Sherline Mill and Lathe

[Silver Serpent]

As I understand it, you can drill with a mill, but you can't mill with a drill.

[darth_chasm]

As I understand it, you can drill with a mill, but you can't mill with a drill.

^^^this!

[Jediseth]

As I understand it, you can drill with a mill, but you can't mill with a drill.

Makes sence. I guess if I get a mill for saber building I don't really need a drill press. Thanks!

[k6gad]

You can make small parts on an 8" lathe.. but.... you need a smaller chuck.. when I have to do it I use a 3" shearling three jaw chuck in the reversed jaws of my 6" chuck. Then I use a smaller cutting tool. I once turned a 2.5mm screw shoulder that way..I had to use a set of magnifiers to see what I was cutting.. lol...

[darth_chasm]

This is where the fun begins. Can't wait to get this trued up and ready to cut.

Also...pretty shocked and pleasantly pleased with how quite this thing is.

[darth_chasm]

First chips made!! More alignment to be done. 8 hours of fiddling with this thing and it's still off.

[Jediseth]

Hey newbie question about your lathe. Is there any reason if I got that same one as you D.C. Would I ever need a larger lathe if just making sabers? Body length of sabers are just 7 inches. Sorry if it's s stupid question.

[darth_chasm]

Hey newbie question about your lathe. Is there any reason if I got that same one as you D.C. Would I ever need a larger lathe if just making sabers? Body length of sabers are just 7 inches. Sorry if it's s stupid question.

I'm a noob too This was literally my first time making cuts. I don't even have the lathe set up yet.

What I can tell you is that I got the machines to 1) learn 2) make small parts more precisely and 3) modify MHS parts. I am sure some operations in making a saber from scratch would be quite difficult with these machines.

[Jenny]

The 7x10 minilathe is commonly acknowledged by quasi-machinists to be an excellent place to start. I am told, though, that the more you get into machining, the more you see that you could do with a slightly larger toolset. So by all means, pick up that Grizzly or Sherline, but keep an open mind about where you'll end up.

[darth_chasm]

It's not just about size. With the available riser blocks you can convert the Sherline from 3.5"x17" to 6"x17". You also have to consider level of rigidity and other features and capabilities as well.

Jediseth, I pm'd you with some resources I believe you may find helpful. On Mr Pete's channel, specifically look for his videos on buying a lathe.