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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
开云体育I for one don’t visit the Facebook 7x site and I know several others here who don’t. If it isn’t too much trouble I think the non-Facebook people in here would appreciate seeing your ‘discoveries’ posted here as well. ? Michael - California, USA Micro-Mark MicroLux 7x16 LMS 3990 Hi-Torque Mill with power feed ? ? ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of j_r_abercrombie via groups.io
Sent: Friday, April 1, 2022 3:09 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [7x12MiniLathe] New 7x12 delivered and on the bench. ? On Thu, Mar 31, 2022 at 10:45 AM, MZ Rider wrote:
Your new lathe sounds a lot like the one that was delivered to me a couple of days ago - a 'Vevor' 7x14 that was an impulse buy when I saw it @ $500 CAD (incl. delivery) on walmart.ca. Attachments: |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
On Thu, Mar 31, 2022 at 10:45 AM, MZ Rider wrote:
Probably go for 4 jaw independent, maybe a quick change tool post and thinking about a vertical table for milling.I've only been using my 7x14 lathe for a couple of months, so I'm a real novice. I have purchased a lot of tooling and accessories, so a few thoughts: If you are thinking of another chuck, the 4-jaw is probably 'the next one on the list'. Did your lathe come with an 80mm or 100mm 3-jaw? The quick change (wedge type OXA) tool post and holders are a definite improvement and would be at the top of my list. I found the sloping holder (250-007?) for the parting tool to be useless as I couldn't get the parting blades to be on center. The 'bump' type knurling tool? that came in the set with the QCTP worked, but I think most people prefer a 'clamp' type knurler. So It might be more cost-effective to buy the toolpost and a handful of 250-001 & 250-002 holders separately. It's hard to have too many tool holders. :) Another thing for your list could be a live (spinning) center for the tailstock. The skinny type allows the tool to get closer to the tail end of the workpiece. If you are using a dead center, the 'half cut away' type can be useful if you need to cut right at the tail end of the work,too. Does your lathe have the 2-speed 'transmission' in the headstock? I bought? a milling attachment - it's a great tool for pointing out the lack of rigidity in the lathe setup. :)? I plan to use it if I can get the carriage and cross slide tightened up enough on the new lathe. And I am still waiting on delivery of cutter$. |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
On Thu, Mar 31, 2022 at 10:45 AM, MZ Rider wrote:
Reckon I will need to do a bit of fitting as a bit noisy using the main slide hand wheel near the head stock.Your new lathe sounds a lot like the one that was delivered to me a couple of days ago - a 'Vevor' 7x14 that was an impulse buy when I saw it @ $500 CAD (incl. delivery) on walmart.ca. I'm posting my 'discoveries' with it on the 7x lathe page on Facebook, so I won't duplicate all that info here. About the noise when moving the carriage with the handwheel- That was one of the first 'problems' I noticed -? I found that the alignment of the leadscrew to the half-nuts was the problem - the threads in the half-nuts were rubbing on the leadscrew even when they were supposed to be disengaged. NOt good as it will wear the leadscrew and the half nuts. Also, engaging the half-nuts (by turning the lever down) was pushing (bending) the leadscrew. On my lathe the main problem was that the two cap screws fixing the carriage to the apron were in drilled holes with counterbores. On my 'other lathe', also a 7x14, those bolts rest in counterbored slots so that the apron can be moved to align the half-nuts with the leadscrew. With a Dremel grinder/end mill and a round hand file, I made slots so that I could adjust the apron to get the half-nuts aligned with the leadscrew. I also loosened the gibs for the half-nuts a bit as it lets the nuts engage the screw more smoothly. Probably not the best solution, so I wouldn't recommend that change unless you find it necessary. |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
------- Original Message ------- On Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 12:27 PM, Bruce J <bruce.desertrat@...> wrote:
Hi Bruce, I have that book. I'll look at chapter 4, but there didn't seem to be enough clearance between the leadscrew shield and cover I made for the apron gears to keep the cover from binding with the leadscrew cover. The rough finish maybe because of a sharp point. I'll take a diamond hone and make a radius on the point. Thanks for the tips. Stan _._._,_
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
开云体育
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 |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
开云体育One way to improve finish, especially if the power feed moves a bit faster than you would like, is to make the tool bit more round nosed.? You are sort of cutting a very fine thread which is one way to think about it.? How do you get the “pitch” of the thread smaller and the “depth” of the “thread” shallower. ? Chuck K. ? Sent from for Windows ? From: Mark Kimball
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2022 9:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [7x12MiniLathe] New 7x12 delivered and on the bench. ? For a very long time I used my 7x12 without any modifications whatsoever and made lots of good stuff, so unless you discover some significant problem with your machine I'd suggest just starting to make stuff and learning as you go.? Some of the first things I made were some simple chassis inserts for my VW golf to replace the broken luggage-cover lift hooks, the things the lift straps hang onto on the hatch.? The originals don't seem to hold up very long.? I made the replacements from aluminum about 20 years ago and they're still going strong.? I actually learned a lot from that, turning studs with a specific ID, OD and length, and tapered inserts to expand the end of the studs.? I hand-cut two slots across the end of each stud so it could expand as I inserted the insert so the stud would be captured in the original hole. ? |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
For a very long time I used my 7x12 without any modifications whatsoever and made lots of good stuff, so unless you discover some significant problem with your machine I'd suggest just starting to make stuff and learning as you go.? Some of the first things I made were some simple chassis inserts for my VW golf to replace the broken luggage-cover lift hooks, the things the lift straps hang onto on the hatch.? The originals don't seem to hold up very long.? I made the replacements from aluminum about 20 years ago and they're still going strong.? I actually learned a lot from that, turning studs with a specific ID, OD and length, and tapered inserts to expand the end of the studs.? I hand-cut two slots across the end of each stud so it could expand as I inserted the insert so the stud would be captured in the original hole.
The key to making items like this is to look at the original (broken) pieces to see how they work and then make parts that produce the same function....but simpler and probably uglier <g>.? Use the KISS principle whenever you can :)? The other key issue is using decent cutting tools.? I started out _trying_ to use the cheap brazed-carbide cutting tools that many 7x12 vendors want to sell you, but they usually are about the worst possible thing you could use on a 7x12.? The? cutting angles on them can vary all over the map, and often are bad for a relatively low-powered 7x lathe ... or for that matter ANY lathe, unless you've got the right grinding setup for carbide.? If you don't want to mess with grinding your own cutting tools for now, buy a set of cutters that use carbide inserts from a vendor like LMS (Litttle Machine Shop) -- perhaps not ideal, but in my experience inserts work well enough for many of the things I want to make.? Most of my insert cutters are using the same insert they came with, 10+ years later -- since I mostly turn aluminum or softer materials.? Maybe the finish isn't mirror-like, but it's usually good enough for my purposes. Remember the old Machinist's adage that "perfect is the enemy of good enough" and you will have a more enjoyable time making things.? Maybe I didn't reproduce the phrase exactly, but....it's good enough, right?? Mark |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
开云体育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 On 3/31/22 20:50, Roy via groups.io
wrote:
The first mod I recommend is increasing the cross slide travel! There are several approaches that add 1" more travel, allowing you to reach the outside of anything that can be spun in the lathe. |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
The first mod I recommend is increasing the cross slide travel! There are several approaches that add 1" more travel, allowing you to reach the outside of anything that can be spun in the lathe.
Chuck is exactly right, there's no benefit to replacing the plastic gears with metal. Actually, the plastic gears are easier to live with, since they don't require lubrication. The gear tooth loads for threading & power feed are quite low. I'm also a proponent of adding a separate drive for the lead screw - some flavor of hand crank + a small timing motor for fine feed. Also, a hand crank for the spindle is nice, both for threading & cutting to a shoulder. Roy |
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
Washington State.
Sent from , Swiss-based encrypted email.
Sent with secure email.
------- Original Message ------- On Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 4:37 PM, Kenneth.Landaiche via groups.io <Kenneth.Landaiche@...> wrote:
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
开云体育Thanks! I look forward to it. And I’ve noticed all of the upgrade projects on different peoples’ lathe websites. ? I noticed you use ProtonMail. Are you in Switzerland? ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Phil via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2022 4:34 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [7x12MiniLathe] New 7x12 delivered and on the bench. ?
Congratulations and let the cleaning begin! If it is anything like mine was, you are going to find foundry sand in places you won't believe. The chuck will definitely need to be taken apart, cleaned out and lubricated first thing. Lots of cleaning in your future. Then you can start in on the literally endless upgrade process. Good luck and happy chip making. ? Sent from , Swiss-based encrypted email. ? Sent with secure email. ?? CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email and any attachments are for the sole use of the intended recipient and may contain material that is proprietary, confidential, privileged or otherwise legally protected or restricted under applicable government laws. Any review, disclosure, distributing or other use without expressed permission of the sender is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies without reading, printing, or saving.
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
Congratulations and let the cleaning begin! If it is anything like mine was, you are going to find foundry sand in places you won't believe. The chuck will definitely need to be taken apart, cleaned out and lubricated first thing. Lots of cleaning in your future. Then you can start in on the literally endless upgrade process. Good luck and happy chip making.
Sent from , Swiss-based encrypted email.
Sent with secure email.
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
And then after all that, then you start to get to work on your lathe. By this I mean as you use it,you find so many things that need to be fixed or altered. Most of these will be necessary and some for your liking. I just watched a thousand youtube videos to help but things start to come together as you use it. So start using it. No one learns a lathe overnight. In fact I think that those who one could call experts are still learning. george
On Thursday, March 31, 2022, 11:06:43 AM PDT, Charles Kinzer <ckinzer@...> wrote:
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. ? 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. ? ? A milling attachment for one of these only suitable for light milling.? VERY light milling. ? 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. ? 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. ? 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. ? Chuck K. ? Sent from for Windows ? From: MZ Rider
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2022 10:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [7x12MiniLathe] New 7x12 delivered and on the bench. ? ?380 courtesy of Amazon and ?20 off because I was using Microsoft Edge to run the Amazon programme (I think that was it). Ordered Monday and delivered today, Thursday in a big wooden box that took some getting into.?40kg box and driver lifted it straight out onto to my small sack barrow. Contact Group Owner | Unsubscribe [ckinzer@...]
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Re: New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
开云体育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. ? 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. ? ? A milling attachment for one of these only suitable for light milling.? VERY light milling. ? 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. ? 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. ? 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. ? Chuck K. ? Sent from for Windows ? From: MZ Rider
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2022 10:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [7x12MiniLathe] New 7x12 delivered and on the bench. ? ?380 courtesy of Amazon and ?20 off because I was using Microsoft Edge to run the Amazon programme (I think that was it). Ordered Monday and delivered today, Thursday in a big wooden box that took some getting into.?40kg box and driver lifted it straight out onto to my small sack barrow. Contact Group Owner | Unsubscribe [ckinzer@...] _._,_._,_ ? |
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New 7x12 delivered and on the bench.
?380 courtesy of Amazon and ?20 off because I was using Microsoft Edge to run the Amazon programme (I think that was it). Ordered Monday and delivered today, Thursday in a big wooden box that took some getting into.?40kg box and driver lifted it straight out onto to my small sack barrow.
?With the help of her indoors lifted it onto the bench. Fitted the bottom tray and the four rubber feet. Nice and heavy so does not need bolting down. Top slide handle was broken off so i think a new one will be the first job, otherwise everything else was there. Just the basics at this price, 3 jaw chuck with the extra set of jaws for larger items. Few tools and guard, and centre.? Switched on it works. Interesting in that it seems to be factory packed but came with a UK 3 pin plug, obviously 50Hz 220volts. Bit chilly in the garage, snowed today. Reckon I will need to do a bit of fitting as a bit noisy using the main slide hand wheel near the head stock. I do not need a longer version so the 7x12 is enough for me, also much cheaper than larger variations.? Probably go for 4 jaw independent, maybe a quick change tool post and thinking about a vertical table for milling. Not likely to do much thread cutting but might look to getting metal gears for the main drive. See how it goes. I have a tachometer so will work out the approximate? speed positions for the dial. So any tips and points to really check out as I hopefully have a closer look over the weekend.? |
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Re: Extending cross slide travel -- what is the currently accepted best method?
On Wed, Mar 30, 2022 at 09:24 AM, Mark Kimball wrote:
Fortunately the spring dimensions aren't all that critical.If there's a terrible shop mishap and the 'safety' spring gets separated from your chuck key, it might be about the right size to fit over the leadscrew. |
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Re: Extending cross slide travel -- what is the currently accepted best method?
On Wed, Mar 30, 2022 at 06:59 AM, paul mcclintic wrote:
I think the spring you used might have been a 9434K113 which has a 0.39" I.D. to go over the 10MM (0.394") shaft. The 9434K72 only has a 0.296" I.D..You're right!? I'd forgotten that I ordered the wrong size.? I found one with the right dimensions at a local hardware store.? Fortunately the spring dimensions aren't all that critical. Apologies for the misinformation, and thanks for the correction. -Mark |
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Re: Extending cross slide travel -- what is the currently accepted best method?
Hi Mark,
I have been following this interesting discussion on cross slide travel mods and anti backlash mods. I have had my go at it a few years back and am happy with what I have so I am just following along with interest. These days I am focusing on a couple of 24 volt DC motor mods for my little Unimat DB200 lathes. (Variable Speed Control is the goal. I am having fun while learning new skills.)? Dick |
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Re: Extending cross slide travel -- what is the currently accepted best method?
On Sun, Mar 20, 2022 at 12:14 PM, Mark Kimball wrote:
I bought the spring from McMaster-Carr, P/N 9434K72.? It compresses down to? .13" wide so the gap between the nuts has to be a little more than that.I think the spring you used might have been a 9434K113 which has a 0.39" I.D. to go over the 10MM (0.394") shaft. The 9434K72 only has a 0.296" I.D.. |
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Re: Mods, was Different Prices - such a range!
开云体育Not exactly a 7x lathe, but close...
Between 12 minutes and 13 minutes .
Here is an answer on 1 brand & model of lathe...
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On 3/17/2022 3:42 PM, Kaj Wiik wrote:
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MZ Rider
OldToolmaker