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Post by 90GTVert on Dec 3, 2017 6:12:32 GMT -5
Nice job! Did you 'lock' it in place with JB??? LOL Prob should have. Would have been way faster. I think I spent 2 hours making the simple little leg. |
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Post by FrankenMech on Dec 3, 2017 16:07:10 GMT -5
You learned while doing though. Next time it will take you 30 minutes to make a leg like that. The leg will serve for many years and then leave someone scratching their head 'WTF is this' someday...  You could have purcha$ed a new caster or set of casters also. Or driven to three stores trying to find them. People used to use tools to make odd parts rather than buy them in a store. Metalworking was a necessity. Not so much anymore. Metalworking tools are still very expensive compared to woodworking. Think back a 100 years. It is fun to watch people rediscovering making things though. The 3D printers are interesting. I need to get my metal shop organized now that I feel better. I have that 22x60" 7.5HP lathe, a small 1.5HP mill, two metal bandsaws, two drill presses, a hydraulic press, a MIG welder, an OA torch, a small 30" sheet metal shear/brake, grinders, clamps and many assorted hand tools. I just hope I live long enough to use them now. I also have a number of woodworking tools, -but I suck at woodworking LOL |
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Post by 90GTVert on Mar 3, 2018 19:20:56 GMT -5
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Post by humanshield on Apr 8, 2018 12:24:13 GMT -5
Good thread. Looks like tons of fun. Enjoyed it. The belt problem shed a good bit of light on a problem I would never have thought of. I'll carefully check to see what belt the HF mini lathe uses and it's availability before I buy one so this info really helped.
I have several 3D printers that I've used to make a gazillion helpful things with since it's basically CNC and they've got some really useful materials like ABS and Nylon. But when the job calls for steel or aluminum, there simply is no substitute so I'm about to buy a Mini Lathe. Probably the HF 7x12 unless there's a good reason not too. The reviews seem pretty good. Anyone have one of the HF units?
Just bought a Seek Thermal camera today so I'll probably wait till next week to get the mini lathe.
The last short term addition to the tool chest is a mini mill. Again HF has one that should do what I need for now for around $500. Nothing like being able to make something you need.
Brent, I may have missed it but can yours do metric threads? Have you cut any threads yet?
Good to see how many different things you can do with it Brent. Hope you get your belt issues sorted out.
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Post by 90GTVert on Apr 8, 2018 20:24:34 GMT -5
Brent, I may have missed it but can yours do metric threads? Have you cut any threads yet? AFAIK it can, and about any lathe should be able to do standard or metric "close enough", but I haven't cut any threads with it. The stuff I've done has been stuff that I own taps/dies for and it seems quicker to just run the tap over it rather than figure out the gear changes and grind more tools. Bought a fishtail just in case though. Needed a drill stop a couple of days ago and almost ran to the store. Realized I had a lathe and some steel around and made my own instead. The same day I went to fit some stainless socket cap bolts into forks to replace rusty old bolts and their heads were a little too large. Mini-lathe to the rescue once again. I can't say I use it all of the time, but when I first thought of getting one on my own years ago I kinda thought "what would I really do with it". It's not like that. I'm not even doing anything beyond the very basic, and prob still doing a lot wrong there, but it comes in handy. Another note... I've heard multiple times from real machinists about carbide cutters being cost prohibitive. It probably is when you're buying pro cutters and using them all of the time. For someone fiddling around in the garage using carbide tips at something like $5 for 10 if you buy from China, it's not at all. The ones I use the most are triangles, so they can be flipped 3 ways each, so it's really more like 30 cutting edges for $5 if you can wait for the slow boat. Not saying it's as cheap as maintaining your own ground cutters, but it's not what I'd call cost prohibitive. There's no substitute for learning by grinding your own stuff, but they're real nice to have around IMO. |
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Post by AtariGuy on Apr 9, 2018 12:04:27 GMT -5
humanshield - i'd been browsing minilathes for awhile myself, and found grizzly has one nearly identical to brent's, maybe 50-100 bucks more in cost, but i imagine that grizzly offers some "support" and "parts" if problems arise. Not exactly positive though, never emailed them to find out. Though i bet its just the same unit that grizzly branded for themselves. Just a thought.
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Post by 90GTVert on Apr 9, 2018 13:17:40 GMT -5
humanshield - i'd been browsing minilathes for awhile myself, and found grizzly has one nearly identical to brent's, maybe 50-100 bucks more in cost, but i imagine that grizzly offers some "support" and "parts" if problems arise. Not exactly positive though, never emailed them to find out. Though i bet its just the same unit that grizzly branded for themselves. Just a thought. If you go to their pages, you can see they have links to parts and parts lists and manuals. Example below. www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-12-Mini-Metal-Lathe/G8688 |
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Post by 90GTVert on Apr 12, 2018 19:50:12 GMT -5
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Post by jbjhillbilly on Apr 13, 2018 2:41:33 GMT -5
humanshield - i'd been browsing minilathes for awhile myself, and found grizzly has one nearly identical to brent's, maybe 50-100 bucks more in cost, but i imagine that grizzly offers some "support" and "parts" if problems arise. Not exactly positive though, never emailed them to find out. Though i bet its just the same unit that grizzly branded for themselves. Just a thought. I’ve gotten stuff from Grizzly before, and they’ve been decent to work with (gun parts anyway). I don’t know about the lower priced lathes, but the mid-tier and higher rigs seem to get good marks. Some tool forums would have better info on their tool CS. |
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Post by ThaiGyro on Apr 13, 2018 3:39:39 GMT -5
I have looked recently, at small, table top lathes and table top welding turntables. (positioners)
In America Del Norte, I could not find a weld positioner for under $1500! When I say small,I mean 50 lb capacity or less. I did find high quality in Canada...sourced it to China... and can get it for around $250 plus shipping, including a hand control for the welder and two sizes of mounts on the drive end. Bummer is that the tail piece is pneumatic...not needed, but will convert it to hand.
The lathe? Super cheap! Under $125!
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Post by humanshield on Apr 17, 2018 13:22:01 GMT -5
I've been reading up a lot on these mini lathes and unless I'm mistaken, most YouTube reviews give the Harbor Freight 7 x 12 a little better grade than the one Brent has? Anyone know about this? I'm ready to order a mini lathe (having finally obtained my thermal imaging camera  ) I'm thinking of going with the Harbor Fright 7 x 12. Anyone here have that one or know how it compares to the one Brent has? |
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Post by AtariGuy on Apr 17, 2018 14:20:19 GMT -5
the reading i've been doing humanshield says you should really consider the 7x14, you lose a lot more between centers with the 12" www.mini-lathe.com has the info on it - where i've been doing my reading. gimme a few moments and i'll edit in the page with the paragraph they said it at Edit, it was something i read on the grizzly website comparing the 7x12 and 7x14 lathes. |
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Post by 90GTVert on Apr 19, 2018 22:58:19 GMT -5
Small update on belt stuff... I bought an LX136 belt labeled 1.5x70 with 70 teeth from Little Machine Shop. It is correct aside from the length or tooth count. It's 70 teeth and mine uses a 90 tooth. They also sell 1.5x100. I tried searching for things like 1.5x90, LX136 90 teeth, and so on. No luck. Decided to email Little Machine Shop since they seem to be the go-to place. They said they have no idea where to get one and don't think I'll get that belt in this country. I tired searching places like AliExpress after hearing that, but still no luck. Not gonna worry about it now, because my garage time will probably be scoot related ATM but I guess the only option is going to be trying to swap pulleys in order to get an available belt to work.
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Post by AtariGuy on Apr 20, 2018 3:56:51 GMT -5
I recall watching this guy's videos extensively back when you first reported on your lathe. Made a mental note of this specific video as well, the parts are listed in the description
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Post by 90GTVert on Apr 20, 2018 5:31:18 GMT -5
Thanks. I've seen it. I was just trying to go the easy route if possible. I may see if I can find some sellers of the lathe before I totally give up. If I can get them at a reasonable price I could just order a few and that should last for years.
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