The Lathe

The 10" x 18" Metal Lathe
Busy Bee Tools, Craftex Item No: B2227L

The lathe is the machine I use most often in my workshop. It has a 10” swing and 18” between centers, which has been big enough for all of my projects so far. It was the hardest machine to move into the basement, as it weighs 375 lbs and doesn’t come apart like my mill. I considered buying the stand, but it seemed flimsy for the price. Instead my dad built a pretty solid bench for it from lumber, which has been perfect. Since purchasing the lathe, I have bought the 4-Jaw chuck, steady rest, and a tailstock drill chuck. I made the chuck backplate and have plans to build a follow rest.

This lathe costs around the same as the 9x19 lathe (Craftex P CT039) when you add the stand and accessories, and in my opinion there is no comparison in terms of design and rigidity. The gear head is fairly noisy but speed changes never require any thought. I’ve heard of problems with plastic gears shearing in other lathes around this size, but all the gears in my lathe are machined steel. The 3/4 horsepower motor is appropriate for this size machine. If I push the machine really hard I can hear the motor bog down slightly but it has never been a problem.

I’ve been really happy with my lathe. The quality is very good and the size has been perfect for all of my projects so far. I definitely recommend it for anyone else looking to buy a small, reasonably priced lathe.

Inside the lathe gearbox (Click for larger image)

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