small lathe .. these any good ??

[grandads_shed]

been looking at getting one of these .... 7x14 Mini Lathe from Big Dog Metal Works ....

. anyone used one ? what are they like? are they worth around £400
anything else i should be look for when considering a lathe ??

they can supply a carriage lock to be fitted at £5 when purchased with lathe, what is a carriage lock for ??
are they very loud when running ??
i dont know the first thing about lathes so any help is welcome on advice

 

[stormin]

See below for all you need to know about these machines:-

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

 

[R Kraft]

The carriage moves because of the turning of the long threaded part.
If you are parting off a piece or facing something, there is a little wiggle in the assembly that holds the bit.:http://varmintal.com/alath.htm#Carriage_Lock
If your bits are sharp and set up properly, the lathe is about as noisy as a sewing machine.:
http://www.mini-lathe.com/
Some of them take a bit of fiddly work to get running really well.
Robert

 

[pedrobedro]

A friend of mine has something very similar which he bought from Axminster tools a couple of years ago and he has been happy with it. They repaired the motor under warranty as the capacitor was faulty and would not give full power. Parting off is a bit ambitious for such a small machine and stresses it according to him, he cuts pieces to length then squares them up after.

 

[Fergus]

I used one of these for several years before I had the room to put a bigger one in. It's truly a table top machine that you can do all sorts with.

The downside is that you'll need to smooth it out and adjust it regularly. The Axminster and Clarke lathes are basically the same Chinese machine in different colours and parts are easily available from the US.

 

[RedOrZed]

I used one of these for several years before I had the room to put a bigger one in. It's truly a table top machine that you can do all sorts with.

The downside is that you'll need to smooth it out and adjust it regularly. The Axminster and Clarke lathes are basically the same Chinese machine in different colours and parts are easily available from the US.

Or Clarke Spares dept in the UK. I bought one with a blown controller circuit, rang them up and got a new one within a few days. Wasn't cheap but gave me a working lathe. Sadly I didn't really like it very much as a lathe. I get on better with older, more solid ones.

 

[nodeward]

if you have the space get you can probably get a second hand myford or something similar for the same money, will be alot more solid and will last forever.

if you are still looking for something small unimat's are always given good reviews there are loads of spares and stuff available

 

[hareng]

Bought a brand new one over four years ago with the US board and metric lead screw, still got original grease on.
Motors just about run in.

 

[brightspark]

Bought a brand new one over four years ago with the US board and metric lead screw, still got original grease on.
Motors just about run in.

didnt know u ran an electric motor in just a combustion engine

 

[hareng]

Well they emit a burning smell for around 20 mins, then tails off.
Great for powering flexi drives with flap wheel attached- turning plastic yes, metal no.

 

[grandads_shed]

Well they emit a burning smell for around 20 mins, then tails off.
Great for powering flexi drives with flap wheel attached- turning plastic yes, metal no.

thanks .. so they are crap?? shame as i really wanted one that size.
the clarke one at the allmost same price do not look good

 

[hareng]

Secondhand Emco 5 best bet, nearly bought the CNC version a few months back but settled on a Boxford CNC to do up.