I'm a? learning newbie with the mini lathes, but I think I'm getting
better.? I haven't messed with the cross slide travel mod.? Only
mods I've made are a carriage lock and cover over the apron gears to
keep chips out. The lathe I have had a chip guard over the lead
screw but with the cover over the apron gears mod, the chip guard
over the lead screw no longer fits. The cover sticks out too far.
Still undecided on getting a larger bed. So far the lathe I have has
done anything I've wanted to do.
Think I'll stick with the plastic gears rather than go with the
metal gears.
I've noticed the grooved finish with the lathe I have when the lead
screw is engaged. Not so much when I turn the crank manually. Unsure
if it's due to the speed used, how I ground the HSS bits or what.?
Would be interested in more comments on that.? At first I ground the
bits with a bench grinder, but I started using a belt sander
afterwards.
Stan
Broken record time again :-) As a newbie myself, I definitely reccomend the book from Home Shop Machinist : The Complete Mini-lathe Workshop, by Ted Hansen
He has a project that covers the apron gears AND keeps the shield over the lead screw, (Apron mods chapter 4) and has a discussion of the grooved finish (Fine feeds and torque, chapter 24. IIRC some of it turned out to be some play in the leadscrew; the tool pulled itself along the work, then stopped and the lead screw would ¡®catch up¡¯ and start the tool moving again.)
?Many MANY other useful bits of info and projects.?
If you ground your tool to a sharp point, you¡¯re going to get a rougher surface finish than if you grind a slight radius on the point, as well.?
--?
Bruce Johnson
"Wherever you go, there you are." B. Banzai, PhD
