Harbor freight Lathe

[bythebook]

Have any of you had any experence with the Central Machinery 7" x 10" Lathe at Harbor Freight ? I got a paper with it on Sale for $499.99 there . Is it worth it for small jobs and to learn on as a hobby. Thanks Gordon

[EFBell]

Personally Gordon, I am a little hesitant to buy anything from Harbor Freight. But, that's just me. the few things I did buy from them failed rather quickly. And others I know had similar problems. If I was in the market for a lathe I think I would check around some local machine shops, craigs list, etc. and look for a good old one.

[Stockrex]

Gordon, For a few $$ more you can get a grizzly.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-12-Mini-Metal-Lathe/G8688

[stomp442]

The little grizzly is probably a better machine and will most definitely have better product support for service or accessories.

[JWW123]

don't waste your money, imported junk

[bythebook]

Thanks for the comments all. I have bought some things from Harbor that I do not use hard and been satisfied . I am going to check around the area several machine shops have been closed down the last few years.

[yobuck]

Well the Grizzley would be imported also but id feel better about buying something from Grizzley than i would from Harbor Freight.
But does Grizzley even have a $500 lathe? Also cheap depends on what tooling comes with any lathe you buy. The actual lathe could be the cheap part.
And for all those Savage builders, the Grizzley owner is a world class shooter who builds his own guns in a closet in his office. lol
(Part of what i said is true.)

[Robinhood]

Bythebook. You should be able to find a 13 inch South Bend in your neck of the woods.

[sharpshooter]

don't waste your money, imported junk

I'd second that. Besides, what are you gonna make on a little dinky machine like that?

[savage2014]

harbor freight tools are junk from china. I only buy little things like sand paper, and other stuff I can't find from other stores.

[tufrthnails]

Wow this convo pops up everywhere I go. I shop HF for a lot of things I am not willing to spend a lot of money on. Just a few things that have worked out well for me. The electric 1/2" Impact (I use it a ton for working on the Jeeps), Electric Food Grinder (14 deer processed through it and still kicking out nicely), the 1/2" impact sockets, the rubber coated ratchets (I actually have one that is bent about 60 deg from a 6ft cheater bar and i still locks up tight), The wet tile saw (not sure how many jobs my brother has on it but I have laid both my houses and done some of my friends bathrooms and such), A lot of automotive tools too many to list. Not sure which press I have but I use it for pressing bearings on for setting up differentials. That said a lot of the crap is just that.