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Post by oldgeek on Jan 30, 2021 23:10:01 GMT -5
Ok, so I have had a mini lathe (7 x 12) for a while now and I have warmed up to it a bit. I no longer feel like it is total s***. I have struggled quite a bit learning about something new but its was worth it.
One thing that has really been tough is learning to part something off of the piece of steel or whatever you cut it from. "Parting" is notoriously hard with a mini lathe due to the lack of rigidity, mini lathes are pretty much crap in that department. I have dragged under and broke the tooling every time I tried to part something. However after finding this video and watching it ,I can part fairly easily now.
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Post by 90GTVert on Jan 31, 2021 7:50:00 GMT -5
I've definitely got to try that. I can get stuff parted off eventually, but it doesn't go smoothly or quickly. I've tried holding a hacksaw blade over as I'm parting and that seems to make it go more smoothly, but it still sucks.
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Post by 90GTVert on Jan 31, 2021 9:38:25 GMT -5
I'll try to add some stuff that may be of use for mini-lathe operators. I'm not that good at it, but have learned a few things and done some mods that I like. I'll start with something that will be very important to some Chinese mini-lathe owners at some point... the drive belt. I bought quite a few belts and nothing matched up to whatever oddball belt was included with the lathe. I eventually switched over to XL belts, which required swapping to XL pulleys. Now it's easy to pick up a new belt and I haven't had belt slip like I used to with the old setup. 49ccscoot.proboards.com/post/330022/threadIf your mini-lathe is anything like mine, you'll quickly grow tired of popping fuses. I did Tim Nummy's circuit breaker mod and it is a big improvement that I'd highly recommend if you're replacing a lot of fuses. His video is linked below and below that is a link to a playlist of his mini-lathe mods that I'd recommend checking out. youtu.be/TPt0e-fWhi8www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpU8BzNyZww&list=PLZe1YowzFIKWXvyAIezzDUzLTBe4VQkY-A carriage lock is a quick mod, that is very handy. I used to just lock the carriage in place with the lever to engage the half nut. That is not really secure though. A carriage lock will add rigidity that's helpful when doing operations that don't require moving the carriage. 49ccscoot.proboards.com/post/293976/threadHere's a time saver mod. Many mini lathes require backing the compound slide almost all the way off in order to adjust the angle. Drilling a couple of holes in the right spots can change that and threading the holes allows bolts to be used as plugs so no debris falls in there. Very simple, and it has been a nice upgrade for me. 49ccscoot.proboards.com/post/357486/threadThe stock motor mount is lacking to say the least. Here's the mod that I did to improve it. 49ccscoot.proboards.com/post/294623/threadOne of my personal favorites to watch for lathe tips and tricks is Joe Pieczynski. He's a very skilled machinist that seems to be capable of doing anything and is good at teaching others to do it. His channel is linked below. www.youtube.com/channel/UCpp6lgdc_XO_FZYJppaFa5wHere's my mini-lathe experiences thread : 49ccscoot.proboards.com/thread/19211/chinese-mini-lathe-experiences?page=1 |
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Post by oldgeek on Jan 31, 2021 11:03:16 GMT -5
I've definitely got to try that. I can get stuff parted off eventually, but it doesn't go smoothly or quickly. I've tried holding a hacksaw blade over as I'm parting and that seems to make it go more smoothly, but it still sucks. It works like magic. I put a fresh parting tool in the holder upside down, it didn't even have a grind on it. When putting the tool holder on the wedge mount, lift it up so it is approximately centered on the work piece then lock it in place. It worked great on the aluminum tank mounts I was parting. |
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Post by oldgeek on Feb 7, 2021 10:11:10 GMT -5
I copied this post from 90GTVerts My Chinese Mini-Lathe Experiences thread. I purchased one of the carriage stops from the link he provided. It is so useful, and is a must have IMO. |
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Post by jloi on Feb 7, 2021 12:23:04 GMT -5
great stuff and tips from all you guys
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Post by FrankenMech on Feb 8, 2021 9:53:38 GMT -5
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Post by FrankenMech on Feb 8, 2021 13:07:41 GMT -5
The thing I don't know is how the meter reacts to over 10A of current before the circuit breaker trips. I do see there are 20A versions of the meter available. It would be bad if the meter blew before the CB or fuse went...
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Post by jackrides on Feb 8, 2021 15:05:16 GMT -5
Meters I've had had an internal quick blow fuse on the current circut. Makes me think that a couple quick blow circut breakers might be a good addition to an elec. test kit.
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Post by oldgeek on Oct 1, 2024 20:53:07 GMT -5
A while back the controller for my mini lathe let its magic smoke out. A new controller was ridiculously priced. I decided to convert it to a servo motor using a kit from The Custom Crafter on feebay. It was really a "kit" and required some finagling to install, but once I got it set up I really like it. It has some serious torque, you will break tooling if you are not super careful, it does not stall like the old motor. The speed controller allows very slow speeds and is smooth.
I have been using it for a couple months now and it is a huge improvement over the stock motor and controller. The lathes should have come with this setup from the get go.
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Post by FrankenMech on Oct 1, 2024 22:34:56 GMT -5
I am finally getting around to setting up my mini-lathe so finding this thread again is good. I have been considering my own DC motor and controller with a braking circuit or using an AC motor drive. I was just clearing off the junk that had accumulated on the bench I made for it this evening.
The standard mini-lathe design has been around for a lot of years and it is old and cheap technology to make now. It is also a sloppy design. I wonder if it always was so poor or if it has just been bastardized over the years.
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