one as my REALLY small shop doesn't have 220 v (and it would be expensive to install). Plus, I'm just a hobbyist. I installed the DRO (purchased from Precision Matthews), and I also fabricated the spider which I use for chambering. So far, the barrels I've chambered have performed well. BUT, I must make very shallow cuts, and therefore everything takes longer. But, I'm retired so that's OK!!
View attachment 1560879
A fellow fly fisherman. Love my Winston B3X 6 wt.
 
My shop went into my basement, out of my basement and into a real shop, then to Fl, then back to the old shop in Mt, then back to Fl. If your thinking about gunsmithing then you already have the required stupidity to do this.
OMG. I remember you talking about that on the Forum.
Makes my right eye twitch uncontrollably just thinking about it. :oops: :oops:
 
I put the bed of my Jet 1340 through the basement window with an engine hoist. The rest of it was easy to move compared to that.
 
My 13x40 Advance went down into a basement, out and down into a second one, then back out into a shed, then into my current basement. I was young and sort of semi-fit when this started (in 1986) and I could handle some pretty heavy weights (probably why I hurt so much every morning now). For the first moves, I took the motor, headstock, and tailstock off, then I could move it around with an appliance dolly easily enough. For the last move, I stripped the bed right down and carried the headstock and carriage into the basement, then the stand. For the bed, I had a couple of sawhorses ready, then had my wife set one about a dozen feet away. I could pick up the bed and walk four or five steps to the sawhorse, where I could rest. She would then set the other sawhorse the same distance ahead, and I would repeat the pick-up and carry. Once inside the basement (a walkout basement), I had to go up two steps, cross a small landing, then down two steps. That was the hardest sequence. From there, I just set it on the stand and put it back together. If I have to move it again, I will remove a section of the wall (timber frame) and take it out with the excavator. The differences between then and now are twofold; I no longer have the ability to pick up heavy objects without some serious repercussions, and I now own machinery which means I don't have to! WH
 
This is how I moved my lathe from the garage where the freight company unloaded it to my tiny shop!! The person on the left is my son, on the right my neighbor and in the middle my JD 790 tractor. We had an engine jack in the shop to lift it on the bench. I also took everything I could off the lathe to reduce the weight.IMG_5578.JPG
 
I would bet that a skilled carpenter could create a removable/operable hatch in the floor, add required support where needed, to lower heavy things up/down. Probably modify it to swing up with counterweights.

Want to hide it, use a throw rug.

I doubt it would diminish a home’s value, it would probably enhance it.
 
Anyway I wouldn't want to go smaller then my 1236.
I have been running the same kind of lathes as you amd many others except leblond instead of monarch but them leblonds are very nice lathes too.
Agreed, 1236 is the min for barrel work in my opinion
 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
166,237
Messages
2,213,748
Members
79,448
Latest member
tornado-technologies
Back
Top