Advice on comm lathe
 

Hi Gentleman,

Firstly, sorry to start up this thread. As a beginner in ep, I need some advice on which brand of comm lathe should i purchase. I am now playing 23t stock and have some rebuildable motor with me, thats why i am thinking of buying a comm lathe. My budget will be around $100-$150 Singapore Dollars and is ok if it is used. I need to know what to look for in a comm lathe and what are the important stuff to be included. Thank You for reading and Thank You even more to anyone who post their advice. Thanks again.

Hi there, well, first things first, you must get a diamond bit, no matter what lathe you get, I use the Xipp, super X-Mod lathe, works great, and cheap too.
you can get it here www.integy.com

=MisFitz= NuKe - Daimond bits are very fragile and not necessary, a sharp carbite bit will cut just as well as a daimond bit when sharp. You can buy a fine daimond file to keep your carbite bit in good shape. I'm getting a new Eagle perfect lathe mid september, cost about $130 US with motor, v-blocks and a spare carbite bit. I'm looking foward to retiring that piece of 600 grit sand paper that I currentely use to keep my comm in good shape, it actually works surpisingly well. :nod: :lol:

sty, as a beginner in motor building, I suggest you stay away from $80 diamond bits unless you got money to burn. Diamond bits are for serious motor builders because it doesn't take much to chip one, start out with a carbide bit untill you feel you are ready for a diamond bit. I personally use carbide bits and I'm pleased with the way my motors run.

ok carbide, will give a shiney-er finish...YAY, but they do not last near as long, with out sharpening.

I agree with fatdoggy,
I only ever had a carbide bit for my lathe and the finish I could achieve with it was as good as what the guys with the Diamond Bits were doing.
Sure you have to sharpen the carbide bit regularly but it is not hard to do once you know how and if you don't have a diamond file or a green stone to do it, just go to your local engineering ar machining business and ask them for a quote to have it sharpened for you. A guy in my area used to do it for me for a couple of bucks before I started doing it myself, sometimes he didn't charge me at all.

Steevo:tire:

Sincerely thank you
 

Hi guys,

Thanks for all advice, at least now i know that i should start with a carbite bit first. any particular brand to look for? Thanks again.

Happy r cing everybody.

hi sty,

I am using a Eagle bearing lathe ,but my carbite bit is blunt , i dont know which side to rub against the stone to sharpen it

i am cutting from the left & the sharp tip is on the right of the bit.

i dont know which side to rub
 

JohnnyRotten;

You can sharpen the "Sides" of the bit, but don't Grind/Stone the Top surface or change any of the angles. A Whet Stone or Diamond file is easier in this respect.

If you don't feel comfortable resharpening your own bits. New bits can be had at a tooling supply for less than $5 usd each.

Figure about 20 to 30 good cuts before replacing/resharpening a Carbide bit.