Variety Sucks

The machine-tool quest continues to frustrate. I think I know what I’m doing now (to a minimal degree), but I still have to shop. That means waiting. And waiting. And after that, waiting.

I can buy a mill right now. I know of at least one pretty good deal. Mills aren’t that complicated. I want a Millrite or a Bridgeport, in decent shape. But the economy is dissolving, and I’m sure mills are going to get cheaper and cheaper, and I want a lathe first, so I’m not in a rush.

Lathes are a pain. There are five million models, and they come in many sizes. It took me a long time just to figure out that I wanted a 12″ swing and 36″ between the centers. After that, I found out there are lots of options, and you have to get the right ones. For example, you need a quick change gearbox. And you want a big spindle hole, and you may want to avoid a variable speed model, because they tear up.

When a full-size mill becomes available for sale, it’s usually a Bridgeport. All you have to worry about are options and condition and price. When a lathe comes on the market, you have to wade through details. It may be for wood or metal. It may be the wrong size. It will probably be made by a third-rate manufacturer. So every time a new ad pops up, you should expect disappointment.

This is why I have no lathe.

Right now, the best choices I have are two Clausing 5914s. One is local. The other is far away, but it would cost the same amount of money, and the seller is a very reputable dealer. That dealer is in the hospital, so I won’t even see photos of the lathe until he’s out.

Do I want a Clausing? I’m not sure. I’ve read that the drives on these things can have problems. I’ve never seen anyone say something like, “WOW, you snagged a CLAUSING!” They say things like, “It’s pretty good. It should be okay. You can probably find parts.”

Sooner or later, I’ll find one. Then Coral Gables will find out I have a lathe, and they will realize lathes are fun and useful, so they’ll pass an ordinance banning them.

Today I’m thinking of running to the lumber store and picking up some hardwood and maybe enough plywood to make a crosscut sled. I accidentally saw some hideous Internet photos of a table saw injury, and I’m horrified, and a sled is a good safety measure.

I don’t know what to think about table saw safety. On the one hand, I know an awful lot of people get hurt. On the other, I haven’t come across anyone yet who got hurt without doing something stupid. Apparently many users refuse to use guards. And a lot of people don’t use push sticks or even splitters. Forget safety; I can’t figure out how they manage to cut wood, period.

It looks like there are hordes of men out there who buy saws, trash the guards and splitters immediately, and go to work. I think the guy who sold me my saw is in this category. I had to make a splitter for my saw, and it has no guard.

I would like to have a nice guard. I want a Shark Guard, but the guy who makes them runs three months behind, and they are not cheap. I took a look at the photos, and it looks like I could make the same basic thing in half a day, using a plasma cutter, a file, a drill, and a table saw. I think I should do that. It will make it impossible to use my Gripper half the time, but those things are overrated anyway, because you can’t use them on any cut where the Gripper has to go past the splitter. I need to make a decent push stick for cuts like that.

One clever inventor has come up with a riving knife that bolts onto old-fashioned table saws. I saw that, and I ran out to my garage to see if I could do something similar. Sure doesn’t look like it. The device would have to ride on the deal that holds the saw blade, and in my saw, everything is so close together there is no place where you could mount the knife.

Sooner or later, a lathe will appear in my garage. The life will be bliss.