I did a little reading about the south bend going under and to me it seemed a little more complex than that. If I understand what happened the south bend company was about to go under and they was bought out. They began to prosper again somewhat but the managers of the company didn't want to share with the new owners of the company and that led to the labor problem. It was an interesting study and an experiment that I wish had been successful.
Compare Chineese Lathes
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I did a little reading about the south bend going under and to me it seemed a little more complex than that. If I understand what happened the south bend company was about to go under and they was bought out. They began to prosper again somewhat but the managers of the company didn't want to share with the new owners of the company and that led to the labor problem. It was an interesting study and an experiment that I wish had been successful.
OP
RedDirt
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Based a lot on Larry's informative reply to my PM (above) I may simply opt for the 3 in 1 (and deal with its limitations) as my situation is quite similar to his. I want to dabble in lathe and mill work but I don't have a lot of money or space to dedicate to this endeavor.
If I decide on a dedicated lathe I like akpilots 12x36 but Grizzly's 10x 22 or 11x26 would be pushing my budget. But by then the 11x26 is getting real close to HF's 12x36 (w/20% discount coupon) so...
I have a few months before I make the plunge. In the meantime my machinist friend who helped on my snowblower conversion is going to help me find a good used late. If nothing surfaces I'll likely do the 3 in 1 or a med/small dedicated lathe like the 10x22.
If I decide on a dedicated lathe I like akpilots 12x36 but Grizzly's 10x 22 or 11x26 would be pushing my budget. But by then the 11x26 is getting real close to HF's 12x36 (w/20% discount coupon) so...
I have a few months before I make the plunge. In the meantime my machinist friend who helped on my snowblower conversion is going to help me find a good used late. If nothing surfaces I'll likely do the 3 in 1 or a med/small dedicated lathe like the 10x22.
MJPetersen
Veteran Member
I also debated for a long time what I would get. I considered the 3 in 1 and almost went that way, but reading on the forums and machinist guys all seemed to not think that they were very practical. Therefore I considered the different options for a regular lathe. I decided that the headstock through size and the length that I had in my mind that I would need for my projects and decided on the 12X36. I have not made that many things with it and have not yet tried threading, but I have enjoyed using it in making pins, a roller for sliding door, spacers for a bike, bearing spindle and spacer for my gauge wheels and various other things. i certainly like the convenience of having it when I want to make something.
It is heavy and to move it into my shop area I had to be creative--the forks I made worked well, but the front wheels did not want to stay on the ground.
By adding an extra 3 phase 7 hp motor that I have and sitting on the hood and driving backwards I got it into position where I lifted it with an engine hoist.
My lathe is very similar to Mark's (AKpilot). I am very much an amateur, but I am using it to learn and do the projects that I need. I am gradually adding tooling to be able to do more.
Mike
It is heavy and to move it into my shop area I had to be creative--the forks I made worked well, but the front wheels did not want to stay on the ground.
By adding an extra 3 phase 7 hp motor that I have and sitting on the hood and driving backwards I got it into position where I lifted it with an engine hoist.My lathe is very similar to Mark's (AKpilot). I am very much an amateur, but I am using it to learn and do the projects that I need. I am gradually adding tooling to be able to do more.
Mike
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GE222
Gold Member
With the economy being the way it is, and so many companies closing their doors, now is the best time to find used equipment. As a bonus, often times the machine will include a fair amount of tooling, which by itself can get pretty pricey. Be patient, and plan on a road trip. As per usual, just when you find one and purchase it, a better machine always comes along.
My lathe is a South Bend 10" swing with a taper attachment. Do I wish it was bigger, sometimes, but as with most of use, shop space is always a premium. If my machine can't handle it, it is pretty easy to find someone who will do it for a very reasonable cost. I am tall, and hate bending over, so most of my machines which need to be stable are bolted to custom made pallets. Having a pallet jack makes then easy to move around the shop.
Other movable machines are on 3 layer plywood platforms with 6" steel wheel casters.
My lathe is a South Bend 10" swing with a taper attachment. Do I wish it was bigger, sometimes, but as with most of use, shop space is always a premium. If my machine can't handle it, it is pretty easy to find someone who will do it for a very reasonable cost. I am tall, and hate bending over, so most of my machines which need to be stable are bolted to custom made pallets. Having a pallet jack makes then easy to move around the shop.
Other movable machines are on 3 layer plywood platforms with 6" steel wheel casters.
akpilot
Silver Member
Please enlighten me to the differences between Grizzly's regular lathes and their gunsmith ones. Are the gunsmith ones more accurate than their regular lathes, or are there specific features catering to gunmakers?
MJNCAD: The main difference with the "Gunsmith" model is the spindle support (see pic), closer tolerance on the spindle bearing and a larger spindle bore (1 5/8") The rest may be hype, not sure
I like the larger spindle bore and support, works great for threading shafts, turning projects on longer stock, ETC....
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Kernopelli
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Larry really summed up the 3-in-1 well and pretty much echos my experiences with one. OK starter machine, better lathe than mill, decent as a drill press ( but I like my drill press better myself), has its peculiarities and faults. As I mentioned before, I bought mine from a freight recovery and returns company off ebay for a little over $300 including pick up charge. Mine was literally like new and came just as HF sells it, some are missing things like tool post or dead center, etc. This company sells a lot of HF items and they are located in Lebanon TN. They have these 3-in-1's, lathes and mini lathes fairly often and they usually seem to sell in the $200-$400 range. They had 4 of them for sale last week ( 1 of the large 3-in-1's and 3 lathes). Shipping can be pretty steep and I feel that adds to the risk of buying a "used" machine (caveot emptor) but anyone within driving distance of Nashville area might want to watch their auctions or go to one of their live auctions on Saturdays and look at a machine they're interested in and maybe get one of these at a cheap price. I won't post a link since it is against TBN policy but the name of the company is Tadd Wholesale Supply. An ebay search for the word "tadd" will usually bring up one of their auctions and then you can click on "visit store" and see what they've got. They don't have them all the time so persistent watching is the key here.
Anyway, even though I think I got a bargain and I have used it extensively, I wish I had been able to find a bigger old lathe and mill and tried to make room for them. I will also bring up the something I touched on before and Larry discussed and that's tooling. I started off without any tooling for the mill and initially just bought some HF indexable 1/2" lathe bits. As time went by, I slowly and relatively inexpensively found bargains on ebay and built up what I had. I finally hit a couple of local auctions and stumbled across the mother load, picking up a substantial amount of tooling for pennies on the dollar. I have talked to a few guys through the years that have gotten their old U.S iron complete with tooling and if a guy is lucky, he can save thousands this way. I have heard more than a few stories about guys that have $1000 in their quality old lathe, mill and tooling. My best friend is one of them, I have been lucky...just not that lucky!
Anyway, even though I think I got a bargain and I have used it extensively, I wish I had been able to find a bigger old lathe and mill and tried to make room for them. I will also bring up the something I touched on before and Larry discussed and that's tooling. I started off without any tooling for the mill and initially just bought some HF indexable 1/2" lathe bits. As time went by, I slowly and relatively inexpensively found bargains on ebay and built up what I had. I finally hit a couple of local auctions and stumbled across the mother load, picking up a substantial amount of tooling for pennies on the dollar. I have talked to a few guys through the years that have gotten their old U.S iron complete with tooling and if a guy is lucky, he can save thousands this way. I have heard more than a few stories about guys that have $1000 in their quality old lathe, mill and tooling. My best friend is one of them, I have been lucky...just not that lucky!
dfkrug
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Let me add my name to others' and say thx for a informative post, Larry.
You have certainly gotten a lot out of that mill/drill. It is especially
valuable to hear from someone who has had actual experience using these
units to make things. I know lots of machinists who have serious name-
brand machines in their workshops, and of course they say not to get
those combo units. But no personal experience. And of course lots of
people buy "hobbiest" machines and never use them.
I would love to have one of those Grizzley G4000s, but space is such a
concern that I have traded off capacity for size. I HAVE sent out lathe
work before, and that is not my preference.
There is certainly nothing wrong with trying to save money on your tools.
You are only a miser if you elect not to spend your money at all.
GuglioLS
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IMHO....
If you think you can mill out the mounting hole that's out of position, then by all means go for it. If it looks like your going to trash the table in your attempt then better take it back, complain and get one that's cast and machined properly. Thats what I would do. A Rotary table in the vertical position needs to be mounted dead nuts or your results will vary. Obviously mounting it Horizontal is no problem just so long as it's flat (parallel) to the table your good to go as you then index the table to the tool.
Larry
GuglioLS
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Since were talking about the multi tool here are some pics in no particular order of a few things made with it:
I needed a 2-7/16" hole for a king pin (landscape rake from scratch). The work piece was clamped onto the cross slide, index to center then drill a pilot hole. A press fit was desired for the king pin so the next smaller size (2-3/8") hole saw was used. After pushing the hole saw through both sides, a boring bar was used to get the ID under sized by .003" for a press fit.
Notice the use of 123 and or 456 blocks? The below setup really illustrates why I like using the 3in1 as a drill press vs my dedicated drill press. This is especially true with larger stock because you can clamp down the stock to the table, then index the table to the center of the drill. You can't do that on a drill press with a fixed (X-Y) drill press table.
More random pics of the size and scope of the landscape rake build:
The PIC below shows how I use my drill press table to support large stock on the 3-1 machine. I tried to plan the placement of all my shop tools and table heights so that most tables and tools can support long stock from one bench / tool to the next.
Making a bending tool build for my 20 ton press:
Here is what happens when you forget to clear the drill shavings. What a tangled mess. After removing all that, a 1.5" drill bit was pushed into the anvil holder....
Milling round stock....Notice all the 123, 456 blocks, "V" block and clamps?
Getting ready to mill rounded ends on 1/2" thick stock using a rotary table:
CRAZY big stuff on my little 3in1! The huge index plate you see was plasma cut, but I fine tuned all the plasma cut holes on the 3in1:
Just in case you were curious? This is the end result. Amazing what one can do with a little determination, ingenuity (angle grinder) and that little 3in1
I needed a 2-7/16" hole for a king pin (landscape rake from scratch). The work piece was clamped onto the cross slide, index to center then drill a pilot hole. A press fit was desired for the king pin so the next smaller size (2-3/8") hole saw was used. After pushing the hole saw through both sides, a boring bar was used to get the ID under sized by .003" for a press fit.
Notice the use of 123 and or 456 blocks? The below setup really illustrates why I like using the 3in1 as a drill press vs my dedicated drill press. This is especially true with larger stock because you can clamp down the stock to the table, then index the table to the center of the drill. You can't do that on a drill press with a fixed (X-Y) drill press table.
More random pics of the size and scope of the landscape rake build:
The PIC below shows how I use my drill press table to support large stock on the 3-1 machine. I tried to plan the placement of all my shop tools and table heights so that most tables and tools can support long stock from one bench / tool to the next.
Making a bending tool build for my 20 ton press:
Here is what happens when you forget to clear the drill shavings. What a tangled mess. After removing all that, a 1.5" drill bit was pushed into the anvil holder....
Milling round stock....Notice all the 123, 456 blocks, "V" block and clamps?
Getting ready to mill rounded ends on 1/2" thick stock using a rotary table:
CRAZY big stuff on my little 3in1! The huge index plate you see was plasma cut, but I fine tuned all the plasma cut holes on the 3in1:
Just in case you were curious? This is the end result. Amazing what one can do with a little determination, ingenuity (angle grinder)
and that little 3in1 
GuglioLS
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Here are some Redneck (American Genius) things I've done with my 3in1.
Yes I mounted an angle grinder on the table to true up the edge of a flywheel. I made this project for TBN member Skunkwerx. I call it "Poor Mans Surface Grinder" It worked!
A few reasons I did that:
The metal was "stubborn", for some reason a carbide bit on the tool post was not cutting very well. Probably because I had no good way to chuck this thing up, it kept slipping on the makeshift shaft I had bolted it to and chucked in the jaws.
This is just one work around for accomplishing something the 3in1 was not meant for.
Larry
Yes I mounted an angle grinder on the table to true up the edge of a flywheel. I made this project for TBN member Skunkwerx. I call it "Poor Mans Surface Grinder"
It worked!A few reasons I did that:
The metal was "stubborn", for some reason a carbide bit on the tool post was not cutting very well. Probably because I had no good way to chuck this thing up, it kept slipping on the makeshift shaft I had bolted it to and chucked in the jaws.
This is just one work around for accomplishing something the 3in1 was not meant for.
Larry