Top 5 things I wish I knew before purchasing a Mini Lathe. Perspective from being new to the hobby.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- Top 5 things I wish I knew before purchasing a Mini Lathe. Perspective from being new to the hobby. 5 Things I wish I would have known before I purchased a mini lathe. These things would have helped me and may help you make your decision.
Making things better than they were one project at a time.
Work using my Vevor Mini Lathe MX 400. Amateur video work and amateur hobby machinist. Learning and turning
GET ON WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a school trained Gunsmith machinist I have to say that this really is an excellent video for new diy/hobby machinist. There's honestly nothing that I can think of that was missing or incorrect about the information you presented. You covered all the important topics that everyone getting into the mini lathe and hobby machinist world needs to know to get started. This exact video should seriously be required to be watch before purchasing your first lathe. Watching this video would save a lot of people a lot of money, time, mistakes, and headaches! I seriously commend you for making this video! It was very well thought out and presented.
Thank you for the feedback. It is my hopes that others find this with interest in this hobby and find some help in it. It is feedback like yours that keeps me going and posting content. Thanks for watching.
Nice Job! My father was a machinist and I was five or so when I started working with a lathe. I learned the nomenclature early on and vividly remember Dad harping about never leaving the key in the chuck (drill press too). Now days, way too many videos are thinly disguised advertisements. Nice to come across one where the only intent is to inform. Keep up the good work.
I appreciate the feedback. This is still true today with my channel, No sponsorships or free equipment here. Every opinion and experience is my own. If I ever am given something to review I will be fully open and honest about it. I hope to share and inform anyone in the same situation as me to help them make their decisions on their potential purchases. And hang out with me in the workshop.
Great video. I think the most important thing is the extra expenses. A lot of people don't realize that this is not a one and done. Especially with tooling. Even if you buy tooling it is still going to be a regular expense.
Absolutely, If you are going to get into this hobby for fun or to make money...accept this fact. it will continually take additional money to keep going as you work with new projects and challenges.
Great video, thanks for posting. As a mechanical engineer I really appreciate the safety recommendations. I practice these as habit but many don't understand how dangerous and noisy these machines can be. It was a good reminder for me as well as I am just starting to learn how to use a lathe this week so thanks again and keep em comin' :)
I hope the message reaches others. I too am guilty of not perfectly practicing safety but I strive to and will continue to be better about it. These machines can be dangerous. Thanks for finding the channel and watching.
Just diving into the hobby. Spent weeks now just watching videos so far. Thanks for the information.
Happy you found the channel and Hope you find something interesting and helpful.
All that learning and experimenting is what makes this hobby fun!
It really is. For those on the fence gettin into this hobby it’s a lot of fun. Big part of it is all the challenges you will face. Enjoyable to most of us anyway.
Great video, raising awareness and good point’s especially around health and safety. As an apprentice, I still remember the day a chuck key wizzed past my ear, after being left in a pedestal drill before stating up.
Also clocking up a 4 jaw chuck, I balanced my lead mallet above the box, started up the lathe, mallet tipped over, did a circuit of the chuck and lumped in to the wall. I had many years of work shop experience then, but accidents can still happen.
Absolutely, We all make mistakes but learning from them is the key. I really had no idea when I started out. Some people were pretty harsh on me but I may have needed it, After I got over my pride and accepted the feedback as genuine and helpful I have tried to be a lot better about safety. I hope other folks starting out will have better sense that I did when I first started. I can't tell you haw many times i setup my workpiece and started up the machine and thought....this can't be good and decided to stop and re-adjust what I was doing. Take it slow and be safe everyone. Cheers.
In high school someone left the chuck key in and started the machine and it flew across the room 😅. Surprisingly nobody got hurt and there was like 30 of us in the room...
Thank you for the tips. I've been looking into the mini lathe world for some time now. The one consistent thing I hear over and over again from those seasoned folks are that the tooling is where the money will be spent. One guy said the lathe is like the printer but the tooling is like the ink cartridges.
that is a pretty accurtae analogy, You can get by initially with about $500 USD in tooling if you are like me and have absolutely no tools or materials. Go slow, Think about your purchases and Ask other guys on forums or youtube comments like these. Lot of gerat people out there willing and wanting to help out. Great community. Nice thing is when you first start out your working on basic learning style projects so minimul tooling will allow you to get right to it. Good luck and I hope you get one soon. One of the best hobbies ive ever gotten into.
@@deezworkshop Thanks so much for the advice. I got into stick and TIG welding last year and absolutely love it. Definitely had to overcome a learning curve there. I've been into wood working since elementary school, but metal working has been such a fun hobby so far. I'm floored at some of the projects I've seen folks do with a lathe, so I can't wait. I'm definitely in the research phase with that currently.
This is great info. Especially the part about understanding what you get at that price point. "Accept it" is spot on. Some people have described it a bit like buying a kit. Walk in aware and have fun! I think that's a much better outlook than expecting everything to be perfect.
Thanks for the feedback, I agree i recommend the hobby but know what your buying. its a cheap mini lathe that will ahve quality issues. You will have to tweak the machine but thats part of the fun. If you understand all that and dont expect a Rolls Royce of a machine you will be happy enough with it.
I bought a VEVOR that arrived with freight damage about two weeks ago. The RPM sensor also went bad. VEVOR customer service is very good. They are bringing the parts from the factory in China, that I need to fix the defects. They even offered me $20. Because it will take a little time. Can’t say enough about the service after the sale. Never had anyone offer me money because I had to wait a little longer to get the parts. The lathe is operational. The freight damage is mostly cosmetic. You should know, that you will spend hours setting these machines up. Not just adjustments, but modifications, filing fitting, even a little fabrication. Consider these Chinese lathes a “kit” After the setup, mine is a pretty good lathe for the $600. I payed. My Micro Lux lathe from Micro Mark came mostly set up and adjusted. I did do a little to set it up to my own liking. Micro Mark professionally sets up their machines, then they take everything off the bead, except for the motor, Headstock, gears, and apron., and package everything separatelyThey even have the Gibbs pre set with grub screws and lock nuts, which you are told not to touch. Tail stock was aligned perfectly, and everything was set up properly. This is far from the case with other Chinese Lathes. I ordered the “Hot Rod” version of the Micro Lux, and like it so well, I ordered the matching milling machine a day later.
I suggest that you eliminate all of the repeating and repeating. This video could have been done in a lot less time. Also due to eye your editing (I guess) your video is chopped up. Just my humble opinion.
Agree with everything you have said. You have a great way to describe these lathes by considering them a kit. My experience with Vevor has been that same as yours for any issues I have had. I appreciate the video feedback and agree but please understand this TH-cam thing was also new to me and I was still trying to get comfortable in front of a camera as well as teaching myself how to edit videos. If you happen to watch my newer content I hope you find them much more pleasing to watch. I appreciate the positive constructive feedback. It helps and I take them all serious. Thanks for watching.
@@deezworkshop Don’t mind me, just my opinion. You do a lot better than I would.
:-). It’s not easy to put yourself out here like this. I do enjoy it though and this small community that has developed. I truly learn a lot from all the great comments.
I saw one mini lathe advertised that had a coil spring on the chuck key and it seemed a good idea from the point of view that you could not leave it sitting in the chuck.
I have seen those as well, My 4-Jaw did come with a safety spring on it but this lathey chuck that came with the lathe did not come with one. It is a good safety feature however I am not a fan of the springs. As I have become more familiar and comfortable with the machine the spring is more of a hinder than a safety feature for me. I think they are great for people new to the hobby though as I was.
Well said fellow Jeep owner (2002 Wrangler here) we have been machine and machine tool broke $$$ for nearing 30 years in May 2023. You sure share this well.
To relate we own a Chinese or Taiwanese lathe, but it is from a long time ago 20 to 25 years+ we share it in videos it is maybe better built then the current ones, but it, as well had some tinkering to be hold and now it makes good mini general parts for our rebuilding of vintage machine tools.
Nice to be here with you, please keep having fun machining, making in general is a great feeling of accomplishment for us all. Lance & Patrick.
@ActiveAtom Have always loved Jeeps, Had a few over the years but this one is my favorite. It is my goal to help inform others and inspire them to get into this hobby as well. It is a great community, Lot of helpful people out there that are sticking wtih me. I have found once you start looking into these lathes they are not as complicated machines as one would think. There are electronics that are likely toss away components if they fail, All other components can be replced if you cna find them and there are TONS of modification you can do to them. This hobby is a blast and im so glad I jumped into it. Congrats on keeping that lathe running. Ive been going through your videos and loving the content. Thanks for being here with my channel as it continues to grow and improve. Agree, Making things, fixing things, being able to say "I did that" gives one a grat sense of pride and accomplishment. Challenge yourself and you will be rewarded when those successes occur.
Came across your channel, and at last a sensible person.....I live in the UK and served my apprenticeship in engineering, and sailed in the Merchant Navy as a Marine Engineer......
The number of videos I have seen on TH-cam, with people buying a lathe, and having no actual idea how to use them, the dangerous practices, they have adopted, and people commenting on what a great video it was, and I worry that someone will take what they have said as gospel and end up having a serious accident.
Well done, and hopefully a lot more will watch and follow your example.....
I really appreciate this feedback. This is the goal of my channel to share an honest opinion from someone starting the hobby but trying to stress the important aspects I have discovered. These machines can be dangerous, have to be careful. mistakes are always made but its learning from them thats important.
Thank you very much for replying to my comments.....Like I said a great video and tutorial........Look forward to seeing more of your work.....@@deezworkshop
I try to reply to every reasonable response. Positive and Constructive criticism, It all helps me learn. My channel is really a documentation of my learning journey with the lathe as I progress through my skills, mistakes were made but I learn from them, I have recently Gotten a milling machine and am learning that now. Also this youtube thing was a learning project for me as well. Point is if you watch my first videos in chronological order you will see my beginning up until now. Of course not suggesting you binge watch my stuff but its out there if you have interest, Warning early videos are rough but again I was learning and still am. Thanks for finding the channel and watching. Cheers.
I really loved this video. Great information. I appreciate the mention of using correct terminology. I'm embarrassed to say that as a self taught newbie my worst mistake that I made was removing the shwarf by hand. It cut me to the bone. I was warned about the material still having tensile strength. I felt stupid when it happened and it happened in an instant. Now I use a pair of extra long needle nose pliers. Keep repeating the safety aspect in every video. Dummies like me need to here it over and over. Thank you for your video. 👍
I too am guilty of making mistakes to this day. I have been a lot better about safety glasses. Something clicked with my after i got my Mill. I really dont want anything in my eyes. I cut myself once on some steel but not that bad and am careful about that now too. these longer pieces of swarth can really cut you bad and I am glad you are much more careful now. I am glad you liked the video. Cheers and Happy new year.
Excellent video.
You are spot on about everything.
I am the opposite of your target audience. I actually had a machine shop and still have a ton of tools. But I need a lathe for racing RC cars. So I’m researching what is available.
Great video.
As you already know, Tooling and accessories will cost more than the initial Lathe purchase. Hoping the video helps others looking to get one of these mini lathes.
I have a couple more videos that review the lathe a little more in depth if you're interested. Thanks for watching.
It’s not a pride thing to ask someone to use the proper terminology….using terminology that is foreign to the trade makes it a high maintenance conversation to be constantly trying to interpret what you are communicating 😊
I meant no offense. You helped me clarify what I meant with your comment. Its important for many reasons most of all so there is no confusion or time wasted trying to interpret what us new folks are saying. I appreciate and respect all the collective knowledge out here and people willing to help. :-) Cheers
Glad that I watched the video.....when I decided...... I want a lathe...... I started by obtaining materials. Then a set a calipers 1 to 6 used. Then by chance got three chucks and loads of tooling which were given to my grandsons for trash. I asked them, where's the lathe? Bought it for 200 bucks. It is a 9x30 south bend 9A. Still needs a lot of cleaning but it works. Great video and advice.
I am glad you found my video helpful. I was hoping by sharing my experience it could help others in a similar situation. Nice starting set of tooling and Lathe. Enjoy the hobby its a ton of fun. Be safe and thanks for watching.
Hey Dez, as a new Mini Lathe owner myself I like your videos because you really show the frustration we go though learning about these machines. And your #1 reason about the additional money is right on, maybe a little understated because the cost of the accessories usually will easily exceed the cost of the inexpensive lathe itself. Finally if I’m not mistaken your spindle is a MT 3 not a MT 5 like you said in the video. All of these Mini Lathes that I have seen have a MT 3 in the spindle and a MT 2 in the tailstock. Carry on my friend.
I appreciate the feedback, I probably should have made the additional Money the most important thing. Best advice i can give others is to double the budget for tooling and accessories. I went back and checked the tech specs and According to the specifications on my lathe it is a MT5 but, I have not verified this myselt yet. I suppose id be pretty frustrated if I bought a MT5 collet chuch and needed a MT3. Below are my specs. Thanks for watching.
Specifications
Power of Motor: 1100W
Material: Cast Iron
Spindle Speeds: 50-2250±10%
Swing Over Bed: 8.7" / 220 mm
Distance Between Centers: 15.7" / 400 mm
Swing Over Cross Slide: 15.7" / 400 mm
Chuck Diameter: 5" / 125 mm
Spindle Bore: 1.5" / 38 mm
Spindle Taper: MT5
Tail stock Taper: MT2
Net Weight: 165.3 lbs / 75 kg
Item Dimensions: 34.6 × 13.2 × 13.5 inches / 88 × 33.6 × 34.5 cm
@@deezworkshop Sorry I didn’t realize yours is the 8” version. I thought it was the 7” one which uses the MT3 for the spindle. My mistake.
@@voodoochild1954 No worries but what is important to know is that each lathe may have a different taper. Gotta check you specs.
Great open and honest, down to earth video.
I appreciate that! My hopes are to provide honest genuine experiences to help others looking to buy one of these mini lathes.
Solid video! It is completely true that the lathe is only half (if not less) of the price, the terminology is key to troubleshooting, and that it will ultimately take practice!
Thanks, There are always things missed but I wanted to put this out there for anyone in a similar situation trying to decide to get into hobby machining and spending the initial money on it. One thing I have realized since is you will continue to learn as you progress. There are always new tips tricks and techniques to learn. The world of machining and metal work is vast and there are a lot of branch hobbies to explore, Metrology and inspectios, Hot blueing, Anodizing aluminum, welding, etc...the list goes on Thanks for watching.
@deezworkshop 100%! You could easily make a series on these points. I also only came into the hobby recently and didn't realise how much there was to learn until I caught myself complaining to my wife about how one alloy was easier to cut than another, or how to know if you can case harden a thing or not. Also, how do I case harden...
The journey goes on and on 😂
Sure does, I am having a blast with it all. Adding the Mill last fall has taken things to another level.
Excellent walk trough for us newbees, and soon to be newbees, on those mini lathes *Thumbs up*
Thanks for watching. I still have quite a bit to learn but loving the hobby.
If you get a tool post that’s oversized for your lathe, you might not be able to bring the center of your tool low enough. You have to check what size lathes a particular tool post is sized for. Don’t get one that’s too big. There are steel 0XA tool posts, not just aluminum ones. When you mount your lathe, it’s very important to make certain that whatever you’re mounting it on is actually flat. It’s likely not as flat as it needs to be. If it’s not and you screw the lathe down, you can twist the cast iron bed. It seems impossible, but even wood can twist it, if it’s twisted, you won’t be able to machine a shaft and get it the same diameter. Keep this in mind.
All good points. This tool post has been great for me. My entire setup isn't ideal but I have to work with what I got. I have wooden benches so its inevitable that things will twise or move slightly due to the flex in the wood and even the mill itself. All in all i have a good setup that works for me in the hobby shop but you make good points for others that may read your comment. Thanks for the comment.
Good presentation for newbies starting out.
In terms of safety, one of the major safety risks is "entanglement", clothes and hair etc. People have been dragged in, even scalped.
Thanks, It is always worth mentioning safety key points. Loose Long sleeves, Loose long hair, Anything dangling can get caught in these spinning machines. Practicing Safetty is always important to remember.
Great video. Some thing to consider is new people buying these mini lathes don't buy it with metal gears and buy plastic. Plastic has benefits but the metal gears will do better for the long haul and strains of machining the material.
This is great to point out. My particular lathe has metal gears and have held up well. Many of the smaller versions have plastic gears. Under heavy loads that can be an issue but I’ve also heard from many hobbyists they have never had any issues. I suppose it will depend on what you plan on turning. Thanks for mentioning this. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching.
I agree with your talking points..actually buying a mill or lathe is only 1/3rd the total cost for a new to the hobby person..the delivery and electrical requirements and location preparations are easily the same cost of the machine cost on larger equipment..then the tooling cost starting from zero can cost more then the machine too..a good practice is to buy the largest machine you can afford or fit into your workspace..you can buy the tooling later..this will save you from stair stepping half a dozen machines to to finally get to a full size..I started with a full size 5hp 12 speed 1440 I also grabbed a full size bridgeport clone 3hp 2,500 lb milling machine as both on the used market cost similar to much much smaller new machines..but they required 3phase so a rotary phase converter was needed to run them which was an unexpected additional cost..starting with used machines can be a gamble if you don't know what to look for or even what your looking at..lol..
Great points, Yeah When I was first starting i knew i didnt have 3Phase power acessible and just wanted to plug it in and turn it on. I also didnt have a lot of space and know even if I would stick to the hobby. Now I am hooked and would love a larger machine but for now this one is still turning everything I need to work with and the added Mill has been great. There was so much I didnt know when I was first considering the purchase. Its one of the reasons i started to share my experiences. I was hoping it would help others in the same boat as I was in. Cheers.
Spring loaded chuck key.
Those to help with safety for sure.
If you skin an old 9 Volt battery the metal they're made out of is always a hundredth of an inch thick. So that's free shim stock in a handy thickness. I'm always collecting different thickness sheet stock for stuffing material in setups.
Next 9V that dies around here ill check this out. Didnt think about that. Good tip.
@@deezworkshop I've taken apart many of all different brands. It's always 0.01" Makes me think they all come out of the same factory. For a hobbyist you can get a little patch of thin sheet metal which is handy stock to have around. Mostly I use it as shim stock but once repairing a pair of glasses I needed a tiny little washer so I made it out of battery skin. I just didn't have any washer that small in my hardware horde. I drilled a little hole in it then cut it out round. I lost the first one I was making. Thing wasn't much bigger than the head of a straight pin. But the second one I managed to hang onto.
Thanks. That was a good starter for me.
Glad I could help, This channel was started for others who may find themselves in the same situation wanting to know what we are getting into before we drop the money. thanks for watching.
I did an awful lot of research before buying my mini lathe about 5 years ago.
Biggest lesson learnt...the harder the material you are trying to turn, the worse will be the surface finish. So materials like brass are fine, get to mild steel and on to stainless steel and the surface finish suffers...no matter how good your cutting tools are.
The reason is simple.. the machine just does not have enough weight or rigidity....and I see no way of curing that...even with all the slides etc tightened up to the point of locking up.
This is good information for others that may come across this video. The fact is the smaller these machines go the less rigidity they have and they flex. This allows cutting materials, Tooling, machine parts to flex and move a but. All of that effects your finishes. At some level all these machines have their limits and can do only what they can do. I have achieved some nice finishes however on my machine, at least for what im doing. Cheers and thanks for watching.
You can get crappy finishes on a 2 ton precision lathe. Have to disagree with you. It is about feed, speed, and depth of cut. There is a thing called a finishing cut.
Well made Video. good info for newbee's...
Thanks. Appreciate it. I hope it helps others.
Excellent video, you have a new subscriber.
Awesome, thank you!
spent 800 on the lathe but 2000 on extra bits lol,im a fitter and turner but haven't done it for ages and having fun ...
:-) I could easily spend 2k on materals and tooling. easily...but My "Chief Financial Officer" wouldn't be happy. Gotta keep her happy. lol
when you hung up on morse taper 2 , i believe the word you were looking for is "shank" , happy learning
Yep, Thank you for that. Shank or Arbor are the terms I use now depending on what I am trying to describe. There is so much to learn. Getting better but I learn things with every video I release. Thanks for watching.
Great video. Join a college course, in the UK it's EITB, like CITB for engineers. Get a pocket Zeus Book.
That is something I hadn’t considered but is a good suggestion. We have community colleges that may of a few courses. I haven’t picked up a Zeus Book yet but I have that on my list along with an official copy of Machinery’s Handbook. Thanks for the suggestions and thanks for watching.
This is a great video. I bet that I spent more than double the cost of the mini lathe just purchasing the proper tooling, not the cheap shit from China. Then there was the cost of the upgrades that were done to make the machine usable i.e. bearings, motor, metal gears, chucks etc. Then there is the cost of the materials needed for projects as well as maintenance supplies needed for the machine. I don’t regret my decision to purchase my mini but I do wish I would have purchased a larger machine. It is what it is.
Thanks, For those reading the comments, To add to @TA's response, If your curious about the size differences, Go to harbor freight and physically look at the one on the display, If its 6 inch they really look small, then they have a 7 inch, Ive never seen an 8 inch lathe at HF, Mine is an 8 inch lathe and it quite a bit bigger than the really small ones. Do your research, They will all turn materials but consider what you will want to do with it. Thanks for watching.
Deez your a good man, I encourage everybody to stay the hell away from scamazon!!!
Luckily I generally have an good experience buying from them but one bad experience for one will certainly ruin a business rep to anyone. I have vendors I refuse to buy from, Fortunately to get into this hobby there are several vendors to choose from for anyones comfort level on buying. If anyone has concerns about using Amazon Post here and Stan may share his reasons why. I knew buying one of these had a good chance of being problematic and i have had decent luck returning items through amazon. Alternative choices are out there though so thats good. Thanks for watching.
Yes you get what you pay for, its bad enough to find out the price of the Sherline lathe AND THATS WITHOUT ALL THE NECESSARY BITS some of which should come with the lathe but are sold as extras so one can get caught in an expensive trap. BUYER " BEWARE".
Yes, If you dont already have experience or the tooling this hobby gets expensive very quickly depending what you decide to purchase. You WILL have no choice but to buy accessories but you cna pick and choose whats important for what you will work on. Regardless everyone needs to know that buying the machine isn't even close to the total cost of getting into this as a hobby. Much more tooling will be required.
Great vid! You also grabbed a subscriber. Thnx so Much
Thanks for the sub!
I’ve a decent wood shop and was thinking of augmenting it with metal working, ie, lathe and a mill, but this has kind of put me off it.
I have a mini lathe like this one but to make threads like 2.5mm the gears that appear in the table are not correct, can anyone help me?
Tinkering is an understatement, if you don’t have a large high performance milling machine and surface grinder you may never get one working decently….
A milling machine would have helped me early in but more importantly knowledge. I was starting from scratch back then. For my start I did manage to get it working well enough to learn and begin making some beginner to intermediate projects. Appreciate your thoughts. Those machines. would help for sure.
Like most hobbies... "going down a rabbit hole" LOL
So true.
Any one who is a professional machinist knows Japanese equipment is the gold standard
I have seen some of the tool reviews AVE has done comparing Japanese hand tools, There really is no comparison. You can see the pride in quality come through on many Japanese tooling.
I am a professional machinist, and I have to say I bought a 8x14 lathe. I find it totally serviceable, after taking it mostly apart, cleaning it, and then lubing it and adjusting it. You can achieve +/-.001" with skill
hey fairly new to machining been in the trade for about 3 years and was thinking about getting a mini lathe just to play around with and get my skills in tune do you think it would be a good idea or just a waste of money because e that’s what i can do at work
Personally, If I was a machinist in a real machine shop, I would still get one. Although depending on the place you work you may be able to make some personal things or play around typically your going to be busy doing job work. Having one at home would give you the ability to play around, sharpen your skills, and make anything you want when you want. Plus you will quickly apprecaite the bigger machines you work with at your job. :-) These little machines are a lot of fun. Be forwarned they are hit and miss, will require some tinkering and at worst you may want to ship it back and get a replacement. 50/50 shot. I used amazon so I could get free shipping back if there was a problem that couldn't be resolved. Good luck. Thanks for watching.
I have an identical lathe to the one you are reviewing here. The only difference is that I have a good OXA tool post. After 9 months of screwing around with it I cannot get it to cut engineering plastics or any metal (aluminum, brass or steel) without excessive chatter. I have tightened and trimmed and adjusted everything I can think to do. Have you gotten your lathe to cut well?
I have cut steel brass and aluminum very well and without chatter. I switched to an AXA size QCTP which was a great upgrade but even with my 0XA I didn’t have a chatter problem. I have many videos showing me turning materials. I’m sure you have thought of this but do you have much tool stick out in your holder?
@@deezworkshop I keep the stick out as short as possible. By the time I finish the cut I’m within fractions of a mm of the chuck. Also, I limit the stick out to 2 inches.
You are so right about safety around your workspace. Thanks
Good vid! So if my budget is 2-3 grand. Should I get a 8-$1,000 lathe and buy a bunch of extras and tooling, or buy higher up and maybe buy less or still plan on buying more? I know that’s a tough question to answer. I’m more in the automotive field. Custom bike stuff, hot rod stufff. So nothing too huge as far as size and length.
Firstly, Thanks for discovering my channel and subscribing. Very much appreciated. Now, This is a great question and one that I can only answer from the viewpoint if I was going to buy another lathe and go through the process again. All decisions really depend on what your needs are. Me, I had no specific need, just interest. So I Set a Budget of 1k US and started researching. Found one with a large spindle bore and 1100W motor so I chose that one over one with a smaller motor and spindle bore and less accessories. Overall I'm happy with the purchase and can turn pretty decent sized material and remove decent chips as well. If 2-3k is your budget, Perhaps go with a more trusted name than these really cheap versions. I still consider these a 50/50 shot that you will get one that is really unusable. 1K will get you most of the tooling you would need to start with, Likely your initial spend will be under 500 buying mostly tooling, measuring tools, and some accessories to fit yoiur sepcific needs but you will quickly spent up to 1k on accessories and tools. Especially if you get the trusted name brands. Shoot me and email if you want to discuss further or have any specific questions and I will be happy to answer anything I can from my experience. Many others subscribed to this channel are more experienced than I and can offer some additional tips and suggestions. Thanks for watching. Email is on my about page.
@@deezworkshop thank you for the awesome reply! I know where to find you! It’s next on my list. I just got a new tig welder that’s been on my list so I’m pretty busy with that. Next is done machine tooling!
get a tool worth the tooling!
initial cost of the machine pales in comparison to the cost of the accumulation of quality cutters & mics
That is a True Statement!
Safety 3rd
Thank you for the video, One question the tray where you have your tool holders sitting did you make or buy that, and could have a look at that please.??
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching. If you are talking about the green tool holder I made a video on it. I made it, it’s a bit crude but does the job. Vevor Mini Lathe MX 400 Part 36 - Craft Time - Making a QCTP Tool Holder Rack System - Woodworking
th-cam.com/video/9dEQxLWubkA/w-d-xo.html
@@deezworkshop Thank you for that.
I would encourage anyone considering a mini lathe to not buy a mini lathe. Buy a used south bend 9” instead. Be patient, wait for one to come up locally. It will normally come with all of the tooling required to get started, and quite often some stock may be included as well. You will end up spending the same, or less, and you’ll have a MUCH better machine, MUCH better tooling, and it will last MUCH longer.
It depends where you are if machine tools are available. Then you buy some old machine and it could be beat to death. If the ways are worn good luck with that.
@@1pcfred I currently have a small fleet of old lathes including several south bends of various sizes. I have multiple 9” south bends, a heavy 10, a 16”, etc. All with varying degrees of wear. My heavy 10 in particular has a LOT of wear in the ways. It’s my go to machine. If work will fit on the 10L, then it goes on the 10L. I can get accurate work out of that machine all day every day regardless of the wear. I would say that wear is highly over rated by most people. And IMHO, (not so humble…) a worn south bend or similar quality lathe is still miles better than a brand new Chinese piece of pot metal that’s been shaped with an angle grinder. Yes, i have literally seen those Chinese machines where various ways and dovetails have obviously been angle ground. To each their own though.
@@DavidHerscher Asian tools can certainly have issues but if ground surfaces were angle ground that would be beyond what anyone would accept. They do come with certificates. Have you seen any of those? You seem to have seen everything else.
@@1pcfred I’ve never seen a Chinese tool or machine with a valid inspection cert, but I’ve def seen ‘‘em with certs. And yeah, I’m dead serious I bought an enco 1340 at an auction a while ago. It was from the early 90s. The dovetails for the compound had obviously been angle ground, mind blowing stuff. That being said that’s honestly the only time I’ve seen that. And I have seen decent Chinese machines as well in all fairness. Precision Matthews for example has decent machines. I have a pm1030 lathe and a pm30mv mill that are destined for CNC and they are good little machines. Still, I’d recommend a sb9 or similar for anybody just looking to get into home machining with a small lathe. That’d be default recommendation.
@@DavidHerscher so, when you bought this equipment was it brand new, or used? If used could the previous owner have done something to it? Castings are certainly snagged by even the best manufacturers too. The grind marks can look like they might have been done with an angle grinder just looking at them. In many places used machines are simply not available. If an area was never industrialized then the iron just isn't there. Even if it is you still have to rig it. Not everyone has a forklift or a trailer. I don't know what a vintage one weighs but the modern ones are 645 pounds. That's not something you can easily get into the back seat of a sedan.
Content starts at 3:40 for the impatient.
Thanks for your video. No offense, but the first four minutes was a long ramble with no serious content. Folks don’t have time to listen to a 30 minute video with 15 minutes of valuable content. Recommend tightening up your presentations and get to the points quicker. Thanks
No offense taken. Others have pointed this out and it is somehting I am currently working on. Hopefully you stick with me and continue to watch as I improve my content. I certainly want it watchable and something people find enjoyment in watching. Im not terribly entertaining but rambling on will certainly make for a harder to watch video. Thank for your feedback and constructive way of sharing. Hope you did find something useful in the video.
Get on with it you talk to much
Boring 😮
now you need a mill. a drill press.
Yes I do! I have a crappy drill press but does the job. A Mill will be my next major purchase, Just not sure what to get. I know I want something with decent height.
@@deezworkshop the higher you go the lees stable the colum. On a light machine It will flex so to not have flex you have to get a more heavy robust machine.
@@deezworkshop I have a RF-32 round column and if I had it all to do again I'd probably get a square column like a Sieg X3. But sometimes having a bigger machine has been a plus.
@@1pcfred Good things to consider. My hopes are to get something this summer or fall but we will see.
@@deezworkshop I've had my milling machine since 1993. It's a scratch and dent special from Harbor Freight. They said they were selling it cheap because it had some rust on the sides of the table, which it did. But it also had a faulty centrifugal switch in the motor too. So I took that apart and realigned the contacts in it. Good as new! It probably got rusty sitting around broken in their warehouse. Then one day someone was walking by and thought, what are all of these machines doing just sitting here? Let's sell them all again! But I got it for a good price I suppose. A lot cheaper than that model is selling for today. I wouldn't give you what they're asking for them now. I see them going for like 2 grand. They're not worth that.