Just a couple quick tips here from a machinist. You want to use a spot drill when drilling a hole not a center drill, especially when using a carbide drill. In this particular situation it probably didn't really matter, but it'll extended the life of your drills in the long run. Center drills are specifically made to create holes for centers to go into and therefore have a smaller angle, spot drills are made to create a pilot angle for the drill to follow. Spot drill come in a variety of sizes and angles, you'll want to use one with an angle greater than the drill you intend to follow it with. When you spot a hole with a spot drill or center drill that has a smaller angle than the drill you intend to use, the tip of the drill won't be the first thing to engage the material and you will end up wearing out the cutting edge of your drill faster and in an uneven manner. If you've ever noticed divots or chipped section forming on your drills cutting edge, this is the likely cause. I also noticed in the video you didn't go deep enough with center drill to actually start cutting with the angle. Sorry don't mean to critique your work here just want to share some knowledge. If you're going to use a center drill to spot a hole, and believe plenty of people do, you'll want to at least go deep enough to cut the angle into the material. You can potentially chip out or add significant wear to your drills cutting edge where the drills cutting edge engages the diameter of the hole created by the tip of the center drill. Honestly some machinist don't even know center drills aren't for spotting holes so no slight on you. Really enjoyed the video, I'm gonna go subscribe and binge watch some of your content. Hope my tips help you and the comment readers save some money on some expensive tooling. Cheers.
Thanks! This is exactly the kind of advice I really appreciate. I do have a spot drill or two, but I've mostly only used them when drilling on the milling machine. I'll keep it close to hand near my lathe in future
Thanks for such info. I have watched people use lathes many times, but I lack that kind of skill. Now, I own a Proxxon PD250 and need to get wise on these matters. My specialties are more in the field of electronics and software, so this is kind of challenging, and fun at the same time.
When you started to put the radius on the first washer I thought it looked a little big. Thank you for not editing your “error.” It is nice to know that even professionals, occasionally, make the same errors that I often make. Wasn’t that “snap” sound when everything fell into place, sweet? Yeaaahh, Baby.
Leaving the mistakes and errors in is the one true secret to UA-cam success, but don't tell anyone. I want to keep it to myself. :) I'd hate to leave you with the impression I'm a professional though. I'm a software engineer by trade, and just a dabbler in machining. I spend way more of my spare time editing videos than in the workshop these days.
Comprehensive video, Thank you! I use videos like this to demo lathe work in remote parts of India. A small drill-powered lathe and a welder are usually sufficient to fix half the broken machinery in an entire village, directly impacting the lives of hundreds. Note to new machinists: Consider the order of operations before drilling. 1. Drill first, with coolant, if the holes need to be a tight/sliding accurate fit. 2. Drill last, after facing & turning, without coolant, for a tight/press fit (undersized holes) 3. Heat the drill bit (hss only) with a hot air gun and drill last, without coolant, for a loose fit.
Thanks for your very well done and informative video. The reason I asked in the chat about using thrust washers for the cross slide was that I was in the middle of boring out the cross slide bracket to fit a pair 8x16x5mm thrust washers. The tolerances are not critical as if you bore to far you can fit a plan washer as a shim. It worked very well but was quite a bit more bother than using the shim as done in your video, although is does have the advantage of no play at all from the handwheel. For the compound slide I had used a single 8 x 22 x 7 mm Deep Groove Ball Bearing that also worked very well and has no play at the handwheel but it turns so easily it feels loose. Please keep up the excellent videos, Larry
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I see they are more accurately thrust bearings, the same as you used on the tool post in this video. Amazon has images of both thrust washers and thrust bearings when you search for thrust bearings.
My little 7x14 lathe has earnt me well into 6 figures over the past 10 years, it is in dire need of another overhaul, its 3rd! But still going strong with no major component failures. I have just added another bigger lathe to the fleet which is yet to be used, it is still being assembled and correctly sorted before being used, some time doing what you are doing to a new Chinese lathe is time well spent!
One is my fears with investing in any tools is not making a return on the investment. How did you manage to make money off the mini lathe? Is it part of a larger fabrication business?
Well done mate very nice additions to enhance the performance of these machines. I have a couple of thoughts I would like to share as well. I keep a collection of AN and NAS Aircraft grade washers which are made of high alloy steel and very flat... make sure you put this type of washer under each one of your Gib nuts. This will prevent galling and give you a better feel when adjusting the Gibs. Next, I could not tell because of camera angle if you already did this but when using a single cut file on non-ferrous metal make sure to "Chalk it" which will prevent your file from loading with the brass in this case or bronze. Also, when drilling the primary hole I would recommend stepping up with a couple of undersized drills and then for those who do not have a 10 mm reamer (which I'm going to guess is pretty rare for a lot of folks) you have a perfect opportunity to final size the ID with a small boring bar. This boring bar should be de riguer for anybody owning a lathe such as this. Final comment just to add style points would be to drilli and counter bore an oiling hole to allow a spring-loaded brass/ball bearing oiling port to be pressed in at the 12:00 position right above your new thrust washer. These pressed-in ball bearing/ brass oiling ports are commonly available these days on Amazon.. A little more work but there is nothing like fresh oil at the business end of an area you're trying to get a "smooth as butter" feel out of. Again well done and kudos to your presentation and editing style you get right into it and this makes it ever so enjoyable for your fans. Thank you.
Thanks for the great set of tips! Let me go through them in turn. The suggestion to use washers for the gib nuts makes great sense, but I don't seem to be able to get NAS or AN washers this side of the pond. I've also had no luck tracking down what the European arcraft grade equivalent is. I may have a go with ordinary off-the-shelf washers, unless I can track down something of higher spec. I've heard about chalking a file, but didn't get around to doing it for my own files. Noted that this is particularly useful for working with yellow metals. I get myself some chalk. Since making this video I've sorted out some handy boring bars, including was of holding them. An oiler for the thrust bearing sounds like a great idea too! I've had a few comments from people worried about the bearing reducing friction in a way that might make the toolpost work loose, but so far this has never happened in 3 years of use. Given that it's definitely worth checking out whether oil improves smoothness without compromising the holding power, but just to be sure I'll do that before I commit to drilling a port for the oiler. Thanks again for your input; you've given me a bunch of new information.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe thank you for your reply I realize my wording sent you down a bunny trail inadvertently when I use the term thrust washer I was referring to the bronze brass washer you fabricated. I'll give you a moment to process that and now you can think about how the oiling hole would go perfectly into the housing at the 12:00 position above the brass washer to keep it oiled since it's pretty much tucked away and difficult to get to. The spring-loaded ball bearing brass press in Oilers arr ideal because it allows you to get oil into a remote location and keeps the dirt out simultaneously As far as the needle bearing arrangement for the tool post hold down I think you've got it nailed as is no change or enhancement required and that's an easy item to keep oiled and clean. Regarding washers I'm not sure how things are over the pond when it comes to recycling used flatscreen televisions however I waste no time when someone is throwing one out to take it back to my shop pull it apart and pull out a lot of the Fasteners and bits that go with it typically you can find lots of nickel-plated and high-quality Chrome plated or stainless steel fasteners inside of television sets and after a while you'd be surprised of the collection you can accumulate. If all else fails send me your email address and we can exchange home addresses...it would be super simple for me to drop some Aerospace washers in the mail I have more than I can ever use or consume because I have been such a pack rat over the years going to various Aerospace surplus centers and picking through the bins to accumulate all sorts of wonderful aircraft grade Fasteners and bits. One other point I forgot in the last transmission was the business of lapping down or slightly removing material from a finished washer... you did a fine job with your finger however I would like to Share a method I learned in a tool and die shop i worked in. Have ready some hardwood blocks cut on a basic wood miter saw with a carbide blade to about 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inch squares once again I'm a Notorious garbage picker for repurposing things being thrown out and I certainly do not want to contribute to the rainforest being wiped out by Ikea however it seems like every time somebody is throwing out a futon or something from Ikea that they're tired of it is usually made out of this beautiful Hardwood that is knot free and cuts to a surface finish of 60 Rockwell or better on a carbide bladed miter saw anyway that's besides the point but I do make up some blocks like that out of scrap hardwood and then have handy some double-sided carpet tape Simply stick a 1-inch piece of carpet tape onto one face of the block and then stick the flat washer to the tape and that allows you firm purchase and equal load pressure while working on the abrasive paper A couple of other notes I typically have sheets of thick glass and using spray Mount adhesive put wet dry paper of 220, 400 and 600 grit on various pieces of glass. And I epoxy the glass to simple wooden bases so they stay put....anyway always use a figure 8 motion when working the flat washer and I will be the first to also admit I am not a big WD-40 fan but I cannot for the life of me find anything that works better for lubricating the wet dry and assisting with the material removal on whatever it is you' are working. When you're done with the wood block and double-sided tape just spray your favorite solvent or soak the Block in some mineral spirits and the washer will come loose quite easily There you have it --good luck!!
I have this very lathe. It came with a bent cross-slide shaft, and I nearly managed to get it right, but it still tightens and goes slack as I turn it. It's adequate for my needs. Your tutorial is very worthwhile, some tips and tricks I was unaware of. I fettled the carriage running using tips from other videos but I do need to address the compound slide. I don't use the lathe for screwcutting. I was shown how when I was an apprentice fitter but that was a long long time ago. I did have a large lathe, a proper one, but sold that for various domestic reasons. Anyway this one does small jobs. Larger jobs I could farm out to my local engineering company who has done work for me before. Many thanks for sharing...
Probably the best improvement I've made to mine is the solid block that replaces the compound slide. Just a chunk of mild steel cut to size and drilled. Makes everything more rigid, makes parting off less traumatic.
One mod i would add is to cut a small piece of nylon ( weed whacker, whipper snipper , line trimmer) cord and fit into the grub screw hole on the dials and re fit the grub screw and tighten it down to give a friction dial like on a big lathe , easy to do and cost nothing ! - one of the best things i did to my lathe !
Neat idea! I almost wish you'd suggested that before, then I could have made this Six Quick Improvements. I've been considering what to do with the dial scales, which I'm going to mention briefly in this video.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Alistair, there's also special Grub Screws called "dog points" which feature a smaller diameter nylon or a brass tip. (link only for examples) www.yhscrew.com/grub-screw-manufacturers.html
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe You could always do an addendum video 😃 Another mod i did was to drill the dimples in the cross slide gib a bit deeper and add a shim behind it ( shim has holes to allow the grub screws to pass through ) this stops the gib pivoting on the ends of the grub screws and this helped to stop dig ins when i was parting off , my shim ended up around 0.5mm thick and now i can run the gibs at a reasonable pressure giving a nice play free fit without too much drag . I also added taper gibs on the saddle but if you want to see a mini lathe that has been re worked beyond belief take a look at Rotary SMP channel .
@@ianbertenshaw4350 I'll do an addendum video if I can get 4 more (on top of the nylon tip) quick fixes together. :) I definitely plan to do a bunch of gib work along those lines, but I think that's too complex to be included. It's worth a video of its own. Nice idea to shim the gib to make it more stable. I've been looking at that gap and wondering what to do. I think taper gibs might be overkill for me.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe The recreational machinist also does some useful mods to a mini lathe and the O ring friction set up on the dials looks interesting .
The headstock bearing swap transformed mine into something usable, that is a must. I also did the cover on the saddle (another must). Next is the carriage lock. Cheers
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I used tapered. I made a lap out of a block of mdf I glued up. I sized the shaft to allow the bearing to slide on easily. I got the idea of the lap from Steve Summers channel, he made one from aluminum.
@@rickpalechuk4411 hi. Can you explain more on why you sized the shaft smaller? Is it easier to get the right adjustment on the turning torque that way? What method is used to adjust the bearings? Thanks
I thoroughly recommend the solid toolpost riser; my machine (a 250mm swing Chinese benchtop model) is now taking cuts on par with the 400mm swing machines in class! Parting with HSS is a dream (before my entire compound would bend and wobble, even when I had it wound back to minimise the effect of levers!). Stefan G and Robin Renzetti have both got excellent videos on this topic. The one addition I would have on top of their designs and commentary is to lower the height a little (if you can) to use larger shank tools. I went from 12mm to 20mm so I get more rigidity in the tool shank if I need to stick it out a little from the holder. That cross section area (second moment area) does wonders. Have a good one!
Solid toolpost is definitely in the plan, for both this lathe and the Proxxon. If you shorten the height though, you no longer have the same tool holder adjustment for use with the compound as with the riser, which seems like quite a big downside. I'll have to check how much more height would buy me. I have a feel the tool holders I have are only 12mm high, so more height over the carriage wouldn't buy me much.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe yes, maintaining good engagement with the QCTP is important; I think I got lucky with the sizes on my machine as with a 12mm tool, originally the holder was a few millimetres above the top of the QCTP, with 20mm, I can drop the tool about 4mm below the bottom of the QCTP as I also designed the riser with a round boss to do just this :) Looking forward to the next one!
I punched a washer out of teflon for #5. Even a little thick the low coefficient of friction of teflon still allows free movement with very little backlash.
I noticed the chuck shaft ends right above the change gears. Any chips that get in the shaft will eventually fall out and land in the change gears. I used a piece of 3/4" copper pipe (turned down ever so slightly) to extend the shaft outside the gear box area.
Hi, I like a few of your ideas here. Nice simple and easy for everyone to accomplish. You wanted ideas for the sloppy fit at the interface from head to bed, also saddle and tailstock too. Modern machines have a pad type of surface applied, the surface is a good bearing and vibration damping agent too. RULON is one of those bearing types used although it is not the type I would used. They all have a bonding procedure then need to be scraped to fit the machines. Quite sure with judicious cleanliness you could adhere some phosphorus bronze and achieve the same results. Even bonding on some (fragile) cast iron could be a solution but brittle and not wise. A Russian enthusiasts has made tapered bronze gibs for the under saddle keeper plates, I don't have a link sorry: Although he does have a youtube video posted showing them.
I'm currently going for cast iron. I don't think brittleness will be a problem if the fit is good. I'm epoxying them into place on one side, which also helps keep them stable. The reason is that cast iron is so much easier to scrape than steel. I've watched the video with the tapered gibs for under saddle plates, but currently I think the fit on the top of the bed is more important to fix.
A very definite example of watching the video, before making a decision about buying this particular piece of home workshop machinery. I suspect I have been like many, many others; buying on a budget, before looking at the pro's and con's! Thankfully, I have had the time to watch this really great series of videos while waiting for delivery. It might mean not actually getting to use the lathe for a while yet, but I think the strip down, reassembly and completion of most of the quick fixes will be essential to successful use of this workshop machine. Thanks.
Chinese lathes can be modified to work just great .You did a great job on it especially replacing the capscrew with a button head stainless one . I recently restored an old Walker Turner drill press and replaced all fasteners with stainless ones and It looks great . Can't wait for the saddle fix video .
I get the impression that these Chinese lathes are like platforms to modify and refine into the finished machine that you need. Alternately you can spend more money on the same Chinese lathe but sold by a brand that has done the finishing for you. Something like that, anyway.
Just a quick note on your side clearance parting tool comment. When you grind back rake on the tool extend it back far enough to cover the full depth of the cut. Now the cutting edge is the highest point that enters the work. The side clearance built into the tool steel now also provides a tiny back clearance. Squaring the tool up carefully will take advantage of this. Not a big deal as your washer did not have a huge wall thickness. Parting can be one of the the most challenging operations on small lathes. Line up all the ducks and it can be satisfying when it works. Great video as always :)
Thanks for the tip! I hadn't actually ground any rake for this project, but I hadn't considered that it also helps clearance in addition to improving cutting performance.
You are probably already aware that you don’t need any rake for brass and bronze as the tool will pull itself into the work by taking up any back lash if you have back rake. You actually need zero or negative rake. To take advantage of the side clearance mentioned above after adding the rake angle take it back to zero (flat) for just the first 1mm. You will notice the pulling in effect most when drilling brass after you have drilled a pilot hole. You can also grind negative rake on a drill fairly easily. I’m enjoying the lathe project. Looking forward to see how you deal with the bed mismatch with the saddle. It looks like they weren’t even meant to go together. :)
Along with the quick-change tool post, I would recommend a wedge type quick change tool post. I've tried a few of the peg type, and they're horrible. The tool *always* moves when you tighten it, making it difficult to level your cutting tool. I ended up getting one similar to what's shown in this video and am very happy with it.
I made my first washer a couple of days ago, and ran into the same problem after parting it off. I faced of the round bar left in the chuck, and super glued the washer to the face, using a live center to center it before the glue set. I then faced of the ring (or whatever you call that) from the washer. Of course, the problem with that method is that if to use to much glue, it can take a lot of time and effort to remove the washer. I ended up putting it in the freezer for a few hours, heating up a skillet on the stove, and placing the glued-together assembly on the stove, washer side down. The uneven expansion broke the glue joint. It would have been much easier to just do what you did.
No need to face the washer off again with the parting tool before you part it off. That face will be parallel to the cross axis of the lathe, no matter what tool is used. You can also grind the parting tool to have a bit of angle with the forward tip facing your finished part. That’ll reduce the burr.
The purpose of that pass wasn't to make sure the face was true; it was to make sure the face was exactly at the left edge of the parting tool. I could then define the thickness of the washer pretty precisely using the hand wheel scale on the lathe.
Cheers! Nice how you did this video, the steps, the point made. Appreciate your honestly in describing your machining experience, I say this as machining tips and tricks were not your focus, only the five things you wanted to fix.
If you have a grinder it is a quick job to grind relief on the parting tool so it will not rub and get pushed off. If you don't do a perfect job and grind too high the width of the cut will change. Usually not a problem.
I enjoyed the vid. A thought that popped into my head was why these lead screws are not spring-loaded against the shoulder by a Belville spring and needle thrust bearing. This would give zero backlash at this end.
I think the answer is that any springyness in the cross-slide feed is bad. If the spring is pushing the feed in the direction towards the work, and opposing forces during machining get large enough to compress the spring, then at the right frequency the spring will effectively jack-hammer the cutting tool into the part, creating terrible chatter. I think a little backlash is better than a spring.
Nice work Also a tip for removing the external burr on the back face while parting: start parting, back the tool off once a groove has been formed, and then run a file over the newly formed edge. Then you can continue parting as normal. However, I don't have a fix for the internal edge of the bore though, let me know if you find anything 😉
Thanks! For the internal edge deburring is going to be tricky, but it should be possible to avoid the big flange by grinding the right angle into the parting tool. Carbide parting inserts can be bought with the angle specified in either direction, so the operator gets to pick which side cuts off more cleanly.
My Dad has a similar model 7x12 and he has done a few modifications to it as well. I am still considering getting one but given what I know of Dad's machine, and what I've seen from others here on UA-cam, it appears that they all generally need a little fitting and finishing and then they become much more enjoyable and reliable to use. Thanks for sharing what you've discovered so far.
13:09 I have the same lathe. At the factory the grub screws holding the cross slide and compound graduated dials had been tightened down sufficiently to gall the shafts. I removed the grub screws, smoothed out the gall marks, and replaced the grub screws with socket head cap screws. I made a couple of small brass plugs to go between the tips of the cap screws and the shafts to prevent galling. Now I can adjust the graduated dials as desired, and secure them when needed by finger tightening the cap screws.
I also used some acrylic sheet to make chip shields. One is on the inside of the apron to protect the gears. I drilled and tapped a couple of holes to secure it. The other is on the carriage to keep chips off the ways and lead screw. I utilized one of the factory tapped holes intended for securing a traveling rest. Neither idea is my own, but well worth copying.
Huh, sorry about that. I'm certain it was right when I added the link, so either AliExpress removed the size option, or switched the listing. I'll look up something equivalent to the one I used, and make a new link. Thanks for pointing out the problem.
Immensely satisfying video and delightful editing and narration. I don't know the cost of the two lathes you mention, but if the Proxxon doesn't have the Chinese vices, I would have paid the premium. But I don't have your skills (any more). I last touched a lathe in English metalwork 'O' Level 50 years ago. All the best, Rob in Switzerland
On my lathe, it became apparent that the stability of the tool post was very questionable. I took several steps to correct the problem which helped a great deal: the first step was to replace the 8.mm stud used for mounting the tool holder. I drilled out the hole in the slide and threaded it to take a 14mm stud; This worked very well, giving the tool a solid feel. Then I took out the screws holding the slide/gib together and replace them with some quality stainless steel set screws, this improved the ease with which the tension on the gib can be adjusted. Everything on the carriage must be as solid as possible, yet still adjustable with ease. My next step will be to replace the Feed screw with one made of good quality steel, that won't bend.
1) Not sure I agree with Fix #2. When you get heavy side load on the cutting tool, it can try and push the tool post away and any opportunity for the post to spin will occur. Even though the post may feel tight with the handle locked down, you now have a much reduced friction surface than if you clamp the two metal faces directly together. Just my two cents worth of input and not a criticism. 2) Another option for Fix #5 is to machine slightly larger and deeper holes in both the saddle and cover block so you can use thrust bearings on both sides. This way you can really clamp down on the screw and trap it between the two thrust bearings with almost zero slop (basically immeasurable on a dial gauge). I did this on my lathe and there is no slop due to the screw moving around in the housing and the screw turns freely. 3) Another thing I recommend is to take the cross-slide nut and cut it in half and then drill and tap two small holes in the face of one of the halves. Put small allen screws (similar to your grub screw replacements) in the tapped holes and then remount the two halves on the cross-slide, fit the screw, adjust the allen screws until there is minimal backlash in the screw, and then tighten down on the hold down screws (you might want to oval out the holes for the hold down screws in order to allow them to adjust slightly). Based on the quality of the rest of the machine, I highly doubt there is anywhere near a precision fit between the screw and lead nut and having some adjustability can take care of this. This move does negate the use of the top grub screw to adjust height of the lead nut, but you can use shims to take care of that. It will be a bit fiddly, but you will appreciate the accuracy greatly as you work with the lathe. 4) I recommend you measure the thickness of the bearing surfaces of the bed as if those are not parallel to each other, it doesn't matter what fix you do for the saddle hold down plates (had to do this on my lathe even though it was much better quality than what you are starting with.) You may have to find access to a surface grinder or do some hand scraping in order to get the bearing surfaces parallel and same thickness the total run length of the bed (you can also lap in with sand paper, but this is time consuming). 5) Little Machine Shop (on the web) in the U.S. does sell an extended bed kit if you want to go down that route. 6) I believe what you refer to as the motor adjustment screws (mounted in the bottom surface of the lathe bed) are in actuality the screws used to adjust the headstock to a planar position and this is why you see the headstock currently at an angle. The saddle mounting plates use this same system to adjust the plates for height (i.e., the two smaller screw holes between the three mounting holes on each plate). You tighten the two inner screws on the headstock to raise the headstock until the height is correct (suggest mounting a taper point in the chuck) and matches up to the tailstock height (using a taper point in the tailstock as reference). You then tighten the two outer screws to pull the headstock down tight against the two inner screws. Double check measurements to make sure everything still lines up. This is a cheap way to adjust the headstock, but then again this isn't a high precision machine to start with. 6) You also probably want to check to see if the headstock and tailstock are truly in line with the lathe bed. There are videos showing how to do this and it is more involved than I can describe herein. This is a must do as any machining of longer parts will have taper error if the headstock and tailstock are not parallel to the bed. 7) Also recommend you measure the gear rack position relative to the bottom bearing surface of the lathe bed after you complete step 4. Making sure the gear rack is parallel to the bearing surface makes the carriage move much smoother and you will appreciate how much this improves your control of the lathe. Even though the lead screw can adjust up and down, it does no good if the gear rack is not parallel to the work surface. 8) Highly recommend you replace the plastic gears (both the gears you can see and the gears inside the headstock) with metal gears. It is not a question of if you will strip the gears, it is only when this will happen. 9) Also highly recommend you replace the spindle main bearings with taper roller bearings. Little Machine Shop sells a kit for this and it really improves both the running of the lathe and the run-out accuracy of the spindle. I have done this along with a motor replacement (with a treadmill motor) and I can run the lathe at 6K rpm all day long (if I need to) with no heat build up in the bearings and run-out on the spindle is less than half a thou. 10) Although the saddle bottom mounting plates use the opposing screw forces to get the plates parallel to the bed, in reality this is a crap method and doesn't work very well. Much better to machine up a spacer block slightly thinner than the space needed to obtain parallelism and then use shim stock to get the last couple of thou of adjustment (this allows for future adjustment for wear on either the bed or saddle). You get a much more solid lock down on the bottom lock plates this way. You also want to lap the bottom mount plates where they contact the bottom of the bed so you have a smooth sliding surface (take a look at your plates and you will see what I am referring to, again poor quality material). You may even want to go so far as to machine new bottom mount plates. Keep up the good work and looking forward to seeing how you handle the many improvement opportunities this lathe presents :).
1) I'm pretty sure lack of friction at the top doesn't make it easier for the tool post to turn away from the part. The holding force comes from the downforce on the tool post, and the friction between the tool post and the surface it's mounted on. Fix #2 makes it easier to get good consistent downforce without wear on the top of the toolpost, so it should make the tool post more solid, not less. This fix is far from original to me, and I've seen it in use all over the place where handles are used to tighten friction surfaces together. 2) Have you been able to find thrust bearings small enough to fit? I spent some time looking, but couldn't find anything suitable. 3) I've seen this kind of backlash eliminator in Colchester lathes (I think), and it's on the project list to give a try. Thanks for describing it in detail. 4) I've done this measurement already, and they are way out of parallel. Thanks for confirming this problem isn't unique to me. 5) I've looked into it but the cost and shipping would be outside my reasonable budget constraints,. 6) The motor adjustment screws can't be used to adjust the headstock because they are lined up with voids in the headstock casting. They are vital for tensioning the motor belt though, as the motor mounting screws are completely worthless at keeping the motor stable. 6) The head stock and tail stock are way out of alignment. There will be a lot of work to do there. 7) Thanks for the tip! 8) I have the metal gear set ordered, and will be replacing them soon. 9) I'm going down the Angular Contact route for the headstock bearings, partly because it's the path less trodden. 10) As you pointed out earlier, I'm going to have to fix the parallelism of the bed before I can really improve the hold down plates, but that sounds like a worthwhile improvement. Thanks for the comments! Sorry it took so long to reply. Comments this long can be a bit daunting and its tricky to find the time to write a response that does it justice. Glad you're enjoying the videos, keep watching!
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe For #2, try VXB bearings in the U.S. They have an online site. I used their smallest thrust bearings and had to enlarge the holes in the saddle and the cover block by a couple of mm's in diameter to allow them to fit. Saw your note that you are machining shim plates to take care of the headstock alignment. BTW, I use a piece of 1" diameter tool steel rod about 12" long for my measurements to determine if my headstock is parallel in both head and side to side. Angular contact bearings will work well for the level of loads these lathes see. Will be looking forward to your installation videos on them.
Do NOT use a baring on the toolpost. Just a hardened ring will do. Or a bronze one, but it is essential that the post can under no circumstance swivel when tightened down.
When using a vice to knock off the burr left from parting, stand it vertically (not horizontally like you had it) and gently tap it down between the loosely snug jaws. Thanks for the vid :).
Neat tip! It's easy to miss the fact the lack of rotational friction at the top of the tool post makes no different to how well it's held in place, but makes it so much nicer and easier to use.
Nice vid.. Where to get your wedge style quick change tool holder instead of my A2Zcnc piston style one? A little bit of clearance never got in the way of anything...
I got it from Banggood, and there is an affiliate link in the video description to the product page. Gratuitous advertising I know, but I hope it's also helpful. It's often available from a number of other online stores including several EBay sellers. I have one that I'm planning to fit to the Proxxon, but haven't tried it yet. It's the right height for the Proxxon for sure. It will need a custom stud though, as the Proxxon only comes with an M8 screw hole in the top of the compound.
Nice vid. I found the same problem with the crossfeed screw assembly, and fixed pretty much exactly the same way. The problem I found though was once the washer bedded in the backlash returned, albeit not as bad as it was. Next time I'm in the mood I'll make a slightly thicker washer and allow it to bed in before maybe stoning it to exact size. Edit - just a thought, if you buy a sintered bronze bushing 10x14x20mm - perfect material (oil impregnated), and already the right id/od. Just need to part off a slice...
If I was going to spend longer, I think I'd machine the pocket so the inside was smooth, and perfectly aligned with the flat surface of the part. They the washer should sit against a smooth machined surface, and shouldn't need any bedding. Thanks for the bushing tip! I had no idea bushes like that were easily available.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe You're welcome. I used a similar bushing to repair the gear housing, the one that has the first change-gear on the outside. 15x22mm I think.
Phosphor bronze is what is used to wrap acoustic guitar strings. Did it sound bell-like to you during turning ops? I love the shearing angle on a lathe file, smoother feel when using. Keep it coming! Love your channel!
I think there are different grades of phosphor bronze for different applications. The bar I have doesn't seem to ring like a bell, but it's a grade suitable for bearing surfaces.
I have a genuine SIEG C2 and it looks a bit better made than your lathe. I am currently replacing the tailstock handwheel. I have a metal substitute from a small sewing machine. The original plastic handle kept loosening and now I am making a metal handle which can't loosen itself from the handwheel by putting the handle on a separate axle. I did the same for the carriage handwheel. I also added extra gib screws on the cross slide and the compound slide. This gives more rigidity. Thanks for this video!
All good tips. My 2 cents: 1) get rid of anything plastic...like the pulleys and gears. Right out of the gate I blew apart the plastic motor drive pulley plastic keyway...30 minutes after it was fixed destroyed the low speed plastic transmission gear... 2) consider buying a second lathe to do the upgrades needed on your first lathe. 3) loctite the handles or they thread out when you use them. 4) Are you related to Jeremy Wade? (River Monsters on TV).
Nice work on the washer, it's difficult to hit tolerances with stuff like that. As a point of order, you shouldn't ever run reamers backwards, it'll kill the cutting edger or maybe even break it off. Not sure if it was the editing but when you were hand-reaming it looked like you ran backwards a bit. For the dial adjustment, I'd probably go for an interior groove in the dial, holding an o-ring that fits relatively tightly on the shaft.
I certainly wasn't intentionally running the reamer backwards, but maybe had to wiggle it to free it when it got stuck. It was hard to grip the thin outer edge of the washer.
Aha, yes, nice one :o) If you don’t want to fight a very thin brass/bronze washer, combine it with a thick shim between the cross slide casting and bearing housing. Maybe shim it out enough for two? And if you don’t want to make a shim, just pack it off with washers, it’s only end load :o)
Ok, just one more - I made a sleeve that fits over the end of the feed screw (tailstock end), with a shank that fits in the chuck of a cordless drill. Power feed at any speed you choose! The prototype was 3d printed, works so well I haven't got around to making the steel version yet. Thinking of a permanently mounted stepper motor and Arduino controller...
Do it! A few people on UA-cam have modded their lead screw like this for thread cutting without change gears. They usually mount the stepper on the drive side of the machine, where the gears would normally be.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe It's taken a while, but I almost have a working prototype - the stepper driver I chose dint have enough balls and overheated. Going to try again with a bigger driver later today.
@@nefariousyawn Working on it. There's a couple problems I need to overcome - reliably synchronising the drive with the chuck, and knowing exactly where the carriage is. I have a sensor that can measure rotation with 12 bit precision (4096 pulses per revolution) , but it needs to be mounted inline with the spindle axis and I haven't figured that bit out yet. A glass scale will solve the other problem, but I can't afford to buy one atm. Third problem is managing all the data from the sensors...
I have to modded the hardened steel slider because the screw would nicked and damage the sitting hole on the slider. It does happens when you're parting or turning gummy materials. The shape of the setscrew is also important to ensure better stiffness .
I have something similar, a 3 in 1 fong kong, one mod among many was was that I eventually made and replaced a longer and more precise gib on the tailstock.
With that bronze washer, you could heat the bar stock red hot and drop it in motor oil for a day, it then quenches in the oil. You can machine it after that. The washer is so small that post quenching might deform the bearing. Personally, I would polish the lead screw that contacts the area you intend to put this bushing, then bore the area that houses the bushing maybe 10mm deeper and machine a deeper teflon bushing, maybe make several as they will wear out. Also the movement you see on the indicator is not entirely accurate. If you take off the scale and measure the metal beneath that you will probably measure an even lower run out. Because the scale has only one grub screw, you can see towards the end of the video that it leans slightly forwards where you tighten the screw.
What would be the purpose of quenching the bronze? It's already machinable, and already a bearing material. I don't think any further treatment is required.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Its not quenching like in the sense of hardening the metal, think of it more like seasoning a pan. The oil gets pulled deep into the pours of the metal. Its not essential but is an advantage of using bronze.
I love your voice... It reminds me of my dad when I was a kid.... Love your videos to cuz I will get one mini lathe soon, learning about small project for it is great! 😁
I’m curious if it would not have been easier to take the extra depth off the pocket face instead of making the washer? Or would modifying the face been disastrous in some fundamental way I can’t see? It seems like the dial was quite adjustable.
That would probably have been a higher quality of fix, but I think it would be more difficult, not easier. Certainly it would have been disastrous if I made the same kinds of mistakes doing that as I did in this video.
The CJ0618 and the Sieg C2 are very similar, to the point where most parts are the same, but occasionally not quite interchangeable. The C2 manual would still give you a good idea of the complete part list. I am not in the USA, so don't buy from Little Machine Shop. I buy most parts from eBay or arceurotrade.
Try facing off the tool clamp screws, and finish with a file. Low RPM with more file movement while trying to keep the screw end as flat as possible. This way your screws will be very slightly domed, so they won't pull tools to the side while you tighten them, and will have a consistent feel. And the filed finish will not chew up any softer tools or blackening on hardened tools, unlike a raw or cutter faced finish.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Yes, It helps keep a tool parallel to the holder when you clamp it, if you need that. The raw screws have uneven ends so they drag the tool one way or another as they turn.
Cool, that makes perfect sense. Have you ever seen Robin Renzetti's suggestion of also hardening those screws, to prevent them from squashing slightly when they are tightened? Repeated tightening causes a soft screw to gradually grow in width until the thread is oversize, and it sticks. (according to Robin, never tried it myself).
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe The screws are extended past the threads in my toolpost giving them an area to expand without affecting the threads, or at least I think that is how it works. My threads actually seem to be getting loose over time.
Would it not have been easier to face the block instead, one less item to drop or mislay on future strip downs... Just a thought. Nice vidio and good tips for upgraids and fixes. Thanks n keep it coming
This question has come up before in the comments. It might have been easier, as long as I could find a decent way to chuck the part up. However it would have permanently modified that part of the lathe. If I screwed up, or the idea didn't work, then I couldn't undo it. I strongly prefer to solve these problems in a way that's reversable when it's practical. Adding a shim washer can be undone, or retried as many times as I want.
well done, sir . . . you actually made five *real* improvements for minimal cost and work . . . so, what are you doing on u-tube with all the clickbait that never delivers?
Your first thing, a better tool post made a big improvement on my toy lathe. I always wonder why the worry about back lash. Don’t you always feed the cross slide the same direction? Why make a washer? Would milling off the excess work?
I've been buying up vintage atlas lathes, have 3- 6 x 18 inche and 2 - 12 x 36 inche and one 109 6 inch,, all over 50 years old but still better than and new lathes I've seen at a reasonable price,, can't beat the older made in USA lathes,, heavy cast iorn with timkin bearings, and very little back lash,, l bought 2 for the price of one Chinese lathe,,and have already proven the test of time. And my 12 inch lathes both have quick change gear boxes that cost as much as the lathe itself to buy when new,, the market is getting higher in price to find them now I'll set on them until the price increases enough,,,but a new 12 inch lathe would cost 4 times what I spent as it is.. l almost made the mistake of buying a Chinese mini lathe before I found my first classic vintage lathe, atlas was more a hobbyist lathe and not many was in class rooms are factories so they wasn't abused.
Atlas lathes look great, but metric is an absolute must for me. Feeds I can deal with in imperial, but an imperial leadscrew would be difficult to work with. How much weight are the smaller Atlas lathes?
I have a problem. I've reduced the play in the cross-slide handle but still have excess play in the cross-slide worm drive itself. Is there a suitable fix for this?
I'm not familiar with cross-slide mechanisms using a worm drive, but it's possible you mean the nut on the lead screw? I don't think that is nearly as easy to fix, though there are mechanisms with backlash elimination built into larger professional lathes. The mechanisms I've seen work by having two nuts, with a wedge fitted between them holding them apart, and maintaining contact on both directions of the lead screw thread. They work well, but can be tricky to adjust. I think it would be possible to build a similar mechanism for a small lathe, but I'm not aware of any ready-made designs for that.
Oh yes, I do, and I have. It's a much more interesting series than anything I could ever do, and I think I've recommended it a couple of times in the comments. Thanks for the signal boost!
This series is really helpful, I'm working through exactly the same issues with my own £500 7x12 lathe. Are you planning on fixing a thread dial at any point? I've bought the bits and it's next on the list, but would rather hold off if you were planning a video showing this at some stage. Best, Jim
Hi Jim, glad to hear the series is useful. I haven't actually come across the thread dial available separately. Where did you buy it from? It would be good to know roughly how it's going to fit before I start making more mods to the apron.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I got mine from Amadeal, but having just checked their website only an Imperial version now appears to be available. There is a thread on Practical Machinist (search there for 'DIY thread dial indicator') which might be a more interesting project for someone with your skill (a bit out of my league!) . Dave M has a UA-cam video 'Mini Lathe Threading Dial Upgrades' which gave me the idea initially. Happy to send you pictures of the kit I got, together with dimensions, if that's any help. Best, Jim
Thank-you. On the diagram it says part #30 is a shifting fork. What is that? My has a detent and detent spring. Is that the same. I am new to using this lathe. So any help will be greatly appreciated
The shifting fork is part of the mechanism that shifts between the high and low gears of the spindle drive. My lathe doesn't have that feature, so I can't tell you anything about it.
It appears that when you engaged the center drill that it was slightly off center, then quickly found the center. My mini lathe had this problem sometimes and not others. I discovered that the drill chuck was not perfectly aligned and by rotating it to a different location the center drill would hit the center of the stock. I then marked this orientation and now it hits center every time.
What time its it? Adventure Time! with a very small lathe. actually these were good improvements. i need to fix the slop and get a quick change tool post. i wish they would build these right rather than seemingly being an assembled pile of parts that failed inspection.
Nice video mate the washer did the job. L am thinking about buying a mini lathe but that many out there witch one do l buy l know l will have to rebuild it But with this video l.l know what to look for and build up to standard it for to make a mine steam Engine L.ve alway wanted to build a mini steam Engine it all started with a model boat l made. It only has a hobby. And You tube there to help me it all about taking your time. Thank you for this video mate.
That's quite close to what I'm planning. I small metal plate at the back is all that should be needed though, as the front bevel fits just fine as long as the back part is lifted enough. The trick will be getting everything to fit really snugly.
I'm thinking of selling mine - with the amount you have to spend on it (time and money) to get it to even a semi useful standard just doesn't seem worth it to me when compared with the cost of a larger lathe.
I don't blame you. I think machines like this represent pretty poor value for someone who just wants something that works. Larger lathes can be had for really good prices if you shop carefully, and have the ability to collect and move them.
Good tips, good video. Looking at your mod whereby you make a washer to eliminate the backlash I am wondering if it would be better to machine the housing down to the correct spacing. I say this because the housing looks quite rough machining if any at the base and notice that the scale wheel is running out of true. Yours does the same as mine so I think the housing is not mating squarely with the cross slide . So if you square up the housing face by .7 you should kill 2 birds with one stone.
Just a couple quick tips here from a machinist.
You want to use a spot drill when drilling a hole not a center drill, especially when using a carbide drill. In this particular situation it probably didn't really matter, but it'll extended the life of your drills in the long run. Center drills are specifically made to create holes for centers to go into and therefore have a smaller angle, spot drills are made to create a pilot angle for the drill to follow.
Spot drill come in a variety of sizes and angles, you'll want to use one with an angle greater than the drill you intend to follow it with. When you spot a hole with a spot drill or center drill that has a smaller angle than the drill you intend to use, the tip of the drill won't be the first thing to engage the material and you will end up wearing out the cutting edge of your drill faster and in an uneven manner. If you've ever noticed divots or chipped section forming on your drills cutting edge, this is the likely cause.
I also noticed in the video you didn't go deep enough with center drill to actually start cutting with the angle. Sorry don't mean to critique your work here just want to share some knowledge. If you're going to use a center drill to spot a hole, and believe plenty of people do, you'll want to at least go deep enough to cut the angle into the material. You can potentially chip out or add significant wear to your drills cutting edge where the drills cutting edge engages the diameter of the hole created by the tip of the center drill.
Honestly some machinist don't even know center drills aren't for spotting holes so no slight on you. Really enjoyed the video, I'm gonna go subscribe and binge watch some of your content. Hope my tips help you and the comment readers save some money on some expensive tooling. Cheers.
Thanks! This is exactly the kind of advice I really appreciate. I do have a spot drill or two, but I've mostly only used them when drilling on the milling machine. I'll keep it close to hand near my lathe in future
Thanks for such info. I have watched people use lathes many times, but I lack that kind of skill. Now, I own a Proxxon PD250 and need to get wise on these matters. My specialties are more in the field of electronics and software, so this is kind of challenging, and fun at the same time.
I wanted to improve my life, so I bought 8 tools holders. I don't have a lathe....... or a wife now. Thanks!
Perhaps I should be clearer in my next video ...
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Nah, it's fine I've ordered one from China.
@@twotone3070 ROFL! Brilliant vid @Adventures with a Very Small Lathe !!! :-)
No Wife, Happy Life!
@@twotone3070 Which one ya order? The lathe or the wife?
When you started to put the radius on the first washer I thought it looked a little big. Thank you for not editing your “error.” It is nice to know that even professionals, occasionally, make the same errors that I often make.
Wasn’t that “snap” sound when everything fell into place, sweet? Yeaaahh, Baby.
Leaving the mistakes and errors in is the one true secret to UA-cam success, but don't tell anyone. I want to keep it to myself. :)
I'd hate to leave you with the impression I'm a professional though. I'm a software engineer by trade, and just a dabbler in machining. I spend way more of my spare time editing videos than in the workshop these days.
Made the washer this morning - on my lathe 14mm x 10mm x 0.26mm. No sign of backlash now.. Nice tip.
Yes a great tip. You would think with such a precision machine as a lathe there would be no backlash in the cross slide in the manufacture.
Comprehensive video, Thank you!
I use videos like this to demo lathe work in remote parts of India. A small drill-powered lathe and a welder are usually sufficient to fix half the broken machinery in an entire village, directly impacting the lives of hundreds.
Note to new machinists:
Consider the order of operations before drilling.
1. Drill first, with coolant, if the holes need to be a tight/sliding accurate fit.
2. Drill last, after facing & turning, without coolant, for a tight/press fit (undersized holes)
3. Heat the drill bit (hss only) with a hot air gun and drill last, without coolant, for a loose fit.
Thanks for the tips! It's great to hear how a little of the right kind of knowledge can really help people.
Reamers/ boring bars?
Thanks for your very well done and informative video. The reason I asked in the chat about using thrust washers for the cross slide was that I was in the middle of boring out the cross slide bracket to fit a pair 8x16x5mm thrust washers. The tolerances are not critical as if you bore to far you can fit a plan washer as a shim. It worked very well but was quite a bit more bother than using the shim as done in your video, although is does have the advantage of no play at all from the handwheel. For the compound slide I had used a single 8 x 22 x 7 mm Deep Groove Ball Bearing that also worked very well and has no play at the handwheel but it turns so easily it feels loose.
Please keep up the excellent videos, Larry
I'm not sure I've come across thrust washers before, but Google searches show they are a distinct thing. Any suggestions for where I can learn more?
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I see they are more accurately thrust bearings, the same as you used on the tool post in this video. Amazon has images of both thrust washers and thrust bearings when you search for thrust bearings.
14:48
My little 7x14 lathe has earnt me well into 6 figures over the past 10 years, it is in dire need of another overhaul, its 3rd! But still going strong with no major component failures. I have just added another bigger lathe to the fleet which is yet to be used, it is still being assembled and correctly sorted before being used, some time doing what you are doing to a new Chinese lathe is time well spent!
One is my fears with investing in any tools is not making a return on the investment. How did you manage to make money off the mini lathe? Is it part of a larger fabrication business?
Those were some cool ideas.
Especially like the brass washer to eliminate that backlash. 👍
Well done mate very nice additions to enhance the performance of these machines.
I have a couple of thoughts I would like to share as well.
I keep a collection of AN and NAS Aircraft grade washers which are made of high alloy steel and very flat... make sure you put this type of washer under each one of your Gib nuts. This will prevent galling and give you a better feel when adjusting the Gibs.
Next, I could not tell because of camera angle if you already did this but when using a single cut file on non-ferrous metal make sure to "Chalk it" which will prevent your file from loading with the brass in this case or bronze.
Also, when drilling the primary hole I would recommend stepping up with a couple of undersized drills and then for those who do not have a 10 mm reamer (which I'm going to guess is pretty rare for a lot of folks) you have a perfect opportunity to final size the ID with a small boring bar.
This boring bar should be de riguer for anybody owning a lathe such as this.
Final comment just to add style points would be to drilli and counter bore an oiling hole to allow a spring-loaded brass/ball bearing oiling port to be pressed in at the 12:00 position right above your new thrust washer.
These pressed-in ball bearing/ brass oiling ports are commonly available these days on Amazon..
A little more work but there is nothing like fresh oil at the business end of an area you're trying to get a "smooth as butter" feel out of.
Again well done and kudos to your presentation and editing style you get right into it and this makes it ever so enjoyable for your fans.
Thank you.
Thanks for the great set of tips! Let me go through them in turn.
The suggestion to use washers for the gib nuts makes great sense, but I don't seem to be able to get NAS or AN washers this side of the pond. I've also had no luck tracking down what the European arcraft grade equivalent is. I may have a go with ordinary off-the-shelf washers, unless I can track down something of higher spec.
I've heard about chalking a file, but didn't get around to doing it for my own files. Noted that this is particularly useful for working with yellow metals. I get myself some chalk.
Since making this video I've sorted out some handy boring bars, including was of holding them.
An oiler for the thrust bearing sounds like a great idea too! I've had a few comments from people worried about the bearing reducing friction in a way that might make the toolpost work loose, but so far this has never happened in 3 years of use. Given that it's definitely worth checking out whether oil improves smoothness without compromising the holding power, but just to be sure I'll do that before I commit to drilling a port for the oiler.
Thanks again for your input; you've given me a bunch of new information.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe thank you for your reply I realize my wording sent you down a bunny trail inadvertently when I use the term thrust washer I was referring to the bronze brass washer you fabricated.
I'll give you a moment to process that and now you can think about how the oiling hole would go perfectly into the housing at the 12:00 position above the brass washer to keep it oiled since it's pretty much tucked away and difficult to get to. The spring-loaded ball bearing brass press in Oilers arr ideal because it allows you to get oil into a remote location and keeps the dirt out simultaneously
As far as the needle bearing arrangement for the tool post hold down I think you've got it nailed as is no change or enhancement required and that's an easy item to keep oiled and clean.
Regarding washers I'm not sure how things are over the pond when it comes to recycling used flatscreen televisions however I waste no time when someone is throwing one out to take it back to my shop pull it apart and pull out a lot of the Fasteners and bits that go with it typically you can find lots of nickel-plated and high-quality Chrome plated or stainless steel fasteners inside of television sets and after a while you'd be surprised of the collection you can accumulate.
If all else fails send me your email address and we can exchange home addresses...it would be super simple for me to drop some Aerospace washers in the mail I have more than I can ever use or consume because I have been such a pack rat over the years going to various Aerospace surplus centers and picking through the bins to accumulate all sorts of wonderful aircraft grade Fasteners and bits.
One other point I forgot in the last transmission was the business of lapping down or slightly removing material from a finished washer... you did a fine job with your finger however I would like to
Share a method I learned in a tool and die shop i worked in.
Have ready some hardwood blocks cut on a basic wood miter saw with a carbide blade to about 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inch squares once again I'm a Notorious garbage picker for repurposing things being thrown out and I certainly do not want to contribute to the rainforest being wiped out by Ikea however it seems like every time somebody is throwing out a futon or something from Ikea that they're tired of it is usually made out of this beautiful Hardwood that is knot free and cuts to a surface finish of 60 Rockwell or better on a carbide bladed miter saw anyway that's besides the point but I do make up some blocks like that out of scrap hardwood and then have handy some double-sided carpet tape
Simply stick a 1-inch piece of carpet tape onto one face of the block and then stick the flat washer to the tape and that allows you firm purchase and equal load pressure while working on the abrasive paper
A couple of other notes I typically have sheets of thick glass and using spray Mount adhesive put wet dry paper of 220, 400 and 600 grit on various pieces of glass. And I epoxy the glass to simple wooden bases so they stay put....anyway always use a figure 8 motion when working the flat washer and I will be the first to also admit I am not a big WD-40 fan but I cannot for the life of me find anything that works better for lubricating the wet dry and assisting with the material removal on whatever it is you' are working.
When you're done with the wood block and double-sided tape just spray your favorite solvent or soak the Block in some mineral spirits and the washer will come loose quite easily
There you have it --good luck!!
I have this very lathe. It came with a bent cross-slide shaft, and I nearly managed to get it right, but it still tightens and goes slack as I turn it. It's adequate for my needs.
Your tutorial is very worthwhile, some tips and tricks I was unaware of. I fettled the carriage running using tips from other videos but I do need to address the compound slide. I don't use the lathe for screwcutting. I was shown how when I was an apprentice fitter but that was a long long time ago.
I did have a large lathe, a proper one, but sold that for various domestic reasons. Anyway this one does small jobs. Larger jobs I could farm out to my local engineering company who has done work for me before.
Many thanks for sharing...
Thank god! Finally somebody else that knows a file only cuts in one direction.
Probably the best improvement I've made to mine is the solid block that replaces the compound slide. Just a chunk of mild steel cut to size and drilled. Makes everything more rigid, makes parting off less traumatic.
That's definitely part of the plan, ever since I saw Robin's video on the topic.
One mod i would add is to cut a small piece of nylon ( weed whacker, whipper snipper , line trimmer) cord and fit into the grub screw hole on the dials and re fit the grub screw and tighten it down to give a friction dial like on a big lathe , easy to do and cost nothing ! - one of the best things i did to my lathe !
Neat idea! I almost wish you'd suggested that before, then I could have made this Six Quick Improvements. I've been considering what to do with the dial scales, which I'm going to mention briefly in this video.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Alistair, there's also special Grub Screws called "dog points" which feature a smaller diameter nylon or a brass tip. (link only for examples)
www.yhscrew.com/grub-screw-manufacturers.html
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe
You could always do an addendum video 😃
Another mod i did was to drill the dimples in the cross slide gib a bit deeper and add a shim behind it ( shim has holes to allow the grub screws to pass through ) this stops the gib pivoting on the ends of the grub screws and this helped to stop dig ins when i was parting off , my shim ended up around 0.5mm thick and now i can run the gibs at a reasonable pressure giving a nice play free fit without too much drag . I also added taper gibs on the saddle but if you want to see a mini lathe that has been re worked beyond belief take a look at Rotary SMP channel .
@@ianbertenshaw4350 I'll do an addendum video if I can get 4 more (on top of the nylon tip) quick fixes together. :) I definitely plan to do a bunch of gib work along those lines, but I think that's too complex to be included. It's worth a video of its own. Nice idea to shim the gib to make it more stable. I've been looking at that gap and wondering what to do. I think taper gibs might be overkill for me.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe
The recreational machinist also does some useful mods to a mini lathe and the O ring friction set up on the dials looks interesting .
Alistair, that's a nice collection of upgrades & improvements, Well done!!
I look forward to seeing your other solutions to the lathes problems.
Thanks Colin, and thanks for sticking with me since the very beginning! :)
The headstock bearing swap transformed mine into something usable, that is a must. I also did the cover on the saddle (another must). Next is the carriage lock.
Cheers
Yes. Taper-roller bearings and metal hi/lo gears, definitely worth doing.
Rick, what type did you go for? Tapered rollers, or angular contact?
@@fredgenius Sadly my low-budget version of the 7x12 lathe doesn't have hi/lo gears, but I've got a set of metal gears for the feed train to swap in.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe
I used tapered. I made a lap out of a block of mdf I glued up. I sized the shaft to allow the bearing to slide on easily.
I got the idea of the lap from Steve Summers channel, he made one from aluminum.
@@rickpalechuk4411 hi. Can you explain more on why you sized the shaft smaller? Is it easier to get the right adjustment on the turning torque that way? What method is used to adjust the bearings? Thanks
I thoroughly recommend the solid toolpost riser; my machine (a 250mm swing Chinese benchtop model) is now taking cuts on par with the 400mm swing machines in class! Parting with HSS is a dream (before my entire compound would bend and wobble, even when I had it wound back to minimise the effect of levers!).
Stefan G and Robin Renzetti have both got excellent videos on this topic. The one addition I would have on top of their designs and commentary is to lower the height a little (if you can) to use larger shank tools. I went from 12mm to 20mm so I get more rigidity in the tool shank if I need to stick it out a little from the holder. That cross section area (second moment area) does wonders.
Have a good one!
Solid toolpost is definitely in the plan, for both this lathe and the Proxxon.
If you shorten the height though, you no longer have the same tool holder adjustment for use with the compound as with the riser, which seems like quite a big downside. I'll have to check how much more height would buy me. I have a feel the tool holders I have are only 12mm high, so more height over the carriage wouldn't buy me much.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe yes, maintaining good engagement with the QCTP is important; I think I got lucky with the sizes on my machine as with a 12mm tool, originally the holder was a few millimetres above the top of the QCTP, with 20mm, I can drop the tool about 4mm below the bottom of the QCTP as I also designed the riser with a round boss to do just this :)
Looking forward to the next one!
I punched a washer out of teflon for #5. Even a little thick the low coefficient of friction of teflon still allows free movement with very little backlash.
I noticed the chuck shaft ends right above the change gears. Any chips that get in the shaft will eventually fall out and land in the change gears. I used a piece of 3/4" copper pipe (turned down ever so slightly) to extend the shaft outside the gear box area.
Hi, I like a few of your ideas here. Nice simple and easy for everyone to accomplish. You wanted ideas for the sloppy fit at the interface from head to bed, also saddle and tailstock too. Modern machines have a pad type of surface applied, the surface is a good bearing and vibration damping agent too. RULON is one of those bearing types used although it is not the type I would used. They all have a bonding procedure then need to be scraped to fit the machines. Quite sure with judicious cleanliness you could adhere some phosphorus bronze and achieve the same results. Even bonding on some (fragile) cast iron could be a solution but brittle and not wise. A Russian enthusiasts has made tapered bronze gibs for the under saddle keeper plates, I don't have a link sorry: Although he does have a youtube video posted showing them.
I'm currently going for cast iron. I don't think brittleness will be a problem if the fit is good. I'm epoxying them into place on one side, which also helps keep them stable. The reason is that cast iron is so much easier to scrape than steel.
I've watched the video with the tapered gibs for under saddle plates, but currently I think the fit on the top of the bed is more important to fix.
A very definite example of watching the video, before making a decision about buying this particular piece of home workshop machinery. I suspect I have been like many, many others; buying on a budget, before looking at the pro's and con's! Thankfully, I have had the time to watch this really great series of videos while waiting for delivery. It might mean not actually getting to use the lathe for a while yet, but I think the strip down, reassembly and completion of most of the quick fixes will be essential to successful use of this workshop machine. Thanks.
Chinese lathes can be modified to work just great .You did a great job on it especially replacing the capscrew with a button head stainless one . I recently restored an old Walker Turner drill press and replaced all fasteners with stainless ones and It looks great . Can't wait for the saddle fix video .
I get the impression that these Chinese lathes are like platforms to modify and refine into the finished machine that you need. Alternately you can spend more money on the same Chinese lathe but sold by a brand that has done the finishing for you. Something like that, anyway.
Just a quick note on your side clearance parting tool comment.
When you grind back rake on the tool extend it back far enough to cover the full depth of the cut.
Now the cutting edge is the highest point that enters the work. The side clearance built into the tool steel now also provides a tiny back clearance.
Squaring the tool up carefully will take advantage of this. Not a big deal as your washer did not have a huge wall thickness.
Parting can be one of the the most challenging operations on small lathes. Line up all the ducks and it can be satisfying when it works.
Great video as always :)
Thanks for the tip! I hadn't actually ground any rake for this project, but I hadn't considered that it also helps clearance in addition to improving cutting performance.
You are probably already aware that you don’t need any rake for brass and bronze as the tool will pull itself into the work by taking up any back lash if you have back rake. You actually need zero or negative rake. To take advantage of the side clearance mentioned above after adding the rake angle take it back to zero (flat) for just the first 1mm. You will notice the pulling in effect most when drilling brass after you have drilled a pilot hole. You can also grind negative rake on a drill fairly easily.
I’m enjoying the lathe project. Looking forward to see how you deal with the bed mismatch with the saddle.
It looks like they weren’t even meant to go together. :)
What a well made video. Nice editing and clear voice over and script. Excellent work
Along with the quick-change tool post, I would recommend a wedge type quick change tool post. I've tried a few of the peg type, and they're horrible. The tool *always* moves when you tighten it, making it difficult to level your cutting tool.
I ended up getting one similar to what's shown in this video and am very happy with it.
Just make sure that the one you get is good. I went through several before I gave up and ordered one from Shars.
I made my first washer a couple of days ago, and ran into the same problem after parting it off. I faced of the round bar left in the chuck, and super glued the washer to the face, using a live center to center it before the glue set. I then faced of the ring (or whatever you call that) from the washer.
Of course, the problem with that method is that if to use to much glue, it can take a lot of time and effort to remove the washer. I ended up putting it in the freezer for a few hours, heating up a skillet on the stove, and placing the glued-together assembly on the stove, washer side down. The uneven expansion broke the glue joint. It would have been much easier to just do what you did.
No need to face the washer off again with the parting tool before you part it off. That face will be parallel to the cross axis of the lathe, no matter what tool is used. You can also grind the parting tool to have a bit of angle with the forward tip facing your finished part. That’ll reduce the burr.
The purpose of that pass wasn't to make sure the face was true; it was to make sure the face was exactly at the left edge of the parting tool. I could then define the thickness of the washer pretty precisely using the hand wheel scale on the lathe.
Great lathe fixes. ...nice photography
Thanks Simon! Glad to hear I'm learning gradually. :)
Cheers! Nice how you did this video, the steps, the point made. Appreciate your honestly in describing your machining experience, I say this as machining tips and tricks were not your focus, only the five things you wanted to fix.
If you have a grinder it is a quick job to grind relief on the parting tool so it will not rub and get pushed off. If you don't do a perfect job and grind too high the width of the cut will change. Usually not a problem.
Another simple addition is to use spring clips to mount the chuck keys on the front of the lathe for quick access.
I enjoyed the vid. A thought that popped into my head was why these lead screws are not spring-loaded against the shoulder by a Belville spring and needle thrust bearing. This would give zero backlash at this end.
I think the answer is that any springyness in the cross-slide feed is bad. If the spring is pushing the feed in the direction towards the work, and opposing forces during machining get large enough to compress the spring, then at the right frequency the spring will effectively jack-hammer the cutting tool into the part, creating terrible chatter. I think a little backlash is better than a spring.
Nice work
Also a tip for removing the external burr on the back face while parting: start parting, back the tool off once a groove has been formed, and then run a file over the newly formed edge. Then you can continue parting as normal.
However, I don't have a fix for the internal edge of the bore though, let me know if you find anything 😉
Thanks! For the internal edge deburring is going to be tricky, but it should be possible to avoid the big flange by grinding the right angle into the parting tool. Carbide parting inserts can be bought with the angle specified in either direction, so the operator gets to pick which side cuts off more cleanly.
Why wouldn't he just reface it with the same tool he used in the first facing step?
My Dad has a similar model 7x12 and he has done a few modifications to it as well. I am still considering getting one but given what I know of Dad's machine, and what I've seen from others here on UA-cam, it appears that they all generally need a little fitting and finishing and then they become much more enjoyable and reliable to use. Thanks for sharing what you've discovered so far.
13:09 I have the same lathe. At the factory the grub screws holding the cross slide and compound graduated dials had been tightened down sufficiently to gall the shafts. I removed the grub screws, smoothed out the gall marks, and replaced the grub screws with socket head cap screws. I made a couple of small brass plugs to go between the tips of the cap screws and the shafts to prevent galling. Now I can adjust the graduated dials as desired, and secure them when needed by finger tightening the cap screws.
I also used some acrylic sheet to make chip shields. One is on the inside of the apron to protect the gears. I drilled and tapped a couple of holes to secure it. The other is on the carriage to keep chips off the ways and lead screw. I utilized one of the factory tapped holes intended for securing a traveling rest. Neither idea is my own, but well worth copying.
Great improvements, nice photography.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Dude, do you have the right thrust bearing listed? I thought it was 10mm by 24mm when your link takes me to a bigger one.
Huh, sorry about that. I'm certain it was right when I added the link, so either AliExpress removed the size option, or switched the listing. I'll look up something equivalent to the one I used, and make a new link.
Thanks for pointing out the problem.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I betcha they changed it at some point in time.
i snipped off a piece of o ring and put it under the dial set screw and put just enough drag so it could be turned with ease but not to loose
Nice! ian bertenshaw suggested something similar with a length of nylon from a garden strimmer. That'll be in my next set of quick fixes.
Cut a piece of zip tie. Very tough nylon.
Immensely satisfying video and delightful editing and narration. I don't know the cost of the two lathes you mention, but if the Proxxon doesn't have the Chinese vices, I would have paid the premium. But I don't have your skills (any more). I last touched a lathe in English metalwork 'O' Level 50 years ago. All the best, Rob in Switzerland
On my lathe, it became apparent that the stability of the tool post was very questionable. I took several steps to correct the problem which helped a great deal: the first step was to replace the 8.mm stud used for mounting the tool holder. I drilled out the hole in the slide and threaded it to take a 14mm stud; This worked very well, giving the tool a solid feel. Then I took out the screws holding the slide/gib together and replace them with some quality stainless steel set screws, this improved the ease with which the tension on the gib can be adjusted. Everything on the carriage must be as solid as possible, yet still adjustable with ease. My next step will be to replace the Feed screw with one made of good quality steel, that won't bend.
1) Not sure I agree with Fix #2. When you get heavy side load on the cutting tool, it can try and push the tool post away and any opportunity for the post to spin will occur. Even though the post may feel tight with the handle locked down, you now have a much reduced friction surface than if you clamp the two metal faces directly together. Just my two cents worth of input and not a criticism.
2) Another option for Fix #5 is to machine slightly larger and deeper holes in both the saddle and cover block so you can use thrust bearings on both sides. This way you can really clamp down on the screw and trap it between the two thrust bearings with almost zero slop (basically immeasurable on a dial gauge). I did this on my lathe and there is no slop due to the screw moving around in the housing and the screw turns freely.
3) Another thing I recommend is to take the cross-slide nut and cut it in half and then drill and tap two small holes in the face of one of the halves. Put small allen screws (similar to your grub screw replacements) in the tapped holes and then remount the two halves on the cross-slide, fit the screw, adjust the allen screws until there is minimal backlash in the screw, and then tighten down on the hold down screws (you might want to oval out the holes for the hold down screws in order to allow them to adjust slightly). Based on the quality of the rest of the machine, I highly doubt there is anywhere near a precision fit between the screw and lead nut and having some adjustability can take care of this. This move does negate the use of the top grub screw to adjust height of the lead nut, but you can use shims to take care of that. It will be a bit fiddly, but you will appreciate the accuracy greatly as you work with the lathe.
4) I recommend you measure the thickness of the bearing surfaces of the bed as if those are not parallel to each other, it doesn't matter what fix you do for the saddle hold down plates (had to do this on my lathe even though it was much better quality than what you are starting with.) You may have to find access to a surface grinder or do some hand scraping in order to get the bearing surfaces parallel and same thickness the total run length of the bed (you can also lap in with sand paper, but this is time consuming).
5) Little Machine Shop (on the web) in the U.S. does sell an extended bed kit if you want to go down that route.
6) I believe what you refer to as the motor adjustment screws (mounted in the bottom surface of the lathe bed) are in actuality the screws used to adjust the headstock to a planar position and this is why you see the headstock currently at an angle. The saddle mounting plates use this same system to adjust the plates for height (i.e., the two smaller screw holes between the three mounting holes on each plate). You tighten the two inner screws on the headstock to raise the headstock until the height is correct (suggest mounting a taper point in the chuck) and matches up to the tailstock height (using a taper point in the tailstock as reference). You then tighten the two outer screws to pull the headstock down tight against the two inner screws. Double check measurements to make sure everything still lines up. This is a cheap way to adjust the headstock, but then again this isn't a high precision machine to start with.
6) You also probably want to check to see if the headstock and tailstock are truly in line with the lathe bed. There are videos showing how to do this and it is more involved than I can describe herein. This is a must do as any machining of longer parts will have taper error if the headstock and tailstock are not parallel to the bed.
7) Also recommend you measure the gear rack position relative to the bottom bearing surface of the lathe bed after you complete step 4. Making sure the gear rack is parallel to the bearing surface makes the carriage move much smoother and you will appreciate how much this improves your control of the lathe. Even though the lead screw can adjust up and down, it does no good if the gear rack is not parallel to the work surface.
8) Highly recommend you replace the plastic gears (both the gears you can see and the gears inside the headstock) with metal gears. It is not a question of if you will strip the gears, it is only when this will happen.
9) Also highly recommend you replace the spindle main bearings with taper roller bearings. Little Machine Shop sells a kit for this and it really improves both the running of the lathe and the run-out accuracy of the spindle. I have done this along with a motor replacement (with a treadmill motor) and I can run the lathe at 6K rpm all day long (if I need to) with no heat build up in the bearings and run-out on the spindle is less than half a thou.
10) Although the saddle bottom mounting plates use the opposing screw forces to get the plates parallel to the bed, in reality this is a crap method and doesn't work very well. Much better to machine up a spacer block slightly thinner than the space needed to obtain parallelism and then use shim stock to get the last couple of thou of adjustment (this allows for future adjustment for wear on either the bed or saddle). You get a much more solid lock down on the bottom lock plates this way. You also want to lap the bottom mount plates where they contact the bottom of the bed so you have a smooth sliding surface (take a look at your plates and you will see what I am referring to, again poor quality material). You may even want to go so far as to machine new bottom mount plates.
Keep up the good work and looking forward to seeing how you handle the many improvement opportunities this lathe presents :).
1) I'm pretty sure lack of friction at the top doesn't make it easier for the tool post to turn away from the part. The holding force comes from the downforce on the tool post, and the friction between the tool post and the surface it's mounted on. Fix #2 makes it easier to get good consistent downforce without wear on the top of the toolpost, so it should make the tool post more solid, not less. This fix is far from original to me, and I've seen it in use all over the place where handles are used to tighten friction surfaces together.
2) Have you been able to find thrust bearings small enough to fit? I spent some time looking, but couldn't find anything suitable.
3) I've seen this kind of backlash eliminator in Colchester lathes (I think), and it's on the project list to give a try. Thanks for describing it in detail.
4) I've done this measurement already, and they are way out of parallel. Thanks for confirming this problem isn't unique to me.
5) I've looked into it but the cost and shipping would be outside my reasonable budget constraints,.
6) The motor adjustment screws can't be used to adjust the headstock because they are lined up with voids in the headstock casting. They are vital for tensioning the motor belt though, as the motor mounting screws are completely worthless at keeping the motor stable.
6) The head stock and tail stock are way out of alignment. There will be a lot of work to do there.
7) Thanks for the tip!
8) I have the metal gear set ordered, and will be replacing them soon.
9) I'm going down the Angular Contact route for the headstock bearings, partly because it's the path less trodden.
10) As you pointed out earlier, I'm going to have to fix the parallelism of the bed before I can really improve the hold down plates, but that sounds like a worthwhile improvement.
Thanks for the comments! Sorry it took so long to reply. Comments this long can be a bit daunting and its tricky to find the time to write a response that does it justice. Glad you're enjoying the videos, keep watching!
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe For #2, try VXB bearings in the U.S. They have an online site. I used their smallest thrust bearings and had to enlarge the holes in the saddle and the cover block by a couple of mm's in diameter to allow them to fit.
Saw your note that you are machining shim plates to take care of the headstock alignment. BTW, I use a piece of 1" diameter tool steel rod about 12" long for my measurements to determine if my headstock is parallel in both head and side to side.
Angular contact bearings will work well for the level of loads these lathes see. Will be looking forward to your installation videos on them.
Do NOT use a baring on the toolpost. Just a hardened ring will do. Or a bronze one, but it is essential that the post can under no circumstance swivel when tightened down.
When using a vice to knock off the burr left from parting, stand it vertically (not horizontally like you had it) and gently tap it down between the loosely snug jaws.
Thanks for the vid :).
That washer was so thin, I think tapping it in any direction would have bent it.
Even without the thrust bearing 2 washers and some HP grease is a big improvement.
Round side facing each other.
Neat tip! It's easy to miss the fact the lack of rotational friction at the top of the tool post makes no different to how well it's held in place, but makes it so much nicer and easier to use.
Nice vid.. Where to get your wedge style quick change tool holder instead of my A2Zcnc piston style one? A little bit of clearance never got in the way of anything...
I got it from Banggood, and there is an affiliate link in the video description to the product page. Gratuitous advertising I know, but I hope it's also helpful. It's often available from a number of other online stores including several EBay sellers. I have one that I'm planning to fit to the Proxxon, but haven't tried it yet. It's the right height for the Proxxon for sure. It will need a custom stud though, as the Proxxon only comes with an M8 screw hole in the top of the compound.
Nice vid. I found the same problem with the crossfeed screw assembly, and fixed pretty much exactly the same way. The problem I found though was once the washer bedded in the backlash returned, albeit not as bad as it was. Next time I'm in the mood I'll make a slightly thicker washer and allow it to bed in before maybe stoning it to exact size.
Edit - just a thought, if you buy a sintered bronze bushing 10x14x20mm - perfect material (oil impregnated), and already the right id/od. Just need to part off a slice...
If I was going to spend longer, I think I'd machine the pocket so the inside was smooth, and perfectly aligned with the flat surface of the part. They the washer should sit against a smooth machined surface, and shouldn't need any bedding.
Thanks for the bushing tip! I had no idea bushes like that were easily available.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Henderson Bearings, AM101425
@@fredgenius Thanks! Once I started searching they were easily available, and really affordable.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe You're welcome. I used a similar bushing to repair the gear housing, the one that has the first change-gear on the outside. 15x22mm I think.
Phosphor bronze is what is used to wrap acoustic guitar strings. Did it sound bell-like to you during turning ops?
I love the shearing angle on a lathe file, smoother feel when using.
Keep it coming! Love your channel!
I think there are different grades of phosphor bronze for different applications. The bar I have doesn't seem to ring like a bell, but it's a grade suitable for bearing surfaces.
I have a genuine SIEG C2 and it looks a bit better made than your lathe. I am currently replacing the tailstock handwheel. I have a metal substitute from a small sewing machine. The original plastic handle kept loosening and now I am making a metal handle which can't loosen itself from the handwheel by putting the handle on a separate axle. I did the same for the carriage handwheel. I also added extra gib screws on the cross slide and the compound slide. This gives more rigidity.
Thanks for this video!
All good tips.
My 2 cents:
1) get rid of anything plastic...like the pulleys and gears.
Right out of the gate I blew apart the plastic motor drive pulley plastic keyway...30 minutes after it was fixed destroyed the low speed plastic transmission gear...
2) consider buying a second lathe to do the upgrades needed on your first lathe.
3) loctite the handles or they thread out when you use them.
4) Are you related to Jeremy Wade? (River Monsters on TV).
Nice work on the washer, it's difficult to hit tolerances with stuff like that. As a point of order, you shouldn't ever run reamers backwards, it'll kill the cutting edger or maybe even break it off. Not sure if it was the editing but when you were hand-reaming it looked like you ran backwards a bit.
For the dial adjustment, I'd probably go for an interior groove in the dial, holding an o-ring that fits relatively tightly on the shaft.
I certainly wasn't intentionally running the reamer backwards, but maybe had to wiggle it to free it when it got stuck. It was hard to grip the thin outer edge of the washer.
Aha, yes, nice one :o) If you don’t want to fight a very thin brass/bronze washer, combine it with a thick shim between the cross slide casting and bearing housing. Maybe shim it out enough for two? And if you don’t want to make a shim, just pack it off with washers, it’s only end load :o)
Ok, just one more - I made a sleeve that fits over the end of the feed screw (tailstock end), with a shank that fits in the chuck of a cordless drill. Power feed at any speed you choose! The prototype was 3d printed, works so well I haven't got around to making the steel version yet. Thinking of a permanently mounted stepper motor and Arduino controller...
Nice idea! Thanks!
Do it! A few people on UA-cam have modded their lead screw like this for thread cutting without change gears. They usually mount the stepper on the drive side of the machine, where the gears would normally be.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe It's taken a while, but I almost have a working prototype - the stepper driver I chose dint have enough balls and overheated. Going to try again with a bigger driver later today.
@@nefariousyawn Working on it. There's a couple problems I need to overcome - reliably synchronising the drive with the chuck, and knowing exactly where the carriage is. I have a sensor that can measure rotation with 12 bit precision (4096 pulses per revolution) , but it needs to be mounted inline with the spindle axis and I haven't figured that bit out yet. A glass scale will solve the other problem, but I can't afford to buy one atm. Third problem is managing all the data from the sensors...
Great ideas for improving the mini lathe! Thrust bearings also work great on improving collet drawtubes for bigger lathes.
Thank you so much for your videos keep up the good work brother 👍🏻. Greetings from Ireland 🍀🇮🇪
Great video, I like that you are ready to accept a challenge and duke it out to the end. Thanks and cheers!
I have to modded the hardened steel slider because the screw would nicked and damage the sitting hole on the slider. It does happens when you're parting or turning gummy materials. The shape of the setscrew is also important to ensure better stiffness .
The washer was a brilliant move.
I have something similar, a 3 in 1 fong kong, one mod among many was was that I eventually made and replaced a longer and more precise gib on the tailstock.
its fantastic you showed us your mistakes. I learn more from them than anything else.
Ich bin fasziniert von den Videos. Man kann noch so alt sein, man lernt immer noch was dazu.
With that bronze washer, you could heat the bar stock red hot and drop it in motor oil for a day, it then quenches in the oil. You can machine it after that. The washer is so small that post quenching might deform the bearing. Personally, I would polish the lead screw that contacts the area you intend to put this bushing, then bore the area that houses the bushing maybe 10mm deeper and machine a deeper teflon bushing, maybe make several as they will wear out. Also the movement you see on the indicator is not entirely accurate. If you take off the scale and measure the metal beneath that you will probably measure an even lower run out. Because the scale has only one grub screw, you can see towards the end of the video that it leans slightly forwards where you tighten the screw.
What would be the purpose of quenching the bronze? It's already machinable, and already a bearing material. I don't think any further treatment is required.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Its not quenching like in the sense of hardening the metal, think of it more like seasoning a pan. The oil gets pulled deep into the pours of the metal. Its not essential but is an advantage of using bronze.
I love your voice... It reminds me of my dad when I was a kid.... Love your videos to cuz I will get one mini lathe soon, learning about small project for it is great! 😁
Hi Alistair,
Some nice simple updates (well 4 of the 5)...
Take care
Paul,,
Thanks Paul!
The Mrs Mills of milling. We love you too.
TIL who Mrs Mills was. Sadly I can't take the title as there is already a Mrs Mills associated with UA-cam machining.
I’m curious if it would not have been easier to take the extra depth off the pocket face instead of making the washer? Or would modifying the face been disastrous in some fundamental way I can’t see? It seems like the dial was quite adjustable.
That would probably have been a higher quality of fix, but I think it would be more difficult, not easier. Certainly it would have been disastrous if I made the same kinds of mistakes doing that as I did in this video.
very nice tips. rather than make a washer I sanded a stamped steel one to thickness
On the cross slide washer fix, I'd add grease to the shaft and washer so it's smooth for yrs to come!
These mini lathe are pretty much the same? Using the same parts? Do you order parts from the Little Machine Shop or elsewhere?
The CJ0618 and the Sieg C2 are very similar, to the point where most parts are the same, but occasionally not quite interchangeable. The C2 manual would still give you a good idea of the complete part list.
I am not in the USA, so don't buy from Little Machine Shop. I buy most parts from eBay or arceurotrade.
Interesting, well produced presentation. Well done.
Great modifications great work look forward to the saddle repair and headstock repair stay safe all the best
The thrust bearing on the tool post seems like a bad idea. How about a bronze washer instead? Or a hardened steel washer, for durability.
I love this channel! Could you do a short review on the proxxon lathe?
Thanks from Russia!
I don't understand what you speak, but video nice!
Try facing off the tool clamp screws, and finish with a file. Low RPM with more file movement while trying to keep the screw end as flat as possible. This way your screws will be very slightly domed, so they won't pull tools to the side while you tighten them, and will have a consistent feel. And the filed finish will not chew up any softer tools or blackening on hardened tools, unlike a raw or cutter faced finish.
Are you talking about the screws in the QCTP tool holder? If so I think I understand what you mean. Nice suggestion.,
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Yes, It helps keep a tool parallel to the holder when you clamp it, if you need that. The raw screws have uneven ends so they drag the tool one way or another as they turn.
Cool, that makes perfect sense. Have you ever seen Robin Renzetti's suggestion of also hardening those screws, to prevent them from squashing slightly when they are tightened? Repeated tightening causes a soft screw to gradually grow in width until the thread is oversize, and it sticks. (according to Robin, never tried it myself).
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe The screws are extended past the threads in my toolpost giving them an area to expand without affecting the threads, or at least I think that is how it works. My threads actually seem to be getting loose over time.
Would it not have been easier to face the block instead, one less item to drop or mislay on future strip downs... Just a thought.
Nice vidio and good tips for upgraids and fixes. Thanks n keep it coming
This question has come up before in the comments. It might have been easier, as long as I could find a decent way to chuck the part up. However it would have permanently modified that part of the lathe. If I screwed up, or the idea didn't work, then I couldn't undo it. I strongly prefer to solve these problems in a way that's reversable when it's practical. Adding a shim washer can be undone, or retried as many times as I want.
well done, sir . . . you actually made five *real* improvements for minimal cost and work . . . so, what are you doing on u-tube with all the clickbait that never delivers?
Trying to raise the quality of UA-cam clickbait one video upload at a time!
It is much easier to get the width of the washer right by making an initial 1 mm cut, then measure and correct.
How would you hold a 1mm washer in the chuck.
Very good videos, love your style of presentation, I have craftex 7x12 lathe on order here in Canada so will be using these tips, thanks for posting!
Nice Job on fixing the Backlash!
Another interesting video, well done, nice fixes, thank you 😊
Your first thing, a better tool post made a big improvement on my toy lathe. I always wonder why the worry about back lash. Don’t you always feed the cross slide the same direction? Why make a washer? Would milling off the excess work?
Very good video, I have got some great ideas from ur video got a old atlas leather going to try some things ur said on it
Again thanks
Splendid! Make more of these please!
I've been buying up vintage atlas lathes, have 3- 6 x 18 inche and 2 - 12 x 36 inche and one 109 6 inch,, all over 50 years old but still better than and new lathes I've seen at a reasonable price,, can't beat the older made in USA lathes,, heavy cast iorn with timkin bearings, and very little back lash,, l bought 2 for the price of one Chinese lathe,,and have already proven the test of time. And my 12 inch lathes both have quick change gear boxes that cost as much as the lathe itself to buy when new,, the market is getting higher in price to find them now I'll set on them until the price increases enough,,,but a new 12 inch lathe would cost 4 times what I spent as it is.. l almost made the mistake of buying a Chinese mini lathe before I found my first classic vintage lathe, atlas was more a hobbyist lathe and not many was in class rooms are factories so they wasn't abused.
Atlas lathes look great, but metric is an absolute must for me. Feeds I can deal with in imperial, but an imperial leadscrew would be difficult to work with. How much weight are the smaller Atlas lathes?
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe A 618 6inch is about 85 lbs,,,my understanding is you can gear them to cut metric treads
I have a problem. I've reduced the play in the cross-slide handle but still have excess play in the cross-slide worm drive itself. Is there a suitable fix for this?
I'm not familiar with cross-slide mechanisms using a worm drive, but it's possible you mean the nut on the lead screw? I don't think that is nearly as easy to fix, though there are mechanisms with backlash elimination built into larger professional lathes. The mechanisms I've seen work by having two nuts, with a wedge fitted between them holding them apart, and maintaining contact on both directions of the lead screw thread. They work well, but can be tricky to adjust. I think it would be possible to build a similar mechanism for a small lathe, but I'm not aware of any ready-made designs for that.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe Thanks for the info..
Bushing time
Great demonstration. Def worth following these tips and tricks :)
you need to watch the aussie shed videos on his lathe
Oh yes, I do, and I have. It's a much more interesting series than anything I could ever do, and I think I've recommended it a couple of times in the comments. Thanks for the signal boost!
This series is really helpful, I'm working through exactly the same issues with my own £500 7x12 lathe. Are you planning on fixing a thread dial at any point? I've bought the bits and it's next on the list, but would rather hold off if you were planning a video showing this at some stage. Best, Jim
Hi Jim, glad to hear the series is useful. I haven't actually come across the thread dial available separately. Where did you buy it from? It would be good to know roughly how it's going to fit before I start making more mods to the apron.
@@AdventureswithaVerySmallLathe I got mine from Amadeal, but having just checked their website only an Imperial version now appears to be available. There is a thread on Practical Machinist (search there for 'DIY thread dial indicator') which might be a more interesting project for someone with your skill (a bit out of my league!) . Dave M has a UA-cam video 'Mini Lathe Threading Dial Upgrades' which gave me the idea initially. Happy to send you pictures of the kit I got, together with dimensions, if that's any help. Best, Jim
Shim the bed and dowel, bronze dowels, steel shims hold the shim(s). hollow dowels can be expanded to hold the sims. shims scored to hold oil
Great solution
Theirs only one thing I like better than having to make a part twice. 3X. Until you get it perfect.
Thank-you. On the diagram it says part #30 is a shifting fork. What is that? My has a detent and detent spring. Is that the same. I am new to using this lathe. So any help will be greatly appreciated
The shifting fork is part of the mechanism that shifts between the high and low gears of the spindle drive. My lathe doesn't have that feature, so I can't tell you anything about it.
Instead of making a washer for the cross slide screw, I carefully filed down the flange to make the pocket the correct size. Did I ruin my lathe?
It appears that when you engaged the center drill that it was slightly off center, then quickly found the center. My mini lathe had this problem sometimes and not others. I discovered that the drill chuck was not perfectly aligned and by rotating it to a different location the center drill would hit the center of the stock. I then marked this orientation and now it hits center every time.
What time its it?
Adventure Time! with a very small lathe.
actually these were good improvements. i need to fix the slop and get a quick change tool post.
i wish they would build these right rather than seemingly being an assembled pile of parts that failed inspection.
Nice video mate the washer did the job. L am thinking about buying a mini lathe but that many out there witch one do l buy l know l will have to rebuild it But with this video l.l know what to look for and build up to standard it for to make a mine steam Engine L.ve alway wanted to build a mini steam Engine it all started with a model boat l made. It only has a hobby. And You tube there to help me it all about taking your time. Thank you for this video mate.
Excelente felicitaciones desde Uruguay
It looks like your saddle is complete wrong for your slide ways. Could you make an adapter plate to sit between perhaps?
That's quite close to what I'm planning. I small metal plate at the back is all that should be needed though, as the front bevel fits just fine as long as the back part is lifted enough. The trick will be getting everything to fit really snugly.
I'm thinking of selling mine - with the amount you have to spend on it (time and money) to get it to even a semi useful standard just doesn't seem worth it to me when compared with the cost of a larger lathe.
I don't blame you. I think machines like this represent pretty poor value for someone who just wants something that works. Larger lathes can be had for really good prices if you shop carefully, and have the ability to collect and move them.
These are excellent tips!! 👍 ❤
Good tips, good video. Looking at your mod whereby you make a washer to eliminate the backlash I am wondering if it would be better to machine the housing down to the correct spacing. I say this because the housing looks quite rough machining if any at the base and notice that the scale wheel is running out of true. Yours does the same as mine so I think the housing is not mating squarely with the cross slide . So if you square up the housing face by .7 you should kill 2 birds with one stone.