Learn to use a metal lathe

Hi Eliza and welcome. I concur with your thoughts on wanting some one local to you to give you a bit of hands on guidance. Unfortunately I am too far away. As others have said get a book and watch videos, that is great for them but as you are a complete novice you feel it is like learning to drive a car and need someone to give you the initial confidence. Many on here have spent a lifetime in close proximity to frightening machines and have the basics of were not to put body parts to give them some confidence, however misplaced. Keep looking and hopefully some one will be able to give you the guidance you are seeking.

Would be happy to show you the basics of a lathe, but I think I am a bit too far away (Near Milton Keynes). In case you are interested write a PM.

Online tutorials are fine, but I think one or two hours spent under supervision would help as a start. After that you can follow what has been suggested. Actually I look into Blondihacks videos myself from time to time, as there are some ideas which are helpful. By the way I learned working with a lathe at a technical high school in the 70th in Vienna.

The choice of a lathe - depends on what you want to make. I have a Chinese 8inch lathe and I am very happy with it. But it may be too big for some jobs, and you need a dedicated place for it. With 125kg it is not so easy to move the beast out of the way...

And of course welcome to the forum.

Lots of really useful advice, I had already watched the Blondihacks videos and countless others, and yes they are useful and very informative but really need a hands-on demo. The advice to buy a lathe and learn on the job seems to be like saying buy a car without taking it for a test drive to me. Are there any trade exhibitions with dealers demonstrating? Still looking for a local person who could spare an hour or two...TIA

Hi Eliza, Andover is your nearest club ! I often travel down the A34 To N Dorset and would be quite happy to stop and run through many of the basics of operating a lathe for a couple of hours if that would help, though I'm hardly local. Best wishes Noel.

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Fingers crossed someone in Hampshire with an operational workshop will see this thread. I don't suppose Hampshire is a Model Engineering desert, but a smidgen of luck is needed to make it happen.

The Exhibitions all closed down due to COVID and organisers are still nervous of committing given the ongoing uncertainty. Hopefully they'll be back on track this summer.

Axminister Tools used to run a course in Devon. It doesn't seem to be running at the moment. There's an Axminster Store in Basingstoke where you could probably see machines. Unfortunately, retail stores are rarely good at demonstrating machines because it needs a safe area, skilled staff and profit margins are low. You could try giving Basingstoke a ring. Machine Mart often have mini-lathes on display but not much chance of seeing one running, or finding an assistant who understands them.

Don't dismiss buying a lathe and learning on the job. Many of us do just that because courses and nearby Elmers are often hard to find.

Though there are detail differences, lathes all work in much the same way. Best simple advice is to buy the biggest lathe you can afford, because big lathes can tackle small jobs, but small lathes can't do big work. But there are exceptions - big machines don't suit clockmakers. Can you say what your lathe is for? The forum can probably point you in the right direction.

I prefer books to Internet videos for quality reasons. Sadly it's much easier to make slick confident videos than it is to get the content right! The classic book is "The Amateur's Lathe" by L H Sparey, available new or second-hand. Sparey wrote before carbide so it might be worth buying modern as well such as "The Mini-lathe" by Neil Wyatt.

I found the forum invaluable as a beginner and it's still teaching me new tricks. Better than videos because if I offer unwise advice in a post someone else will point out the mistake.

Persist - it's a wonderful hobby.

Dave

Hi Eliza,

You should definitely take someone experienced with you for advice when buying a lathe especially a second hand one, someone with a bit of experience but with no interest in buying it will see a lot more shortcomings than you will (standard advice for buying cars).

For example I first used a lathe at school in 1956 but spent most of my working life in a mechanical engineering drawing office as a design draughtsman so I'd seen many varieties of lathes in the workshops but not used them, about 30 years ago I was looking to buy my first lathe and heard about one for sale, drove to the house and there was a clean looking lathe, can't remember the make but it ran and all seemed OK, plenty of bits and pieces with it, luckily I said I was interested but would confirm later, on the way home something started nagging me, after about 20mins i realised I hadn't seen a tailstock, got home and rang him up and he sheepishly confirmed my thoughts.

It's so easy to get carried way when you want something and take the wrong decision.

I know there is a lot you can do without a tailstock but there's also a lot you can't

John

Hi I live near Ropley,so only about 18 miles from Wincester, I can show the basics of lathe operation ,currently I have a Myford and a Colchester. I had an apprenticeship as an scientific instrument maker and spent my life in engineering,I have never been without a lathe since 1960 . If you are interested contact me via a pm.

The problem with that is one is doomed to repeat all the mistakes that have already been made, and learnt from. Fine if one has time to waste, but not so good if the objective is make parts with the least fuss. All learning is a mix of theory and practice.

Andrew

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True, you can learn from your mistakes but there are many ways of learning including books, videos, teachers, experience etc and they are all useful.

The one that is not usually mention is imagination (or just thinking about what you are going to do). Before doing anything, particularly with a machine/power tool, think of the consequences if you have not got it right from the really dumb (leaving the key in a chuck) to the difficult (is the job and the tool held firm and tight?). Then you can start to think about trying to get the right shape and dimensions.

Eliza, I wish you every success.

JA

Hi, I've always been a hands on learner myself, but yes books are always good to consult. I leaned a lot about lathes from my father though, and always seemed to have a natural ability for using tools and machines and lumps of metal, but I could read and re-read things, but don't always get to grip with it totally until it's in front of me and then there are times I read a little about something and think, yeah whatever and then just get on and do it.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 16/02/2022 12:51:31

I am one of those that is learning from books, videos (of well known and respected people) as well as just doing things one thing that I brought over from working with woodworking machines is listening to the machines which I found can tell you a lot.

I have a copy of "The Amateur's Lathe" by L H Sparey which I have found very helpful and pull it out on many occasions, I am very much still learning which I will never stop doing.

One of my favourite phrases is 'we learn from mistakes, but no-one says they have you be your own mistakes'.

I'm with Andrew on this glean as much as you can from books and other people. You will still make enough errors yourself.

regards Martin

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Some sage advice from my brother in law “Machining can’t be that hard, we all done metalwork at school”

Making swarf helps!