I don’t think there is any advantage to metal over plastic for all the main gears.? You could instead put that money to something more useful.

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A chip guarding cover over the apron gear is probably a very good first addition to the lathe.? I think most make this themselves from thin plastic.? But you can buy one ready-cut from this eBay seller (and I have no association with this).? The photo there shows you what it looks like and I’m pretty sure it is described elsewhere online.

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A milling attachment for one of these only suitable for light milling.? VERY light milling.

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Don’t know if you have any lathe experience.? But for these small lathes I recommend HSS (High Speed Steel) tool bits, carbide inserts nor carbide tipped.? Also, it seems the cheap “carbide tipped” bits tend to be exceedingly low quality.? Although, using something like inserts will work, you will likely get better results with HSS.? And if you don’t know already, learning how to properly grind the angles on a tool bit (meaning you need a grinder, preferably with at least 6 inch wheels or an even fancier tool sharpening machine if you want) is sort of a first step.

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Regarding the lathe itself, the things to check are, well, everything.? People report all manner of misalignments, crud where there shouldn’t be crud, sloppy gib fit, you name it.? Some have called it a “kit” based on how much work they have put into it to improve it.? But for some, it has been fine out of the box.? It probably has a lot to do with what somebody is trying to do with it.? And what they view as “good enough”.? Some give the impression that all they do is improve the lathe and make accessories for the lathe and perhaps never make a part for anything else.? That’s OK to make lathe itself a hobby, but it just seems curious to me.

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You will probably find that the lowest power feed rate isn’t extremely low often leading to a “grooved” looking finish (depending on tool bit geometry too, of course).? So you might want to consider looking into modifications to make it slower.? Some have done this with a mechanical reduction.? Some have done it by separately motorizing the lead screw.? There is no end to how to modify these things.

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Chuck K.

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Sent from for Windows

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