Has anyone used one of these cheap 6 in 1 mini-machines?

[Aaron_W]

You see these plastic and metal 6 in 1 machines on Amazon, Ebay etc generally well under $200. They can be configured as a wood lathe, metal lathe, mill, drill press, scroll saw, and grinder.

6 in 1 mini-machine

First off I realize that these probably make the worst Chinese mini-lathe look like a Hardinge. I'm not looking at one to do any serious machining, I already have real machines, but wondering how these would work for simple work on wood, plastic and maybe aluminum.

The reason I'm asking is I got into this hobby through plastic models, and am still active on several modelling forums. Questions about these mini-machines come up from time to time, because there are a lot of modelers interested in adding a mini lathe or mill to their tool arsenal. Even finding a really good deal on a used mini-lathe is a $300-400 purchase. For someone just looking to true up some wheels or a gun barrel on a tank model $400 is a sizable tool purchase, $100-ish is much more palatable. Most would be working with wood and plastic. Those who frequently work with brass and aluminum are usually willing to spend the money for a mini-lathe.



I'm considering "taking one for the team" and picking one of these up so I can give it a proper assessment. If someone here has actually used one with realistic expectations, it would save me the time and trouble. I don't expect it to compare well with a mini-lathe, but if it is a step above chucking a piece in a drill and shaping with an exacto knife and sand paper it might be worthwhile for some.

 

[Dhal22]

I looked at that but haven't tried it.

 

[grzdomagala]

I don't have one but saw a few live demos of "the cool tool" set (they had a stand every year around Christmas in toysareus when toysareus was alive). In most cases they demonstrated wood lathe - lathe with a piece of aluminium (shaped like a cannon) was always on display but the workpiece appeared to be the same every year
I saw a live demo of metal lathe with a piece of brass on a model build fair - it was able to cut it but squeaked quite badly...

Nevertheless kids playing with wood lathe and scroll saw had fun

 

[higgite]

The name alone is worth the price of admission.

KKmoon Mini Metal Lathe DIY 6 in 1 Multi-functional Motorized Transformer Multipurpose Machine Jigsaw Grinder Driller Plastic Wood Lathe Drilling Sanding Turning Milling Sawing Machine Tool Kit

Tom

 

[Latinrascalrg1]

The name alone is worth the price of admission.

KKmoon Mini Metal Lathe DIY 6 in 1 Multi-functional Motorized Transformer Multipurpose Machine Jigsaw Grinder Driller Plastic Wood Lathe Drilling Sanding Turning Milling Sawing Machine Tool Kit

Tom

It Almost sounds like one of the Game of Thrones Characters Proper Titles! Lol

 

[markba633csi]

When I was a tot in the 60s my folks bought me a toy lathe, ran on D batteries I think. It came with several chunks of styrofoam; that's all it would cut.
I had fun with it for a while, spewing styrofoam dust all over the house. It soon ended up in the garbage because either it broke or I got bored with how wimpy it was, or my mom got fed up with the mess

 

[Aaron_W]

Well hopefully it can turn more than styrofoam. I didn't expect that someone here had one, but worth a shot. Seems like the kind of thing someone might have started off with or got as a gift from a well meaning but clueless relative.

I've seen them on ebay as cheap as $76 so I'll probably pick one up after Christmas to play with and see of there is any practical utility to them. Unless it is completely useless I can give it to my dad when I'm done with it. He makes small scale ship models from wood, resin, plastic and wire so could probably make some use of it.

 

[cjtoombs]

Considering 46% of the reviews were one star you really are rolling the dice with this thing. I read a few of the reviews and it seems you may be lucky to get all the parts needed to assemble it. Good luck.

 

[Malakai]

I picked up on for $10 on offer up (yes $10...)

Haven't put it together, nothing really fits well. The 3 jaw chuck is made of pot metal. It's more of a toy then anything.

 

[Alcap]

Please keep us informed of your purchase . I would loved to have something like that as a kid building models , HO tracks ect . I think things that would keep kids off video games is a winner !