Mini-mill in my future?

[DavidR8]

I made an offer on a 7x14 lathe today.
I was wavering between an older South Bend 9C in pieces of a new 7x14.
Decided that I want to learn to machine not rebuild a a machine at this point.
I bid low to see what happens. They may reject the bid.

 

[ttabbal]

Just keep in mind that you probably will need to do a fair bit of cleaning and adjusting on even new machines. More so for smaller hobby gear, it seems. That doesn't make it bad, plenty of good work happens on minis, it's just part of the game.

Particularly on mini lathes, consider learning to grind HSS. A sharp HSS helps on smaller machines. After all, my 1127 isn't THAT much bigger.

 

[DavidR8]

And.... a 7x14 lathe is on its way to me. Delivery on the 25th

 

[DavidR8]

Just keep in mind that you probably will need to do a fair bit of cleaning and adjusting on even new machines. More so for smaller hobby gear, it seems. That doesn't make it bad, plenty of good work happens on minis, it's just part of the game.

Particularly on mini lathes, consider learning to grind HSS. A sharp HSS helps on smaller machines. After all, my 1127 isn't THAT much bigger.

Yes, I expect my learning curve just started to ramp up!

 

[ttabbal]

Yes, I expect my learning curve just started to ramp up!

There is a ton of stuff to learn. It's a lot of fun though. Do check out the big tool grinding and model thread. We have a number of models being sent around so you can see what the tools we're talking about look like.

 

[DavidR8]

There is a ton of stuff to learn. It's a lot of fun though. Do check out the big tool grinding and model thread. We have a number of models being sent around so you can see what the tools we're talking about look like.

Is that the 1000+ post thread where number of sets of HSS tools were made by a kind member and sent to folks so they could see and touch well ground tools?




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[ttabbal]

Is that the 1000+ post thread where number of sets of HSS tools were made by a kind member and sent to folks so they could see and touch well ground tools?

That's the one! What we're sending around is keystock models though. The idea is that you can grind copies in keystock following the instructions. After some practice, you can switch to HSS blanks for real tools.

 

[DavidR8]

@ttabbal ok I was reading that thread and thought that was a super cool idea. Very community minded approach to learning.

On the subject of grinding, I get the impression that a belt grinder is the way to go, a 2”x42” grinder specifically.

Is that the tool of choice as they are rare as hens teeth in my area.


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[GrayTech]

Congrats on the lathe. Every machine should come with a warning though - acquiring tooling can get expensive and theres always something else you think you need, welcome to the addiction! Just convince your better half that every new aquisition is adding to a great investment.

Grinder vs belt sander for tool grinding is a personal preference thing i believe. I use my grinder for most but occationally use the belt sander for hogging a rough profile i want. The key seems to be having a decent tool rest and/or grinding jig to set angles correctly. Stay safe and enjoy your new toy.

Gray

 

[ttabbal]

My 2x72 is certainly my first choice. I built it, there are a number of plans online for them.

That said, a normal bench grinder can certainly be used just fine. It's really up to you. The biggest thing with most of them is that they don't have a very good rest for the work. That can be solved as simply as bolting a plate to the stock rest.