Hi all,
After a few years wondering if I should buy a mini lathe, I found one on the web for a really good price so I decided to buy it. My background with lathes if pretty sad: I have used big lathes but always the owner would set it up for me and I would be cutting. So I don't really know much about lathes.
Anyways, here come the questions:
1- The lathe has never been used and has the thick grease that was packed with. What should I use to clean it? I have a lot of denatured alcohol. Can I use that? I am planning on taking apart all the parts that are covered with that thick grease and then put it together. What should I use to lubricate: white lithium grease or motor oil? When I am doing the cleaning, is there anything I should look for? I have read that it is a good idea to check that everything is straight (for lack of a better word) but I am not sure what to look for...
2- quick change: I found on Amazon a quick change for 31 dollars. The tool post is aluminum and the holders are steel (I believe). Do you think it is worth it? I am on a tight budget so something like littlemachineshop has for 130 is out of the question.
3- I bought the 6 piece cutting tools from harbor freight. My experience with HB is that consumables are not good so I was wondering if I should buy HSS blanks and make my own tools. If so, what blanks do you recommend?
4- I used the lathe today and I noticed that the carriage was moving backward when using the auto feed. Is that common? is there a way to fix it besides using a carriage lock?
5- drill chuck: should I buy the harbor freight one or the one from little machine shop (or any other supplier)?
6- videos or books: is there any book or youtube video out there that you would recommend that starts from zero? for example, I have watched several videos but none explaining the types of cutting tools and the position they should have (all say that they should be aligned with the center of the piece though)
Anyways, pretty excited about my new toy/machine and looking forward to starting my first project.
Willy
After a few years wondering if I should buy a mini lathe, I found one on the web for a really good price so I decided to buy it. My background with lathes if pretty sad: I have used big lathes but always the owner would set it up for me and I would be cutting. So I don't really know much about lathes.
Anyways, here come the questions:
1- The lathe has never been used and has the thick grease that was packed with. What should I use to clean it? I have a lot of denatured alcohol. Can I use that? I am planning on taking apart all the parts that are covered with that thick grease and then put it together. What should I use to lubricate: white lithium grease or motor oil? When I am doing the cleaning, is there anything I should look for? I have read that it is a good idea to check that everything is straight (for lack of a better word) but I am not sure what to look for...
2- quick change: I found on Amazon a quick change for 31 dollars. The tool post is aluminum and the holders are steel (I believe). Do you think it is worth it? I am on a tight budget so something like littlemachineshop has for 130 is out of the question.
3- I bought the 6 piece cutting tools from harbor freight. My experience with HB is that consumables are not good so I was wondering if I should buy HSS blanks and make my own tools. If so, what blanks do you recommend?
4- I used the lathe today and I noticed that the carriage was moving backward when using the auto feed. Is that common? is there a way to fix it besides using a carriage lock?
5- drill chuck: should I buy the harbor freight one or the one from little machine shop (or any other supplier)?
6- videos or books: is there any book or youtube video out there that you would recommend that starts from zero? for example, I have watched several videos but none explaining the types of cutting tools and the position they should have (all say that they should be aligned with the center of the piece though)
Anyways, pretty excited about my new toy/machine and looking forward to starting my first project.
Willy