Need advice on a minii Lathe

... Whoops, I just repeated a number of Richard's points.. Listen to Richard, he is da' man!

Bernie
 
I started off with a MicroMark 7x14 (my first machine.. ever). Mainly I wanted something small and not too expensive (in case I decided this wasn't really what I wanted to do). I also didn't want to take the risk of purchasing a used machine that may have needed repair, or may have just been too worn (especially when I didn't know which way was up at that point). From what I can tell the MicroMark and LMS build quality is near the top. I had a pretty good experience with that little machine, got a lot of projects done, and learned a lot. When I decided to upgrade, I sold it for a little more than I paid for it (though I threw in a bunch of tooling with it).

The yahoo Minilathe group is a good resource. People there have made their machines do all sorts of tricks. I have heard these machines described as "kits", where a lot of finishing is required to get a good working machine, but from the accounts I have heard, it's the luck of the draw. I ran mine as-is for a long time, but eventually scraped in the saddle and tailstock which improved things a lot. Oh, switching out change gears gets real old...

There are some things to keep in mind, mainly, this is a small machine. It doesn't excel at large parts, or medium sized steel parts. It doesn't have the horsepower or rigidity to hog out metal like a larger machine. If you are going to be doing smaller items (sounds like you are), This machine could definitely work for you.

Now don't get me wrong, a used machine (especially "old iron") can be a good deal, but if you are new to this, you would be wise to find someone local that can help you "kick the tires". When I upgraded from my minilathe, I got a Monarch 10ee from the early 50s. Very happy with it, and it has all the bells and whistles you could ask for. I don't regret cutting my teeth on a smaller lathe.
 
I started off with a MicroMark 7x14 (my first machine.. ever). Mainly I wanted something small and not too expensive (in case I decided this wasn't really what I wanted to do). I also didn't want to take the risk of purchasing a used machine that may have needed repair, or may have just been too worn (especially when I didn't know which way was up at that point). From what I can tell the MicroMark and LMS build quality is near the top. I had a pretty good experience with that little machine, got a lot of projects done, and learned a lot. When I decided to upgrade, I sold it for a little more than I paid for it (though I threw in a bunch of tooling with it).

The yahoo Minilathe group is a good resource. People there have made their machines do all sorts of tricks. I have heard these machines described as "kits", where a lot of finishing is required to get a good working machine, but from the accounts I have heard, it's the luck of the draw. I ran mine as-is for a long time, but eventually scraped in the saddle and tailstock which improved things a lot. Oh, switching out change gears gets real old...

There are some things to keep in mind, mainly, this is a small machine. It doesn't excel at large parts, or medium sized steel parts. It doesn't have the horsepower or rigidity to hog out metal like a larger machine. If you are going to be doing smaller items (sounds like you are), This machine could definitely work for you.

Now don't get me wrong, a used machine (especially "old iron") can be a good deal, but if you are new to this, you would be wise to find someone local that can help you "kick the tires". When I upgraded from my minilathe, I got a Monarch 10ee from the early 50s. Very happy with it, and it has all the bells and whistles you could ask for. I don't regret cutting my teeth on a smaller lathe.
I have been abstaining from joining the yahoo group as I don't have a yahoo account. Maybe i'll need to break down and join. I will later buy a bigger machine to do real gunsmithing work. I'm with you in that I am leaning towards buying a new machine as I wouldnt really know how to diagnose issues on a used machine. I do have a buddy who owns a southbend heavy 10 and a family member who is a machinist professionally so I will at least have some support locally.

Backgears allow you to get the spindle speed VERY low and increase the torque, instead of lose torque.

My 618 would go down to 50 rpm or so in backgear. This allows for cutting steels of large diameter, approaching the capacity of the lathe, and maintain a useful depth if cut.

Maintaining a useful depth if cut matters more for metals that work-harden when machined, like stainless. I was able to turn stainless with my 618 when I was very careful a out my speeds and feeds.

I was also able to part steels up to 3 inches when I kept it tuned up, tightened, and aligned.

The back gears are so you can change the of the feeds as when you machine steel you need one feed and cutting aluminum you need another feed. Or cutting threads. You may want to take a class on lathe operation of look on You-Tube. The newer models of lathes have whats called a "Quick Change" and you don't need gears. It is under the head-stock on the left. It is like a manual transmision. Inside the door on one of the CL pictures you will see a chart, that shows you the configuration you will need to set the gears to get different feeds. If all your doing is polishing or an occasional cut a lathe with-out a quick change should serve you. But check and see if he has gears to go with the deal. Rich
I found a book from southbend on Lathe operation I have been perusing. It is in PDF and when I get back into the office next week I am going to print it. I don't read on a computer screen very well I much over printed material.
 
Called the guy with the Atlas. I am out of town until Friday if he still has it Saturday I'll go take a look at it. I also joined the yahoo group.
 
there seem to be more than one yahoo group for mini lathes, which one is being refered to here? thank you.
 
Check out the 7x12minilathe group here. It's very active and a source of a lot of good info.

If the OP is still looking, another good option is the 7x14 lathe from Big Dog Metal Works. It's made by Real Bull, not Sieg, and comes with a good set of accessories. Big Dog's customer support is very good, too.

I have a 7 x 14 from Big Dog and I really love it. Yes, I'd prefer to have a full-sized machine, but with no outside entrance into my basement, I don't know how I'd get it down there. The 7 x 14 does a good job for what I need now... yes, it has to be kept 'tuned up' and there are things that have to be compensated for, but that's half the fun! At any rate, if I had to buy another mini-lathe, I'd stick with Big Dog and the Real Bull models.
 
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