Subject: Lathe, mill and drill in one

From: [email-masked] (Richard Foulk)
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 93 11:19:12 GMT

I saw an ad in an RC Modeler magazine recently for a small home-shop
tool that was supposed to be a lathe, a mill and a drill press, all in
one unit.  I think the manufacturer was Smithy.  I'm curious how well
a multipurpose tool like this stacks up.

Does anyone have any experience with this unit or others like it?

I'm interested in getting into this sort of thing, but don't really
know where to start.

Thanks

-- 
Richard Foulk		[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 19 Nov 1993 13:10:55 GMT

>Does anyone have any experience with this unit or others like it?
 
Yes. The back room at Production Tool Co. is full of broken ones. 

There are a number of these that look alike but are made at a couple
of different Chinese facotories. One company, (Shopsmith, I think) claims
to be the originator, and indeed they have the most sophisticated model.
I don't know how quality compares on different versions, but if I bought
one I'd get it from a reliable company that offered a solid warranty and
guaranteed parts availability. Then I'd think twice, save some more money
and buy a Grizzly 9" lathe... ;-)

(Seriously: The Grizzly does seem to have the best reputation of the
Chinese clone lathes. A friend owns one and is pleased with it)

--mike

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From: [email-masked] (Stan Huyge)
Date: 19 Nov 93 14:02:41 GMT

>Does anyone have any experience with this unit or others like it?

I have a friend that used to have a combination lathe/mill.
The mill was horizontal and he didn't like it at all.  He says that the
Horizontal mill was awkward to use (i.e. not intuitive).
He ended up getting rid of the combination unit and now owns a separate
mill (vertical) and lathe.  I believe that both units are sherline or
something spelled similarly.

Hope this helps.
-- 
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Opinions are mine not theirs.  What did *you* think?
[email-masked]
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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 19 Nov 1993 17:57:26 GMT

In article [email-masked],  [email-masked] (Stan Huyge) writes:
 
>The mill was horizontal and he didn't like it at all. 

I've never seen a combination lathe and horizontal mill, other than by putting
a milling adapter on a lathe crossfeed. Do you recall who made this?

>... He says that the
Sherline makes a very nice 3.5" lathe (used to own one, thinking of buying another) 
and a nice smilarly scaled mill. The Smith asked about originaly is much larger; 
the concern, I think, wasn't about combination tools so much as about the
inexpensive Chinese mill/drill/lathe sets from Smithy and others.

--mike

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From: [email-masked] (Neil R. Marsh)
Date: 19 Nov 1993 21:22:36 -0800

> to be the originator, and indeed they have the most sophisticated model.

        My father owns a Shopsmith.  Definitely a woodworking tool; I 
don't think it was meant for metal.
--
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Neil Marsh  [email-masked] -or- [email-masked]  Chehalis, WA USA

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 22 Nov 1993 14:55:51 GMT

>don't think it was meant for metal.
 
Ah, I mistyped. I think it's 'Shoptask', or something like that...not 'Shopsmith',
which, as you say, is a combination woodworking tool.
     --mike