WTB: mini-lathe

have fun, remember if you bring a tv try not to fall asleep watching it while you drive.

I have a 7x10

Varmit AL's page is a good start, so is little machineshop dot com.

A tip, the 7x10 uses plastic gears. When you change settings, rotate the chuck a little by hand to make sure the foward/reverse and high/low handles are seated. Also don't stall the head while spinning, it trashes the final two gears , breaks a small pin, and you need a new "e" clip on the drive shaft.

If you scrape the ways on the 7 by ten and build the tailstock adkustment mods, they are decent. After scraping the ways and doing the tailstock mods, using a active center, we took mine into the university machine shop and took a pass off a 1/2" brass rod, then stuck it on a granite bed and dial indicator. It held + 0/ -.001 across 6 inches of brass. If you buy a few extra slide parts,and a instrument makers vise, you can make a milling attachment for very small pieces, ie brass, aluminum.

Get a couple of center drills, a decent 1.5" travel dial indicator with base, and one of the modified tool posts. A 1/2" drill chuck with the MT2 or MT3 taper, minus the tang. A good carbide insert tool does wonders. A threading gauge rounds out things. I would not waste my time with a boring bar, the tool post is not that stiff.

If you've used a lathe before and know all this stuff, just ignore me.

But do straighten the ways and polish the gibs, it makes a world of a difference.

Think of a 7x10 as a good start, a kit of parts that is easily improved.

But I would have kept the PPK.

Steve

Hey Mo if you are realy interested in a lathe with a mill attchment maby you should look at this one G4015Z Combo Lathe/Mill
I think you can get it shipped right to your house for $144.00 and you my be close to there showroom and can just go pick it up.
I was thinking about it but decided to get seperate machines for more versatility.
This is the lathe I will be getting in a few days G0602 10" x 22" Bench Top Metal Lathe
In 1822 they just wished they had something like this :crackup:

heh the $144 is just on shipping.

i've been watching some youtube videos and this machines seems like it'll get the job done...hopefully. It will be a while before i could afford a mill.

That G0602 Bench Top Lathe looks the business!
I keep getting side tracked on youtube with what those CNC lathes can do,
tho guess it's a shedload of programming time involved rather than hands on machining which Is gonna be the fun part after all

Spend the money on a decent dedicated mini-lathe. "Combo" tools are usually below average in both their tasks, and you'll get more use out of a lathe than a mill, so invest in that first. That one you linked to is also pretty small compared to other mini-lathes (5x7 vs 7x12 of Harbor Freight/Grizzly). Better to spend a little more on something good once, than waste money on something mediocre, only to replace it when you know better. Check out Grizzly Industrial's mini-lathe. Harbor Freight also has a decent lathe. Some reviews on both.

If you do still want that linked lathe/mill, just buy it direct for less. Even Amazon.com has it for less.