Improving a mini lathe I’m thinking the tapered bearings will be the first item that Improving the mini lathe cross-slide. This site is intended primarily to help new and prospective owners understand the capabilities, limitations and frustrations of these tools and how to modify and fine-tune them to get results you might expect only from a much more expensive lathe. It's pretty easy to improve that by getting rid of the OEM jack screws and using shims to get the running fit you need. It doesn't matter if YOU ARE new too machining or being do it years, each one of these upgrades Have you searched You Tube for "mini lathe improvement" and "mini lathe modifications"? There's a bucket full of videos for either improving things from the stock setup or different accessories you can make to improve the utility of these machines. In this video I will be In this video I go through how to adjust these harbor freight mini lathes to get the tightest toleran Fine adjustment on a machine like this goes a long way. Tight fitting on the assembly. With the old cut off tool holders I had a lot of difficulty with the cut offs. Apr 9, 2018 · With detailed explanations, full-color photography, and insightful diagrams and illustrations, author David Fenner provides practical projects and useful tools and modifications to help you get the most from your mini-lathe. The ubiquitous Chinese Mini Lathe comes in for a lot of flak. Nov 14, 2021 · Like many budget machinists, the delightfully optimistically named [We Can Do That Better] had trouble with some of the finer controls on his import mini-lathe. Dec 2, 2016 · It seems to improve the ridgity of the little lathe. com Dec 29, 2024 - Adding rolled bearings for smoother operation. I also like the new boring bar holder. In this episode, I make a new close fitting gib for the Feb 2, 2024 · I used a combination of a Grizzly manual (fair play to Grizzly, their mini-lathe manuals are very well written) and ArcEuroTrade's pictorial guides to improving the fit and finish and setup for their Seig C3 and SC3 lathes (my WBL1835 is very similar to these lathes) for my initial setup. My choice was rooted in my professional woodworking background, where I learned my trade, practiced on-site construction, and built countless outdoor structures using lathes, drills, kumiko jigs, and much more. So, before you spend your time and money improving this machine I'd suggest taking some time to look at all your options. Feb 21, 2024 · By choosing the right lathe, maintaining alignment, using sharp tools, lubricating regularly, taking small cuts, securing workpieces properly, setting the appropriate spindle speed, and employing proper cutting techniques, you can achieve outstanding results with your mini lathe. November 13, 2021 by Dan Maloney 21 Comments . instagram. No motor: https://www. From improving radius turning attachments and strategies for saddle adjustments to techniques for taper turning and Feb 25, 2025 · Mini lathes often have the capability to perform knurling, which is useful for improving grip on handles or decorative purposes. Welcome back to this project to make the 7x12 mini lathe into something it was never intended to be. Jul 26, 2020 · In this film I give an overview of the modifications I've made to improve the performance of the cross slide on my 7x14 Chinese mini lathe. com/user?u=84920684&utm_medium=unknown&ut Jul 11, 2023 · After putting 8 mini wood lathes to the test, I’ve found that the RIKON Mini Wood Lathe is the best option for beginner and intermediate users. Optionally adding a NEMA 17 stepper motor. I replace the har Adding rolled bearings for smoother operation. I've got a nice after market 4 jaw chuck that is a lot better than the 3 jaw it came with, but I still tend to only use the lathe for crude projects. It’s a simple case of horses for courses. This has improved the lathe tremendously. Oct 1, 2021 · In this video I will show you 10 Upgrades that I think are essential to do on your MINI Lathe. The new gibs have totally transformed the mini lathe, it has become very rigid but still allow silky smooth movement when cranking the handle, it's very smooth! Parting operations are no more nightmares. Adding rolled bearings for smoother operation. 5. The number 7 parting blade holder holds the parting tool at a positive angle. But rather than suffer through However to get to this point I have had to make several modifications and upgrades, in order to fix issues from the factory, and expand the capabilities of the lathe. One very rewarding upgrade was one I ran across when I visited the littlemachineshop. com is an extensive information resource for the 7×10, 7×12, 7×14 and 7×16 mini lathes. Here are some Dec 31, 2018 · The above improvements will turn the mini-lathe into a mini-mill literally and should improve tolerances if careful when machining. com Nov 8, 2010 · I decided to spend a little time yesterday working on the mini lathe. Mike Taglieri posted the following procedure for doing this: Over the past week or so, I’ve been lapping the various ways on my 7x10 to increase the contact area and minimize play. Some of it is justified, some of it really isn’t. Here's the link to those guides if you haven't seen them: Improving the mini lathe cross-slide. Progress made: since the original mini-lathe gibs were so lousy, undersized, thin and bent, I deiced to machined a set of new brass non-tapered slanted gibs (about 1/8" x 5/8" x 60 degrees). com website which offers parts and upgrades for many machines. The 0XA for 9x20 Lathe suited me because of the lowered carriage cross slide. Whi Mini-lathe. That mod was one of the best and easiest I've done to my mini lathe. I get more accuracy on the mini mill if I tighten the pinch nuts and adjust the gibs before a project. Jun 3, 2022 · This document describes shimming a 7x12 lathe to improve headstock alignment - the measurement concepts apply to many lathes but the correction described is specific to the 7x12. . Polishing and Finishing: Mini lathes can be used in conjunction with polishing wheels and compounds to achieve a smooth and shiny surface finish on metal or plastic parts. com/bowen3dprinting/Patreon: https://patreon. Mini-lathe metalworking projects Mini-lathe Buying Advice Lapping the dovetail slides on the mini-lathe cross-slide and compound will give you a much smoother operating machine. Make sure you machine the central bore and the our edge in one operation without removing the part from the lathe other you cannot get them concentric. This overview of lathe alignment mentions using a test bar but lost me in the final three sentences of section 16. Sep 19, 2017 · Earlier in 2017 I decided to upgrade my Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) 7 x 10 mini-lathe as I was seeing many online videos which were advising improvements for this lathe. To machine the outer edge use a right hand turning tool and a lot of tool post adjusting :) Introduction Home. com/thing:4712247With motor: https Nov 13, 2021 · Improving A Mini-Lathe With A Few Clever Hacks. It works well. Mar 31, 2018 · The new gibs performed so well that only very light touch to the set are required. Like many budget machinists, the delightfully optimistically named [We Can Do That Better] had El Cheapo lathe lolFixing a Mini LatheInstagram: https://www. thingiverse. 3. I h Feb 29, 2020 · The saddle slide plates (some folks refer to them as gibs) definitely are one of the weaker design point of these lathes. Put a bit more force and it becomes tight. Jul 9, 2021 · More importantly, if you improve a Grizzly G8688 to it's ultimate performance you still may not have what you need to accomplish the tasks you want to. com Improving the mini lathe cross-slide. com/thing:4712247With motor Nov 13, 2021 · 21 thoughts on “ Improving A Mini-Lathe With A Few Clever Hacks ” The Gambler says: November 13, 2021 at 8:09 pm I recently bought a new Chinese CJ0618 7x12 Mini Lathe, very similar to the classic Sieg C2 lathe which is sold under different names all over the world. liukzx owsmk nxt lfm xokfoj kkyax vdexic rqaglv nfzpcq pwcee rsotpbkb eplghqee aptzz twxabqpp oiukcj