Getting Started with Your Mini Lathe

Getting Started

You've heard enough. You're ready to make the leap and get your own minilathe. Or maybe

you already have ordered it and are anxiously watching for the UPS truck each day. This

page will give you some things to do while waiting and help you get started when that big

box arrives.

If you haven't made the leap yet, and just want to learn about the minilathe, check out the

Introduction, Capabilities and Features pages.

Materials, Tools and Supplies

If you have not already done so, there are certain materials, tools and supplies that youneed to get on order right away so that you'll have them on hand when the minilathe

arrives. Here's a list:

For cleanup and setup:

Kerosene or WD-40 - available in 1 gallon cans at Home Depot and similar stores

A few 2" and 3" chip brushes - cheap throw-away brushes available in the HD paint

department

Newspaper or cardboard to go under the lathe during cleanup process

Disposable plastic pail for cleaning parts in kerosene7mm open-end wrench and 2mm hex wrench to adjust gibs - most other tools are

included with the latheMetric T-Handle hex-wrench set

White lithium grease

For your first projects:

5/16 Tool BlanksShims for adjusting tool height (a disassembled set of automotive feeler gauges

works great)

Bench grinder for shaping tools

Dial caliper or Digital Caliper

Safety glasses (I use heavy plastic industrial-quality reading glasses)

Stock: aluminum, brass, steel in various diameters

Drill chuck and arbor for tailstock

Center drills

Live center (used to, and may still, come standard with the HF 7x10)

Inch and number drill sets

Assortment of taps 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, 10-32, 1/4-20, 3/8-16 etc.

Of course there are many other accessories that you will want as you gain experience.

Here are some that I recommend that you get as soon as you can afford them:

3" 4-jaw chuck (mounts directly on the spindle faceplate)

Dial indicator with adjustable magnetic base

Tool Envy Syndrome (TES)

Tool Envy Syndrome (TES) is a serious condition that afflicts, in varying degrees, nearly allmen who are interested in mechanical things. It is very important to recognize and deal with

this condition before it becomes serious; left untreated it can lead to a far more serious

condition: Inflammation of the Credit Card (ICC). TES is known to strike under the following

circumstances:

Browsing the latest tool catalogs or sale flyers

Visiting stores such as Grizzly or Harbor Freight (Warning: while much less so than in

earlier years, the tool department at Sears can still trigger small attacks)Visiting the shop of a friend who has more and/or better tools than you haveSurfing the web site of someone with a well-equipped shop

Seeing a well-equipped shop in magazines such as Home Shop Machinist

Tool Envy Syndrome tends to strike young men particularly hard, due its close relationshipto a similar condition: Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). Over time, in most men, both of

these conditions tend to lessen in severity. In fact, it can be shown that gradualaccumulation of tools and gear over a period of years can control both conditions while

minimizing the risk of Inflammation of the the Credit Card (this is known as the MaturePhase). It has also been widely observed that getting married and having children can

moderate the risk; primarily, it is believed, due to counseling from a loving wife and thesobering effect of having lots more bills to pay.

Tool Envy Syndrome cannot be controlled by any known drugs (although its effects can be

exaggerated by the use of alcohol). Therefore, treatment is currently limited primarily tocounseling methods. The first step is admitting that you have a problem. Here are someadditonal pointers:

Avoid situations that are likely to cause an attack

When visiting tool stores, leave your credit card at home (Warning: in severelyafflicted individuals this can trigger emotional breakdown, fits of crying and other

irrational behavior)Meditate on the fine collection of tools that you already have; recognize that time will

make it betterFind a quiet place. Visualize your ideal shop. Repeat to yourself "It is coming"

I hope you have found this information to be helpful. As a TES/GAS sufferer myself (now in

the Mature Phase) I felt compelled to pass it on to you.

Receiving and Unpacking the Lathe

Usually your minilathe will be delivered by UPS. Depending on the details of delivery inyour neighborhood, the big box will most likely be left on your doorstep. The box weighs

about 90lbs., so you will need a hand truck, wagon, or a strong friend to help you move thelathe into your shop. Fortunately, my shop is in my garage (update 10/04- not any more), so

it was a short haul up the driveway into the shop, which was accomplished quite easily withthe help of a cheap luggage cart.

A great advantage of the mini-lathe is that, once unpacked, it can easily be moved by oneperson. Larger lathes generally require a fork-lift, shop crane or some other means, plus 2-3

people to move them. The following photos illustrate proper and improper technique formoving heavy objects.

Proper technique

Improper technique! Yes, it is a bomb!

The minilathes are now (08/03) shipped in a cardboard box with a styrofoam inner shell.

Although this does a good job of protecting the lathe, it is not unusual for the chip tray to

get bent. This is really not a big deal, though and will not affect the operation of the lathe (in

fact, I use a piece of painted MDF under my lathe and don't use the chip tray at all)

When you open the box, it looks like this:

The large round object is the faceplate covered with red packing grease and wrapped in

plastic. It had migrated from the molded slot in the styrofoam to the left, but this did not

cause any problems. Other accessories are tucked in molded slots.

Removing the top layer of the styrofoam packing reveals (drum roll...) the lathe.

Like the faceplate, the lathe is covered in red grease and wrapped in plastic. Removing the

plastic sheet gives a better view of the lathe and grease.

Here's a picture showing the damaged corner of the chip tray:

Cleaning up the Lathe

Kerosene is my preferred solvent for cleaning up the red gunk that covers the lathe. It doesa great job of dissolving the stuff and is fairly safe to work with indoors. WD-40 in gallon

cans is also a good choice. A little goes a long way and a quart is probably more than

enough to clean up the lathe. It's best to work with it in a well ventilated area and avoidsparks or flame including possible sparks from nearby motors (such as when testing the

lathe!) or pilot lights from furnaces, etc.

Cleanup is easier if the lathe is on a bench so that you don't have to bend over or sit on the

floor. Lay down some newspapers or cardboard under the lathe to catch all the drips and

spills. If you don't plan to keep it, the box from the lathe is a ready source of cardboard.

I pour about a pint of solvent into a plastic pail and clean small parts right in the pail. I use2" or 3" 'chip brushes' dipped in the pail to paint kerosene onto the larger lathe parts such

as the bed and the chuck and then use rags to wipe of the red grease and kerosene.

I used some old business cards to scrape off the thick layer of grease before going at it with

the kerosene.

Use a card, brush and rag to clean off most of the grease from the chuck. To thoroughlyclean the chuck, remove it from the spindle and use a brush to clean it up in the kerosene

bucket. The retaining nuts on my chuck were very tight, so I inserted the chuck key and

grasped it tightly to keep the chuck from rotating while I applied pressure to loosen the

chuck retaining nuts.

When removing the chuck nuts, be sure to keep your other hand in place under the chuck

so that the chuck does not drop onto the ways and ding them. Unlike some expensive

lathes, the ways on this one are not hardened. Some owners place a rag, board or piece of

corrugated cardboard on the ways to protect them when removing the chuck.

You will want to clean up the scroll and inner parts of the chuck, and this requires removing

the chuck jaws. Note that the jaws must be reinstalled in a specific sequence. When you

remove them for the first time, lay them out on your workbench next to the slot they came

from. Now note that each jaw is numbered - 1, 2, 3. Although not essential, it's a good idea

mark the slots so that you always reinsert each jaw into the same slot it came in from the

factory. This will ensure consistency. I use a center punch to punch 1, 2, and 3 dots next to

the slots.

Use a 4mm hex wrench to remove the two cap screws that hold the gear train cover in

place. Then lift the cover off to expose the gear train for cleaning.

Clean up the gear train using a brush and rag. To do a more thorough job you can remove

the gears and clean them up with the brush in the kerosene bucket. After reassembling,

apply a light coat of white lithium grease to the gear teeth. This will keep them running

smoothly and will make them quieter when using the power feed.

Optional Cleaning

The following step is optional at this time, especially if you are anxious to try out the lathe in

action, but to do a thorough cleanup job, I recommend removing the saddle from the bed.

First, remove the pillow block from the end of the leadscrew using a 6mm hex wrench:

Then use the handwheel to move the carriage to the right until it runs off the end of the

rack. Grasp the carriage firmly and slide it off the end of the bed - be careful, it's pretty

heavy. Note: a common problem that you may run into when trying to remove the carriage

is that the serial number, stamped into the end of the ways, causes an area of raised metalthat prevents the carriage from sliding freely off the end of the ways. Use a small

sharpening stone or file to smooth down these numbers and you'll be on your way.

Now you can get better access to the leadscrew to clean the gunk from the screw threads:

This will also enable you to clean up the underside of the carriage assembly:

If you want to do a really thorough job, this is a good time to take apart the compound and

cross slide, clean them thoroughly, lube them with white lithium grease and adjust the

gibs. Or you can leave this task for another day. But here are the steps to follow:

Crank the compound slide all the way back until you feel it disengage from the compound

lead screw, then slide it by hand off the end of the dovetail. Watch out for the sharp edges

of the dovetail - they can slice your fingers!

Watch out for the gib strips - they are held in place by the dovetail and can fall out once the

slide is removed. If they fall out, just put them pack in position with the small indentationsmatching the tips of the adjustment screws and hold them in place as you slide the slide

back onto the dovetail.

Now you can access the two 6mm hex head bolts that hold lock the cross slide at a specificangle. Remove these two screws and lift the compound slide off of the cross slide.

Now turn the cross-slide handle until the cross-slide disengages from the leadscrew, then

slide it by hand the rest of the way off of the dovetails.

Use a brush, rag and kerosene to clean up all of these parts

Now apply a liberal coating of white lithium grease (available in small tubes at Sears

hardware department) to the dovetails and leadscrews. Update: I now use 10-30 oil instead

of white lithium grease on most of the moving surfaces. The grease is fine, but tends totrap chips more than the oil. Plus the oil is easier to find when you need it.

Reassembly is just a reversal of the above steps. When you reinstall the carriage on the

ways, make sure that the pinion gear is pushed towards the front of the apron or it will hangup on the end of the ways and prevent the carriage from sliding back in place. Slide thecarriage to the left until you feel the rack and pinion engage. Then reinstall the pillow block

on the end of the leadscrew and you're ready to go.

Bench Mounting

Unless you have a need to move your lathe frequently, I highly recommend bolting it down

to a sturdy workbench. This will keep it from wandering around during heavy cuts or whenyou really need to whang down on the chuck key. I believe it also helps to reduce chatter bymaking the whole setup more rigid. A bench with drawers is ideal, the more drawers the

better.

I got my 5-drawer workbench from Sears for around $110 on sale and augmented it with a

pre-fab Formica counter top from Home Depot and some casters so I can move it when

needed. I reinforced the legs with 2x3s to handle the casters. A bench with built-in casters

would be a better choice if you need to move it around much. My shop is pretty small and Ineed to be able to move the lathe bench to get access to storage shelves behind it.

I mounted my lathe by cutting holes for the rubber feet in a piece of 1/2" MDF, retapping the

bolt holes 1/4-20 and then bolting the lathe and MDF to my lathe bench. The MDF fills in thespace under the lathe which I found, through many frustrating incidents, is a perfect hiding

place for taps, drills and other small parts that you critically need for the next step of yourwork. If you elect to do this, use the chip tray as a template for the mounting hole locations.

Retaining the rubber feet may help to keep the bed from being twisted slightly if the top ofyour bench (or the bottom of the lathe) is not perfectly aligned. I think it may also help

reduce vibration and noise a little. That's my 2 on that subject - and worth every penny!

Adjusting Your Mini Lathe

After you get everything cleaned up and reassembled, you may need to make some basicadjustments. Since 2001, the lathes that I have seen have been pretty well adjusted and

ready to go out of the box, but as it wears in you will need to make adjustments from time totime. Since these techniques are covered elsewhere, I'll just provide you with the links.

Adjusting the gibsAdjusting the cross-slide backlash

Adjusting the saddle

Check out the Adjustments Page for additional adjustments you may need to make

Operating Your Mini Lathe

Now you're ready to get down down to work. But first, you will need to grind some cutting

tools. Tool grinding can be a real art but it's really quite easy to grind a few basic tools that

will meet most of your needs starting out. Once you get the hang of it, you will find yourself

grinding tools to meet special needs.

One thing that I find to be a real pain in the neck, is using shims to adjust the tip of thecutting tool to be even with the centerline of the lathe. For that reason, a quick change tool

post is a great investment when you can afford one. Meanwhile, shims can be made fromany thin piece of metal that will fit conveniently under the cutting tool. One good option is

to disassemble a set of leaf-type automotive feeler gages. Select one or more leaves of theproper thickness to line the tip of the tool up with the point of the center in the tailstock.

Now you are ready to learn and practice a few basic lathe operations. 6061 aluminum bar

stock is a good material to practice on as it is low cost and easy to machine. You will findinstructions on the basic lathe operations in the links below. Take your time, be safe and

have fun!

Lathe Safety

Facing OperationsDrilling OperationsTurning Operations

Parting Operations

LittleMachineShop.com is a great source of accessories and replacement parts for your

mini lathe. Chris Wood, the proprietor of LMS, is a minilathe hobbyist himself, and activelyparticipates in several of the online interest groups. LMS can be counted on for quick and

courteous service. LMS has put together a very useful manual on the minilathe which youcan download as a PDF file.

Another great source of training information is Jose Rodriguez's instructional tapes and

DVD's. Jose was one of the first to promote the potential of the minilathe and he is awonderful instructor. His lessons have an informal, homey feel, and are filled with useful

information. I have watched mine several times and pick up a few more pointers each time Iwatch.