MX-600A 9"x24" mini lathe

[dabear3428]

well i bit the bullet and bought a MX-600A (1100w brushless 8.7X23.6 with a F/R H/M/L gearbox and a 1.5" spindle bore, shipps with a steady rest, a follow rest and a dead center) off of e-bay, after getting it and turning some steel (does a decent job IMO). I got this expecting a box of lathe like parts that I would need to cleanup, tune and refitted to have a working lathe, but was pleasantly surprised. now it has issues but I was looking for a project anyway, to start with the gearbox would not shift between forward and reverse, the steady rest is off center (by a lot) but the spindle runout is less than .0005" the total runout at the chuck (1") in front is a little over .005", the bed varies by about .001" over the 24" (measures with test dial from the saddle to the v-way for the tailstock). out of the box the tailstock is dead center of the spindle, the real issue that i fighting with the seller is that the compound slide came as an alum extrusion while the e-bay listing clearly indicates a solid steel riser and dovetail slide.
the seller is trying to keep from RMAing it and has offer to send me a new steady rest and $60 for the compound (not acceptable IMO but still working on it) and the seller informed me that the rpms needed to be in the 700 rpm range not 200 rpm as the safety label indicates, and after shifting it a few times at 700 rpm it smoothed right out and is now acceptable.
I doubt that the seller will be able to source a steel compound for it and may just build me one when it gets to be an issue (the compound slide is threaded into the alum. extrusion and IMO will fail)

the lathe weighs around 180lbs so still portable but not light (for a mini), i have mostly decided to keep it unless the seller pisses me off, i will post updates and the sellers name after i get things worked out with them.

over all i'm liking what i'm seeing, it is not a PM 10x20 or even a grizzly but for 1200 shipped it is a good place to start if you want to play with a small lathe. this is the best combo that i could find to meet my criteria.

 

[matthewsx]

Any pictures?

 

[dabear3428]

i have mostly photos of issues that i'm working out with seller, but here you go
the issues have mostly been typical of anything you buy over the internet, and i'm finding that the threat of having to pay return freight makes dealing with them easier. i would hate to be dealing with this after the first 30 days. best advice i can give anyone starting on this adventure is be prepared to open immediately and start checking out as soon as it hits your door they start the 30day free return when it leaves their warehouse, it took about a week to get here. but all in all even if i had to accept what they sent me it would not be all that hard to live with. in no way am i trying to present these as a PM or grizzly equal (they are not) but if you just want a lathe to putter around with and are not made of money these seem to be a good option, plus the are selling for about what i spent used on CL or marketplace.

 

[dabear3428]

I put a cheap wedge type 0XA tool post on it and just had to change out the stud for the longer one that came with the tool post, the lever from the 4-way even works (needs a washer to make the lever end up in a better spot but ok). 1/2 (12 mm) tooling fits the 0XA and the lathe about right (maybe an AXA would work) im thinking that 12mm tooling is about as big as this lathe can use before the lathe bed becomes the weak link but maybe i will upgrade in the future. i turned some number 3 rebar about 2" of stick out with out center or steady rest and it handled the interrupted cut without issue (after i tightened some gibs)

 

[markba633csi]

Sounds like you have a good platform there even if you have to improve the compound
Is it variable speed? Those import speed controls can sometimes be problematic
If it needs servicing this cat can help:
Pete at www.olduhfguy.com

 

[dabear3428]

Sounds like you have a good platform there even if you have to improve the compound
Is it variable speed? Those import speed controls can sometimes be problematic
If it needs servicing this cat can help:
Pete at www.olduhfguy.com

the motor is a 1100W brushless and who knows but replacements are all over aliexpress/ ebay, but thanks for the link, hope i will never need it, and yes i think it is a good starting point as i figure out what i really want for my hobby needs.

 

[ChazzC]

I put a cheap wedge type 0XA tool post on it and just had to change out the stud for the longer one that came with the tool post, the lever from the 4-way even works (needs a washer to make the lever end up in a better spot but ok). 1/2 (12 mm) tooling fits the 0XA and the lathe about right (maybe an AXA would work) im thinking that 12mm tooling is about as big as this lathe can use before the lathe bed becomes the weak link but maybe i will upgrade in the future. i turned some number 3 rebar about 2" of stick out with out center or steady rest and it handled the interrupted cut without issue (after i tightened some gibs)

Sounds like a generally good machine; the Seller should be able to provide steel parts and if not I would ask for a refund in the amount it would cost you to get them (LMS has replacements for their 8.5” Bench Lathes which would give you costs - and may even fit).

12mm will fit in the 0XA holders, but I suggest 10mm max: all of the tool bit/insert holder will be supported and centered under the clamping set screws.

Have fun!

 

[dabear3428]

Sounds like a generally good machine; the Seller should be able to provide steel parts and if not I would ask for a refund in the amount it would cost you to get them (LMS has replacements for their 8.5” Bench Lathes which would give you costs - and may even fit).

12mm will fit in the 0XA holders, but I suggest 10mm max: all of the tool bit/insert holder will be supported and centered under the clamping set screws.

Have fun!

i have asked for $180 to replace the compound and they have agreed to send me a correctly machined steady rest (i could easily fix the one sent but that is not my job at this point). thanks for the insight as to 10 mm vs 12 mm tooling i will try some out but so far the 12mm has been working. i can also make a compound slide with my mini mill so the 180 should cover the cost of cast iron and a dovetail mill.

 

[dabear3428]

as to the casting, it is surprisingly defect free, i was half expecting to have to RMA it from all of the reviews on this model, but so far so good. the paint is good not great but no real issues. the power is quite and so far more than enough. no serious fundamental flaws other than those expressed above.

 

[dabear3428]

as an update the seller has refunded me $180 +tax on the purchase of the lathe for the steel compound issue, putting the shipped cost right at $1000 for a 9X24 lathe, I like!
waiting on the replacement steady rest before i make final judgment but so far i'm very happy with my play toy and feel that i got a good value.
so if anyone is considering the MX-600A, i would say go for it and as soon as i get the last part i will list (if the mods don't object) the seller (there were the cheapest on ebay listing this lathe). the seller is organized responds after about a 11 hour delay (assume that they are in a different time zone), reasonable and bends over backwards to clear up any issues.
so is this a replacement for a PM or even a grizzly in quality/support? well no but then again this was less than 1/3 the price for the performance envelope and you do not get the power/spindle bore of this machine for less than 4x this price from either.