$90 hobby lathe tested - trash or treasure?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ธ.ค. 2018
- Wood turning is a very satisfying pursuit, although you need a lot of space and a bit of money to get a decent lathe. I figured it was worth testing one of these hobby lathes to see if they were any good. I opted for the most power one (350W) in this range, which sells for US$90.
I am by no means a wood turned expert, so please be kind on my technique. I do know a few safety things so please take care when wood turning:
- Ensure the machine is properly secured
- Ensure everything is tightened and the work piece is firmly held in place
- Ensure your tool rest is as close to the workpiece without colliding as possible
- Wear safety glasses!
- Maintain your cutting tools and treat them with respect.
- Remove the tool rest before sanding or polishing.
- When sanding, beware of friction making sandpaper very hot.
I'll update this list with anything knowledgeable users post.
This item was provided by Banggood at my request. All opinions are entirely my own.
As I said in the video, this is a hobby grade tool and is priced appropriately as such.
Absolute max stock size would be 60 mm diameter x 170 mm length as I measure it.
Raitool 350W lathe: bit.ly/2rjzh5I
Additional lathe cutting tools/gouges (I recommend tool A): bit.ly/2SzCbil
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So, to summarize the 9 thousand comments below: 1. It's just a toy, yadda-yadda-yadda; 2. Olive oil will go rancid (it actually won't); 3. Go slower for sanding and never use a rag on a turning item; 4. Random irrelevant comment proving that the "TL;DR" phenomenon operates at all age levels, and #5 (what people should really be posting): Thank you, sir, for taking the time to review, to make some good starter projects, testing out the 3D-printed items, editing the video and uploading it for our enlightenment. Your efforts are appreciated.
Thanks Johnny, nice summary. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it was just a toy several times between the video and description but people still miss it. I've been using vegetable oil and olive oil for years on projects like this and never once had anything go rancid. Slower for plastic is obvious, and everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. Truth is this is a hobby lathe review, not a how to lathe 3D printed parts video. I almost putting that section in because so many can't get past it despite the video mentioning the technique I used was not optimal. No rag on the lathe is a great point. Thanks for watching the video and taking the time for an articulate and constructive comment.
man, olive oil WILL go rancid...or at least raw olive oil, the one everyone here use to cook
that's why people use stand linseed oil
6. just 3D print some jaw protectors if the vice is killing your wooden parts.
@@TeachingTech Tru-Oil, better than olive and linseed, and tung..
Yeah, a lot of keyboard experts lurking in the comment section.
You told us you are not an expert in the use of a wood lathe. You still gave a good account of what this lathe was about.
One critical suggestion... DO NOT USE A CLOTH RAG NEAR A TURNING LATHE!
For the finish work, use a paper towel. If a rag catches in the lathe or the turning wood, your fingers could be pulled in with the rag, even with a small lathe like this.
I have no use for it but I want it.
csl110 ikr same 😋😂
Same it’s just like big chungus for the ps4
90 DOLLARS !! THANK YOU !!! COME !! AGAIN !!
That perspex thing with the slot is probably to allow you to use the saw blade. A mini table saw.
TO !! CUT !! YOUR !! FINGERS !! OFF !! WITH !!!
For the money, it's worth it for folks who aren't sure they want to do this. If they don't then they're not out the money the professional tools cost.
Great review Michael. A very nice tool for anyone that wants to give it a try. You got some superb results. I have used a lathe but not for many years/decades lol.
Good job man... nice honest review and well put together video. Keep up the great content man.
Thanks for the review! It really helps me in trying to buy a hobby lathe. This one looks really good.
I do a fair bit of rough wood working, so this does hold some interest for me. I hadn't seen any of these tiny lathes before, but seeing this, I'm pretty sure I can make something comparable with parts I've got around the shop. Thanks for sharing!
I have a full size lathe and to be honest I know I could achieve a lot on this tiny thing. like anything in life only time and practice gets great result and what you did achieve was enough to spark an interest so great review.
Who likes spindle turning? Like really likes it? Lol
I was actually thinking a thing like that with a stepper with a good bit of holding torque could be fun to do stuff with a router.
glad i found this. i've been on the fence about buying one of these off banggood for months now but i wasn't sure if it would do what i need. it will. thanks for the review!
thanks for doing reviews on some of the cheap tools. this really helps work out if i should get one or not. do the cheap cnc next!
It's does my heart good to see a young man actually doing things, Nicely done sir. I am 62 and have been a modeler of some type for 54 years, I also have a small metal lathe and enjoy making tools for slot racing and the like. Please continue the tradition of "men working in little sheds".
What Ron said - slow the speed and the plastic won't melt as easily. The tool that came with the lathe can be extremely versatile, but does require practice. It is easier to sharpen than a gouge. Harbor Freight has a small lathe for around $100, low end, but good starter.
I've done a lot of turning with a tabletop lathe in my Dad's wood shop. This would be great if you could rig up a mount for pen blanks! They're stellar looking when you're done and kits, at least in the US are pretty cheap. Two products I suggest you look into, again in the US, not sure about international availability, are EEE (or tripple E) Ultrashine and Shellawax. EEE Ultrashine is a smooth paste that has fine abrasives and will make pieces smooth and beautiful. I use it after going up to about 1000 grit on pens and the finish it leaves is beautiful and smooth. Shellawax is a protective material for protecting the wood from finger oils and it adds another beautiful layer of sheen to wood. Definitely a great investment for anyone doing this kind of work.
I’m might order one soon! This will be for uniformly smoothing out my smaller cylindrical and round prints, such as for bearings.
That plastic shield covers the chuck. They usually just get in the way but if you’re turning close to the chuck it can be very helpful in preventing coolant or oil from spinning into your face.
Sanding or filing on a lathe is incredibly fast so you need to have lots of fresh strips ready the moment they fill up with plastic. Also use water. There are also special lathe files with a less aggressive tooth angle.
I also highly recommend filing from underneath the part, so that if the file catches, it will not be inserted into your wrist, but instead flung away from you.
Another suggestion is to get something called a center drill, which creates the perfect 60 degree angle for the tail stock center.
Also, you can put two center holes on your part and hold between centers.
Thanks for the review!
It's not the size mate, it's how you use it!!
There are those who make money with toys. Then there are those who own a fancy house with a 2 car garage full of expensive tools but do duck-all with it. Sometimes it is the same person :)
The best tool is the one you have on hand. Toys for some, tools for others.
A hundred years ago this machine would have been an impressive little beast. Even in 2020 if you mount it properly and use the right cutting tools, you can make nice wood parts out of it!
When I was an apprentice, my first lathe was a huge 16' industrial monster with a hundred levers, a thousand buttons and individual motors for running every single moving part! Needless to say, it was so intimidating that I didn't spend a lot of time near that machine. If this tiny thing was my first lathe, I'd have learnt way faster.
Heck, I'd power it with a battery and make stuff right on the subway while commuting to work :)
I thank you for this video I had no clue on how to use these 50 dollar lathe
Too much RPM for sanding, go as slow as you can get, 150-250rpm is ideal. Also, Olive Oil will go rancid over time, you're better off using Mineral Oil to finish with, and it also works great for wet sanding, along with finishes like Howards Feed 'n Wax. otherwise if you don't want to buy stuff, just use water to wet sand. Also, that lathe is a toy, don't abuse it too much, or it'll die.
I was thinking the exact same thing!
Back in school days, I turned a decorative bowl - and used beeswax to finish it.
Alan Campbell ahhhh... the good old days
Instead of mineral oil, I'd recommend pure carnauba wax or simple nose oil on wood. That's what I've used on my smoking pipes for decades, and they have to stand up to a lot of handling and heat.
I tend to use a decent quality yatch varnish. Looks good, effectively waterproof, permanent. At least my table has lasted 30 years and doesn't even ring if you put a hot mug of coffee on it.
Try wet sanding the plastic
also slow rpm, burning is a sign its too high
A cheap water bottle media blaster is gonna be your best friend for smoothing 3d print surface finishes.
Great video and presentation thanks
I think it's worth a try for the practicing hobbies maybe even as far as silver or small jewelry turning but not nearly robust enough for serious work. Thanks for sharing.
Helpful video man!
I may have to get one of these for my little boy. I’m getting ready to buy a dad size version, so this may be a good way to introduce him to the concept.
Mate, thanks for this. I know you said it's a toy, but just look at what you have produced! This is probably ideal for very small projects like resin or resin and wood pendants (or similar). Nice job, man!
VERY Cool! I was actually looking at the harbor freight one, but as the wife keeps pointing out we have no room. I added this to my christmas "wish list" :) Thank you for the review!!!
What if you added a thin coat of epoxy resin to the 3D model? Could you sand that down for the smooth finish you want?
For the 3d printed parts, thought about maybe using a blower or something to cool the part on the backside to try and stop the melting? Or sanding in short bursts aswell to reduce heat buildup.
Seems like a nice little lathe for pen making. Curious about what the run-out is on the chuck. Can't imagine that they would use bearings of any significant quality, but may be a nice, affordable upgrade if they're standard size. 3D printed "soft jaws" would offer an infinite range of work-holding options and prevent marring of the work piece.
Mr. Boogabaga I owned a variant of this lathe, I couldnt even turn a piece of redwood as it doesn’t have any torque. It would only be good for sanding or making bobbers for fishing
I can't imagine this lathe being too good for turning pens since it would be fiddly and difficult to fit a pen mandrel to the jacob's chuck, and even then the lathe may not have a long enough bed for the mandrel.
@@conradp.woodturning972 A person looking for a retirement hobby here. What would you recommend? [ and what's a pen mandrel? ]
@@Soupie62 Wen makes a small variable speed bench top lathe that is, in my opinion, great for getting into pen turning. It's usually under $200 USD, variable speed is a really nice feature, you can easily find accessories for the #1MT head stock. It's not the most powerful unit in the world but good enough for turning pens. There are re-branded variants on the market with a rather wide range of pricing, the version I have was actually sold by Harbor Freight but I don't see it on their web site any more. It's a small initial investment to see if you even like turning and you can get some bigger projects from it. A pen mandrel is essentially a rod that you mount in the lathe and it allows you to slide your pen bushings and material onto.
@@Soupie62 As Mark F. said, all you need is a small variable speed lathe (having electronic variable speed is much more convenient than changing the belt and pulleys), however I would recommend getting a lathe with a cast iron bed, as they tend to be much sturdier and durable than lathes with 2 metal pipes for the bed. Personally, I would prefer to get a lathe with # Morse 2 taper (there are different sized tapers) for the headstock and tailstock since it is much easier to find drive centres, live centres, mandrels etc., for that size. Investing in a lathe like this would also allow for the opportunity to make bigger and more complex projects once you have mastered turning pens. A pen mandrel is a rod (which has a taper on one end for the headstock, and a dimple in the other end for a live centre in the tailstock), which you slide prepared pen blanks onto for turning - for each different pen kit you will need to purchase bushings for fitting the pen blanks onto the mandrel. Just keep in mind that turning pens (although it may seem simple), can be a lengthy and tedious process, as you need to glue in the brass barrel of the pen into the timber blank, let it dry, sand of excess material on either side of the blank, and THEN turn it. So I would recommend perhaps turning something such as a honey dipper or mini baseball bat first, and if you are confident with that, then have a go a turning a pen. Best of luck!
Thanks for this video.
Interesting. could be just the thing for someone who just wants to make some knobs or other small items.
THANKS!
Funny to see you reviewing this item. Totally different than what your used too. I bought one of these over a year ago and haven't used it once lol. I didn't get it for turning wood I actually got it to cut my pins for my challenge locks that I send around the world for other lock pickers to pick on there channels. But I still find it easier to do it with my dremel. Eventually I might turn some wood on it.
:D I got the $40 one just because it looked cute, still haven't used it.
Thanks for this, I bought an absolute shite mini lathe on amazon for turning knife handles that didn't actually accommodate the blanks it said it would, this is about £17 more expensive than that one and it's nice to see it in action so I know it actually works.
This looks to be ideal for making pens.
AND !! DOWELL !! ROD !!
Regarding checking the roundness of your piece, you can gently rest the back of your gouge on top of the spinning piece. If you hear a chattering and feel it bouncing lightly, you know it's not yet round.
You may want to consider a buffing compound and soft polishing brush. I'm no expert and I'm going on old memories from grade school shop class but we worked with plastics and that's what I recall we used. Instead of sanding the plastics smooth, we buffed them smooth.
Thoughts on using a laser engraver to add additional details?
Your the best Professor!
Awesome informative vid! Thanks a lot, I'm a new subscriber!
Thanks a lot fr U r right guidance....
I was wondering if it was an induction or universal motor and if it has speed regulation via back emf?
If you do a follow up, here are some suggestions for your 3D print tests:
1 - try it on super slow with some solvent underneath, it'll blur like the acetone trick but the spinning should keep the edges sharp
2 - try a damp cloth, it might regulate the temperature and use the melting to your advantage. Speed and wetting media will vary with material
3 - see if sanding mesh works better than sandpaper, the fine stuff lacks particles.
The "guard" is actually a platter for turning it into a mini table saw btw.
Great info
Do not use food oils on timber, they go rancid. If you want to finish timber go to the local hardware store and pick up some boiled linseed oil. just wear gloves (BLO has dying agent in it which you don't want on your skin) when you apply it, and make sure you spread out the rag you used and let it fully dry before throwing it out.
Konrad Zielinski I agree, also many people use BLO irresponsibility store it or dispose of it. Random combustion is not ideal lol
It's also risky using a rag at a lathe. It's better advised to use a paper towel, which will tear if it grabs, unlike a rag which will more than likely stay together and potentially pull you in.
I see people saying to use olive oil a lot too. Learned the hard way using it on a cutting board once long time ago. Yuck. Rancid is right. Do not recommend.
mineral oil works fine and it's technically food grade. So it's safe to use on things that may come in contact with food.
Olive oil does not go rancid....
Michael, have you considered making a video on the ironing feature Cura is using, but with Simplify3D?
additional plastic cover with a slot looks like a table saw part, probably with a saw inserted in the chuck
I know this is kind of an old vid but correct me if I'm wrong: from what I understand, you're supposed to apply the tool and rest on the other side of the lathe so it doesn't fly up and the rest acts to help as a stop since you're working with a downward motion.
you can get rid of the jaw markings on your wood if you get some plastic jaw protectors for the vice, although if its particular soft wood this might just midagate the damage.
Pretty cool.
I have one of that 350W model, and I would like to install a 2 inch 3 Jaw chuck. My problem is how to remove the drill chuck that comes with the mini lathe? Can you please show me how?
Do you thing wet sanding will help on the sanding of the plastics?
Could you maybe use newspaper or high grit sand paper for the 3d printed things?
4:10
To get that to work you would need to reduce the speed drastically. As slow as it will go. Less speed, means less heat.
That looks quite satisfying to use. I wonder if ABS would work on it? I'm told that ABS is OK to use metalworking tools like tap/dies with.
I may have to buy one of these just to have a go.. have you seen epoxy eggs? those would be cool to make on that lathe
Interesting find. You often expose 3DP hobbyists to new ideas, and this is a great example. It's not for you to tell them how to use it. It's for you to expose them to it and let them figure out if they can integrate it into their 3DP hobby. I agree with everything Johnny Shabazz says.
I'm new to 3DP but I'm mainly a woodworker. I've done wood turning for around 35 years on my full size lathe. I use a lot of different finish oils including walnut and olive oil. The only downside of olive oil is lack of durability. It doesn't harden like more traditional oil finishes like tung and walnut oil. But it's cheap and easy to use for things that don't get a lot of heavy use like furniture. I've never had a problem with rancidity even when I use it to protect wooden bowls or cooking utensils.
Thanks for a thought provoking video.
I've got about a decade in turning. I'm almost really good at it. Lol. This little lathe looks like a nice starter kit.
WHAT !! A !! CON !!! JOB !!!
@@davidwillard7334 you're a con job.
@@splatterbrain3788 NO ! WHERE !! NEAR !! WHAT !! YOU ! ARE !!!
Pretty good results for a $90 lathe
leather pads on the vice with pine soft jaws, also a great way to get free or cheap leather are old belts at good will, or curb side couches a razor to the back gets nearly 3 meters I always see them on the curb and if its decent I grab the back maybe more, most are a faux leather with a denim like under lining but sometimes you find genuine cow hide either way plenty projects those can go to so I love it!
I have the cheaper version can u by a bigger motor and the wood holding jig if so where do u get it from
NIce, good keep :-)
Thanks for sharing :-)
first 2 ideas are handles, and tenoned accents for furniture, also knobs/pulls
maybe try shavings from the plastic to burnish it after sanding, like polishing wood with shavings
when I was doing model rockets that would have been nice for doing nose cones.
4:15... You need to slow down the speed of the motor to stop the melting...
High speed friction = heat
Olive oil is a BAD suggestion. It will go rancid. Use a proper timber oil, like Tung, Danish, Linseed, or mineral.
Also it's melting because you're spinning way too fast for sanding.
It
its "slow" speed is around 3000rpm!
To improve results with plastic use wet-or-dry sandpaper with water. It prevents the sandpaper from clogging as easily, and while much more messy, will slow down the melting and re-bonding action. Also, flax seed oil or boiled lindseed oil will seal the wood far more effectively than olive oil. Both are hardening oils and will polymerize over time, further sealing and protecting the turned product.
Looks like the ideal size to turn some acrylic pens 👍🏻
Ehhh, but with the lack of a proper tail stock and no ability to use a normal mandrel it seems like it would just be annoying
Could you try a blowtorch to glaze the surface of the 3D printed part? PS, using a rag looks dangerous, could catch the rag and break fingers.
Low speed wet sanding should give you a nice finish on those printed pieces.
the last time I saw a wood turner polishing wood he just picked up a handful of turnings and held it to the wood lightly moving it backward an forwards.
I wood turn and think that little thing is fun but bloody lethal with the electrics exposed, its to fast as well, probably with some decent small tools it would produce decent small things like lace bobbins, pens and beads but you can do that on any lathe, If you want to wood tturn you really need to spend about 250 euros and get a proper cast iron bench machine and decent tooling. Great video as always thanks.
Another interesting video thanks Michael. Sorry to be a safety troll, BUT... at 2:05 you have threaded your dowel onto the screw in the chuck, but it is not all the way "home". When you touch the tool to the work, it will likely cause the work to screw further towards the chuck, and lose contact with the tailstock. Things will get exciting at this point, and you will find out how good the quality of those safety glasses is! I note that the work is hard against the chuck later in the video... coincidence, or did you test my theory in advance? :o)
Also, at 1:35 you show the cutting disc that came with the lathe. The mandrel it mounts on looks suspiciously like one that came with a set of miniature circular saw blades I purchased from Banggood. They were intended to be used in a "Dremel" style rotary tool, and were rated to 20,000 rpm. At well below that speed, and without ever actually cutting anything, I changed the angle of my hand, and the centrifugal force was enough to set up a momentary vibration that resulted in the mandrel bending 90 degrees. This meant I was now holding the worlds meanest "Mini-slasher" with the blade flailing about at 10 - 15,000 rpm, and the whole weapon vibrating to the point it was almost impossible to hold! :o0.
Bangood sent me a "high quality" replacement, but it looked exactly the same, and I could bend it with finger pressure, so it obviously was not even tool steel! Beware!!
Liked... subscribed ages ago.
Hi John, It was my mistake with the piece not secured the whole way on on the first goes. I realised and corrected for the chess piece. I think you are right on it being a little table saw, although it looks too sketchy for me to use it when I already have other tools for that job.
smooth the plastic with a dremmal with a disc in?
I just finished making a full set on a cnc at school. Good times.
WHAT !! A !! WASTE !! OF !! GOOD !! MATERIAL !!!
if you wanna sand down a 3D print with something like this, you want 1. Lower RPM, and 2. Water for cooling, i.e. wet sanding!
Michael do schools even offer Wood Work and Metal Work any more. Last time I did either was as a high school student a long long time ago. So satisfying cutting shaping and welding to create something useful. My poor mum had 3 sons hence she ended up with 3 spice racks.
Spice racks?....nice. It didn't matter what I started to make in woodshop it always ended up being an ashtray!
High School - giant gap - Men's Sheds.
My school does. I’m a sophomore in high school
dont worry about using olive oil.... ive had lots of wood handles and surfaces that ive finished with canola oil as a easy foodsafe option. Everyone says it will go rancid but i have seen no discoloration or odor from my cutting boards i made 6 years ago. as Matthias Wandel says "i don't plan on eating many cutting boards". also for the saftey Sallys, i do have to agree, using rags on a full size lathe is a very bad idea, but on something this small i wouldn't even hesitate to use my sack as a oil application device. EDIT- also every other finish that people suggest comes with a laundry list of warnings, for poison, fire, cancer, ect....ill stick to canola for food applications and linseed for most everything else
Not the lathe for it, noting your comment about the mains wiring, but I have had success wet sanding and micromesh on some of my cylinderical prints on my lathe. Slow speed is the key for any sanding on a lathe regardless of the material. But as usual keep on doing what you are doing. Watching your videos has help me immensely with my Ender 3.
You cannot smooth low melt temperature thermoplastics via friction/abrasion - they will start to remelt. To be silly, hyperbolic, and just generally extreme, try it with something like Thermomorph (or any of a number of similarly branded materials). If one were to, they'd end up with goop instead of discoloration.
If u use a wet and dry sand paper think that’s what it’s called u wet it then use it on the plastic or 3D printed thing then it won’t melt it or scratch it and it takes all the scratches away tho
Can you turn metals? Aluminium, brass etc?
for plastics, PLA you have to go very slow, ABS perfect, you can make 4 perimeters and a 5-10% extra scale, also you can use paper sand wit EP from smartMaterials, if you need more, you can ket me on social media discord/telegram :D, nice work
Need to go super slow when sanding or filing plastics to prevent heat/melting
It looked like it didn't have a variable speed control, so probably something that'd have to be modified.
Didn’t he say it had a tuning dial for the speed lol he showed the knob in the video
Can you put an expanding mandrel in it?
Do you think you could use it to make rings?
Maybe you could polish the surface of the 3d printings. Maybe that wouldn't melt it, but smooth it.
Mineral Oil, the other go racid as stated. I used a lathe many years ago. You did not use the speed control. Watch some very basic how to use a lathe and how to finish wood TH-cam videos and repeat your tests. You would have better results. It's a really cool product. Add a rpm guage have you find on instructables, and make or add a tool rest not a piece of 90 then you will have something. I understand it's a small lathe but a few things done better it could be really good tool for learning on.
Do you think you could use this to turn bone?
Not sure, but maybe try wet-sanding of 3d-printed parts? The water should lubricate and evaporate to keep things cooler. But... need to keep the water away from the electrical parts. So... maybe not a good idea.
How's the notice generation with something like this? Could you use it on the balcony of an apartment without pissing of the neighbors?
Finishing plastic use micro mesh wetsanding and car polish. It will shine brilliant.
I want you to try sanding ABS or PC, We machine those materials and they dont melt.
May be if you put an air blower to cool down the plastic while you lathe it will prevent that melting.
Put some stepper motors on it and make it repeatable
Can you turn resin with this?
Put the printed part in the freezer over night and then try to turn it. With plastic super hard it should turn very nicely.
The my sweetie 24 volt mini lathe is a lot cheaper on Amazon and comes with more tools