Відео

With the $500 you save you can add a quick change toolpost or 160mm taiwan chuck to the FI-550 as I did. I preferred the slightly smaller tailstock on the 550, as many times I made 300+ small cylinders that required flicking the tailstock back and forth, very hard to do on bigger lathes. Didn't like the supposed "cam lock" on the 610 either. Never once did I need an extra 60mm of distance between centres . You either need 1m BC or you don't. The FI-550 and FI-1000 seem to come out of a different factory to the others in my opinion. Other models seem clunky in comparison. FYI, try the procedure I mention for centering the 3-jaw chuck. Wish I knew this from day one. Make a new backplate for it if necessary. I've found the SANOU chucks are actually very accurate for the $ if mounted correctly.

@@mccgakloi Thanks for the detailed explanation of the machine and the difference. I appreciate it. I ended up buying a Taiwanese 1340 from Hare and Forbes. Still haven't got it running yet but I am expecting good things from it.

@@ozyrob1 1440? AL1000C? Great machine, Liang Dei. If funds permitted at the time I would have gone for that instead of the FI-1000. Though the FI1000 did have a few larger specs of interest such as spindle bore diameter. Tailstock on the AL1000 is within 0.02 (I've measured a couple times), and very nice ground ways on cross slide.

@@mccgakloi Hey mate, the 960B. I believe it's made by Liang Dei.

@@ozyrob1 Yes correct that's a Liang Dei also.

I'll be honest and say I personally wouldn't bother. If you want to cut threads just get a bigger more rigid lathe with thread chasing dial already attached. A work around I did is to put masking tape with a flag sticking out on the end of the carriage lead screw on the RHS end. I'd remember the orientation of the chuck, when the tape was pointing up and the position of the carriage/number on the carriage dial. I'd orientate the chuck and flag by hand, position the carriage in the same spot, engage the lever, then turn the lathe on. Otherwise don't disengage the carriage, turn the machine off if possible, and wind back the carriage by turning the chuck by hand. I never ran many good threads on this lathe for this reason.

The gears are a pain. You need to use your intuition most times to get the spacing right using the available parts supplied. You can move the gear assembly slightly in xy directions before tightening. Tbe carriage gibs can be checked on the back. I would sometimes hold the Z axis handle while facing so the carriage didn't get pushed away from the part. The is a carriage lock that can also be snugged, but not locked. pic is in the manual

@@mccgakloi much appreciated!

Hi Paul. I didn't modify any parts. I added an adapter sleeve to the threaded post. One end a female thread, the other end a male thread needed for the new toolpost.

it's a steal for the price point and accessories, a very nice lathe. good luck.

@@HM-Projects where is it listed?

@@andrewmarch234 Gumtree

@@HM-Projects I can't seem to track it down.

@@andrewmarch234 neither can I, probably sold. Sorry :/

You won't get much better than 0.05 out of a Chinese leadscrew, nor a Chinese ball screw for that matter, not over that length. You would be considering a Taiwanese or Japanese ball screw, and of 20mm+ diameter too if you want better. Any 600mmx16mm ballscrew, even from Germany, with measurably NIL runout will sag in the middle as soon as you suspend it horizontally. Manual lathes with not so great tolerances benefit from a cheap small OD leadscrew that will flex in the middle slightly, to allow it to bend onto center as the carriage moves along. As long as it's not way out, the slight flex won't cause any lifting of the carriage if its snug on the ways. On that note, check the "slop" in your carriage. Adjustment screws on the rear of the carriage should be checked, especially after a bit of initial use.

@@mccgakloi thanks for your detailed response. I've kept the leadscrew on both axes as I like to keep this mixed use not planning to add full CNC support yet. I've added DRO on both axes and wired it up to my electronic leadscrew to support a closed loop mode that can turn reasonably precision parts. I had to make a new brass gib for the rear of the carriage and snug it up. I purchased my lathe around mid 2019 from Gepps Cross, could be older stock.

@@HM-Projects okay, I purchased mine before that, and I always thought the blue was a newer look to the cream version on display. What CNC controller are you using? Not much allows for feedback of any kind. You seem to have a DRO and controller in one?

@@mccgakloi Custom built, not full CNC but can turn a few stock operations. Similar to conversational CNC wizards in Mach3 or Acorn. It can do closed loop linear movements based on feedback from DRO, non linear movements like curves are best effort. It's good enough for my needs.

@@mccgakloi I've got a few examples in my channel like ua-cam.com/video/_v4O1gaXzbw/v-deo.html. It is a work in progress though :)

Yours looks to have the cream paint job, so I'd say its older than mine. The Optimum TU2506 is just another OEM version of this lathe. A lot of companies have it rebadged, and I'm sure who ever makes them doesn't sell them directly. As for the leadscrew, I haven't noticed any issues with mine. I would recommend pulling it out and installing a ballscrew, and then CNC it, however looks like that's what you've already done, and may be the reason why you noticed the leadscrew runout in the first place? I was going to CNC this lathe, however it is a good one and seemed a shame to tear it apart. Made more sense in my situation to buy a CNC and let someone else enjoy this one. If it was a dud, I would have CNC'd it.