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Anyone on here that has done their own lathe and milling work - what is the minimum amount of swing required for a mill/drill/lathe to do all the Bearhawk work? Just looking for minimum specs on a used lathe.
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I have a 12" Logan lathe. This is the smallest lathe I think you should consider.
I find that even this size can be a problem when I look for tooling. One issue I have with my machine is the rigidity of the saddle and cross feed. Getting good cuts in hard materials can be tricky with a small lathe.
the other side of this question, I would hate to think of building without a lathe. -
I have a 12" Logan lathe. This is the smallest lathe I think you should consider.
I find that even this size can be a problem when I look for tooling. One issue I have with my machine is the rigidity of the saddle and cross feed. Getting good cuts in hard materials can be tricky with a small lathe.
The other side of this question, I would hate to think of building without a lathe.Comment
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Brad: If you are anywhere close to the DFW area, there is a Monarch 10EE going for what appears to be a steal of a price: I'd like to have it for my shop, but I'm space poor right now.
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FWIW, I have an old Atlas 10in lathe and it works fine for what I've done so far.Comment
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Oops....Sorry Brad, I didn't realize you were not stateside. Would be a great excuse to come visit, but the excess baggage charges would be brutal......Comment
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Just to let you know that you can build a Bearhawk without a lathe. We bought hydraulic tube from a hydraulic cylinder builder for the shocks and outsourced the piston & snap ring groove. The only other part that may need a lathe is the fuel tank neck. The fuel caps are available from BH Aircraft. In terms of cost it may be less to pay a couple hours of machining vs. buying a lathe. We bought the tail wheel from Scott Iron Works with the stinger. The die plugs for forming the ribs can be cut with a router. A lathe may be an asset if you plan on using it for other purposes.
Glenn
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