Thank you for all the work and effort you put into imagining, designing and building it. Not only that, but there's another side most people don't realize when making videos. That's a whole new can of worms. Setting up the camera(s) filming, filming retakes, battery life and data storage. Then you get into the film editing and uploading part which in itself is another can of worms. Just to imagine all the skills one must master to bring a superb video like this one to the rest of us. It cost you a lot of time, hard work and money and I for one stand and applaud you my friend. You are very good at what you do and whether you realize it or not, it's folks like you that guide the rest of us simpletons and keep us from making catastrophic mistakes. Thank you sir!
Thank you so much for watching and for your feedback. Thank you also for highlighting what it takes to make them. It is exactly how it is. I have dedicated my Facebook page to my engineering and my TH-cam related things. I intend to show some of the things about my video production on there. If you want to follow my page, my link is facebook.com/steve.jordan.3766952 Best Regards, Steve
that looks better than I expected. who knows it can save me from buying the milling machine, at least for a while. of course we have limited slide, but msot of the time we machine small parts, so this setup is really perfect. thank you so much for sharing it!
Steve, after a few setbacks I finally got the milling attachment mounted. I lapped, cleaned and lubricated the entire machine. Quite worth the time spent. Thus far I have a pair of brass carriage plates, milling attachment, die grinder attachment (foredom), two sets of gib adjustment screws and the 20 tpi lead screw. Thanks for making this video-I’ve watched it so many times
Great video. You present things in a way that is very easy to understand. My understanding of how to mill on a lathe increased rapidly as a result of your carefully-crafted explanation. What you do is beneficial to others. Nice work.
These vids bring back memories to the days when i got my first lathe years ago... a Minilathe for which i made every improvement i could find in books and the net and just when i was ready and had everything done you can imagine... i decided to buy a bigger lathe 😎 so last year i bought a "Schreiner D290V" with 265kg, 1,5kw, 750mm bed and D1, 4 Camlock spindle and powerfeed in both directions. I love it having a bigger lathe but will allways love the Minilathe❤️ I sold it for a good price for both to a guy which builds up and makes old broken Vespa Bikes from Italy new again and the Minilathe is perfect for his needs. I gave him a whole box things that i can't use at the bigger lathe for free which made him happy and thankful. The next step is to sell my mini mill and buy a big one. So i still watch your videos because they are good made and nobody knows the Minilathe better than you... And lot of things you can use at every lathe what you explain... Thanx
Hi Wolfi, Thanks. I just had a look at the Schreiner D290V. It looks like a fantastic lathe. You sound like you are setting up a great machine shop. Having powerfeed on the cross-slide is something I do miss from my factory days and having a large machine like yours takes away all the limitations of the smaller lathes, which can be quite a problem at times. Also the mini lathe sold as it is, can give the impression that machining is harder than it really is. I'm not running it down in any way, but there are certain faults the lathe has, as you know, that can make machining quite difficult at times. It is a shame that the manufacturers haven't addressed these problems, which could have been rectified without too much cost and made the machine so much better for those that are new to engineering. I must say though, I have really enjoyed owning a Mini Lathe and have learned so much in the years I have had one. Plus I would buy one again if that is what I needed. I have made some excellent things using it. I do have loads of different projects and components to show in the future, that is, if I get time and my physical and mental health holds out! Regards Steve
Excellent Discourse on this subject. I have a similar but older Chinese lathe, periodically the need arises for some simple milling. I will build a similar unit . Many thanks for your timely post. Cheers from Michael. Australia.
Thought I might mention that if you add a steel plate perhaps 1/8" thick to the back of the angle late at the bottom rear which hangs down a bit , it will register against your mounting plate, it will help to square it to the cross slide without further measurements when mounting it. Very helpful video, thank you.
Hey Steve, I am just in the finishing tweeks of my diy vertical milling attachment on my Atlas 10F and Just last night replaced the grub screws for M5 allen bolts. Thanks for the tip. It increased the rigidity on my vertical slide quite noticeably. Simple yet very effective
Hello Steve thank you for information . I am going to install some M5 4 inch threaded rod on the back on the lathe to be able to take off the back chip sheet metal shield. I am going to just use 5 id aluminum tubing and wing nuts . Your Idea is so great . Thank you
It's great how you used a piece of 316 S.S. to demonstrate. Nothing cheesier than some of the videos and they use Delrin, or worse yet, PVC to demonstrate. CHEERS !!
I just bolted the drill vise directly to the cross slide. It works. Also I threw the back guard away. It is unnecessary junk. I also raised the legs of the lathe high enough so I can access the allen screws on the bottom of the saddle.
Excellent addition to your mini lathe. The milling attachment proved to be very rigid during the horizontal climbing milling operation. You have adjusted the cross slide nut and gibs to be just right to prevent any hogging-in.
Useful box of clamp options. You've certainly come up with some great solutions to achieve rigidity. Nice idea re using the vertical slide on angle plate. In essence your mini lathe now is to all intents a very capable vertical mill when required!
wow, I may have to look in to this tooling instead of just getting a milling machine for the small numbers of projects i do that need milled. I can see many small cheapie 40x90mm vertical milling slides from India, but using a bigger one for Myford seems the better way to go. still affordable for what you can do with one of these. the only limitation is size of part and cross travel you have with a mini lathe for milling.
Steve, would you be able to show us, on your setup, how you would mill a part longer than the travel of your cross slide? eg Cutting a slot and moving the part accurately for the next feed.
that's what I will do and attempted. I didn't like flipping the part and doing the 2nd half and finding my alignment was not repeated. maybe a custom cross slide plate with longer lead screw?
Hi Steve, another great video and one that I have been waiting for you to produce for some time. Today I am ordering all the items you showcase from Chronos so I too can get down to some milling on my mini lathe. Thank you.
Hi Fred thanks. I'm pleased you liked it. The set-up worked out better than I expected. I can do milling with confidence on the mini lathe now plus I use the same set-up on my Myford lathe..Regards Steve
Hi Steve, I have received my milling fixtures from Chronos, minus the small vice which is out of stock unfortunately. Something has occurred to me regarding the fitment of the Myford style vertical slide, did you not consider making use of the two-way swivel bracket on the mini lathe rather than removing it and using a fixed angle plate. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
Hi Fred, (Do you mean the round swivel that I took out?) I only removed it to use it as a marker for the thread holes on the plate. Later in the video I put it back in and secured the plate to it.
Hi Fred, Yes I see what you mean. I did think of that and thought I would do that at a later date, to give the option of angled work like on the Myford. I used the angle plate to allow for greater cross-slide movement capabilities. I will see about mounting it complete as soon as I can.
It looks like there may be an opportunity to cut dovetails in the vice and put it in place of the T-Slot table??? I have Atlas lathes and the overhang of the milling attachment is a problem. I've been thinking of ways to move the vice back over the cross slide or at least closer with less overhang if possible. I admit, your setup looks very solid.
For even better rigidity, I would use more bolts to hold the bottom plate on the cross slide. Obviously you would have to drill and tap into the cross slide
Hi Steve links no longer working but wish to do this for my CX704 many thanks i was thinking of using my compound slide see on there site lots of goodies shame i am in BC Canada.... looks like my buddies going to be bringing stuff out for me ....lol
Hi John, The items don't seem to be available on those pages. I've deleted the links now. I'm not sure whether they still have them, though. You may have to search eBay to see if you can find what you need. Sorry I couldn't be any more help. Regards Steve
Steve I had an idea for another use of the pallet. I want to use my minilathe to help in jewelry fabrication and ornamental turning. I surmised that the pallet could be used as mount for a watchmakers tool rest so I could use my antique gravers. I’d love to have your brain pick at that project.
Hi Ryan, I reckon it would be fairly easy to make something up for that, I have seen people using them but do not have any personal experience in that intriquate art. Those watchmaker lathes are nice machine but like you say the Mini Lathe could easily be adapted for that type of thing. Regards Steve
Steve Jordan check out Build Something Cool-Turning Metal by Hand. It’s a fun video with an ol’ greybeard that sounds like my Grandaddy. Great examples there
i have heard that using a collet chuck to hold the endmill takes out some of the play and makes cuts a little smoother, don't know myself but it sounds reasonable to me
Hi Steve, I've been avidly watching your terrific videos - which I discovered only very recently. I'm considering buying a mini-Lathe and I'm quite new to this. Now with regard to this video of yours: did you have a look at Item n. 4802 from WarCo? It's a "Mini Lathe vertical milling slide". Should I not be mistaken, that item should fulfill exactly the same purpose as your cleverly engineered setup. It is currently shown as being 'sold out', but I know from them that it is actually in stock (don't know how many). I believe that that item would be a cheaper substitute for 2 of your items. The only missing part would be the vice. Please understand: I haven't yet tried out that 4802 item and therefore I cannot comment on its quality, rigidity, etc. I'm only writing this hoping that it may be useful. This is not ment to be a critique! I really appreciate your work - and your voice+style too! Saluti da Roma
Hi the Warco set looks good, but I wouldn't buy it myself. The reason is that the Warco slide set-up is still very limited to the cross-slide travel which is very short on the mini lathe. It looks rigid enough, but I would be frustrated with the limitations it has. Using my set-up allows me to move the milling slide to various different locations on the angle plate. This greatly extends cross-slide and vertical positioning capability. Plus I have other ideas and plans which will make the angle plate set-up even more versatile. Regards Steve
i think you could eliminate the pallet and mount the angle plate directly. less parts. also a 3/8 square stock mounted under the pallet or my angle plate idea to align the mod square to chuck face. just my thoughts. love your videos!!
Hi Stephen. Yes I was surprised myself. I actuaĺly milled a part for the Mini Lathe on it recently with a V groove. I have just added a 6mm bolt the other side to be safe and will show this in a short update video next. Regards Steve
That is a very rigid setup and an excellent setup. But you are limited by the travel of the cross-slide, as I have found from bitter experience. On my lathe it is 57 mm and you may have a bit more but it is still very limited compared to the usual (nowadays) asiatic mill. I have found on many projects that the cross-slide travel is just insufficient. So I resort to my Proxxon micrormill, which is limited to a 3.2 mm max diameter cutter and that takes forever to mill out a long slot. If I can find a metric mini-mill, sell, I might just buy it :)
A WARNING. I've spoken with Steve regarding the dimensions show at 6:00 minutes on this video. He agreed that I should point out that the dimensions he has show, relate only to his Chinese Mini Lathe, and as there are different versions of this lathe those carrying out this modification should ensure that the dimensions are correct for their lathe before drilling the plate. My lathe is a Warco WM 180 which has a 80 x 163 mm cross slide and therefore location of the tool post mounting plate stud is not at the location shown by Steve i.e 32 in, and 42mm up.
Thanks for sharing this video Steve - I really enjoy Your work. How do You make sure that Your base plate is 100% square to Your spindle? In this video it seems that Your just tightening everything up? It might not be relevant to be precise for Your demonstration but in other cases? Merry Christmas by the way! Regards Kim
Hi Kim thanks. I just square the base plate by eye then touch the front of the milling vice on the front of the chuck jaws. Minor adjustments can be made swiveling the angle plate to get it spot on. Regards Steve
Do you think that a second lock scew on the pallet plate would further secure the plate ? Maybe place one closer to the edge towards the back ? Thanks Steve, great mod !
@@SteveJordan I have made a similar setup on my 300mm/900mm lathe however when I tighten the toolpost bolts the cross slide locks up, not sure why yet. I have tapped extra holes along the side of the cross slide as well but it's the post bolts causing me grief, going to drill two more at 90* ( sides of the cross slide to see how that goes, any advice?
Hello again Steve, Just wanted to let you know that I have just ordered the items you recommend from Chronos (except for the clamp set O.o.S and the vice as I already have one) I could only find steel plate at 150x100 - Guess it'll do fine - if your'e interested i'll let you know how I get on? One question though - why did you not use bolts through the top to secure the angle plate to the bottom plate?
Hi Richard, That's great you won't regret buying those. I find that it is easier to use studding, knowing that the stud is set in the full length of the thread on the plate. If you use bolts you have to be really careful that they go in the full length, but don't go right through and damage the top of the lathe cross-slide. this is further complicated if you use washers on the bolts. If you use threaded stud then you can quickly screw those in first finger tight, then use as many washers as you like and the nut. It is really a safety measure all round, using enough threads for strength, but not damaging anything. I am interested how you get on....Regards Steve
Hi Steve, admire your ingenious set ups, I am a newbie to this stuff and find it very informative. Just replaced main bearings for tapered ones but mini lathe very noisy ( knocking ) . Every thing is snug but finnish on work peace very poor . Any suggestions. ?
Hi have you tested it by putting a bar in the chuck, a DTI clock on the chuck diameter and lifting using the bar. It should be 001 or less but not over tightened on the spindle nuts. Mine was noisy at one time, the headstock gearshifter fork had worked loose. Apart from that it could be the material and type of tool you are using. Its all a guess though without seeing the lathe and setup Regards Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for quick response, my mini lathe is a katsu 7x14 , 4 in chuck, I have always used indexable cutting tools in qctp. Had exalant finishing results before upgrading bearings and speed reduction kit. Tightened shaft nuts to very snug fit without binding shaft. Will be up grading to r32 chuck also . Will try clocking chuck again as you suggested. Thanks
Hi Steve, thanks for your suggestion, only needed slight tweak now get really nice Finnish on workpieces. Thanks again. Look forward to see your next vid
Of course. He's just demonstrating the assembly process for a TH-cam video. Anyone who needs precision will already know how to square things up accurately.
Hi Eddy I like to prove that the Mini Lathe has the same capabilities as the Myford. Although the Chinese lathe is smaller and doesn't have the same amount of cross-slide travel. If the Mini Lathe is set up like I have shown, one will have the chance to produce excellent components like on the Myford. Especially if people use the Myford type milling slide I have shown. This one has a lot more vertical slide travel than all of the other slides available, (something I forgot to mention). So at the end of the day, I can now use both lathes for excellent milling results which is great. Regards Steve
Hi Steve, thank you for your reply regarding the Warco 4802. Could you please tell me exactly where on eBay you bought that mild steel plate already cut to 150x125x10 mm ? I've tried searching on eBay.co.uk for that but could not find it. Please quote the eBay article number, unless it's something you bought a long time ago. Thank you. Saluti
Hi Steve-I was looking at buying a few things that you have listed here & on the web site I could not find if they shipped to USA and also to list the prices in US currency? would you happen to know if they ship to the US? Thanks for any info you can offer
Hi Yes they ship to USA. When you go on the site and look something up you can click in a box above the item to change the currency for whatever country you want.
Great job Steve! I am literally just about to do this mod myself and I am curious . . Do you have any issues with rigidity by just using those two original bolts on the slide? I was going to drill and tap a third hole at the far end of the cross slide for extra holding, but I really don't want to go drilling my slide if I don't have too lol What are your thoughts??
Hi I was in two minds about that but when I tested it out it seems ok. I did make a new swivel for the compound as mine was worn from years of use. Now I have the old one to copy again I may make a stainless one. I think I will do a back fixing bolt as it will just fininsh it off nicely. I made an extended back end to the saddle as well for the new locking mechanism. I even millied the V groove for it on the Mini Lathe. I will do an update video about it soon. I am so please with the milling capabilities of this lathe now. Regards Steve
Thanks for the reply Steve . .Good stuff! Looking forward to that video! I think I will go ahead and try it out with just the two bolts and see how it goes, There will only be light milling done on it for the time being anyway as I am planning to build a milling attachment to sit where the tail stock lives with a small modified drill press in the future, unless I come across a proper mill in the mean time of course lol But that setup you have looks very rigid to be fair so I sure I will get away with just the two bolts. Thanks again Steve.
Yes, I think I may have done that in the past, but it is much quicker to just put it on the cross slide. I've actually got it set up now for something I'm hoping to show next.
Hey me again I finally got my setup with the vertical slide working I was just wondering do you think it's logical or even possible to CNC a setup like this were you could cnc mill on the lathe???
Hi Johnaton, I think it would be to difficult and expensive really. Also the lathe would have to be totally dedicated as a CNC then because it would be so much work to set up and take down. I really like CNC and would like a quick option to use it on a lathe, but one would have to have two separate machines really. I made some aluminium and brass balls on the lathe yesterday and it took a couple of hours to rough out 14-off and finish 5-off. In the time that it took to make these on the Myford ML7,.... on a small CNC lathe one would have had probably 200-off made. with what I used to set-up and run. Regards Steve
LOL WOT? You buy what you prefer working with, with the kind of threads that your other items use. How could anyone other than you answer your own question?
Just Dab ! With a Brush ! Some Cutting ! / Coolant ! On it ! I Personally ! Wouldn't like to use ! The Lathe ! In this ! MANNER !! BUT IT ! REALLY IS ! A POOR ! MANS MILLING !! MACHINE !! THE ONE THING ! YOUVE ! ALWAYS GOT TO DO ! WITH IT BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO DO THAT WITH A Normal Mill ! ! Anyway ! You can start Making !! What !! You need !? To ! Now ! Happy ENGINEERING ! All your ! Life !!! THROUGH !! Steve !! David !
Once again thank you for your replies with specific information about what you are using and where to get it. I find this type of information really helpful. I do have one more of those questions: I believe you are using a Dixon (or Dickson?) style quick post tool change, right? Where did you buy it and what model is it, please? I found this eBay item (290590980973) sold by RDGTools which looks very similar. Is that what you are using? Thank you. Did you have to modify it in order to be able to use it with the mini-Lathe? Should you have had any experience with it, I'd also very much appreciate your comments regarding the 8"x16" mini-lathes (e.g., Grizzly 0768, Warco WM 180, eBay 253502406466 and others - I believe they are all made, like the 7"x14" mini-Lathe you are using, by a manufacturer in China). Countrary to yours, they feature all-metal gears and a stronger motor - but to your expert eyes they may well have other disadvanteges not obvious to me. Thank you. Saluti
Hi Stefano, I can't remember where I bought mine. Either from Chronos or RDG Ebay. It is the same one that fits the Myford lathes. I didn't have to modify it for the Chinese Mini Lathe. The actual tool-post part was a bit loose on the cross-slide securing bolt, but I rolled a piece of shim to go over that bolt first so the tool-post block was a closer fit. I changed my Mini Lathe gears to metal ones and changed over to the tapered roller bearings in the head-stock. They are very good lathes when 'tuned-up' a bit and well worth getting. That is the tool-post set on Ebay and I found the cheapest singular spare tool holders for it are usually from Chronos. I added them to mine over the years as I needed them. It makes everything so quick to use once they are set. Regards Steve
Just a thought Steve. RDGtools in the UK do a Myford milling tabel at just under £50. It is 165mm x 165mm, it has 4 Tee slots and it is drilled to accept various Myford items including by the look of it, for the Double Swivel Vertical Milling Slide. Would it not be a good idea to use that instead of your pallet, even if it might be sensible to reduce the width a bit. See it here :- www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Boring---Drilling-Table-for-Myford-Lathe-210991.html
PS, they also do a smaller onj just 125mm x 100mm with Tee slots but not drilled for anything, at £25. See it here :- www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Precision-Tee-Slotted-Table---Tee-Nuts-2110.html
13:45 "Get it nice and square." With your eyes? Maybe you don't have the proper tool to square this up. ...? Maybe what you're working with doesn't need to be that close so you're willing to deal with tolerances around .010 to .015". ...? Or, maybe you're self taught and just don't know. ...? If the later one is the case, get a dial indicator, attach it to the chuck and traverse each axis with the end of the dial indicator on the surface that is going to vary in distance from traversing that axis. Then, just make your adjustments. You'll probably never get it perfect but .003" variance over 6 inches of travel is a tolerance that most can live with for general application. I prefer to shoot for .001" but I won't always accomplish that. Thank you for the video, btw. I don't have any working equipment at the moment and money is tight so I'm always looking for ways to make money money stretch.
The pallet can be eyed up 'nice and square',13:45 There is no need for it to be dead accurate, as this is just a fixture holding base. Whatever is bolted onto the pallet can be manoeuvred around on the pallet and set dead square. You obviously got confused thinking this part was the finished machining fixture assembly? If one wants to clock the bolted on angle plate or milling vice for dead accuracy then one can. I just presumed anyone that watched the video would know this. Regards Steve
@@SteveJordan OK, I'm still very green compared to your resume. I also have a condition that I would call social retardation. I seem to miss a lot of things that are implied or obvious to most people. There's actually many funny stories I could tell related to this but I'll just call them "outside of the scope of this discussion". ;-)
Thank you for all the work and effort you put into imagining, designing and building it. Not only that, but there's another side most people don't realize when making videos. That's a whole new can of worms. Setting up the camera(s) filming, filming retakes, battery life and data storage. Then you get into the film editing and uploading part which in itself is another can of worms. Just to imagine all the skills one must master to bring a superb video like this one to the rest of us. It cost you a lot of time, hard work and money and I for one stand and applaud you my friend. You are very good at what you do and whether you realize it or not, it's folks like you that guide the rest of us simpletons and keep us from making catastrophic mistakes. Thank you sir!
Thank you so much for watching and for your feedback. Thank you also for highlighting what it takes to make them. It is exactly how it is.
I have dedicated my Facebook page to my engineering and my TH-cam related things. I intend to show some of the things about my video production on there. If you want to follow my page, my link is
facebook.com/steve.jordan.3766952
Best Regards, Steve
thanks for your hard work
that looks better than I expected.
who knows it can save me from buying the milling machine, at least for a while. of course we have limited slide, but msot of the time we machine small parts, so this setup is really perfect.
thank you so much for sharing it!
Steve, after a few setbacks I finally got the milling attachment mounted. I lapped, cleaned and lubricated the entire machine. Quite worth the time spent. Thus far I have a pair of brass carriage plates, milling attachment, die grinder attachment (foredom), two sets of gib adjustment screws and the 20 tpi lead screw. Thanks for making this video-I’ve watched it so many times
Great video. You present things in a way that is very easy to understand. My understanding of how to mill on a lathe increased rapidly as a result of your carefully-crafted explanation. What you do is beneficial to others. Nice work.
These vids bring back memories to the days when i got my first lathe years ago... a Minilathe for which i made every improvement i could find in books and the net and just when i was ready and had everything done you can imagine... i decided to buy a bigger lathe 😎 so last year i bought a "Schreiner D290V" with 265kg, 1,5kw, 750mm bed and D1, 4 Camlock spindle and powerfeed in both directions. I love it having a bigger lathe but will allways love the Minilathe❤️
I sold it for a good price for both to a guy which builds up and makes old broken Vespa Bikes from Italy new again and the Minilathe is perfect for his needs. I gave him a whole box things that i can't use at the bigger lathe for free which made him happy and thankful. The next step is to sell my mini mill and buy a big one. So i still watch your videos because they are good made and nobody knows the Minilathe better than you... And lot of things you can use at every lathe what you explain... Thanx
Hi Wolfi, Thanks. I just had a look at the Schreiner D290V. It looks like a fantastic lathe. You sound like you are setting up a great machine shop. Having powerfeed on the cross-slide is something I do miss from my factory days and having a large machine like yours takes away all the limitations of the smaller lathes, which can be quite a problem at times.
Also the mini lathe sold as it is, can give the impression that machining is harder than it really is. I'm not running it down in any way, but there are certain faults the lathe has, as you know, that can make machining quite difficult at times.
It is a shame that the manufacturers haven't addressed these problems, which could have been rectified without too much cost and made the machine so much better for those that are new to engineering.
I must say though, I have really enjoyed owning a Mini Lathe and have learned so much in the years I have had one. Plus I would buy one again if that is what I needed. I have made some excellent things using it.
I do have loads of different projects and components to show in the future, that is, if I get time and my physical and mental health holds out!
Regards Steve
Excellent Discourse on this subject. I have a similar but older Chinese lathe, periodically the need arises for some simple milling. I will build a similar unit . Many thanks for your timely post. Cheers from Michael. Australia.
Thought I might mention that if you add a steel plate perhaps 1/8" thick to the back of the angle late at the bottom rear which hangs down a bit , it will register against your mounting plate, it will help to square it to the cross slide without further measurements when mounting it. Very helpful video, thank you.
Hey Steve, I am just in the finishing tweeks of my diy vertical milling attachment on my Atlas 10F and Just last night replaced the grub screws for M5 allen bolts. Thanks for the tip. It increased the rigidity on my vertical slide quite noticeably. Simple yet very effective
Thank you for taking time to share. I learn a lot from each of your videos.
Hello Steve thank you for information . I am going to install some M5 4 inch threaded rod on the back on the lathe to be able to take off the back chip sheet metal shield. I am going to just use 5 id aluminum tubing and wing nuts . Your Idea is so great . Thank you
It's great how you used a piece of 316 S.S. to demonstrate. Nothing cheesier than some of the videos and they use Delrin, or worse yet, PVC to demonstrate. CHEERS !!
amazed that .030-.040 is possible. I'm limited to .015 on Aluminum even with the factory compound. it's not really rigid
I deeply appreciate your videos!!!!!
Thanks. Regards Steve
Steve, that really looks like a very rigid setup. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Love your videos! They've helped me a lot with my mini lathe and metal work in general and airgun hobby! Thank you Steve!!
I found this very interesting I've got a small lathe now I want to convert it for vertical milling, thanks for sharing.
I just bolted the drill vise directly to the cross slide. It works. Also I threw the back guard away. It is unnecessary junk. I also raised the legs of the lathe high enough so I can access the allen screws on the bottom of the saddle.
Excellent addition to your mini lathe. The milling attachment proved to be very rigid during the horizontal climbing milling operation. You have adjusted the cross slide nut and gibs to be just right to prevent any hogging-in.
Hi Paul thanks. I found this vertical slide seems to work best with climb milling so I always do it this way now.
Could you update the link to the equipment please?
Another fantastic video Steve, your enthusiasm and skill is inspiring!!! 👍👍👍
Excellent! I always get inspiration and learn from your videos. Thanks!
I agree , I believe those dovetail slide are from India. Thanks for the vid
Useful box of clamp options.
You've certainly come up with some great solutions to achieve rigidity. Nice idea re using the vertical slide on angle plate. In essence your mini lathe now is to all intents a very capable vertical mill when required!
I think if you sold a book or dvd with all your upgrades and tips . I would buy it ! Call it the Steve Jordan lathe upgrades and sell it on ebay
Nice work
Nice video, and I enjoyed it. You are thorough.
Excellent, I learn so much from you! Thanks for another great video. Cheers
wow, I may have to look in to this tooling instead of just getting a milling machine for the small numbers of projects i do that need milled.
I can see many small cheapie 40x90mm vertical milling slides from India, but using a bigger one for Myford seems the better way to go. still affordable for what you can do with one of these. the only limitation is size of part and cross travel you have with a mini lathe for milling.
absolutely brilliant,,I enjoy looking at your videos...thank you.
This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you!!
Steve, would you be able to show us, on your setup, how you would mill a part longer than the travel of your cross slide? eg Cutting a slot and moving the part accurately for the next feed.
that's what I will do and attempted. I didn't like flipping the part and doing the 2nd half and finding my alignment was not repeated.
maybe a custom cross slide plate with longer lead screw?
Interesting subject. Can you please recommend one of these mini lathe preferably with a brushless motor and metal gears thank you happy Xmas
Hi Steve, another great video and one that I have been waiting for you to produce for some time. Today I am ordering all the items you showcase from Chronos so I too can get down to some milling on my mini lathe. Thank you.
Hi Fred thanks. I'm pleased you liked it. The set-up worked out better than I expected. I can do milling with confidence on the mini lathe now plus I use the same set-up on my Myford lathe..Regards Steve
Hi Steve, I have received my milling fixtures from Chronos, minus the small vice which is out of stock unfortunately. Something has occurred to me regarding the fitment of the Myford style vertical slide, did you not consider making use of the two-way swivel bracket on the mini lathe rather than removing it and using a fixed angle plate. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
Hi Fred, (Do you mean the round swivel that I took out?) I only removed it to use it as a marker for the thread holes on the plate. Later in the video I put it back in and secured the plate to it.
No, I meant the complete Myford swivel bracket and dispensing with the 6 inch angle plate.
Hi Fred, Yes I see what you mean. I did think of that and thought I would do that at a later date, to give the option of angled work like on the Myford. I used the angle plate to allow for greater cross-slide movement capabilities. I will see about mounting it complete as soon as I can.
It looks like there may be an opportunity to cut dovetails in the vice and put it in place of the T-Slot table??? I have Atlas lathes and the overhang of the milling attachment is a problem. I've been thinking of ways to move the vice back over the cross slide or at least closer with less overhang if possible. I admit, your setup looks very solid.
Sir, you are truly a scholar and a gentleman. Awesome Video...Thank you. (Sub).
Great setup. Ridged and works well. Thank you for sharing
For even better rigidity, I would use more bolts to hold the bottom plate on the cross slide. Obviously you would have to drill and tap into the cross slide
Very informative video. Well done, thank you!
Once it's square and screwed down, should drill the square plate/base plate at the back for some tapered dowels.
Hi Steve links no longer working but wish to do this for my CX704 many thanks i was thinking of using my compound slide
see on there site lots of goodies shame i am in BC Canada....
looks like my buddies going to be bringing stuff out for me ....lol
Hi John, The items don't seem to be available on those pages. I've deleted the links now. I'm not sure whether they still have them, though. You may have to search eBay to see if you can find what you need. Sorry I couldn't be any more help. Regards Steve
Hi Steve just replied ...yeah some of the bits there no longer showing ...
Steve I had an idea for another use of the pallet. I want to use my minilathe to help in jewelry fabrication and ornamental turning. I surmised that the pallet could be used as mount for a watchmakers tool rest so I could use my antique gravers. I’d love to have your brain pick at that project.
Hi Ryan, I reckon it would be fairly easy to make something up for that, I have seen people using them but do not have any personal experience in that intriquate art. Those watchmaker lathes are nice machine but like you say the Mini Lathe could easily be adapted for that type of thing. Regards Steve
Steve Jordan check out Build Something Cool-Turning Metal by Hand. It’s a fun video with an ol’ greybeard that sounds like my Grandaddy. Great examples there
i have heard that using a collet chuck to hold the endmill takes out some of the play and makes cuts a little smoother, don't know myself but it sounds reasonable to me
My first thought,when is watched the first seconds of the vid 👍😉
Yes you are right. I usually do that if I have the time. Regards Steve
I NEEDED this knowledge, thanks👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤️
Hi Steve, I've been avidly watching your terrific videos - which I discovered only very recently. I'm considering buying a mini-Lathe and I'm quite new to this.
Now with regard to this video of yours: did you have a look at Item n. 4802 from WarCo? It's a "Mini Lathe vertical milling slide".
Should I not be mistaken, that item should fulfill exactly the same purpose as your cleverly engineered setup. It is currently shown as being 'sold out', but I know from them that it is actually in stock (don't know how many). I believe that that item would be a cheaper substitute for 2 of your items. The only missing part would be the vice.
Please understand: I haven't yet tried out that 4802 item and therefore I cannot comment on its quality, rigidity, etc. I'm only writing this hoping that it may be useful.
This is not ment to be a critique! I really appreciate your work - and your voice+style too!
Saluti da Roma
Hi the Warco set looks good, but I wouldn't buy it myself. The reason is that the Warco slide set-up is still very limited to the cross-slide travel which is very short on the mini lathe. It looks rigid enough, but I would be frustrated with the limitations it has. Using my set-up allows me to move the milling slide to various different locations on the angle plate. This greatly extends cross-slide and vertical positioning capability. Plus I have other ideas and plans which will make the angle plate set-up even more versatile. Regards Steve
Looking forward to the ER40 collet review, I’m after one myself. Cheers
i think you could eliminate the pallet and mount the angle plate directly. less parts. also a 3/8 square stock mounted under the pallet or my angle plate idea to align the mod square to chuck face. just my thoughts. love your videos!!
I would not have believed that this would turn out as rigid before I saw this video when all the milling attachments are held by just two 6mm bolts.
Hi Stephen. Yes I was surprised myself. I actuaĺly milled a part for the Mini Lathe on it recently with a V groove. I have just added a 6mm bolt the other side to be safe and will show this in a short update video next. Regards Steve
clever i love it
Chronos is a great firm to visit. They just leave you alone to rummage.
Just realised thats the vice I use !
That is a very rigid setup and an excellent setup. But you are limited by the travel of the cross-slide, as I have found from bitter experience. On my lathe it is 57 mm and you may have a bit more but it is still very limited compared to the usual (nowadays) asiatic mill. I have found on many projects that the cross-slide travel is just insufficient. So I resort to my Proxxon micrormill, which is limited to a 3.2 mm max diameter cutter and that takes forever to mill out a long slot. If I can find a metric mini-mill, sell, I might just buy it :)
Good Video. Learned a lot, keep it up
Very informative Steve, thanks.
What is the verticle travel of the table? Not listed here or on Cronos or amazon even. Thanks !
hello.
What size is the vertical slide and vice your using in this video please.
Fine setup and addition foe us nuwbies! Thxs!
A WARNING.
I've spoken with Steve regarding the dimensions show at 6:00 minutes on this video. He agreed that I should point out that the dimensions he has show, relate only to his Chinese Mini Lathe, and as there are different versions of this lathe those carrying out this modification should ensure that the dimensions are correct for their lathe before drilling the plate.
My lathe is a Warco WM 180 which has a 80 x 163 mm cross slide and therefore location of the tool post mounting plate stud is not at the location shown by Steve i.e 32 in, and 42mm up.
Very nice!
Thanks for sharing this video Steve - I really enjoy Your work.
How do You make sure that Your base plate is 100% square to Your spindle? In this video it seems that Your just tightening everything up?
It might not be relevant to be precise for Your demonstration but in other cases?
Merry Christmas by the way!
Regards Kim
Hi Kim thanks. I just square the base plate by eye then touch the front of the milling vice on the front of the chuck jaws. Minor adjustments can be made swiveling the angle plate to get it spot on. Regards Steve
Do you think that a second lock scew on the pallet plate would further secure the plate ? Maybe place one closer to the edge towards the back ? Thanks Steve, great mod !
Yes I did put one there soon after I did this video. It's much better. Regards Steve
beautiful
nice setup, those two small bolts holding to the cross slide look like the weak link though
Hi Russell, no they are absolutely solid. I've never had a problem with them. Regards Steve
@@SteveJordan I have made a similar setup on my 300mm/900mm lathe however when I tighten the toolpost bolts the cross slide locks up, not sure why yet. I have tapped extra holes along the side of the cross slide as well but it's the post bolts causing me grief, going to drill two more at 90* ( sides of the cross slide to see how that goes, any advice?
Works fine bolting the angle plate directly to the toolpost position, just don't have enough travel being left of center
Hello again Steve, Just wanted to let you know that I have just ordered the items you recommend from Chronos (except for the clamp set O.o.S and the vice as I already have one) I could only find steel plate at 150x100 - Guess it'll do fine - if your'e interested i'll let you know how I get on? One question though - why did you not use bolts through the top to secure the angle plate to the bottom plate?
Hi Richard, That's great you won't regret buying those. I find that it is easier to use studding, knowing that the stud is set in the full length of the thread on the plate. If you use bolts you have to be really careful that they go in the full length, but don't go right through and damage the top of the lathe cross-slide. this is further complicated if you use washers on the bolts. If you use threaded stud then you can quickly screw those in first finger tight, then use as many washers as you like and the nut. It is really a safety measure all round, using enough threads for strength, but not damaging anything. I am interested how you get on....Regards Steve
Also just remake that slide swivel piece that has the odd holes so that they ARE in line with the 8mm center stud.
My policy is to never remake anything if it works perfectly!
Hey steve. Have you considered doing a voice for audiobooks? You'd be brilliant
j a haha fuck me are you serious?
Great videos thanks. Where can I get that Chinese mini lathe from? Thanks.
Hi you can buy them on eBay or various companies online. I completely rebuilt mine though so it doesn't look like a standard Mini Lathe now.
Hi Steve, admire your ingenious set ups, I am a newbie to this stuff and find it very informative. Just replaced main bearings for tapered ones but mini lathe very noisy ( knocking ) . Every thing is snug but finnish on work peace very poor . Any suggestions. ?
Hi have you tested it by putting a bar in the chuck, a DTI clock on the chuck diameter and lifting using the bar. It should be
001 or less but not over tightened on the spindle nuts. Mine was noisy at one time, the headstock gearshifter fork had worked loose. Apart from that it could be the material and type of tool you are using. Its all a guess though without seeing the lathe and setup
Regards Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for quick response, my mini lathe is a katsu 7x14 , 4 in chuck, I have always used indexable cutting tools in qctp. Had exalant finishing results before upgrading bearings and speed reduction kit. Tightened shaft nuts to very snug fit without binding shaft. Will be up grading to r32 chuck also . Will try clocking chuck again as you suggested. Thanks
Hi Steve, thanks for your suggestion, only needed slight tweak now get really nice Finnish on workpieces. Thanks again. Look forward to see your next vid
Hi Wayne, That is great....Regards Steve
Did you just eyeball the squareness of the attachment face to the spindle?
Of course. He's just demonstrating the assembly process for a TH-cam video.
Anyone who needs precision will already know how to square things up accurately.
Hi Steve !
Good video and good ideas as usual !
What is your motivation to do milling on your mini lathe instead of your Myford ?
Cheers,
Eddy.
Hi Eddy I like to prove that the Mini Lathe has the same capabilities as the Myford. Although the Chinese lathe is smaller and doesn't have the same amount of cross-slide travel. If the Mini Lathe is set up like I have shown, one will have the chance to produce excellent components like on the Myford.
Especially if people use the Myford type milling slide I have shown. This one has a lot more vertical slide travel than all of the other slides available, (something I forgot to mention). So at the end of the day, I can now use both lathes for excellent milling results which is great. Regards Steve
👌👌👌
SOME EXCELLENT VEVOR MUST HAVE TOOLS:-
shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2348661&u=3715355&m=95592&urllink=&afftrack=
Great job!
I would like to know if the mini lathe bus is made of steel or cast iron
The normal machines all have a cast iron bed.
Hi, Steve! It would be nice of you to name the seller of the Milling Set Up. Thanks
He named every single part within the video. He also added links in the video description too. So, who's lazy?
you talk funny but we love your vidios
Brilliant but now I need two mini lathes one for milling and one for turning.
Hi Steve, thank you for your reply regarding the Warco 4802. Could you please tell me exactly where on eBay you bought that mild steel plate already cut to 150x125x10 mm ? I've tried searching on eBay.co.uk for that but could not find it. Please quote the eBay article number, unless it's something you bought a long time ago. Thank you. Saluti
Very nice setup Steve, but how do you paralel your angle plate to your chuck? I'm sure you got a trick for that too! :-)
Hi I move the carriage in and square it up on a flat component held in the jaws, before tightening the nuts.
I was wondering the same thing.....!
Nice, whats the make and model of the lathe
It was an Amadeal CJ18 7X14 Chinese Mini Lathe, but I have done so many upgrades it is no longer recognisable as one. Regards Steve
Just ordered the parts. Any upgrades you would recommended before the milling attachment gets installed?
Thanks!!
Several cases of beer.
are these 6mm not to week for milling ?
Hi Steve-I was looking at buying a few things that you have listed here & on the web site I could not find if they shipped to USA and also to list the prices in US currency? would you happen to know if they ship to the US? Thanks for any info you can offer
Hi Yes they ship to USA. When you go on the site and look something up you can click in a box above the item to change the currency for whatever country you want.
Thank You Steve for the fast response !! Great videos my friend!!
Great job Steve! I am literally just about to do this mod myself and I am curious . . Do you have any issues with rigidity by just using those two original bolts on the slide? I was going to drill and tap a third hole at the far end of the cross slide for extra holding, but I really don't want to go drilling my slide if I don't have too lol What are your thoughts??
Hi I was in two minds about that but when I tested it out it seems ok. I did make a new swivel for the compound as mine was worn from years of use. Now I have the old one to copy again I may make a stainless one. I think I will do a back fixing bolt as it will just fininsh it off nicely. I made an extended back end to the saddle as well for the new locking mechanism. I even millied the V groove for it on the Mini Lathe. I will do an update video about it soon. I am so please with the milling capabilities of this lathe now. Regards Steve
Thanks for the reply Steve . .Good stuff! Looking forward to that video! I think I will go ahead and try it out with just the two bolts and see how it goes, There will only be light milling done on it for the time being anyway as I am planning to build a milling attachment to sit where the tail stock lives with a small modified drill press in the future, unless I come across a proper mill in the mean time of course lol But that setup you have looks very rigid to be fair so I sure I will get away with just the two bolts. Thanks again Steve.
good good!!!!
Also why not just affix the myford milling slide to your plate ?????
Yes, I think I may have done that in the past, but it is much quicker to just put it on the cross slide. I've actually got it set up now for something I'm hoping to show next.
Hi Steve .Is vertical milling slide from chronos are square. I'm looking for lathe milling slide. Ordered one from India turns out not square.
Hi mine is nice and square.
Steve Jordan Thanks Steve.
Hey me again I finally got my setup with the vertical slide working I was just wondering do you think it's logical or even possible to CNC a setup like this were you could cnc mill on the lathe???
Hi Johnaton, I think it would be to difficult and expensive really. Also the lathe would have to be totally dedicated as a CNC then because it would be so much work to set up and take down. I really like CNC and would like a quick option to use it on a lathe, but one would have to have two separate machines really.
I made some aluminium and brass balls on the lathe yesterday and it took a couple of hours to rough out 14-off and finish 5-off. In the time that it took to make these on the Myford ML7,.... on a small CNC lathe one would have had probably 200-off made. with what I used to set-up and run. Regards Steve
How do u advance forward without unlocking ur carriage?
I unlock the carriage to advance it. Regards Steve
@@SteveJordan how do u maintain a precise depth without the dials?
@@taylorboarman7993 I use an adjustable carriage stop and for dead accurate movement a DTI clock. Regards Steve
1:02 The thickest bushes are called George... 😉
And, here in Russia they do not sell such an adaptation.
Any ideas where you can source these parts in the US?
Hi Bruce you must be able to get similar items on the US Ebay site?
Also do I need the metric clamp set or would imperial work?
LOL WOT? You buy what you prefer working with, with the kind of threads that your other items use. How could anyone other than you answer your own question?
Just Dab ! With a Brush ! Some Cutting ! / Coolant ! On it ! I Personally ! Wouldn't like to use ! The Lathe ! In this ! MANNER !! BUT IT ! REALLY IS ! A POOR ! MANS MILLING !! MACHINE !! THE ONE THING ! YOUVE ! ALWAYS GOT TO DO ! WITH IT BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO DO THAT WITH A Normal Mill ! ! Anyway ! You can start Making !! What !! You need !? To ! Now ! Happy ENGINEERING ! All your ! Life !!! THROUGH !! Steve !! David !
facebook.com/steve.jordan.3766952
Once again thank you for your replies with specific information about what you are using and where to get it. I find this type of information really helpful.
I do have one more of those questions: I believe you are using a Dixon (or Dickson?) style quick post tool change, right? Where did you buy it and what model is it, please?
I found this eBay item (290590980973) sold by RDGTools which looks very similar. Is that what you are using? Thank you. Did you have to modify it in order to be able to use it with the mini-Lathe?
Should you have had any experience with it, I'd also very much appreciate your comments regarding the 8"x16" mini-lathes (e.g., Grizzly 0768, Warco WM 180, eBay 253502406466 and others - I believe they are all made, like the 7"x14" mini-Lathe you are using, by a manufacturer in China). Countrary to yours, they feature all-metal gears and a stronger motor - but to your expert eyes they may well have other disadvanteges not obvious to me. Thank you. Saluti
Hi Stefano, I can't remember where I bought mine. Either from Chronos or RDG Ebay. It is the same one that fits the Myford lathes. I didn't have to modify it for the Chinese Mini Lathe. The actual tool-post part was a bit loose on the cross-slide securing bolt, but I rolled a piece of shim to go over that bolt first so the tool-post block was a closer fit.
I changed my Mini Lathe gears to metal ones and changed over to the tapered roller bearings in the head-stock. They are very good lathes when 'tuned-up' a bit and well worth getting.
That is the tool-post set on Ebay and I found the cheapest singular spare tool holders for it are usually from Chronos. I added them to mine over the years as I needed them. It makes everything so quick to use once they are set. Regards Steve
My Chinese mini lathe looks to be even more mini then your mini lathe. O:
Your links do not work.
It's looking good Steve. I learn a lot off you video's. Is it possible to get your address for a gift from me to you.
Just a thought Steve. RDGtools in the UK do a Myford milling tabel at just under £50. It is 165mm x 165mm, it has 4 Tee slots and it is drilled to accept various Myford items including by the look of it, for the Double Swivel Vertical Milling Slide. Would it not be a good idea to use that instead of your pallet, even if it might be sensible to reduce the width a bit. See it here :-
www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Boring---Drilling-Table-for-Myford-Lathe-210991.html
PS, they also do a smaller onj just 125mm x 100mm with Tee slots but not drilled for anything, at £25. See it here :-
www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Precision-Tee-Slotted-Table---Tee-Nuts-2110.html
Great info in this... but PLEASE wear a different jacket! The noise this one makes is SUPER distracting.
13:45 "Get it nice and square."
With your eyes? Maybe you don't have the proper tool to square this up. ...? Maybe what you're working with doesn't need to be that close so you're willing to deal with tolerances around .010 to .015". ...? Or, maybe you're self taught and just don't know. ...?
If the later one is the case, get a dial indicator, attach it to the chuck and traverse each axis with the end of the dial indicator on the surface that is going to vary in distance from traversing that axis. Then, just make your adjustments. You'll probably never get it perfect but .003" variance over 6 inches of travel is a tolerance that most can live with for general application. I prefer to shoot for .001" but I won't always accomplish that.
Thank you for the video, btw. I don't have any working equipment at the moment and money is tight so I'm always looking for ways to make money money stretch.
The pallet can be eyed up 'nice and square',13:45 There is no need for it to be dead accurate, as this is just a fixture holding base. Whatever is bolted onto the pallet can be manoeuvred around on the pallet and set dead square. You obviously got confused thinking this part was the finished machining fixture assembly?
If one wants to clock the bolted on angle plate or milling vice for dead accuracy then one can. I just presumed anyone that watched the video would know this.
Regards Steve
@@SteveJordan
OK, I'm still very green compared to your resume. I also have a condition that I would call social retardation. I seem to miss a lot of things that are implied or obvious to most people.
There's actually many funny stories I could tell related to this but I'll just call them "outside of the scope of this discussion". ;-)
💪😎👍
one big angle plate
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