Sieg Mini Lathe

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GrahamY

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Just a quick hello and a mention that I have a Sieg C2A mini lathe and am still learning how to use it.

I appear to be having problems with chatter when parting off as well as a very slight taper and "banding" on general turning. I am aware that I don't have a carriage lock yet and that could be the cause of the parting problems, however I have purchased some taper roller bearings that I will get around to fitting soon. While I am doing the bearings I will probably do a complete strip down (of the lathe) and check all the other things as well.

I will try and post any problems I encounter (along with solutions I hope) and also if there are any great improvements with anything I try.

Graham (UK)
 
I have a Clarke clone of one of these which I've been slowly learning over the past few months. I'm having some difficulty in locating accessories for it
I'm generally using it to make spindles for gear clocks and also some pens having been using woodworking lathes for a few years. I'd be glad to hear from those more experienced with this lathe.
Steve
 
I have a Clarke clone of one of these which I've been slowly learning over the past few months. I'm having some difficulty in locating accessories for it
I'm generally using it to make spindles for gear clocks and also some pens having been using woodworking lathes for a few years. I'd be glad to hear from those more experienced with this lathe.
Steve

I believe Arceurotrade is the go-to place for mini-lathe parts and accessories over there such as LittleMachineShop.com is over here.
 
Hi Steve
Also try Chester UK.-- Chronos Ltd. Dont forget we like photo's

Brian . at the small end of the shop.
 
Graham,

I use a hand ground parting tool from a 3/8 tool bit. If you search the web, you can find out how to grind these. LMS has a tool bit sharpening training set that has the cut off tool that I mentioned. I have not yet used the P type blades like what Knudson mentions but will be in the near future and he seems to be on the money from what I have seen on youtube.

As far as technique, go slow with a relatively heavy cut. Use lots of lube like holding a saturated acid brush at the top of the parting groove. If you are getting chatter, try slowing the spindle down or take a heavier cut until you see a nice thin ribbon of material coming off the cutting tool. you can use a the lathe itself as semi effective carriage lock by setting the feed screw to neutral and locking the half nuts. Just remember that feeding the tool heavily into the work just goes against what you think is right, but with enough cutting fluid and the correct feed, you will get good results.

Jay
 
Just a quick hello and a mention that I have a Sieg C2A mini lathe and am still learning how to use it.

I appear to be having problems with chatter when parting off as well as a very slight taper and "banding" on general turning. I am aware that I don't have a carriage lock yet and that could be the cause of the parting problems, however I have purchased some taper roller bearings that I will get around to fitting soon. While I am doing the bearings I will probably do a complete strip down (of the lathe) and check all the other things as well.

I will try and post any problems I encounter (along with solutions I hope) and also if there are any great improvements with anything I try.

Graham (UK)
This is a copy of a post I made on a different forum but it applies to your comments about parting. I was having a terrible time parting on my 7x12 mini lathe, and frustrated by tool chatter in general. Then, I added and started using a carriage lock. What a difference! Like night and day. Suddenly the problems with chatter and the tool grabbing improved dramatically. Then I did the extended travel mod to the cross slide and in the process changed the leadscrew nut to a spring-loaded anti-backlash nut. And presto, another very nice improvement in all operations. The most recent mod was to change the spindle bearings to tapered roller bearings, and once again (yes, you guessed it) an improvement in everything. The project I keep putting off is to improve the fit of the carriage, and now I expect another improvement in performance. It's nice when the improvements from each of these steps is immediate and significant. All have improved rigidity, and rigidity really is everything.

bix
 
Hi bix
If you look up my article Top adjustable gibs for 7x12 lathes you may find this will solve many of the problems caused by the saddle . also I put other 7x ? mods in the articles section. just dig around.

Brian.
 
I located the article and have skimmed it. It looks like something I will want to do. Thanks for directing me to it.

bix
 
Those are quite nice. If I seen that before, I might not have done the tapered gibs.

Hi bix
If you look up my article Top adjustable gibs for 7x12 lathes you may find this will solve many of the problems caused by the saddle . also I put other 7x ? mods in the articles section. just dig around.

Brian.
 
Bix,
I would tell you that Brian is an artist with his mini lathe, but you have already seen some of his beautifull work. He has posted several mods and improvements on the 7X series of machines. If you have any difficulty finding any of them let me know and I will be glad to help youfind them anytime. And welcome to the group if I havent already told you that too. We try to be a big family and take care of our own, so dont hesitate to ask a question or make an observation any time.

Bob
 
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