Dan wrote:
A big lathe can do tiny work also, but it's not a warm fuzzy feeling
to turn a small object next a huge chuck. If it was up to me I'd have
one of each.

The machine shop at Eglin AFB had lathe with something like a 4 foot
bed. I never asked what they used it for.

A show on television showed a lathe turning a drive shaft for an
aircraft carrier. Now that was a tad too large for me.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired


The problem with small pieces on a big lathe is spinning them fast
enough to get a good surface finish. I had an employee with a sherline
lathe and mill that we set up in the lab at work. I used to tease him
about the fact that I could chuck his whole rig up in either one of my
big lathes. None the less, I used his lathe at work quite often to get
a number of our jobs done. After a while he was ribbing me when he
noticed me bringing small jobs into work to do on his lathe since it was
so mush easier and more pleasant. Even though I already had three
lathes, I bought a Chinese mini lathe for small parts for my shop. I
also bought a really small lathe that I could pack in a suitcase and
take with me on extended business trips. Actually built a small steam
engine in a hotel room with it.

Charles.