bought me a lathe yesterday

[iceman320]

so guys i got a harbor freight ad in the mail last week and seen that they had a 7"x10" mini lathe on sale for 499.99 so I went in to the store and bought one to try out. so I cleaned the anti rusting oil off of it today and got it up and running, and turned some pvc collars with it and it seemed to work pretty good. so i'm going to learn with it this winter and see what it can do. and yes i know that i'm going to get some grief from some of you guys here but the lathe seems to be built pretty solid, and has very little play in anything.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by iceman320

so guys i got a harbor freight ad in the mail last week and seen that they had a 7"x10" mini lathe on sale for 499.99 so I went in to the store and bought one to try out. so I cleaned the anti rusting oil off of it today and got it up and running, and turned some pvc collars with it and it seemed to work pretty good. so i'm going to learn with it this winter and see what it can do. and yes i know that i'm going to get some grief from some of you guys here but the lathe seems to be built pretty solid, and has very little play in anything.

I have the same one. Yes its not perfect but for what we do and the price it can be good.

Best thing I can say is take your time with it.

[Slowkrawl]

What are you guys building with your lathes? I've thought about buying one but there's only so many things I can think of to do with it. That, and I have VERY limited knowledge on a lathe lol.

[Robbob]

So far I mostly turn down aluminum links making them into chassis supports, svc spring cups, turning down shock bodies, gun drilling.

Anything round.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

[snail78]

Originally Posted by Robbob

So far I mostly turn down aluminum links making them into chassis supports, svc spring cups, turning down shock bodies.

Anything round.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

x2 and i also have been making my own aluminum axle tubes for my Berg out of 7075






a few pictures of some stuff ive done

[iceman320]

I have been making some spacers for the new atv shocks that i bought. so that the spring can sit under the spacer. but I'm making them out of some pvc collars, and then i was thinking that I could also use it to make main shafts for my trex 600 rc heli that i have. and maybe the trex 500 heli that i have also maybe. but I would also like to find other things that I could build using it too. will also probably see if I can make some links for the new crawler that I started about a year ago that i have never finished.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Try making a Turners Cube. Fun, addicting, and a good way to practice your accuracy. I've made a handful on my mill, but they can be done just as well on a lathe. Make them out of anything, and as big or as small as you want.

[iceman320]

might have to try the turners cube, but not really sure how to hold a cube shape in a 3 jaw chuck that's on my lathe though.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Figuring that out is just part of owning a piece of equipment.


Poke around on youtube, you'll learn all kinds of tricks.


edit: ignore the guys that use a cnc to make them...they're cheaters.

[iceman320]

will have to try and figure something out i guess, it looks like kind of a fun project. I'll ask my dad how I could maybe hold it in my chuck he's a machinist maybe he will know. thanks.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Making fixtures is nearly as fun as making parts.

Check this guy out, I don't have a lathe but I've learned some things from him...and he's kinda fun to watch.

#85 Concentric Circle Cube - YouTube

[BigSki]

a small lathe like that is perfect to learn on. Buying the tool is the first step, buying/making tooling for the lathe is the start of the journey, clamping/jigging and making parts is where the long learning curve turns into a great skill set. Once you starting looking at everything around you as potential raw material, you're on your way!

[iceman320]

well i worked in a machine shop for a year running a hand lathe, so i know a little bit about the machining process already and have been wanting a little lathe of my own for a while now. i'm going to try to make me links on it as well for a moa crawler that I started a year ago but never finished so we'll see how it goes. thanks guys for the help and encouragement.

[DieselJC]

Ive got the same lathe (Cummins 7x12) check out Tooling, parts, and accessories for bench top machinists - LittleMachineShop.com great place for tool holders and anything mill/lathe related..geared towards the smaller hobby lathes and mills...I get my blanks for lathe cutters from them.



JC

[sumquak]

Originally Posted by Duuuuuuuude

Try making a Turners Cube. Fun, addicting, and a good way to practice your accuracy. I've made a handful on my mill, but they can be done just as well on a lathe. Make them out of anything, and as big or as small as you want.

can you please tell me what this is used for. never seen one before.

[Crawling Calvin]

Originally Posted by sumquak

can you please tell me what this is used for. never seen one before.

Just looking cool honestly. Like duuuude said its a really nice tool for learning skills on. i made one and gave it to my doctor who thought it was crazy cool

[sumquak]

Originally Posted by Crawling Calvin

Just looking cool honestly. Like duuuude said its a really nice tool for learning skills on. i made one and gave it to my doctor who thought it was crazy cool

thanks, that's what i thought and the reason i keep this around,







made this for a rocket scientist. this was a setup piece i cut in half too see the detail of the wall thickness and bore. the original was 101 copper and probably the most challenging part i've ever had to make. the od grooves had to be done, then the part was brazed into a piece of stainless and i had to bore it in one step. this part used a total of 10 handground tools, very time consuming and costly.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Originally Posted by Crawling Calvin

Just looking cool honestly. Like duuuude said its a really nice tool for learning skills on. i made one and gave it to my doctor who thought it was crazy cool

Yep. Easy to make, difficult to make perfectly, which is the goal. If you don't have your setup right, or mismeasure, or really do anything wrong, it won't look right. It may be slightly easier to do on a lathe than it is on a mill.

[Crawling Calvin]

Originally Posted by Duuuuuuuude

Yep. Easy to make, difficult to make perfectly, which is the goal. If you don't have your setup right, or mismeasure, or really do anything wrong, it won't look right. It may be slightly easier to do on a lathe than it is on a mill.

CNC makes it easy but that said there is a CNC Cookbook article about these cubes. In the G-wizzard software is a calculator for how to make the circles. handy dandy

[Duuuuuuuude]

Originally Posted by Crawling Calvin

CNC makes it easy but that said there is a CNC Cookbook article about these cubes. In the G-wizzard software is a calculator for how to make the circles. handy dandy

Cheater. A cnc kind of defeats the purpose of a turners cube...