Anybody Own A "smithy"???

[BLACKJACK]

HI, GUYS,

MY LAST SEVERAL ORDERS FROM SUMMIT RACING THEY INCLUDED INFO REQUESTS FROM A COMPANY CALLED "SMITHY".

THEY SEEM TO HAVE A NICE SELECTION OF COMBINATION METAL LATHES AND VERTICAL MILLS. THE PRICES SEEM REASONABLE BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THE COMPNY BEFORE,

ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE, INFORMATION, SUGGESTIONS, ADVICE???

THANKS VERY MUCH - AND -

Y'ALL HAVE A REALLY GREAT DAY.

BLACKJACK

[Lowell W]

Jack,

A friend bought a combo small lathe/vertical mill some years back and the name "Smithy" sounds familiar. They're made in China or Taiwan and the lathe has a solid bed, with maybe only about 18" or so between centers. OK for light work, I guess, if you don't have a problem with Chinese stuff (I do). As with any combination machine, you may not be able to keep your set-up on one when you want to use the other half of the machine, which can be frustrating. As I recall, he offered me the machine for sale and I declined. If you have the room and the funds, my advice would be to look for a decent 10 or 12" lathe and a small (or big) vertical mill. I've had a small lathe for years and, although I'm not a machinist by any means, it sure has come in handy. Recently, a friend found me a small (9 X 36", I believe) Bridgeport vertical mill in excellent shape. He and I were talking about home shops, the availability of suitably-sized machine tools, etc., and came to the conclusion that, while smaller lathes and mills (small enough to fit in a car or truck bed) have always been at a premium, there probably are fewer and fewer people with the interest and ability to appreciate them; therefore they may be increasingly easier to come by.

Short answer: I'd pass on the Smithy, unless you know you'd never need any more capability.

You have a great day, too,

Lowell

[Robert T. Faust]

Blackjack,
Have you looked at Grizzly? I recently purchased from a friend a Grizzly lathe and have been very happy with it. You can check them out at grizzly.com. Prices are pretty fair.
Bob Faust

[shnookie]

If you have the room, I would suggest staying with seperate machines. As a 25 year machinist and a 10 year tool salesman, I know that if your doing a drilled flange, etc. it is a pain in the but to break down and reset up. a small lathe ( I'd recommend around a 14 x 40) and a small mill (even the tabletop style) will keep you alot happier.
Try these guys.
http://www.use-enco.com/
http://www.grizzly.com
http://www.harborfreight.com

Or for a little higher quality try Jet.
http://www.wmhtoolgroup.com/TempJETGeneral/index.html

Most of these machines will hold up to a lot of amateur use.

When you need tools, call me.

[Turk]

BLACKJACK,
What is this, a midlife crisis and a career change?

TURK

[Steve R]

Jack,
You don't need a Smithy to get those handcuffs off. A good pair of pliers and a blow torch will do. Just a thought....
Steve

[R U YELLA]

Jack, where in the HE!! are you going to put that thing? Thats all you need in the garage!

Catch ya later
Ed

[Roscoe]

Here's my Smitty:



Roscoe

[Steve R]

Roscoe,
Yeah, I agree. That Smithy is great for machining round holes.

[BLACKJACK]

THANKS, GUYS,

THE INFORMATION IS MUCH APPRECIATED. I THINK THE ADVICE ABOUT TWO SEPARATE MACHINES MAKES ALOT OF SENSE.

I WILL CHECK OUT ALL THE WEB SITES YOU GUYS PROVIDED. I WOULD, VERY MUCH, PREFER TO BY AMERICAN.

TURK - I'VE BEEN IN MY MIDLIFE CRISIS FOR THE PAST FORTY PLUS YEARS. I'M GOING TO BUILD MY OWN CRUTCHES AND LEG BRACES - - MUCH CHEAPER THAT WAY. NO WAY AM I CHANGING CAREERS. I'M QUITE HAPPY BEING A LAZY, WORTHLESS, SEMI-RETIRED SLACKARD OF LIESURE. I'VE BECOME QUITE ACCUSTOMED TO GETTING UP EVERY MORNING AT "THE CRACK OF NOON".

ED - THAT ENTIRE BACK ROOM - BEHIND THE GARAGE - IS GOING TO BE SHOP AREA. EXCEPT FOR ABOUT A 12 X 12 AREA FOR A WEIGHT ROOM. THAT WILL GIVE ME AT LEAST A 12 X 20 AREA FOR ADDITIONAL SHOP.

ROSCOE - NICE LITTLE PIECE - HOWEVER - WITH MY FAILING EYESIGHT I NEED AT LEAST FOURTEEN ROUNDS TO "ZERO-IN" ON MY TARGET.

THANKS AGAIN, GUYS - AND - - -

Y'ALL HAVE A REALLY GREAT DAY

BLACKJACK

[mickmate]

Blackjack, checkout

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search

for $1300 you can fit a flywheel or 2 Cobra driveshafts in something like this. If you get this with free shipping it will cost you less than a well used lathe or bridgeport that is gonna cost a few bucks to move. Nice small footprint for a versatile machine. The quickchange toolpost kit is a must for something like this.
Good hunting.

[BLACKJACK]

THANKS, MICKMATE,

THE LINK THAT YOU POSTED PRODUCES A HARBOR FREIGHT WEB PAGE WITH THE NOTICE THAT "THE NUMBER CANNOT BE LOCATED".

NO PROBLEM THOUGH. THERE IS A NEW HARBOR FREIGHT RETAIL OUTLET JUST SOUTH OF HERE IN WOODBRIDGE, VA. I'LL TAKE A RUN DOWN AND LOOK AROUND.

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE TIP.

Y'ALL HAVE A REALLY GREAT DAY.

BLACKJACK

[Tom Wells]

Yo BlackJack,

When I read yr subj line I thought you meant one of these:

mufflers



Tom

[BLACKJACK]

THAT'S OKAY, INDY.

THERE'S GOING TO BE A WRITTEN TEST LATER.

Y'ALL HAVE A REALLY GREAT DAY.

BLACKJACK

[mickmate]

Sorry Blackjack try a search for item # 44142-2CSA.
Cheers

[BLACKJACK]

GOT IT - - - - -

LOOKS PRETTY GOOD AND THE PRICE IS GREAT.

THANKS MICKMATE.

Y'ALL HAVE AREALLY GREAT DAY

BLACKJACK