Choosing a right lathe machine

Lathe machines come in a variety of types and a suitable type should be chosen carefully as these are made for specific purpose. Most people like to have a mini lathe as it has limited operations but it is useful for small and personal projects. Beginners use this type of machine for getting shapes and designs. Professional lathe projects don’t use mini lathes but people can upgrade their mini lathe machines to bigger machines with addition of variable speeds and arms if they want more results without spending much money. People who realize that they are going to use lathe machine for a long time in future should upgrade to biggest lathe machine. People who don’t have enough money to spend or who don’t have any long term plans can upgrade to mid segment lathe machines that have a size range of 12×34 – 16×36  costing in range of $400-600 with required features.

Standard size spindle (1”x8tpi) should be considered before purchasing the machine as it is the main part of the lathe machines. Proper bed capacity should be chosen for deciding size of material for working. Speed is an important factor for doing different types of work. For example, Carving would need slow speed while sanding would need higher speed. Machine should be bought from a reputed company as there might be cheap lathe machines in the market with parts of non-standard size which are easily replaceable. If a person wants to purchase used lathe machine then it should be bought from a local shop which is reputed after checking the machine properly.

 If somebody wants to purchase online then purchase should be made from a nearby location from where it can be picked by checking it thoroughly. Purpose should be considered before buying a machine because there are different lathe machines with different purposes. Few functions of lathe machines are boring, sanding, cutting, drilling, shaping. Machines also vary for glass working, metal working, metal spinning, wood working, ornamental shaping, turning, watchmaking and rotary. A carpentry shop uses wood working and a steel workshop uses metal working lathe machines. Lathe machines can be used to do complicated drilling which is not easy with general drilling machine. A bolt can be made from a round bar by making specific thread. Boring means making holes in an object. A lathe machine can has sharp tools which can easily cut 6 inches of hole.