New 7" x 10"

[gredpe3]

I went down to the Harbour Freight today,got one awesome deal on a new mini Lathe.I was armed with the 20% off coupon and then we opened the crate/because it was tatered.The Manager gave me another $100 off for the scratch and dent in the chip tray.$351.99 out the door.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Good deal.

Have fun learning on that lathe. I had mine for 7 years before upgrading. I learned a lot on my mini lathe and it never failed to make the part I wanted to make. Just respect the fact that it is great for small stuff bit not big stuff. I see videos of people trying to use these mini lathes on stuff that is way beyond the capacity of the lathe.

You may want to look at this quick change tool post accessory kit for the lathe. I liked mine so much that I made a video. (Pleas disregard the overhang on the compound, I was so busy thinking about making the video that I didn't notice the overhang!)

http://youtu.be/VReP3XoTnoE

Chris

 

[JimDawson]

Congratulations on your new toy!!! I'd say you got a scream'n deal. And that's what I like to see....Chips!

One small but important safety note: If your hand is not on the chuck key, it should not be in the chuck. anic: It really sucks when they go flying across the room. I only did it once.

 

[gredpe3]

Thanks for the tip on the chuck key,will make a point of it.Yes the chips are the first thing I made/A Mess.Great fun.I got to use the statement my Ol'Lady uses,Look how much money I saved.She printed the coupon for me before I went this morning and was really suprised to see I saved $180 bucks.It didnt last long,just ordered the kit Shadowdog500 pointed out.
Eddie

 

[LEEQ]

Check out Little Machine Shop for your parts and oodles of accessories. I got my Tormach ,oxa, (proper size for 7x lathes) wedge type ,quick change tool post set from them and am very happy with the quality for the money spent. I first tried an axa with a thinner compound piece to adjust center height, and it was Huge! They have lots of good info, good customer service and even some advice when you're not sure. To say I am a happy repeat customer would be entirely accurate.

 

[David Kirtley]

That is pretty hard to beat pricewise.

The starter kit is a great set to begin with. The other accessories that they sell that are a real good thing to have are the hand crank and the threading die holder. You can also just make them as practice.

The only real "short coming" of the 7x10 is you need to see about getting a set of stubby drill bits. You run out of room pretty quickly with standard length bits. If it bothers you too much, the 14" bed upgrade kit from LMS is not very expensive but don't worry about it for a while. You have plenty to keep you busy with what you have.

 

[Dale_z28]

Congratulations on your new toy!!! I'd say you got a scream'n deal. And that's what I like to see....Chips!

One small but important safety note: If your hand is not on the chuck key, it should not be in the chuck. anic: It really sucks when they go flying across the room. I only did it once.

Nice rig, congrats! I bought one too, only mine is slightly used.
To echo the safety warning, I had a shop teacher (Mr. Weesner!) in high school that carried a yardstick and if your hand left a chuck key while it was still in the chuck, WHAP! across the knuckles... and that old guy was fast!
Every time I see a chuck key in a drill press or lathe chuck (unattended), my knuckles sting. And I remove it.
Do they still supply a back plate with the new mini lathes? Mine came with one but I didn't see them list one in an ad I read.
Happy machining!

 

[gredpe3]

Yep,you gotta watch out for us rookies.The chuck key was only posing for the pick. It has a home now,left outside end of chip pan.Mine has no backing plate.

 

[caspaincmonster]

That is cheap for sure, I spent more than that on a used chuck back plate and two collets for my schaublin last week. One word of advice is don't try European or high quality American stuff if you are happy with Chinese and you will keep this hobby much more affordable