New to machining with new mini lathe...

[TerryH]

Evening all. Machining newb here. I've worked in the auto body industry for 37 years so have done sheet metal work, fabrication and finishing. I have a pretty well equipped woodworking shop at home. I also have a Hobart mig, cold cut saw and some assorted metal fabricating tools, welding table etc.. in my home shop so I'm familiar with just about every phase of making stuff other than machining of which I know virtually zero.

I have wanted a mini lathe for a long time. I've often been in one project or another where I've thought to myself, I could make this or that if I only had a metal lathe so I used my new gun room project for an excuse to get a Grizzly G8688. I shoot NRA F Class. I've been researching, reading and watching vids which is how I found this place. What an amazing resource you guys have here. I must admit that I'm a bit overwhelmed by the machines and the projects and such that I've seen here. I've been accumulating some tooling. I have HSS blanks and a some carbide holders and inserts, a wedge style AXA quick change tool post and assorted holders, a tail stock chuck and cam lock kit from LMS. I have an assortment of measuring tools. I haven't made any chips yet but have assorted aluminum and Delrin round stock. So far all I've done is use the lathe to spin my case trimmers. I'm anxious to make some chips. I'm going to be attempting to grind profiles on some HSS blanks this weekend using the thread here as a guide of course.

I modded a 4 drawer roll cart from Harbor Freight to mount the lathe and house the associated tooling and such. I cut some melamine and edge banded it for the top surface. I used carriage bolts to bolt the melamine thru the existing lid and base to make a solid surface for the lathe.





The lathe setup in it's new home...




The gun room has 2 Harbor Freight storage benches that I've modified along a reloading bench that I built in my wood shop.





Anyway, so much for the introduction. I'll have a bunch of questions once I get to making some chips. Again, love what you guys have going on here!

Terry

 

[royesses]

Welcome Terry to the forum. Very nice setup you have there. You will fit right in here and have many great people to help you. Feel free to ask questions. There is so much knowledge from the members that it can be overwhelming. Many of us also have mini lathes and mini mills.

Roy

 

[TerryH]

Welcome Terry to the forum. Very nice setup you have there. You will fit right in here and have many great people to help you. Feel free to ask questions. There is so much knowledge from the members that it can be overwhelming. Many of us also have mini lathes and mini mills.

Roy

Thank you Roy.

 

[Z2V]

Hello Terry, again welcome to H-M. You will meet many very knowledgeable and helpful folks here and just as many like you and I. This is a great place to break into hobby machining. Everybody here is also very happy to help you spend your money!!
I like you room setup. That wooden bench is awesome, great work.
Again, welcome aboard.
Jeff

 

[Ken from ontario]

Welcome aboard Terry, you joined the right place.
BTW, nice shop, very clean.

 

[boostin53]

Welcome! I like your setup. Being a fellow reloader, who also casts and swages jacketed bullets, I really like your room. Way cleaner than mine.

Using a lathe to spin the Tri-Way is way easier than a drill, isn't it? That was one of the first things I did when I got my first lathe, use it to trim about 1k 308 cases and roughly 4,500 .223 cases.

 

[TerryH]

Hello Terry, again welcome to H-M. You will meet many very knowledgeable and helpful folks here and just as many like you and I. This is a great place to break into hobby machining. Everybody here is also very happy to help you spend your money!!
I like you room setup. That wooden bench is awesome, great work.
Again, welcome aboard.
Jeff

Thank you Jeff! I usually don't need any help spending money but thanks anyway. lol... I do love to build things. I've been wood working since 2000. The reloading bench was a fun project. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on wood or use up my stash so It's actually made from regular 2x framing lumber from Lowes. I jointed and planed it into a usable form. The rest is pine ply and Melamine. Made for a very sturdy and functional bench.

 

[TerryH]

Welcome aboard Terry, you joined the right place.
BTW, nice shop, very clean.

Thank you Ken!

 

[TerryH]

Welcome! I like your setup. Being a fellow reloader, who also casts and swages jacketed bullets, I really like your room. Way cleaner than mine.

Using a lathe to spin the Tri-Way is way easier than a drill, isn't it? That was one of the first things I did when I got my first lathe, use it to trim about 1k 308 cases and roughly 4,500 .223 cases.

Thanks! The clean work area is a disease. Much easier to maintain the gun room than my wood shop but I try to keep both clean and organized. Some days that a blessing and some days it's a curse.

I just did 400 new cases for my .308 F-T/R rifle and trimming was so much easier on the lathe than using the drill. The whole lathe thing came about because I was debating buying a Giraud powered trimmer. I already had the Tri Way and a Trim It II so I decided to spend a little more and get the lathe instead. Opened up a whole new rabbit hole for me to go down. lol...

 

[PHPaul]

Welcome!

We could be twins. I'm also a woodworker, shooter, reloader and neophyte machinist. I have the same lathe you do and just added a used G0704 mill to my "shop".

I must admit my shop, while not a disaster area, is nowhere near that neat. Of course, I'm relegated to the basement and the garage so I'll use that as an excuse.