which lathe???

[Cartel, LLC]

i am a one man band. i am a chassis builder and i have a vf-3 which i try to only use for multiple run parts so i can continue welding and only stop when my green light is flashing. im thinking of adding a lathe to my shop for making threaded tube adapters and what not. it needs to be self sufficient for the most part. not like a tl series where you still have to "man" it for some of the time. what would be a good starting lathe? im not afraid of getting a used older model to try and save some loot. maybe like an hl-2? or would it be worh it to get a new small lathe like a gt-20 or even an sl-20?

[Matt@RFR]

If you're buying your thread adapters from the Chassis Shop (Pro-Werks), or any other quality source, you will be very hard pressed to be money ahead making your own. I looked into it myself, but unless you're using several hundred a month, it doesn't really make sense unless you want to do something different with the design, which I can't imagine. If you're after money savings, ask the Chassis Shop about quantity discounts. I just bought 22 of the Pro-Werks filler caps, and they discounted my price beyond what is on their website without me even asking. Beyond that, you could ask them about becoming a distributor for even lower pricing.

All the chassis/car builders I do work for are happy as clams to outsource work to me. It saves them from having the overhead, and I can get it done faster than they could because they have other things they could be working on, like you alluded to yourself.

With all that said, I would think an SL-10 with a bar puller would be about right for what you're talking about. It's enclosed, has a turret and you could load 3' bars and let'er rip.

[Cartel, LLC]

well, im actually getting into furnishing components for other chassis shops in addition to my own. there are a few of the large mail order chassis shops that get components from me and ive been thinking about adding a lathe to my own tools for my personal stuff but also to try and manufacture parts for others as well. i have bought from "chassis shop" for the 6 years ive been in business and they have a great product. im just trying to get into more production stuff and try to sell to other shops like im already doing. theres a chance youve seen my stuff somewhere and dont even know it. i make AN wrenches for a few people, fabricated housings, motorplates... etc... i actually had an ad in ND this week also.

[Matt@RFR]

That shines a whole new light on the subject then. If I were you, I think I'd be looking into a little bigger machine simply for more power and more tools on the turret. Also, think long and hard about either a bar feeder, or a bar puller with a stock support behind the spindle. Either of those would let you run longer before needing to be fed again. I don't know if you're looking at THAT much production though.