Mini Metal Lathes.

Alright so I finally got my metal lathe. I've been playing with it on and off all day while i rearrange the basement into my new "man cave"

Few things I'm curious about....
the system for measuring seems......dumb?
Maybe i'm missing something, but all the measuring dials do is tell you how far you've moved your bit. So without knowing exactly where the bit is sitting in relation to the metal your turning, they are kind of useless.

Am i suppose to make a mental note of my projects current size, figure up how much i want to cut off, and then wait till i see or hear it cutting, then watch the dial?

I think there should be a standard bit size and that should be factored in to the dials so that you know if you move the bit to this position, you'll end up with this size diameter bar....

Seems like half the time was spent remeasuring everything with the caliper because i was scared of cutting too far.

I also discovered how bad i need something to cut my metal other than a hack saw! that was tiring....but then i combined the lathe AND the hack saw.....made quick work of it.

I've yet to play with the gears and try making threads....i'll save that for tomorrow!

I'm still waiting on my drill chuck to arrive, once that gets here i can start playing around and see what kind of crap i can make.
I'm also curious how they make fins on heatsinks.....does that require a mill? Every bit i've seem wouldn't be able to make those deep and skinny of cuts into the metal.

Oh, and i got the central machinery 7x10 mini metal lathe thats on harbor freight.

To make grooves like on a heatsink you will need either a groover or cut off tool. Cut off tools are usually shaped to promote chipping which can leave a rough finish in the bottom of the groove.

The measuring system on a manual lathe is like that, first measure the OD of your part and make a note of it. Then spin it up on the lathe ans slowly approach the piece till you just barely get a chip. That number minus the OD you measured earlier is your X zero. You will make all cuts in relation to that number.

The method is similar for the Z axis, the trick is to find the exact point where you start cutting the material.

I believe there are electronic dials you can put on the axises that you can zero. These work somewhat like a set of digital calipers, they tell you how far you are from the zero point. However, they are probably out of your budget.

The best thing you can probably invest in is a carbide grinding wheel, that will let you make all of your own cutting tools. The wheels are usually extremely expensive though.

Be careful with the gears on that thing, they are plastic and will strip out easily.

I'm tired, and some of this will probably not make sense because of it, but check out mini-lathe.com home page everything you need to know to get you started is there.

Good luck!

Maybe i'm missing something, but all the measuring dials do is tell you how far you've moved your bit. So without knowing exactly where the bit is sitting in relation to the metal your turning, they are kind of useless.

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That is pretty much the only way it can be made.
Large lathes have the same system, you tough the metal with the tool-bit*, zero your dial, and go from there.

*The point is that tool-bits come in a variety of sizes and there is no way your lathe can tell what length your tool is.

Treads are tricky, the lathe can be set for a specific tread rise, but grinding a bit of tool steel to fit the desired tread profile is difficult.

Tooling usually costs as much as the lathe itself but the rewards are great.
You will have fun with it.

HMike

yeah....
the lathe was original $599, on sale for $499, and with a 20% coupon came to $399, then i spent an extra $50 on an extended warranty. got a cheap set of bits, and a caliper, walked out of HF spending $520. I also spent $80 on their website for the drill chuck, a different set of bits, and a couple of thread taps off fleabay to get me started....

also got a 6-32 thread tap for set screws. still need a thread tap for aixiz lens though.

Well now i know how to use the dials on it...i'm gonna have to get a pen and paper. Glad i brushed up on my math last semester

thanks guys

Keep this thread alive ! I am interested to find out how well you make out with it...I bought one a FEW years ago now...it is STILL in the damned box My health has not allowed me to be able to get it setup - it is most likely rusted solid by now, but just in case it actually works once I unbox it (any volunteers in South Texas ? ) I would love to have a head start, by having YOU figger out all the bugs !///Greg

SenKat_Stonetek said:

Keep this thread alive ! I am interested to find out how well you make out with it...I bought one a FEW years ago now...it is STILL in the damned box My health has not allowed me to be able to get it setup - it is most likely rusted solid by now, but just in case it actually works once I unbox it (any volunteers in South Texas ? ) I would love to have a head start, by having YOU figger out all the bugs !///Greg

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I hear they come absolutely drenched in oil, so you might be good!

Pontiacg5 said:

I hear they come absolutely drenched in oil, so you might be good!

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I can only HOPE ! I know it is absolutely HORRID that I have not unpacked it Life happens, though.///Greg

If its still in box and not being used you could always sell it.
dont want to let it go to waste

kiyoukan said:

If its still in box and not being used you could always sell it.
dont want to let it go to waste

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Any takers ? :cryyy: I have NO idea how much freight it would cost to ship...my postage scale only goes up to 25lbs ! GAH !!! BUT - if someone were actually interested, I would part with it - could use the funds to replace cash used for a recent (NASTY !!!) trip I took ///Greg

My ears are perked.
What you want for it?

If kiyoukan passes I'd take it.
I could use one for prototyping stuff, running the CNC for one part is extreme overkill (and time consuming)

Send me an offer via email, if you are interested - I honestly cannot lift it, but you can find the weight listed on harbor freight's site - find out the shipping fees (no padding on my part for shipping, as I DAMNED sure are not handling it !!!!) and email me at : sales@stonetek.org Thx !///Greg

Cool - I'll start a interested parties list - first come, NOT an auction type of thing - that wouldn't be fair to the first ones to reply, I don't think.

Sorry to derail this thread ! ///Greg

God we are sharks circling a kill sometimes.
the second we hear of a sale its go time!
Kinda nice tho at least you dont have to wait long.
Can you give a model number and what it was maybe to ship it to you the first time to give an idea of how much total.

im trying to save up for one of these....i have $10 dollars so far

although i heard jayrob got a mini lathe for $80

I bought it locally, so it was not shipped to me...but the other info is :
SKU : 93212
7 X 10 mini-lathe
linkage : Harbor Freight

List price : $599.99
Current Sale Price : $499.99
Current Store Promotion : 20% off a single item
MY PRICE : Please email reasonable offers to : sales@stonetek.org

WEIGHT - 33KGS !!!