030 Mini Lathe for Locksport - review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- One of my latest acquisitions is a mini lathe which I have used successfully to polish picks, shape tension wrenches from windshield wiper blades and craft my first security driver pins from 3mm brass rod.
This relatively cheap power tool has allowed me to operate more safely and precisely, freeing up both hands to manipulate the materials I'm working with. If you are considering getting into locksport tooling then this may well be something you will find invaluable.
Your channel should be mandatory viewing for any novice locksporter. You're walking the path that I would want, given sufficient time and money.
Thanks Bram - I think time and money are always barriers - we can only do what we can with what we have and try to add our unique voice to the conversation. I appreciate your support 🙌
Started: what's he going to do with a lathe?
Midpoint: I need to get a lathe.
By the end: what about making custom pick handles?
Your unique ideas and perspective are why I love this channel.
Ah cheers Ray - appreciate that mate 🙌
Great! Right when I swear to myself I'm not going to spend any more money on my habit, you come out with one of your excellent videos! I should switch to something cheaper and less addictive, like Meth!!!
Ahahaha - well, if you’d like to step into the alley here Sir, I do have a little something to help numb the pain and delight the senses... 😂🤣
@@fishpicks4531 😂 LMAO 😂🇺🇸🇬🇧
Andy. Excellent as always. And nice too see so many comments that appreciate your input again.😎. As always will look forward to your next.
Yep the locksport community rocks - very supportive 🙏
Great review!
Always good to have two hands on the work piece. As you have shown this gives you more control and accuracy for a good result 😃
Stay safe my friend.
🐾🐈🐈⬛🐾😷🇬🇧👏👏👏👏👏
Cheers Chris - loving your channel as always - stay safe mate 🙌🐟
@@fishpicks4531 thank you buddy!!
And I Yours!
🐾🐈🐈⬛🐾😷🇬🇧🍻
I had been waiting for this one, I do have a mini lathe now and also picked up a drill press set-up which allows your dremel tool to become a drill press.
Now the tutorial for the tensioners, what I had found out from my experimentation at making them - the end that goes in the keyway is for holding locks in your hands, you don't have to twist a full 90 to use a tensioner in a vise ( about 25-30° )and if you give yourself a little extra room to make the twists, you won't tear the wiper insert. So that little extra distance between the vise grips when turning keeps that from happening. Excellent video sir! Hopefully soon, I will be able to get a work area situated to start making my security pins and some challenge locks.
Thanks for the feedback - a dedicated locksport working space is something I hope to set up this summer - for now it is our kitchen table!
@@fishpicks4531 man if I was close by, we'd have you a lock lab built and ready to go! I have the space, but going through all the clutter to make mine happen is going to be a chore, but I am lucky enough to have a work around until I can fight the clutter which reminds me of the old star trek episode " the trouble with tribbles " . If you like, I can let you know how the dremel drill press works out. I figured that in combination with the lathe and that, along with all the other atuff i bought; I should be able to make aome decent security pins and pin in pin. Stay well and safe, enjoy you new toys and means to make some dastardly key pins👍😁🦾
Thanks Fish Picks, been looking forward to this review and you didn't disappoint! Keep up the great work and content!
Good to hear Martin - thanks mate 🙌
Great video as always Fish! This looks like a dandy item for those who want to get into making custom picks, challenge locks or just making small parts.
Cheers - thanks for the consistent support mate 🙌
Another wonderful episode, Fish. While I wouldn't use it for locksport, I can see using it for other things. Thanks so much for featuring it.
Thanks - glad you enjoyed it 😉🙌
As a user of full size engine lathes my first thought was, "Oh, that's cute." After watching the vid my second was "Brilliant!". Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
My work here is done! Appreciate the feedback and support 🙌
Thanks for the demo and review of the mini lathe. It looks like a useful tool for Locksporters.🦊👍
Cheers Jack - hope all is well 🙌
Good review. These seem to be decent for light duty use & well suited for most locksport chores.
Certainly that has been my experience so far 😉
Loving your channel! Reinforcing stuff I've seen from other folks... You be adding a lot of good info.
Very interesting and probably good for the purpose you checked. In the end it made me deep dive into lathe world but it was worth sucking up that knowledge additionally. Thanks for sharing the thoughts👌
Thanks - I suspect in due course I’ll upgrade to something with more versatility but as an entry level tool, it seems fine.
Excellent review and the video clarity quality is superb...like always!
Cheers John - much appreciated 🙌
Lo9ks pretty good Andy, and at half the price of a dremel and no need to purchase a vice on top it's great value. 😁👍
Agreed Nick - I think it’s decent value - thanks for checking it out. 🙌
Cool bit of kit there. I use a cheap hobby tool in a vice. I think there is still alot of benefit to a mini layth if you have the spare change. May get round to it one day. Nice review Fish👍
Yep as always mate budget and space are going to be factors 🙌
@@fishpicks4531 didnt think of the space factor👍
I've run this lathe through its paces. Other than this, you need a set of files (cheap key files will do), sanding paper, PPE, and a few dollars worth of 3mm brass stock. If it's your goal to turn cheap and crappy locks into challenge locks then you can get started on a shoestring budget. You can even use this with Dremel tools to cut euro cylinder locks in 2, grind the burrs off, and brass wheel/polish them if you desire so.
Agreed Bram - seems a good low cost entry tool 👍
Awesome!
I'm very interested in the toolmaking, modification aspects of this great hobby and the ways in which people go about it.
This is probably the only bit of kit I haven't acquired yet, but have been looking at several and this seems to be a good one.
Thanks for that- enjoyed this vid very much.👍
Pleasure Pete - glad it was helpful 🙌
I’ve been using small and pin sized metal files so far. Maybe I’ll invest in this mini lathe. Those serrated and barrel security pins are professional looking. Good work! Impressive
Oh, that's awesome! I didn't know those little guys existed.
I got a nice vise (no anvil) that came with an attachment you can swap to that is made to hold a dremel. I paid around $15 and it's really well made for the price.
What a coincidence! I was just going over the internet for something like this.
Thanks for the review, I just started making my own pins too, I have my dremel hose clamped to a dumbbell weight and it works alright, this looks like the better way ;)
Haha love it - Mcgyver in the house 😉
Another very informative video. Thanks for what you do for us.
It is really my pleasure - thank YOU for the encouragement and support 😉
This was amazingly soothing; almost oddly so. Very informative as well. Cheers!
Glad you liked it - perhaps I should do a bedtime series to help lull people into a good night’s sleep 😂
@@fishpicks4531 You joke, but that is an awesome idea. You very well could be on to something. You've got potential for voiceover/narration work.
Great review fish, I can't imagine it will be too long before people are paying for you to review their goods. Your videos are really on point.
Regards
Simon
Thanks Simon - well that would be lovely! Time will tell 😉
Another good video, thanks Andy. Good to see that the chuck clamps firmly onto what looks like the standard Dremel or generic rotary tool bits. There's a huge selection of those available. And I heartily endorse your suggestion to wear protective eyewear - I've seen patients after either the tool bit has disintegrated, or the chuck itself, while using mini-lathes for model making. Not pleasant!
Yup - so easy to lose focus and get really hurt. A while back I was holding a key which had heated up from grinding - I was using a thick piece of cloth and got to close to the spinning grinding tool. It whipped it out of my hand and thankfully I managed to pull away and turn it off before any damage was done but it was a timely reminder!
For what you were doing, a drill in a vise would do. Except for speed control. HOWEVER!!! Thank you for making me think of looking for "mini lathes" On Amazon or elsewhere. I have always wanted a lathe. Mostly for small projects. I think it's likely I'll go for one a few hundred more someday. Now for a tiny welder.
Nice! i use an adapted schepach tiger2000 , minigrinder with cable head and a modified tile cutter for my pick making with diamond wheels 3" and discs 6" 8" all of which came too a quite considerable sum, this would be great for small scale and polishing tho! Thanks Fish!
Pleasure - sounds like you have a great set up 😉
A handy piece of kit. Looks like it would be fun to use. Thanks for this review, cheers
My pleasure - I’m enjoying playing with it 😉
I got one of the cheaper minilathes and built a wooden "cage" around it... the PSU is attached on the back of the cage, allowing easy access to the speed control.
It also has a small rack on top, where I can put the accessories.
The base plate is an extruded aluminum profile making it easy to mount it with some screws and wingnuts from the bottom...
Until this video, I never thought about using it as a "fixed" Dremel, but I think I'll give it a try :)
Sounds like your machining skills are on point - nice modifications 🙌
@@fishpicks4531 I inherited some woodworking skills from my grandfather :)
With that modification, it is also more rigid than the stock cheapo lathe.
If you like, I can send you some pictures
@@SystemX1983 yep would love that - my email is in the ‘About’ channel section 🙏
It's videos like this that make Locksport so expensive 😉
🤣 apologies!!
Great review thanks 👍
Pleasure Demetrius 🙌
I have a similar tool, and it’s come in handy in a variety of ways in my locksport endeavors. ☺️
Agreed - seems like a pretty versatile piece of kit. Next episode features the SFIC you sent me mate 😉🙌
@@fishpicks4531 that’ll be fun; I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on those.
Fish, thanks for sharing. After watching this, I think I might pick one up in the near future. Great job on the security pins. Will you be trying some counter-milling in the near future? Would love to see a video on it. Cheers!
Thanks Andrew - I don’t have any immediate plans to try counter milling but in the summer I hope to have a little more time so who knows 😉
It’s definitely something I will explore Andrew, yes. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Darren McEvoy’s recent series on making CLs which is really great 😉
@@fishpicks4531 I’m not familiar with his channel but I’ll take a look. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have a larger lathe. One of the 7x14 and it works but I still find a Dremel in a vice works best for pin making and polishing.
Many paths up the mountain I think 😉🙌
Have you been getting my browser history? I have been looking hard at mini lathes lately. Thank you for the review!
Haha glad this episode was timely Trent 😉🙌
Looks good fish 👍
Thanks for checking it out 🙌
Great review, I’d be sold had I not already gotten a dremel for Xmas. My question is does your dremel heat up fast. I’ve only ever used it for 5 min or so. I wanna start making pins. Also where’d u get ur brass rods for pin making?
The dremel does get warm but I don’t think I’ve used it for more than 5 minutes at a time so not sure Kevin. The brass rod was just from Amazon - 10 for about £7 - just type 3mm brass rod into the search window and you’ll get multiple offerings 😉
I really shouldn't be watching this because I'm freezing my spending on lock shop related stuff but a mini lathe is a great idea that I didn't even know was an option.
Well, no harm in watching 😉
@@fishpicks4531 Kind of... I already started looking for one but I stopped I'm going to try to wait a few months to look again.
Very awesome review! I’ve been looking at getting one of these for a long time to make CL pins, glad to see it’s versatility. Do you by chance have a link where to purchase one, as well as the brass rods?
Here’s the link for the brass rods - amzn.to/3eHKxkG
And here’s the link I used for the mini-lathe - amzn.to/3u3bu8K
Thanks. Very nice.
Looks like a fine lil tool.
Certainly is - hope all is well x
Looks interesting mate. Might have to get myself one. 👍🤘🖖🍻
Surprised you don’t have one mate - I think of you as the king of tools! Definitely pick one up and have a play 😉
@@fishpicks4531 I don't have that many tools lol. Just enough and sometimes I need an extra tool 🤣 but I'm not sure if I'd use it these days. 👍
Another excellent video.
Thanks Charles 🙌
Nice.. could use it for making some pick handles also…
Absolutely 🙌
Good review
Do you have a link for this lathe
Should have a link to buy one.
Does it come with any sort of table to hold cutting bits ? That would be a must for me I had a cheap one but the front bearing was useless a variation of +~ 1.8mm everything I made was out of shape 😂
There’s the cutting table that I show in the video which slides along the tracks of the lathe body - is that the kind of thing you are referring to?
@@fishpicks4531 no more like a two way clamp with wheels to adjust the tool forward and backwards left and right
@@thecrappylockpicker4696 ah no the price point for this unit doesn’t offer that- I suspect you would need to look towards a more expensive model.
Does not seem to be available anywhere.
Can this be changed to a bigger drill bit?
Not sure Tina - It looks like the Chuck is fixed but it opens wide enough for most tasks I can think of for locksport. The drill bits are obviously interchangeable like any drill/lathe.
If you're going to get a lathe get a proper metal lathe, like a Unimat, or (if you're feeling rich) a Cowells. Drill chucks are not meant for sideways load.
I’m not! Which is why I got this one 😉
My dremel is missing.....
Google Translate lets you take a picture of the manual pages and it will translate it into English.