im looking for a good heavy duty lathe to handle cutting large punches 6-12 in. in dia. 48-72 in. long made from tool steel, im thinking a Vertical Turret lathe would be best for this, but am having trouble finding info online. Anyone have any comments or recomendations on this

Are you looking for new or used

used

google Vertical Turning Centers

or used cnc equiptment that will get you alot to look through,

If you get a standered lathe you can get steady rest for them and i wold recomend Daewoo 400 long bed i use to run some big parts and that machine has more than enough to do what you need.

machinetools.com

Why would you want to use a vertical machine for something like this?
Mark.

Why would you want to use a vertical machine for something like this?
Mark.

That is something I've been wondering about too. I thought for a minute floor space might be saved but then the parts really aren't that long that it would make a difference. On the other hand going to a vertical lathe would involve a bit of height.

It is an interesting question though - just why a vertical lathe?

dave

A VTL is not the machine tool for this application. A long bed engine lathe, manual or CNC, with a good steady rest and follower rest, is probably the best for relatively long length to diameter ratio workpieces. There are some good CNC flat beds out there relatively cheap. Some are great candidates for updating.

Note: You might consider Mazak M-4 / M-5