MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I’m fancying something like this. Would like to be able to produce so little steam engine type stuff as well as a little basic horological stuff.
Where does a man with a garage find guidance on such a machine?
I'm interested too and have been watching these
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Jf7t6BL4e74O53dL6arSw
Looks like the cheap lathes are cheap and rubbish but can be made to work
A few good Facebook groups. I am lurking in " lathes and machine tools UK" to gain info. Some big stuff some small stuff on there.
How much do you want to spend?
The "7X..." Chinese mini lathes are around £600 for the machine. A "proper" lathe is probably £1500+ (Still Chinese).
Expect to spend a few hundred on tooling, too.
The debate rages eternal on whether to look at new Chinese or 2nd hand "quality". Personally, I'm in the new Chinese camp. Things like Myford lathes have a tribe of misty eyed old duffers that will pay anything for a clapped out old lathe with a fresh coat of paint.
Have a look at what's available at:
And especially
I bought a 7x14 mini lathe with brushless motor from Amadeal at the beginning of lockdown, as they were the only ones with any stock (It was an AMA714B - no longer listed on their site, but similar to the Sieg SC3 on the Arc site). It's had a few issues, but they have been resolved. I don't think these were specific to Amadeal though. Despite internet wisdom, the mini lathes aren't "all the same" - there are several (4?) different factories producing very similar designs which are re-badged by various importers. If I was looking again, I'd probably try and buy from Arc Eurotrade as their customer service has proved very good. They are also active and helpful on the Model Engineering forum. Warco charge something of a premium for a "higher quality" product, but there seem to be a few people around who don't feel they've received full value. Go with a brushless motor if going down the mini-lathe route.
Things you will likely need soon:
4 Jaw independent chuck
Tailstock centre
Tailstock chuck
Tooling (don't go mad!)
Possibly a steady rest
Sometimes these are available as part of a package at a reasonable saving.
@tillydog What sort of issues did you have to sort out.
I have been thinking about this for ages and the Chinese stuff is at a price I could justify.
I have a C0, made a few bits and pieces for bearing changes on the full sus. Other stuff like repairing the start of the casstte ring threads on a DT240 freehub, some scooter stuff for the kids and it sharpens pencils too! Considering a shim set for Stooge Klunker bars for my light also. Its handy to have.
Chinese stuff is at a price I could justify.
Unless you're in it to make money, I'd say "go for it" 😉
What sort of issues did you have to sort out.
Nothing earth-shattering:
The tool location in the supplied 4 way tool post had been machined on the skew. They sent a replacement, but it wasn't much better. I resorted to milling it flat with a cutter in the lathe chuck (yes, I know...) which worked fine. Shortly afterwards I replaced it with a 'Machifit' quick change toolpost - absolutely brilliant & highly recommended, but it's another £100+ by the time you're added a few matching tool holders.
Cross slide & compound slide working surfaces had been left 'as milled' which made them rough & difficult to adjust. A *little* careful lapping (as in about 20 strokes) and a damn good bath in diesel sorted them out. They would probably have 'worn in' given time. (I wouldn't recommend some of the lapping practices that have made it to YouTube).
There was an issue with the compound slide where no matter how tight you adjust the gib strip, you couldn't stop the slide lifting. This seems to be a very common problem, and many/most people seem to resort to adding extra clamping screws. I believe it is a design problem - the gib strip is too thick for its height and the clamping screws tend to topple it, rather than providing a 'clean' clamping force. I lapped the strip flat (it had worn to a convex face - this is an area where extended lapping would be counter productive) and counterbored the rear face so that the clamping screws acted closer to the sliding face, removing the tendency to topple and it has been fine ever since. I did fit extra clamping screws while I was at it, but would say that they aren't necessary and wouldn't have solved the problem on their own.
The speed control pot is crap & has had to be replaced. The replacement is going the same way. Cheap but a PITA. (It has a normally open switch on the back unlike almost every other switched pot in the known universe - I *think* I have found a decent quality replacement now though).
I would say it was "usable" from day 1, to be fair.
I'm interested too and have been watching these
I like those videos, but he's gone **way** over the top! 🙂
OP also keep an eye on local auction sites,you might get lucky.
I’m fancying something like this. Would like to be able to produce so little steam engine type stuff as well as a little basic horological stuff.
Where does a man with a garage find guidance on such a machine?
Decent watchmakers lathe's fetch strong money on Ebay. If you've got the cash this is the industry standard and the price is plus vat.
TBH, it depends what sort of dimensional accuracy you want/need. I have an ancient and tiny Unimat SL, it's a lovely little thing but absolutely full of flex and so simply not capable of making a really accurate part without basically re-engineering it. But you can still do a lot with something like that (for me, it's been mostly used to resize components, make things fit, do some repairs etc, make suspension hardware when I realise at the last minute I've not got the right sizes... I've not made very much from scratch but only because I don't really have the desire) I reckon the very cheap "Myfirsttool" lathes on ebay/aliexpress which are basically toy grade would probably fit into the same category- very limited, but functional
But for really accurate fits, never mind timekeeping etc, that's not going to cut it (and tbh neither is the owner, most likely, there are some skills to acquire)
But for sure you can dabble and learn and make some stuff with even a very cheap lathe, and see if you at least enjoy it.
If what you want to do does include really small stuff , then a desktop lathe - Unimat , Baby lathe, jewellers lathe etc , is going to be what you need, despite what is often spewed about you can do everything on a big one it is simply not true, as above the tooling - collets for tiny stuff are
more or less essential and add up in price.
Myfords are popular of course , and practical as they can be moved easily and will fit inside if you want.
There is a great wealth of info around for working with all the Chinese typical lathes, and they are the most available new - ARC are great.
Model engineer forums etc.
Don`t work in an unheated garage on tiny stuff is too cold you will not move about much.
Depends on the sort of size of steam engine stuff and the precision that you want to achieve.
The lathe cost can be doubled by the time you have added QCTP, DRO, drills, chucks, reamers, cutters, etc.
Joe Pieczynski can give some useful advice on machining stuff, and steam engines.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpp6lgdc_XO_FZYJppaFa5w/videos
basic horological stuff.
I'm no tool maker but that doesn't seem very basic!
I’m fancying something like this. Would like to be able to produce so little steam engine type stuff as well as a little basic horological stuff.
Where does a man with a garage find guidance on such a machine?
Ok, so I've owned a lathe for about 30 years & spent a fair bit of my apprenticeship in a machine shop. If I were to offer any advice it would be to track down your local model makers club (if such a thing exists) & go along. They'll be well equipped & will probably have some sage advice about potential purchases.
Can you let me know about the alternative pot please.
I am currently using a Sieg C3, but always interested in improvement/upgrades.
My uncle is the UK /European importer/distributer of ShopSmith lathes.
If interested let me know.
Can you let me know about the alternative pot please.
Bourns 56AAD-C28-B13/R81L
Should be a direct replacement for the 4.7k pot. I can't find a UK supplier though.
I've gone for a:
56AAD-C28-B15/R81L
Which is a 10k pot and available from RS for about £12 which is roughly how much the Christmas cracker reject OEM pot costs. (clicky) Carriage is extra from RS unless you know someone with a trade account.
I'm pretty sure it will work, but haven't soldered it in yet.
Other variants to look out for:
5th character 'A' OK (anti rotation lug)
7th character 'B' OK (smaller shaft diameter)
8th/9th characters 24 OK (shorter shaft)
11th character 'E' OK (can't read my notes as to what that means!)
Hambini uses a Sieg SC4 but with GE Lu**** gears and different electronics, to make his bottom brackets.
Well it’s done, I’ve ordered an amadeal c18 with the selection pack of bits. Now what’s the first project!?
Congratulations, welcome to a new tool collecting hobby!
This website has some handy basics on adjusting it out the box
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Tuning/tuning.htm
Also some basic facing, turning etc all specificaly on a mini lathe, loads of mods people have done to improve them. You can use your lathe to make new parts for your lathe!
Loads of good and bad videos on youtube.
I would start with some aluminium round bar and get a feel for it. Make some bearing tools, you get to turn, face, drill bore and part. It will do stainless with some care, but you will need to get your feeds and speeds right, also depth of cut with your tooling etc. The instant variable speed is great compared to most old small lathes.
Be realistic, dont try taking 5mm cuts out of steel.
Then go crazy fantasizing on all the tooling you can buy, then buy a bigger lathe....... and a mill, and a surface grinder and a.......
Its great, you can make and modify so many things, you will wonder how you ever managed without one.
Congratulations!
Get the lathe properly lubricated and adjusted, but don't rush in to "fixing" it - get a feel for it first.
Now what’s the first project!?
Mine was a teeny, tiny "steam" (=compressed air) engine made out of bits of a hard drive and the innards of a shower valve:
So I’ve worked most of it out. But what is this?
So I’ve worked most of it out. But what is this?
They're different gears for the threading indicator (the little dial thing at the back of the saddle). I think it comes with a 16T fitted, those are possibly 14 & 15T
I doubt you'll need them until:
a) You want to do screw cutting and...
b) You have the courage / need / inclination to disengage the half nut during the process and...
c) Have figured out how the threading dial is supposed to work and...
d) Want to cut some weird pitch that the standard dial doesn't work for.
(I'm at 'a' and quite happy to stay there for now. I've taken the threading dial off my lathe!)
Better explanation than I can give here:
http://mrjones.id.au/html/thread_dial_indicator.html
Oooo, how did I miss this thread. I have recently bought a used Myford Super7 and was debating starting a thread on here to see if anyone else was mad enough to give machining a go. So be prepared for some more daft questions from me too in future.
"debating starting a thread" Was that a deliberate pun? 🙂
My dad has a Super 7 that I used solo from age 14 - was really useful to take things I'd made to my apprenticeship interview. Really miss not having it to hand whenever I need a spacer or tool for pressing bearings. Fairly limited for framebuilding jobs due to the small hole in the headstock but handy for bottle bosses etc.
If you’ve got the cash this is the industry standard and the price is plus vat.
😳 Try explaining that purchase to the missus! That looks very much like the lathe Steve uses on The Repair Shop, and every time I see him using it, I have a lusting after a new toy. When the lottery coughs up, it appears.
Martins-supplies.co.uk
Uk/EU distributor for Shopsmith lathes.
These guys always helped me out with gear and raw materials.
https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/
Another good tools source, in addition to the one mentioned by @eddiebaby.
If you need parts for a min lathe this lot can help.
https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Machine-Spares/C3-Mini-Lathe-Spares
Resurrecting the thread - I'm looking to get a mini lathe for my birthday. Choice seems to be random eBay specials for £500, Proxxon 150 from Axminster for about the same but no lead screw or Seig C2 from Arceurotrade for £740.
WWSD?
I was going to suggest having a look at second hand but there seems to be very little choice and prices of what there are available are crazy. That proxxon is very small. Nice if you have limited space and are only making tiny things but I'd want a bit more capacity. I'd go for the random chinese option. Somewhere around a 7 x 12 or 8 x 14. Might need to do some reading to find the good ones but expect to do some tweaking to get it working well. There's loads of modification videos on youtube for setting up and upgrading
I’ve been very happy with the cj18 Amadeal. It’s done everything I asked of it. It’s now accompanied by a Sieg mini mill... it’s an addictive hobby!
I have a genuine question for people who have lathes...what do you actually use them for?
I had a quick google at mini-lathe projects and a lot of them seemed to be making things for the lathe (maybe I didn't look closely enough) and mallets and rings.
I ask because I could have a Myford something or other lathe (ML7?) that my father had...it's currently sitting in a workshop unused (and has been for 20 years, tho it was in full working order then). When he died, I thought I would move his lathe and pillar drill to my house and have hours of endless fund making things...but when I thought about it, I couldn't think of anything I would need/want to make!
(tho I do I like the idea of learning how to use one for the sake of learning how to use one....)
I use mine for hobby stuff. I've made a few bike parts, light brackets, repaired an axle, bearing tools. When I was diving I used to make things for that too, reels, lights. It is good for making and modifying tools for use in the workshop, the more other workshop stuff you do the more it is useful. Definitely not the handiest or most used tool in the workshop but it does the things it does better than anything else.
A Myford ML7 is a great tool and should be being used. It'll get strong money if you decide to sell it and people will fight for it.
Twodogs
Full MemberI had a quick google at mini-lathe projects and a lot of them seemed to be making things for the lathe
You get the same with 3d printers but I think a large part of it is just that if you look up "projects" that's what you see, little self-contained self-justifying jobs. More worthwhile stuff tends to come more naturally.
I don't use mine regularly, it's more like an extra power tool in the garage. Last jobs were modifying some wheel spacers for the car, and slightly resizing a bike axle which was just fractionally oversized and wouldn't fit the hub. Before that, a bit of a gap, then I used it to make a load of suspension links for a remote control car, and to modify a whole heap of bolts whose heads were too big for a particular job. More hub repairs, made some spacers, took a little metal off a brake mount for better fitting, made some bearing tools. Lots of minor repairs, like returning things to round or slightly resizing stuff. (I find removing excess metal to be massively satisfying, even just turning straight headed bolts into taper heads, it's pretty much pointless and saves, ooh, entire grams over a whole bike but it's just nice to do)
TBH probably half of what I've used it for in the last couple of years I could have done with other tools, just much less well or more laboriously. Other things I could have fixed with a credit card. And the third category is "just wouldn't have bothered". Like a lot of diy jobs, often what I'm really saving is time- just getting stuff to work without having to get more parts or wait for things to arrive (like, literally the first productive thing I ever did with it, was fixing a motorbike footpeg assembly, a crash had distorted a part meaning it wouldn't shift gear properly. Honed the bushing and the pin and had it back together and went for a big ride the next day, rather than waiting 2 weeks for a new lever.)
I've had it something like 15 years and in that time it's definitely paid for itself in repairs and minor modifications, and everything else has just been a bonus... I couldn't justify the space or the cost of a big machine but it fits on a shelf. But I'm no machinist and I don't think I've ever gone "I will do this lathe project". In fact I should totally have made myself a new motor plate for it and made it a better tailstock but I can't be arsed.
thanks both...interesting stuff. maybe it's something I should look at when I retire in the v near future.
A Myford ML7 is a great tool and should be being used. It’ll get strong money if you decide to sell it and people will fight for it
yeah I do periodically look on ebay..it's superficially a bit scruffy, and probably needs rewiring but is functional. In fact, when I mentioned it on here previously I got someone who isn't even a STW forumite contacting me as he'd come across my post googling for one. He live locally but when I told him what the price range was on ebay he went quiet.
What I should probably do is move it here, get it up and running and cleaned up and then see if I use it/like using it. if not, it's here to move on
I couldn’t think of anything I would need/want to make!
Here's some of the many thing's I've made (on a Colchester Student - so a bit bigger than some):
Pulleys and shafts etc. for this belt sander
Shiny gearknobs for various cars (mostly Alfa Romeo)
Holder for a DE Razor (a must have for the avid shaving enthisiast)
A thing for piercing jacket potatoes
A bracket to hold handlebars when forks are being serviced
An aluminium oil filler cap for an Abarth Punto Evo (the plastic ones break)
@fruitbat nice work.
Actually I can think of one thing...a coffee tamper that is exactly the right size for my la pavoni machine which has an odd size basket (I know I could buy one but.....)
I have a genuine question for people who have lathes…what do you actually use them for?
Facing sockets
Turning down sockets
making or modifying shock pins
Making or modifying bearing tools
Polishing brake caliper pistons
Making custom spacers
Modifying car strut top mounts to fit coilovers
drilling holes in the exact centre of things
making /modifying lots of obscure tools
converting old fork top caps from needle to schraeder
modifying 11s cassettes to fit 10s freehubs
modifying hub end caps
aligning 2 different sizes cylinders prior to welding
facing round stock so it can be clamped for milling
making shaft bullets (for fitting suspension seals)
Making shaft clamps (drill, bore to size, then cut in half)
Turning down bolt heads
Threading
Lots of miscellaneous other uses
It depends what you do, lots of people use them as a hobby tool to make random things, I use mine to make things happen when I cant buy a part, dont want to pay for an overpriced thing, or need it now.
I dont tend to make many parts from scratch as it can take ages, but I use it to solve loads of problems quickly and accurately.
Have a look at Stuart Models for casting kits. I’m making a 10v. It’s a deeply satisfying process.
Any of you lathe owners fancy doing a spring spacer for me?