Received my first ever Mini Lathe - now what?

muscleflex

muscleflex

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I received my mini lathe from Armadeal here in the UK today. I think I might have sprained my right middle finger lifting it out of its box :(

Anyhow - I have no lathe experience... I bought this to learn and hopefully make stuff useful for my RC Helicopters and planes.
The pack came with plastic gears... what do I do with them?

The first photo shows a 6mm alum rod I inserted in the chuck just to check.
IMG_0934[1].JPGIMG_0933[1].JPGIMG_0932[1].JPG

IMG_0934[1].JPG IMG_0933[1].JPG IMG_0932[1].JPG
 
Nice lathe! Did it come with a user manual? The gears might be for threading, but I don't own a lathe so I really don't know. Sorry.:nuts:
 
Thanks. It came with a few paged manual but I don't think it states what the gears are for... I was impatient so I plugged the lathe in and started it. The chuck spun. So I guess there's gears already in place.
Actually - a friend of mine just replied to my email. He said the gears are for different thread ratios (whatever that means?!)

so... is there anything else I need to check on this lathe before I whack it full speed? ;)
I've cleaned the obvious signs of packing oil on the surface... actually, the chuck chucked some packing oil around the back wall and the plastic see thru cover when I spun it.
 
This is the less expensive decent lathe we can find in Italy, even having it shipped from London!
There is a review here: http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Reviews/Big_dog/bigdog2.htm
Gears generally are for threading.
Every turn of the chuck must turn the leadscrew of X turns, to make threads moving the tool of a precise amount.
To have many gears allows you to make many different threads.
And don't start "full speed": always use the appropriate speed for the material you have and for the cutting depth you need :)
I suggest you to start with plastic and aluminium, to get confidence with your lathe.
In this thread (but almost everywhere in this forum!) you can find some useful suggestions.
 
Thank you. I'll put the gears away then as I don't think I'm at that level yet to be worrying about different gears.
To be honest, this purchase is too over the top for me as I only bought it so I could clamp my rod (first photo) and thread it using a die by placing it on one end of the rod and push it with the tail stock to maintain the 90 degree of the thread so it's not wonky.

That's really why I bought the lathe.. (to act as a vice for my die threading)..

But hopefully I will learn how to use the lathe properly and fully so I didn't just waste £500 for an expensive vice :)

I have been watching videos on youtube...
Now, a couple of questions:
What are these two levers at the back for?
IMG_0938[1].JPG

And also, when I spin the chuck, I can see that long threaded rod spinning to move the Compound (I hope I get that terminology right as I've just googled what it's called).. but the small disc does not spin? How do I make it spin? And what is it for?
IMG_0945[1].JPG

IMG_0938[1].JPG IMG_0945[1].JPG
 
The lever on the left looks like High and Low speed range. The other lever looks like it is Forward and Reverse for the lead screw (the long threaded rod) The dial is called a Threading Dial, it should have a screw, that when loosened, will allow it to rotate a bit to engage the gear in the the lead screw. Normally you don't want to leave this engaged unless you are threading.

Take a look here Lathe Operation http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php?t=24599&p=217489&viewfull=1#post217489 it should get you started.
 
muscleflex said:
What are these two levers at the back for?
View attachment 81121
Click to expand...

I assume the H-L is for High - Low speed (like the transmission of 4WD cars), while the other is for the rotation verse, but check your manual.
Generally all this levers must be moved when the lathe is stopped.
Looking at the headstock from the tailstock the chuck must rotate counterclockwise normally.
For the other parts it's better to consult more skilled lathe owners: I don't own a lathe, even if I know something about them… :biggrin:
 
Also, is this wobble normal and nothing to worry about?
[video=youtube;GrwCJDSJa5o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrwCJDSJa5o&list=UUN1AmlQz2m_r9ufBdKdQbvQ[/video]
 
The one on the left in the photo selects two different spindle rotation speeds - Hi and Lo. You will most like use the Hi range most of the time, but never change this while the spindle is turning. The one on the right select the direction of travel of the compound when threading or using the power feed. The gears select not only the threading pitch, but also the speed of compound travel when using the power feed. Your lathe looks like it is what is generically referred to a 7 x lathe (7 x 10, 7 x 12, and 7 x 14), which refers to the swing (7") and the length between centers (10", 12", or 14"). Just about everything you find for a 7 x 10 will apply to your lathe - since the 7 x 10 was the first one available, just google 7 x 10 mini lathe and start going through the multitude of hits you will have for websites and for you tube videos that relate to your style of lathe. I don;t know if they export to the UK or not, but also check out http://www.littlemachineshop.com for tons of parts and accessories for those lathes. Take it slow and easy and have some fun!.

One accessory that you may want to find, considering your planned use, would be a tailstock die holder like this one - http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2314&category=

This book might give you some real good info to get you started also - http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4734

Maybe there is someone on your side of the pond that could give you some leads as to who may have similar items in the UK. There is a dedicated setion of this forum that covers these machines - maybe a post in there might find someone over there with some more useful info.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/forumdisplay.php?f=92

Also check out the beginner's section of the forum for getting started info.
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/forumdisplay.php?f=208
 
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