What Makes a Lathe Such a Great Machine Tool Anyway?
Well, just think back about say the last 80 or so years of the metal working or metal removal industries. The era would start in the early 1940s when we found ourselves just starting out in a major world war. What would that put us on, three generations of machinists who cut his/her teeth on the lathe as the first machine they would have to contend with. Ever since the early '60s the number one training tool (of machines, anyway) at places of higher learning, be they high school or vocational/collage level, was the manual metal cutting lathe. Why the lathe? It costs more than a milling machine and drill press combined! The lathe took up more floor space than almost anything else in the shop. So why the lathe? We want to know! The answer is both simple and complex, the answer to both is well the lathe! The simple part of the answer is you can learn to do a lot of stuff rather easily in a short amount of time, the complex part of the equation comes in when you want to do everything a lathe is capable of. That’s why the educational systems of yesteryear thought so highly of the manual metal cutting lathe. The machine could stress the limits of both ultra-novice operators as well as some of the best operators out there today. Knowing the basics of the lathe and its operation means the budding new machinist has to know a little something about the different metal groups, what hardness means, what’s the influence of feed rate, the right one or the wrong one. The influence of the proper rotational speed again both the right one and the wrong one. The new machinist will know a heck of a lot more about threading and tapping than he did before. All because of what started out as a simple tool in its inception. A used lathe might just be the best machine tool to start out a new employee, have that person stand at and operate the lathe with a simple set-up to produce some small part, if A) that new person can manage to run the lathe without mishap great, if you have a B) result then maybe move that person to a fork lift for a while.
Who do You Trust to Sell You a Good Machine?
At Bud's Machine Tools every lathe gets the “treatment” when we first take the machine in. After a thorough cleaning, the machine has a fluid change of every type of lubricant, then one of our technical service engineers will take that lathe “out for a little spin” so to speak, and verify the machines operation. If adjustments are necessary, they are attended to prior to the lathe machine for sale going on our floor.
Don’t You Get the Point? Used Lathes Can Be a Money Maker!
Once these fully-functional used metal lathes hit the sales floor it’s “game on” — we have many repeat customers that tell us we have become some of their daily routine in that they get to work, get a coffee, check their e-mails and then check our site. These are the folks that will get a shot at the crème de la crème if you know what we mean.
For a Fraction of the Cost, Check Out Our Used Metal Lathes for Sale
Low cost, high quality used lathes are a great addition to any machine shop seeking to expand its production capacity without a high initial investment. Purchasing new machining equipment can be a drain on your business’ finances, and used machines will work just like new without breaking the bank.
Small Metal Lathe or Engine Lathe, Bud's Has Them All, Ready to Ship
Our lathes are great for all kinds of metal cutting, and with our wide range of product options, you're sure to find anything you might be looking for to help grow your machining business. We offer top brands of equipment, including Leblond, Monarch, and several other well-known brands. While we're confident that our selection has something for every business, we are always ready and able to help you find the best lathe for your business. Our customer service will search far and wide for a used lathe that will meet all of your requirements. We'll always give you the lowest possible quote on our products, so give us a call and request a quote today!
Who Couldn’t Utilize a “Well-Exercised” Used Lathe?
The venerable old lathe. Some historians claim the primitive lathe was the first of the modern day machine tools man had invented. When we look at a lathe we see a compendium of other machines all connected together. The headstock and chuck could have been a heavy duty drill press, or even the bottom half of a milling machine. The tailstock is nothing more than a movable chuck which just happens to have a dead center point on it. The tool post could hold tools on a half a dozen different machine tools. If you think about it, because of the versatility of our used lathe machines, one of the most important functions of today’s manual lathe is its ability to fabricate certain emergency repair parts for other types of machine tools as well as parts for any machine driven by electric motor.
How Important Is That Lathe Anyway?
One day, one of your best customers shows up at your shop with a power shaft in his hand, only problem is the shaft is in two pieces! What would you do, you have to get your customer out of a jam, all your other machines are running other jobs, what about that used lathe we got from Bud's Machine Tools back in the maintenance department? The lathe is ready to go, having been put through its paces before it was delivered. In the time it would take to write a program for a CNC lathe machine, a good operator is just about done producing the one part your customer desperately needs to get his production up and running. Metal lathe tools are what the entire category of lathes is called. This category would include every kind of lathe you ever heard of, like: vertical inverted lathe, engine lathe, tool room lathe, production lathe and many others. Bud's Machine tools gets the job done whether your budget is for a used lathe or maybe, with just the right financing, a brand new lathe made to your order.
What Can’t You Do With a Used CNC Lathe?
The metal cutting power and accuracy of a CNC lathe can greatly improve the capabilities of your business. The chance to expand and improve your product line doesn't have to break your budget, however. Used machines from Bud's Machine Tools can be a great way to accelerate and expand the capacity of your shop.
With a Newly Acquired Used CNC Lathe From Bud's, Jobs Get Done!
Once your CNC controls are programmed and running, the milling and cutting capabilities of your CNC lathe will enable you to speed up your production runs and reduce wear and tear on the hand tooling used in your shop. With the programming opportunities available on your CNC, you could also find you now have the ability to create your own jigs. The automation opportunities created by the speed and accuracy of your CNC lathe will be useful in many aspects of your manufacturing process. We can help you find the right metal cutting tools for your business.
It Would Be Easier to List What You Can’t Do with Another CNC Lathe
It’s true, the list of what a good used CNC lathe cannot do is probably shorter than the list of what it can do. We think it might be a conundrum, what can a lathe do, what can’t a lathe do, well, let’s just touch briefly on what a modern CNC lathe machine is capable of. Yeah, that’s the ticket, we’ll just focus on the good stuff.
A Used CNC Lathe, Ready For Production, What Would You Do With It?
It was back in the late '50s that a company by the name of Boston Digital came up with a working prototype of what’s believed to be the first CNC lathe machine. The lathe and its controls were quite primitive compared to today’s standards. The prototype was far from being ready to sell to the public, and would ultimately take four more years of development before it was ready to sell. By that time, quite a few of Boston’s competitors were not standing idly by and had working prototypes themselves almost ready for market. The rest is well-known history, the Japanese had their offerings shortly after the first new CNC lathes hit the market. That brings us to today.
Who Couldn’t Use Extra Capacity in Today’s Market?
Used CNC lathes come in and go out, it’s a never ending self-fulfilling cycle. On any given day Bud's Machine Tools may say, take in a trade of a CNC lathe for a new press brake. We have been known to take in a fair amount of chip-making machines as our repeat customers come to us for those as well. Used CNC lathes are one of our faster moving lines of equipment, so if you see a machine on our website that you have a possible interest in give us a call. Not only would we have the machine of your interest pulled out of the lineup, we would set the machine on the shipping dock floor to facilitate one’s ability to do a complete “walk around.” In addition to showing you the specific used CNC lathe you are interested in, we would love the opportunity to show you the rest of the Bud's Machine Tools operation.
