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Re: "tuning up" a mini lathe

 

The "mini-lathe.com" site was, I think, the first "go to" site for many years.? I just checked the site and it looks completely different, and very sparse, compared to what I remember.




I checked the "Internet Archive" for this site and the last capture they have before it changed and lost almost all information was November 26, 2022.? Here it is.? There is a LOT here.? But when I selected "adjustments", it seemed sparse and not the original.




So, I arbitrarily picked an earlier date, April 16, 2021, and it is MUCH better.? If you look at "Adjustments" here, you will find all sorts of things with "Adjusting the gibs" topping the list.? And the site has many links to others.




"Gadget Builder" has a wealth of mainly various accessories you can make.




Little Machine Shop is another place you should get familiar with.? They have "Learning Center" and "Info Center" tabs but are more about using the machines than upgrading them.




There is a vast amount of info out there on this, and you can cast a wide net.? And enough YouTubes to make your eyes bleed.

But this brings us to a more basic question.? None of us can really tell you what YOU should or should not do.? Some people use the lathe right out of the box and don't do anything to it.? That can be due to the quality variability with some just being better by luck from how it came out of the factory.? The other big variable is what YOU plan to do with it.? People have different needs for accuracies and the MANY features that can be made for these.

It might be best to just start "making some chips" and then see if you think something needs improvement.? And then search for a solution to just that issue.? If you are new to this, learning how to grind lathe tools is a good first step and, for these small lathes, I recommend HSS tool bits as opposed to carbide or carbide inserts.? Many of the carbide tools in the form of a complete tool shank are total junk.? Inserts can be fine, but I just think most will get better results with properly ground HSS bits.

Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer
On Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 08:40:00 AM PST, Thomas Key <takey89@...> wrote:


Great question Paul.? I sure hope you get some good answers because I can also use some help getting my mini dialed in.

Tom

On Thu, Jan 4, 2024 at 8:16 AM Paul Fox <pgf@...> wrote:
People here and on other forums often talk about having had to clean,
fix, shim, adjust, tweak a new lathe in order to make it accurate and
useable.? And that being willing to do so lets you start with a less
expensive mill, from HF or Vevor, say, rather than one from LMS or
Grizzly.

But I've yet to see an overall guide to what all of that work entails,
and how its done.

Does anyone have a pointer to a video, or a blog, or similar, that goes
through all of what might be entailed?? It's hard to convince myself I
want to go through the effort, without understanding it better.? I'm
pretty sure I have the skills.? But I might not have the patience or
the equipment or tools.

And:? is it always possible for the home hobby user to fully adjust a
cheaper mill?? Are there some problems that just can't be fixed?

paul
=----------------------
paul fox, pgf@... (arlington, ma, where it's 41.4 degrees)
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