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Hello everyone,

I would like to thank every on who replied to my meassage on what
type of mini lathe to buy.

After reading the replys it seam to me the majority went with
Homier's 7x12 Metal Lathe.

I ordered my Sunday night on the internet.

Now from what I understand, it is not ready to run out of the box, I
have to buy tools for it to be used.

Could anyone give me a list of the tools that I need to buy and where
to get them.

Can any of these tools be made (there seems to always be a money
shortage around here) with the lathe?

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Kelvin

Catalog, or in-store only? Either way, I hope I get the same flyer. I
recently bought one, $649 in-store.

Graciously,
Jim
Lakewood, CA
All Hail Rube Goldberg!

John Breitbach wrote:

Just got a mailer yesterday from H.F...$599 for their 9x20.....



signing off,

JB



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Hi,
I used this face plate:



For mounting my 5 inch chuck on my little lathe I had to measure and mill
slots for the chuck, but it worked fine for me. I could probably reduce
it's size but cutting the face plate and then smoothing it with a file
while it was turning on the lathe, but it works well the way it is. The
face plate is $12.99 plus shipping.

Jerry

I could not find a suitable back plate on the HF web
site, but this one from LMS may work:



If you are interested in making your own:



Frank Hoose


--- kgmk99 <kgmk99@...> wrote:

I have a new Speedway 7 x 12 mini lathe. I want to
purchse the
Harbour Freigth tools 4" self centering 4 jaw chuck
(part number
47461-0VGA). the chuck requires a backing plate.
Does anybody know
which Harbour Freight Tools backing plate will work
with the self
centering chuck and the Speedway lathe?. I don't
want to do any
modification unless I have to.

Thanks,

George


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The magnetic sign stock is more user friendly than you might
think - most of it is directionally magnetized. The back side is
strongly magnetic; the face is almost non-magnetized.

Roy
--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <moran03@e...> wrote:

The cross slide lead screw is exposed when the compound is removed
while using the ball fixture so your idea of using a magnetic card
seems like a good one, especially since I often use the ball

fixture

on aluminum.

And, you've convinced me to use a clamp scheme instead of a set

screw

to retain the bearing. I think I can slit the bottom of the

bearing

holder and add a cinch screw to accomplish this. It may look a bit
strange for a while until I come up with a scheme to mill the outer
part of the holder to match the diameter of the dial --
unfortunately, I can't turn it to size and leave a place for the
cinch screw and I don't own a mill so I guess it will take some

extra

ingenuity. Or a visit to a friend with a mill...

Thanks for the advice.

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@y...> wrote:

There's a compound pivot mod that moves the compound's pivot

point

close to an inch towards the centerline of the lathe - should

reduce

the number of times the feedscrew is exposed. Flexible magnetic

sign

material holds onto oily metal better than duct tape & comes free

in

the mail from realtors, long-distance providers, pizza places,

etc.

Using a setscrew on the outer race of a ball bearing is not a

good

plan; the outer race will distort enough to give the bearing
a "notchy" feel if the screw is tight enough to actually hold
anything. Any retention method should distribute the force over

as

much of the bearing as possible.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <moran03@e...> wrote:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the info on your mod as well as the link to the

cross

slide mod pictures. I particularly like the way you clamped

the

inner race; if my wild scheme doesn't work out I'll copy yours.

I tend to be a "successive approximation" worker, that is when
possible I try to make things in such a way that the parts can

be

tried prior to completion. The cross slide mod I'm attempting

is

a

good example in that the change to the carriage is now done

plus

I've

completed the lead screw extension and have it in place (but

the

dial

is still where it used to be because I don't have the bearing

yet),

held with a longer bolt. This extension has the groove for the
dial's friction spring as well as the land for the inner

bearing

race

to butt against. All I need now is the bearing and spacer.

The

extension is easily removed so I can revert to the original

setup

quickly, except I can't put the material back into the

carriage :-

)

Pictures of the present state are near the end of the page on

my

lathe site:

There is 5/8" additional thread exposed on the leadscrew so it

will

be quite a bit better than the present setup; I can make the

next

approximation - a new leadscrew - later if necessary.

My scheme for inner race retention is not as positive as yours.

I'm

trying to copy the method used on the minilathe's compound

slide

except that a ball bearing will be included. That is, the

handle

will take the bearing's thrust via the dial. Very few parts

needed

but hard to say if it will have excessive slop - my compound

has

about 3 mils.

I'm still agonizing over a simple way to retain the bearing's

outer

race which would also allow easy disassembly so I can revert to

the

original setup if it doesn't work as I hope. Loctite or a press

fit

would make the bearing more difficult to extract so I'm leaning
toward a set screw.

With the material removed from the carriage I find that the

cross

slide lead screw is exposed when the toolpost is centered as it

is

when using the ball fixture. It's unclear how to protect this

in

a

way which won't interfere with the spacer - another use for

duct

tape, maybe ;-)

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "v45bob" <rosunley@s...>

wrote:

I made a new spacer block, a block to hold two bearings, with

a

washer between the bearing and the spacer block. This allowed

the

bearing outer race to be pinched between the spacer block and

the

bearing block.

I made a new leadscrew, easy as I have a metric leadscrew,

and

turned

the shaft to be 2mm less in diameter than the original. I

also

made

the threaded portion approx 2" longer to allow more travel

for

the

Taig milling attachment I have.

This way I used smaller bearings and a sleeve between the

handle

washer and the bearings to clamp the leadscrew to the inner

race.

the original numbered dial fits over the sleeve and is held

in

place

with a set screw instead of the spring.

I sortof copied someone else's cross slide bearing mod, but

not

sure

where it was/is.

Here it is:

7x12-

Projects/Cross_Slide_Mod/

Bob.

The cross slide lead screw is exposed when the compound is removed
while using the ball fixture so your idea of using a magnetic card
seems like a good one, especially since I often use the ball fixture
on aluminum.

And, you've convinced me to use a clamp scheme instead of a set screw
to retain the bearing. I think I can slit the bottom of the bearing
holder and add a cinch screw to accomplish this. It may look a bit
strange for a while until I come up with a scheme to mill the outer
part of the holder to match the diameter of the dial --
unfortunately, I can't turn it to size and leave a place for the
cinch screw and I don't own a mill so I guess it will take some extra
ingenuity. Or a visit to a friend with a mill...

Thanks for the advice.

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@y...> wrote:

There's a compound pivot mod that moves the compound's pivot

point

close to an inch towards the centerline of the lathe - should

reduce

the number of times the feedscrew is exposed. Flexible magnetic

sign

material holds onto oily metal better than duct tape & comes free

in

the mail from realtors, long-distance providers, pizza places, etc.
Using a setscrew on the outer race of a ball bearing is not a

good

plan; the outer race will distort enough to give the bearing
a "notchy" feel if the screw is tight enough to actually hold
anything. Any retention method should distribute the force over as
much of the bearing as possible.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <moran03@e...> wrote:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the info on your mod as well as the link to the cross
slide mod pictures. I particularly like the way you clamped the
inner race; if my wild scheme doesn't work out I'll copy yours.

I tend to be a "successive approximation" worker, that is when
possible I try to make things in such a way that the parts can be
tried prior to completion. The cross slide mod I'm attempting is

a

good example in that the change to the carriage is now done plus

I've

completed the lead screw extension and have it in place (but the

dial

is still where it used to be because I don't have the bearing

yet),

held with a longer bolt. This extension has the groove for the
dial's friction spring as well as the land for the inner bearing

race

to butt against. All I need now is the bearing and spacer. The
extension is easily removed so I can revert to the original setup
quickly, except I can't put the material back into the carriage :-

)

Pictures of the present state are near the end of the page on my
lathe site:

There is 5/8" additional thread exposed on the leadscrew so it

will

be quite a bit better than the present setup; I can make the next
approximation - a new leadscrew - later if necessary.

My scheme for inner race retention is not as positive as yours.

I'm

trying to copy the method used on the minilathe's compound slide
except that a ball bearing will be included. That is, the handle
will take the bearing's thrust via the dial. Very few parts

needed

but hard to say if it will have excessive slop - my compound has
about 3 mils.

I'm still agonizing over a simple way to retain the bearing's

outer

race which would also allow easy disassembly so I can revert to

the

original setup if it doesn't work as I hope. Loctite or a press

fit

would make the bearing more difficult to extract so I'm leaning
toward a set screw.

With the material removed from the carriage I find that the cross
slide lead screw is exposed when the toolpost is centered as it

is

when using the ball fixture. It's unclear how to protect this in

a

way which won't interfere with the spacer - another use for duct
tape, maybe ;-)

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "v45bob" <rosunley@s...>

wrote:

I made a new spacer block, a block to hold two bearings, with a
washer between the bearing and the spacer block. This allowed

the

bearing outer race to be pinched between the spacer block and

the

bearing block.

I made a new leadscrew, easy as I have a metric leadscrew, and

turned

the shaft to be 2mm less in diameter than the original. I also

made

the threaded portion approx 2" longer to allow more travel for

the

Taig milling attachment I have.

This way I used smaller bearings and a sleeve between the

handle

washer and the bearings to clamp the leadscrew to the inner

race.

the original numbered dial fits over the sleeve and is held in

place

with a set screw instead of the spring.

I sortof copied someone else's cross slide bearing mod, but not

sure

where it was/is.

Here it is:

7x12-

Projects/Cross_Slide_Mod/

Bob.

Having three models of Atlas/Sears laths as well as a Unimat SL I feel
qualified to comment on their relative merits. I have had a 12" Atlas
with most of the accessories since 1967 and it has been the workhorse of
my shop. It helped put me through graduate school and start an
engineering business and is the one that I cannot do without. At times I
wish that it had the 24" bed option as that would improve it's stiffness
significantly. The 6" Atlas was bought recently but was nearly unworn and
was very well equipped . I would rate it as second in my shop. The SL
Unimat was my second acquisition and is also well equipped and extremely
precise; probably the most precise lath in the shop. It's only failing is
it's small size. The 7x10 lath that I recently bought for $100 is my
latest acquisition. It is not that much bigger than the SL Unimat and is
still being tuned and tweaked to see what level of performance it can
provide. Finally I have a Champion lathe as sold by Sears. It has the
Vee-Flat bed and an odd planetary back gear that does not seem to be very
strong. Far and away the least desirable lathe in the shop. Just remember
that it easier by far to do small work on a big lathe than big work on a
small lathe!

Bill in Boulder "Engineering as an Art Form!"

I have a new Speedway 7 x 12 mini lathe. I want to purchse the
Harbour Freigth tools 4" self centering 4 jaw chuck (part number
47461-0VGA). the chuck requires a backing plate. Does anybody know
which Harbour Freight Tools backing plate will work with the self
centering chuck and the Speedway lathe?. I don't want to do any
modification unless I have to.

Thanks,

George

There's a compound pivot mod that moves the compound's pivot point
close to an inch towards the centerline of the lathe - should reduce
the number of times the feedscrew is exposed. Flexible magnetic sign
material holds onto oily metal better than duct tape & comes free in
the mail from realtors, long-distance providers, pizza places, etc.
Using a setscrew on the outer race of a ball bearing is not a good
plan; the outer race will distort enough to give the bearing
a "notchy" feel if the screw is tight enough to actually hold
anything. Any retention method should distribute the force over as
much of the bearing as possible.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <moran03@e...> wrote:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the info on your mod as well as the link to the cross
slide mod pictures. I particularly like the way you clamped the
inner race; if my wild scheme doesn't work out I'll copy yours.

I tend to be a "successive approximation" worker, that is when
possible I try to make things in such a way that the parts can be
tried prior to completion. The cross slide mod I'm attempting is a
good example in that the change to the carriage is now done plus

I've

completed the lead screw extension and have it in place (but the

dial

is still where it used to be because I don't have the bearing yet),
held with a longer bolt. This extension has the groove for the
dial's friction spring as well as the land for the inner bearing

race

to butt against. All I need now is the bearing and spacer. The
extension is easily removed so I can revert to the original setup
quickly, except I can't put the material back into the carriage :-

)

Pictures of the present state are near the end of the page on my
lathe site:

There is 5/8" additional thread exposed on the leadscrew so it will
be quite a bit better than the present setup; I can make the next
approximation - a new leadscrew - later if necessary.

My scheme for inner race retention is not as positive as yours. I'm
trying to copy the method used on the minilathe's compound slide
except that a ball bearing will be included. That is, the handle
will take the bearing's thrust via the dial. Very few parts needed
but hard to say if it will have excessive slop - my compound has
about 3 mils.

I'm still agonizing over a simple way to retain the bearing's outer
race which would also allow easy disassembly so I can revert to the
original setup if it doesn't work as I hope. Loctite or a press fit
would make the bearing more difficult to extract so I'm leaning
toward a set screw.

With the material removed from the carriage I find that the cross
slide lead screw is exposed when the toolpost is centered as it is
when using the ball fixture. It's unclear how to protect this in a
way which won't interfere with the spacer - another use for duct
tape, maybe ;-)

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "v45bob" <rosunley@s...>

wrote:

I made a new spacer block, a block to hold two bearings, with a
washer between the bearing and the spacer block. This allowed the
bearing outer race to be pinched between the spacer block and the
bearing block.

I made a new leadscrew, easy as I have a metric leadscrew, and

turned

the shaft to be 2mm less in diameter than the original. I also

made

the threaded portion approx 2" longer to allow more travel for

the

Taig milling attachment I have.

This way I used smaller bearings and a sleeve between the handle
washer and the bearings to clamp the leadscrew to the inner

race.

the original numbered dial fits over the sleeve and is held in

place

with a set screw instead of the spring.

I sortof copied someone else's cross slide bearing mod, but not

sure

where it was/is.

Here it is:


Projects/Cross_Slide_Mod/

Bob.

Further comment:
109 = AA engineering manufacture
Flat ways = Atlas manufacture.
My earlier comments bad mouthing the 109 are in no way intended to reflect on the Atlas (flat ways) series of machines. The original poster apparently has confused the 109's with the Atlas's, something I have noticed e-bay sellers sometimes encourage.
Regards
Bob




Charles E. Kinzer wrote:

John Breitbach wrote:

Does anyone have any experience as to how a homier compares to an old Atlas made Craftsman 109.xxxxx lathe?? I see a lot fo them go through ebay with some decent tooling in many case, and for a price that would compete with a new 7x12 homier.....then there is also the 8x14 lathemaster....I am having an indecisive moment here, and need a little help....

The 109 series of sears lathes have only a 1/2" spindle and in general are the worst lathes I have ever seen. Some versions came with no back gears and some had a strange planitary gear setup for back gearing, how reliable this is I do not know.

There is an e-group that includes these lathes at:



I belong to this group because I own an atlas lathe but I have the mail option turned off because the 109 traffic is so anoying.

It is my opinion that the 7x10/7x12 series of lathes are far better tools than the 109's even though they may require some "tuning" out of the box.

Find Mert over in the 7x10 group and ask him what he thinks, I think he still owns a 109 (of course he may well try and sell it to you.)

No comment on the 8x14's (if someone wants to send me one I will try it out and then have a comment.

Bob

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the link. A bit embarrassing since it is on the same site
as my original link and I just missed it.

Seems like everyone who mods the cross slide has a mill except me.
Hmmm, maybe they're trying to tell me something.

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "smuldoon1" <smuldoon@z...>
wrote:

I'm quite sure that I already posted this several hours ago, but

here

it goes again:

Ty added ball bearings to his xslide in conjunction with a new 20

tpi

lead screw. You can find the drawings at:



Steve


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <moran03@e...> wrote:

I'm getting ready to mod my cross slide along the lines shown

here:

Check this site first.



This is where I went to learn avout lathes before I bought my
Homeir. Good luck.


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "lecompte126"
<lecompte126@h...> wrote:

Hello everyone,

I'm a new member to the group. I would like to buy a mini metal
lathe, can anyone give me websites where i can find them.

Any sugestions on what kind and size to buy (I am an handy cap

person

with limited income to spend on this hobby).

thank you for your help

Kelvin

Hi George,

The HF gadgets fit the Speedway fine. I bought HF's drill chuck with
MT2 taper and it fits my Speedway 7x12 properly.

Easiest way to thread is with taps and dies when that is possible.
Assuming you are interested in single point threading with the lathe:

For outside threading, you just need to grind a toolbit to 60 degrees
(assuming standard thread), set it perpendicular to the work, put the
right gears on (a little tricky the first time out) and have at it
using very light cuts. Best to practice on scrap until you develop a
rythm per the reference below.

Inside threading is a bit more problematical in that you'll likely
want a boring bar to hold a small tool bit. I made a boring bar from
a piece of 3/8 round stock: cross drilled a small hole 1/2 inch from
the end, filed this hole square to hold a 1/8 tool bit, end drilled
and tapped the bar for a 10-32 set screw to secure the bit. Grind a
1/8 tool bit to 60 degrees and cut it to length and put it in your
shiny new boring bar. Then it works much like outside threading
except now you need a boring bar holder...

There is some magic to do with the threading dial vs tpi but it boils
down to: pick any number and ALWAYS start with that same number (I
use 5) and forget the magic. On my lathe the numbers weren't lined
up with the index mark when the leadscrew was engaged -- this is
adjustable by just twisting the threading dial which is a friction
fit, similar to the other dials.

There is a good detailed and practical description of single point
threading here:



Your lathe needs the gibs adjusted to avoid chatter and once this is
done threading works amazingly well on the 7x12. Initially, I
chucked a 16 tpi bolt up, set the gears for 16 tpi, adjusted the tool
just above the existing thread, turned it on low speed and watched as
the tool followed along just above the existing thread -- made me a
believer very quickly.

John



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "kgmk99" <kgmk99@y...> wrote:

I am a novice and just purchased a 7 X 12 Speedway mini lathe from
Homnier. Will attachemts from Harbour Freight tools such as the

drill

chuck work in this lathe? I will also want to do some threading and
need to know what else I should purchase to do this? Any help on

this

would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

George Kaplan

Correction to my previous post:

It is www.mini-lathe.com (with a hyphen), not www.minilathe.com Sorry.

Chuck K,

Kelvin:

If you spend a couple of hours roaming the right places on the net, you can
get a good picture of things quickly. Here's are some suggestions for you
(others on this group will probably also chime in. This group has many
helpful folks). One thing you should do is have a fairly clear idea of what
you want to do so you don't purchase too much or too little (which is
possibly worse).

www.minilathe.com is THE place with a lot of information and links about the
small Sieg Chinese minilathes. Sieg machines are sold under many brands as
you will see on this site. The consensus of this group seems to be that
Homier is the best value. Homier's site is www.homier.com .

www.littlemachineshop.com is another "must see" site selling tooling,
accessories, and parts for these things. It's loaded with all sorts of
information.

www.sherline.com is Sherline's site. These are American made lathes that
are smaller than the 7x10/7x12/7x14 Chinese lathes but have arguably better
quality. These are sold by many places. They are priced fairly, but you
will likely pay more than for the Chinese lathes.

If something as small as a Sherline is OK, you might consider an older
Unimat lathe. These first came out in the 60's and really popularized the
idea of small lathes. These are always being sold on ebay. Really nice
ones with lots of tooling can go for big bucks as a collector item, but
completely usable ones with a little rust and scraped paint often go for
bargain prices. Those early Unimats are not as strong as the Sherline, but
many have done wonders with them. I couldn't recommend the newer Unimat
products - they have become just too hobby-like.

You can search on ebay for "minilathe", "sherline", "unimat" and even "small
lathes" and see a lot small lathes and accessories.

Note that the tooling you will need (chucks, fancier toolposts, milling
attachments, etc) is about the same for anything and tooling can represent a
significant cost if you want a lot of doodads. It's worth getting an idea
of everything that will be needed for what you want to do, and know what
comes supplied with the lathe, so you don't get surprised later.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Chuck K.

I've owned a Craftsman 6 inch in the past and would consider it better
quality and, if in good condition, likely to produce better results than the
minilathes as they come out of the box. They weren't a "kit", as many on
this group have described the Chinese minilathes. I've got a MicroMark
which is like the Homier and except for some bells and whistles is as good,
or bad, as the Homier.

Condition is the catch. Used ones can have some real wear problems than can
put them next to worthless. Especially look for wear on the flat ways. I'd
suggest buying one where you could get your hands on it first unless you had
some reason to be more comfortable. Seems awhile back somebody was selling
a one that looked like it had hardly been used and had many accessories
still in the box. That would make for a pretty decent basic lathe, in my
opinion. (Something I haven't seen since I joined this group is a request
for somebody to inspect something for them. Guys in a car group I'm in do
that from time to time.)

While you're looking, if you have the space, you might want to consider the
10" version. Like the 6", it's not a top of the line design, but pretty
good. I have a friend who was a tool and diemaker, is one of the dwindling
number of true craftsmen out there, and used one to build a very nice live
steam railroad engine.

One good thing about small used lathes like the Craftsman: It seems there
is always a willing market wanting to buy the things. Let's face it - it
looks more like a "real" lathe than a hobby lathe. So if you got one and
changed your mind, you can likely easily sell it locally.

Chuck K.

try going to www.minilathe.com and look it up in the files. it shows how to
slacken and tighten the nuts at the front of the bed in order to move the
motor around. i did mine in about 5 mins,following the instructions




DAVID WILLIAMS
BOLTON
ENGLAND
www.smartgroups.com/groups/fliers

Having completed the replacement of the back? gears in the headstock of
my 7x10 I am having trouble getting the drive toothed belt to run true in
the forward direction. Has anyone else encountered this problem and what
is the secret to motor alignment ?

Bill in Boulder "Engineering as an Art Form!"