New Lathe Advice For Basement Shop

[jepp2]

and the weight concerns me getting it down my basement steps.

Hire out the movement of the lathe to your basement. Cost you less than you might think and those folks are used to moving 1,000 pound safes into basements. They have the personnel, experience and equipment to get the job done.

 

[Mulligan]

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

 

[DR_2297]

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.

 

[Bill Score]

The coloum is 700 pounds. Most of the stocks I have inleted have been done on that mill.

Holy shit, that’s almost 1 Nebraska woman.

 

[Cloudrepair]

1-1/2”

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.

 

[Jud96]

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.

 

[butchlambert]

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!

 

[RPrice]

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!!

 

[Daddymac]

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?

 

[Jesswil61]

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!