Bill;
One of the things to check,is to make sure your tool bit is not extended towards the chuck,or out too far.
The mini has as far as I am concerned,a bad design in the cross slide gibs. I noticed when I had to turn the bit out towards the chuck,I could see the cross slide tip towards the left,causing chatter.
I could actually grab the compound with my hands,and tip it towards the left,it was pivoting on the gib screws.
I had to make a brass gib,that fit almost tight between the saddle, and cross side,to minimize it.
But to eliminate it,I had to add a L shaped piece on the right side to hold down the slide
Brass has a tendency to ''hook''and pull a cutter into a cut,especially if the lathe is loose in the crossslide/compound area.
You can have a little angle on top of the bit,[towards side or back],but can only be a couple of degrees. The bits I have are rough on the surface,and I do this,just to be able to sharpen them ''smooth''.
Another thing you can try,is when you sharpen the bit,and put the radius on the front that does the cutting,only put a few degrees on the radius itself,the cutter will heel on the cut,and not allow
the cutter to dig in.
Allways use a radius ,on brass ,I use app.a .040 to .050 R for the majority of turning,and only use a bit with a ''sharp'' end,when I need to get into a corner that needs to be square/sharp.
--- On Tue, 2/12/13, Dick wrote:
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maschwiebert