Trying to find my first Mini Lathe

[tq60]

Looks like south bend with a fair amount of accessories.

Give it a look.

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[matthewsx]

Change gear machine but should clean up well. $1k is probably reasonable.

John

 

[CaseyBrownKnives]

That deal ended up being a total waste of time. In the end, I ended up order a Vevor 8x14. I know it's a roll of the dice, but it will get me started if nothing else.

 

[GrifterGuru]

hoooo boy! Hate to say this but.....

That looks like a 7x bedway, 7x apron and saddle, 7x cross slide, 7x compound slide with a deeper compound rest and a 7x tailstock with riser block.

I seriously hope, for your sake, that is not a 7x bed but a better, heavier casting.

Headstock is of a different design, not sure if integral motor and spindle though?.

You think a 7x is flimsy and flexes? this looks worse.

 

[SouthernChap]

hoooo boy! Hate to say this but.....

That looks like a 7x bedway, 7x apron and saddle, 7x cross slide, 7x compound slide with a deeper compound rest and a 7x tailstock with riser block.

I seriously hope, for your sake, that is not a 7x bed but a better, heavier casting.

Headstock is of a different design, not sure if integral motor and spindle though?.

You think a 7x is flimsy and flexes? this looks worse.

The part of the picture that shows the lathe has been shoddily resized (unless Vevor have started making elliptical handwheels!) so it may look a bit narrower than the product is.

It looks a bit like a headstock from the Weiss WBL180 (the base machine that the Warco WM180 is based on/re-badged from) plonked on a Seig/Real Bull bed, a very basic apron attached to some manufacturers saddle (Real Bull or a Weiss WBL1835 I reckon, not the Seig H-shaped model) with a pretty insubstantial tailstock to boot.

Honestly @CaseyBrownKnives if you can cancel the order, I'd recommend that you do so.

If you are set on a new lathe (and I get that buying a used quality lathe is often a frustrating and disenheartening experience), are the mini-lathes from Little Machine Shop or Grizzly so very far out of your budget?

Mini lathes from those two suppliers will probably come with fewer problems, you'll have decent support and the problems they come with (and pretty much all Chinese mini-lathes come with fit and finish problems that require some work to make them usable) are unlikely to be fundamental, RTM-causing problems.

Vevor is well known as sellers of lathes that are apparently cobbled together with parts that appear to be reject-bin parts from the main manufacturers (Seig/Real Bull/ Weiss), and the sellers of Vevor mini lathes very rarely offer decent support, and Vevor are almost never any help at all.

Whether it's being patient with some saving, or being patient when looking on the used market, getting the best lathe you can for your money is definitely a patience game.

I do speak from experience here; I think I got reasonably lucky with my Amadeal AMA714B (a slightly modified Weiss WBL1835 rebadge) but I've had to put some hard yards (enjoyable, though) into fettling it into usability and I'm not finished yet.

I suspect if I'd bought a Vevor mini lathe, I'd have given up by now and be looking for a new hobby.

 

[CaseyBrownKnives]

I realize it is probably going to be a project. I don't really need precision machining for the majority of what I will be making with it. I plan on cutting pommels and finials for my knife handles. I'm locked in until the product arrives. I had to have something fairly quick for a couple of orders I'm working on. If I get to a point where I'm trying to cut my own screws or such for folders, I will definitely want something that has very good precision, but I'm hoping that this will meet my needs to start with.

 

[GrifterGuru]

@SouthernChap I can see the image is taller than intended, but when you know the 7x parts, it is easy to spot them.

@CaseyBrownKnives A project is one thing, a Vevor lathe is an excercise in futility and the definition of madness. That company is amongst the worst, if not THE worst supplier of anything lathe related. Don't take it from me, take it from everyone who has ever had the misfortune to fall into the trap of a "cheap" machine that becomes anything but cheap and lacks any form of spares or warranty support.

The 14" between spindle nose dead-centre and tailstock dead-centre (actually how they are measured) is soon eaten up by a chuck and live centre or drill chuck. You can count on losing at least 5" of space at minimum, so you end up with a maximum envelope of 8"x 9" when using a chuck and tailstock centre. I would honestly suggest doing an RTM with the Vevor and going for a better quality 7x16 over a Vevor lathe.

Usually, under DSR (Distance Selling Regulations) you have a right to return the item for any reason, irrespective of what a seller may state to the contrary, though you would need to clarify that for where you are located.

As an aside, on my 7x16, I am lucky to get a 7x11 envelope once a chuck and tailstock live-centre or a tailstock drill chuck are in use and even then, I have to have my tailstock right at the very limit of the bedway.

 

[CraigH]

You will find using stub or screw-machine length drills, especially in diameters greater than 1/4" are a great help in gaining space - also in rigidity as the long drill exert more leverage on the tail stock.

 

[Aaron_W]

I realize it is probably going to be a project. I don't really need precision machining for the majority of what I will be making with it. I plan on cutting pommels and finials for my knife handles. I'm locked in until the product arrives. I had to have something fairly quick for a couple of orders I'm working on. If I get to a point where I'm trying to cut my own screws or such for folders, I will definitely want something that has very good precision, but I'm hoping that this will meet my needs to start with.

If you are looking at this as a learning experience, I really can't see you going wrong. I'm guessing you are into this one for about $500 and at that price any lathe is likely to have some issues, whether that is poor construction, or age / wear.

Use it as long as it does what you need, and from this lathe you will better be able to make an informed decision on where to go next whether that is just fixing issues on this lathe, buying a better quality lathe of a similar size, something bigger, something with specific features etc.


Oh and that Atlas was a steal, in decent condition they often sell for 3-4x that price.

 

[SouthernChap]

I realize it is probably going to be a project. I don't really need precision machining for the majority of what I will be making with it. I plan on cutting pommels and finials for my knife handles. I'm locked in until the product arrives. I had to have something fairly quick for a couple of orders I'm working on. If I get to a point where I'm trying to cut my own screws or such for folders, I will definitely want something that has very good precision, but I'm hoping that this will meet my needs to start with.

Chinese benchtop lathes (whether the 7x mini lathes or even the larger 9x20 types) from reputable importers are generally projects to a greater or lesser degree (the 9x20s being less so and even more 'less so' if bought from a high quality outfit like PM).

The 7x and 8x mini lathes from Vevor just seem from all reports to be exercises in frustration.

From what I've seen, with these smaller Vevor lathes, it's not so much about a project that will take up time and effort to get the lathe to a decent standard of precision (that's something that most of the Chinese 7x and 8x lathes bought from reputable importers are capable of becoming) it's more about a wearying struggle to achieve a machine that is just usable.

It's possible that you'll be lucky and I genuinely hope you are. Do let us know how you get on and don't hesitate to ask any questions you have on here. People will do their level best to help.