Re: ATM Help! What Metal Lathe Size?

[Rick Scott <rmscott@home.com>]

I used a friends 12" by 36" Craftsman lathe to build my 9.8" f/4.6
Lurie-Houghton telescope. Of all the people I personally know that have
lathes, his was the only one big enough to fabricate most of the metal
parts I needed. I used a 12" aluminum tube with an inside diameter of
11.87", so the 12" lathe was just big enough. You have to decide what
parts you plan on making with the lathe to determine the size needed.

You can see photos of my scope project including one that shows one of
the parts being made on the lathe at
http://members.home.net/rmscott/lh_scope

Rick Scott
rmscott@home.net
http://members.home.net/rmscott


StarHoper@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I need the help of the list to determine what size Metal Lathe would be a
> good choice for building scopes.  The size might range from 6" to 18"
> diameter scopes.  What sizes and makes do you ATM'ers have out there.  What
> are the pro's and con's of what you own or have used in the past? I'll take
> any advice you have before I go and buy one and find out it's to big or not
> big enough.
> 
> Thanks,
> David