开云体育

In my opinion one of the cheapest and satisfying fixes you can make on these lathes is to replace any of the fasteners that are going to be adjusted ie all the gib screws, the topslide backlash adjusters and the toolpost capscrews with good quality items and similarly the allen keys as the stock items are not of the best quality and at best just adequate.

Whilst you could "make do" the way you describe it is much simpler to replace them and not having the problem repeated time after time.

Gerry
Leeds UK

From: "Herb" <hwederma@...>
Reply-To: 7x12minilathe@...
To: 7x12minilathe@...
Subject: [7x12minilathe] Stripped Gib Screw Solution??
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 05:49:38 -0000

I'm in the process of "lapping" in my dove tails etc and have
discovered that one of the gib screw heads are stripped out where the
allen wrench goes into it. The threads are fine, it's just that the
allen wrench just spins in it. Can I "slot" it with a small dremel
wheel so that a slotted screw driver will work on it? Or should I just
order a new one? thanks, Herb W.

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Hotmail is evolving - check out the new Windows Live Mail.

Hi,

I was tapping 6mm in 1/2" steel. Drilled 5mm and used WD40 as it was
handy. Pretty hard going and I snapped the tap on the 2nd hole. Enough
stub to wind it out with the vice grips. I ordered some Tap Magic and
waited for the postie.

The 2nd & 3rd threads were a breeze. I could have turned the wrench
with my little pinkies. I'm not practised at tapping deep threads. The
1/2" steel had a prior life as an anvil on my bench so it was probably
pretty narly. Still, I'm astounded at this Tap Magic. Is that the
experience of others?

John

I need to lap the gibs on couple of my machines I recently purchased, (with little time to use/clean, etc., 'till now). I've never lapped gibs - any particular tips?

Dennis (really new at some of this)

Cummins Mini Mill, freshly unpacked
HF 7x10
Cummins 7x12

Hi Herb,

I'd do both. Slot it for now and get on the air. Pick up a new one at
the locat industrial supply store at your leisure. Or LMS of you don't
have a convenient source. I was a bit worried when I first read your
post and thought you'd stripped the thread. I still gotta wonder how
you stripped the socket.

Congrats on deciding to do the lapping job. It seems thankless at the
time but I found it made a stellar difference.

John



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Herb" <hwederma@...> wrote:

I'm in the process of "lapping" in my dove tails etc and have
discovered that one of the gib screw heads are stripped out where

the

allen wrench goes into it. The threads are fine, it's just that the
allen wrench just spins in it. Can I "slot" it with a small dremel
wheel so that a slotted screw driver will work on it? Or should I

just

order a new one? thanks, Herb W.

Sure, you can slot it! You can use a dremel or a thin hacksaw. Of course,
you will need 2 tools to adjust the gibs from now on, unless you slot all
the adjusting screws..

rexarino

--
Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I
contain multitudes.)
- Walt Whitman

I'm in the process of "lapping" in my dove tails etc and have
discovered that one of the gib screw heads are stripped out where the
allen wrench goes into it. The threads are fine, it's just that the
allen wrench just spins in it. Can I "slot" it with a small dremel
wheel so that a slotted screw driver will work on it? Or should I just
order a new one? thanks, Herb W.

Hi Pat,

You'll get lots of opinions on the small Chinese lathes - especially
around here.

My take is that they're not for everyone. Some call them a kit. In
my books they are, but not in a derogitory sense. If an experienced
machinist just wants a tool to use out of the box then I'd suggest a
more finished product. OTOH, some are happy with a Chinese lathe out
of the box. Maybe they don't need much or happen to score well in
the QA lotto that these things are. But a hobbiest or machinist on a
budget can finish one of the Chinese kits to be quite a cost
effective yet respectable machine. All the castings are there and
most of the machining done. They just need cleaning and checking
over for alignment errors, etc. The improvements to be had by fixing
any issues found are considerable. In the case of a hobbiest the
experience gained along the way is probably well worth while.

Each machine seems to vary. My personal path involved spreading the
feet (much more stable), lapping & adjusting the gibs (huge
improvement) and glueing some plastic (cut from an old CD) behind
the carriage to keep the swarf out of the apron gears. There will be
more refinements but that much got me underway. Starting from
scratch I spent a lot on accessories (DI, DTI, QCTP, scissor
knurler, centre drills, micrometer, callipers, etc.). However, you
may well have inherited a lot of these.

So if one thou tolerances are all that's required and you can live
comfortably inside the capability envelope without non-stop heavy
usage then you'll probably find the experience and trade-offs fine.

John



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Patrick" <patlamb41@...>
wrote:

Hello all, I want to introduce myself. My name is Patrick I'm in
Gaithersburg MD. I joined the group to learn something about mini
machining as I'm a novice.
I have a basic knowledge machining/metal work, and good book

collection

which helps. My father was in the tool and die trade and a foreman

in a

machine shop before CNC machines arrived sometime in the late 60's

early

70's. He left the industry when CNC machines started making it big.
He had the chance to learn CNC, I guess he wasn't interested in

it. It

was a shame because I think machining was his passion. He

passed

on before I could really learn anything about machining from him.
I have made some small metal parts on a small unimat, but I need a
machine thats a little heavier and stiffer than the unimat.
I want to buy a mini lathe and would like to know what the best ala
round models would be. Most of them on the market are Chinese and

some

say there decent machines. I would like to make small gears at some
point. Just one of those things I want to do. I've been reading up

on

gear terminology and the math involved.
There's something magical about cutting a part out of a chunk
metal............thanks Pat L.

I had to re-read your post to see what you were telling me. I just
checked my Enco order - I did order 5/16". Typo in previous post, good
catch.
Ed

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "fricebe" <fricebe@...> wrote:

1. all the way down there? and all night alone by itself?

Well you could build a 4-post bed with a higher than normal sleeping
shelf and a workbench under. Just not sure what your lady might say. I
know what mine would. No, she doesn't read this forum. :-)

John

The 7x uses 5/16 blanks - you can use 3/16 with some shimming and a lot less grinding. The only drawback would be the 3/16 tool is not as stiff.

Aaron

Vikki,

That mandrel looks too big for pens. A pen mandrel is 7mm I believe.
You'll also need specific size bushings for the mandrel too. Your pen
kits are probably "American classic" or "Slimline".

I have been helping a guy teach pen turning for the last month and a
half. There is a procedure for drilling the wood blank for a pen if
you want it to look right. You can use most any wood.

Rance


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wrlabs" <wrlabs@...> wrote:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <jgrounds@> wrote:

I purchased the wood rest package from LMS also. Most of the

time I

put a round bar in the tool post since it is quick and most of the
time I am just putting the final contours on the piece being worked
on. Here is a photo:

In sharing that pix with a friend of mine and after looking over the
chisels Barry pointed me at, the same place had pen kits, something

of

casual interest to me.

I was just wondering if the threaded rod in the chuck was a mandrel
for something like that? If not, I'll bet it would work!

Not sure how to drill out the blanks though, a three jaw chuck I

don't

think would work.

Jenny gave me a couple pen kits (no wood, but I have some that would
do nicely) and I still have them in the back pocket of my suitcase,
which is sorta the motivation here :).

Thanks for stirring up the gray matter!

Take care, Vikki.

What size hole in what thickness of what material? For sheet metal,
there are "D" shaped chassis punches available. For anything thicker,
there's no real quick & easy way to make the hole. The classic method
is to simply drill holes to rough out the opening, then finish by
filing. The other approach is to make a full sized hole, then blank
part of it off with a half-round piece that's
glued/soldered/brazed/welded in place, as appropriate.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "hockeylove69" <hockeylove69@...>
wrote:

Hello all,
I have been lerking on the group for about a month now this is my

first

post. I have a HF 7X10 mini and a Grizzly Mini Mill and my main
interest is building model steam engines. However my brother came to

me

the other day wanting me to make a part that has a half round hole. I
have no idea how to do this. Is there a way to do this with either my
mill or lathe? Do I need to get a broach set? All the keyway broach
sets that I have seen make round holes with that square bit in the
middle. Thanks In Advance, I look forward to any help that may be
provided.

Rodney.

hi mark
yeah, good idea building a shed in the back, but...
1. all the way down there? and all night alone by itself?
un huh. had to wait too long to get it.
have to do it here. I'm thinking a full surround, drawers under, turn
just aluminum and very slow and light cuts. probably be awkward, but...
oh well,
thanks for the reply
fri

Group:

Contact information has been added to the first paragraph of the home page. (It can come down as fast as it went up if I start getting a bunch of trash ;) Play nice!

Plan B gib section is totally rewritten as the new gibs are now done, installed and fitted, new photos and text up and running.

Lubrication section has been removed. (May rewrite less wordy latter, maybe)

Now the question is...what next? Apron? Cross slide? Hummmm.

I apologize for the length of time it takes to get all this done. My opportunities to work on this are limited. Am I retired yet? ;)

Regards
Marty

Hi Mike,

And I think you'll find they will happily supply a 6 1/4" face plate
to fit this lathe despite the fact that the guard and associated
kill switch must be removed to use the faceplate. That's what I was
sold to go with my 7x12.

John



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Mike Payson" <mike@...> wrote:

FYI, I bought the newest incarnation of the HF 7x10 (93212) with

the recent

30% off coupon. It's bad enough that it is 4" shorter then any of

the others

(& two inches shorter then advertised), but it actually only has a

6" usable

swing. I'm not sure if it's standard to all of the 7x's now, but

the HF adds

a chuck saftey shield that is only 3" from the center of the

chuck, so

without removing it, somehow moving your work 3" or so from the

spindle, the

largest work you can possibly turn is 6". I'm taking it back,

though I

haven't yet decided whether to replace it with the Homier, the HF

9x20

(which they will honor the 30% off for, so $560) or the Griz G0602

10x22,

which is really more then I should spend, but a much better (and

better

equipped) lathe.

Decisions, decisons... Any suggestions?

On 3/19/07, Ed <edo@...> wrote:

I just ordered a Homier for which based on my research was the

best

buy I could find. It costs $299 and the only accessory it comes

with

is a fixed center.

Cummins sells the same machine but it comes with extras for

$399. For

the extra $100 you get (1) Tailstock Drill Chuck 1-13mm (with

key, (2)

Moving Steady, (3) Fixed Steady, (4) 6 1/4" diameter Face Plate,

(5) 5

piece cutting tool set. Bought separately, these total $103, so

unless

you need all of them, I didn't see it as worth it.

Homier also sells an Accessory Kit for $99 (which I got for 10%

off at

their eBay store). It includes (1) Tailstock chuck, (2) Face

plate,

(3) Lathe dog, (4) Rolling center, (5) Knurling tool, (6) Follow

rest,

and (7) Spindle center. I figured these would cost $128

separately, so

I thought it a better deal than the Cummins with accessories.

Shipping for the Homier was $6 cheaper ($49 vs $55), but what

really

swayed me to Homier was the customer service. Cummins was real

slow to

answer emails, 3 - 4 days, and never did tell me if the lathe

was in

stock.

I ordered the Homier on-line Friday night when I saw they went

from

Out of Stock to Supplies Limited. I called this morning (Monday)

to

see if they got the order and was told it was being shipped. Got

email

with UPS tracking number this afternoon and it's scheduled for
delivery Wednesday.

If I had the money, my first choice would have been the MicroMark
(82710), $673 delivered. It's 2" longer, has inch lead screws,

and a

digital speed readout.

Other options are the Grizzly (G8688) at $700 delivered (some

think

it's worth it for the better customer service) and Harbor Freight
(33684) which is a 7x10 (2" shorter). It's $419 but is available

in

stores and with a 30% off coupon can be had for $293 + sales

tax. (The

coupons come out every few months.)

Hope this helps, and let us know what you decide.
Ed








Be sure to check out for small

mills and

lathes.
Yahoo! Groups Links

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

What I didn't say in my previous post was that I had decided the HF
8x12 was probably the best buy, but I just couldn't bring myself to
pay the current price after it had been on sale for $429 for the past
couple of years. If you weren't happy with HF's 7x10, you probably
won't like their 9x20 either - it had some of the worst reviews that I
saw.

Had I not decided to go small (and cheap) at first (with the Homier),
I would have bought the Grizzly 10x22.
Ed

FYI, I bought the newest incarnation of the HF 7x10 (93212) with the recent
30% off coupon. It's bad enough that it is 4" shorter then any of the others
(& two inches shorter then advertised), but it actually only has a 6" usable
swing. I'm not sure if it's standard to all of the 7x's now, but the HF adds
a chuck saftey shield that is only 3" from the center of the chuck, so
without removing it, somehow moving your work 3" or so from the spindle, the
largest work you can possibly turn is 6". I'm taking it back, though I
haven't yet decided whether to replace it with the Homier, the HF 9x20
(which they will honor the 30% off for, so $560) or the Griz G0602 10x22,
which is really more then I should spend, but a much better (and better
equipped) lathe.

Decisions, decisons... Any suggestions?

My (very portable) 3.5x8 baby lathe likes to be near the teapot - in fact, it's on the kitchen table right now, waiting for breakfast and tomorrow's little task. Some weeks, it only moves out on Thursday, so that it doesn't frighten Liz, my cleaner. Its bigger brother has to fend for itself in the workshop.
Wouldn't recommend this if the kitchen was carpeted rather than tiled, though.
Andy

markzemanek <markzemanek@...> wrote:
Where are you going to be using your lathe? NOT in the kitchen, I
hope! <g> Seriously though, you're likely to have swarf everywhere,
and it's a good idea to have a spaced devoted to metalworking.

My enclosure is an 8'x12' shed I built out in my backyard...

I use the chip guard that came standard with my lathe (which is
attached to the backside of the lathe,) but I don't use the chip pan
(the one that goes beneath the lathe) because I have a dedicated space
and my lathe is bolted to my bench for stability.

Some guys don't even bother with the chip guard, but I find that it
helps me contain the swarf a bit, so it makes for easier cleanup.
Still, I find swarf behind the lathe, under the lathe, on the floor,
sometimes in my clothes, shoes, hair, etc.

Best of luck,
Mark

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "fricebe" <fricebe@...> wrote:

hi all
I'm a cliff dweller and have a 7x12 on order. I think I must construct
some sort of enclosure to contain the fly-offs. (have to get along
with the lady that cleans up)
anyone got a design, or just suggestions.....
thanks
FRI

---------------------------------
New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.

Hello all, I want to introduce myself. My name is Patrick I'm in
Gaithersburg MD. I joined the group to learn something about mini
machining as I'm a novice.
I have a basic knowledge machining/metal work, and good book collection
which helps. My father was in the tool and die trade and a foreman in a
machine shop before CNC machines arrived sometime in the late 60's early
70's. He left the industry when CNC machines started making it big.
He had the chance to learn CNC, I guess he wasn't interested in it. It
was a shame because I think machining was his passion. He passed
on before I could really learn anything about machining from him.
I have made some small metal parts on a small unimat, but I need a
machine thats a little heavier and stiffer than the unimat.
I want to buy a mini lathe and would like to know what the best ala
round models would be. Most of them on the market are Chinese and some
say there decent machines. I would like to make small gears at some
point. Just one of those things I want to do. I've been reading up on
gear terminology and the math involved.
There's something magical about cutting a part out of a chunk
metal............thanks Pat L.

Sounds like it's time for a CNC conversion on that mill...