# My first lathe arrived today



## emtor

Greetings from Norway.
My first lathe arrived today after years of drooling and lurking on forums.
I had two choices,-either buy a used lathe or buying a cheap China manufactured lathe.
*A used lathe:* Not many small lathes here. This is not the US or the UK, this is Scandinavia, and the only options for used lathes are leftover industrial machines.
Good luck with worn ways and lead screws and freighting heavy equipment long distances. Add to that  installing 3-phase power in your home.
*A lathe produced in China: *You get what you pay for. Some large warehouses here have had chinese lathes in their inventory until most of what they sold were returned
due to very low quality. These warehouses have given up on selling these lathes. 
One particular warehouse on the other hand has sold the same brand for 20 plus years and still going strong, which tells me that these lathes are perhaps quite good.

So I ordered one,-a 10X16 benchtop lathe weighing 260 pounds . . . weight matters. 
No plastic handles or wheels, all steel/cast iron, even the chuck guard is made from solid steel.
Apron and cross slide moves super smooth with no slack or binding.
Compound rest wheel has a very slight tendency to bind at one spot every revolution. I'll look into that.
All gears are made from steel/cast iron,-no plastic.
Lathe bed is induction hardened.
No electronic speed control (less parts to fail). Speeds are chosen by placing the belt on the desired pulleys. 6 speeds by the way.
At this point in time the lathe appears to be a solid piece of machinery . . . I guess time will tell.
The lathe came with a three jaw and a four jaw chuck, live center, a large jacobs chuck for the tailstock, steady rest and nine carbide insert cutting tools.
They also threw in two bags of extra inserts, replacement gears and a toolbox with spanners etc. plus a bag with some stuff that I haven't figured out what is for yet.
I paid 2.400 $ with shipping to my front door included.
Next weekend will be quality time with cleaning and lubricating . . .


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## David S

Emtor welcome to the forum.  So far it looks good.  Please post more pictures when you get it out of the box and set up.

David


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## markba633csi

Welcome! Looks like one of the better made imports, you will have fun with that
Mark


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## emtor

I'll post pics during the weekend.
I do think it's one of the better ones, feels quite sturdy and solid.
The company that sell these lathes have been in business for decades selling the same brands and a friend of mine used to make electric guitars and bought all of his machines from them. He was surprised by the good quality and the low prices and excellent service.
Today we managed to get it inside but we did not take the chance of lifting it up on the bench. It was too heavy, so I bought a bunch of pulleys and rope and I'll bolt together a large wooden frame and use that together with the pulleys to hoist it up.
After that it's disassembly, cleaning and lubricating.


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## Al 1

Emtor,  It looks nice.  Have fun.  Al


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## Janderso

I can feel your excitement.
Congratulations on your new lathe.


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## Dabbler

welcome to the forum!  Looks like you are going to have a great time with your new machine!


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

Nice looking lathe.  It seems to have been well crated, better than some I've seen. 
When lifting it be very careful not to trap and bend the leadscrew.
Better still get a couple of mates round and have a beer and lifting lathe party.


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## emtor

I'll be sure to mind the leadscrew.
I've bought some 2x4's, bolts and 6 pulleys plus rope today.
I'll bolt together a frame with a length of steel pipe on top.
Then I'll lift the lathe with the rope and pulleys fastened to the pipe and then roll the pipe till the lathe hangs above the 
tool cabinet,-then lower it down onto the cabinet.
Yesterday we were three buddies trying to lift it. On the tailstock end you'll get a firm grip. The headstock end is a different matter.
Too easy to loose your grip so we abandoned the project.
6 pulleys will reduce the needed force by a factor of 6 plus friction which results in only approx. 20-25 kg force on the pulling rope.


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## BaronJ

Can  you not use a sling under the bed at the headstock and three of you lift the lathe ?


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## emtor

Yes we could. This is the way they move pianos isn't it?
But . . . in the near future I'll be moving to Sweden,-(bought a house there this summer), so I'll be needing the frame anyway to move the lathe into the shed.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

Yes it is.  I did wonder if you wanted to keep the crate in one piece.  When I got my mill, you had to literally destroy the crate to get it out.  It was bolted to the bottom, had struts nailed through the sides, in addition to the bits that were stapled in paper wraps.

Anyway, good luck and happy machining.


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## emtor

The crate is dismantled but easy to put back together again.
A crate will help protect the lathe while moving it to Sweden when that day arrives.
I'll keep the crate.


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## vtcnc

Congrats on your new lathe and welcome to H-M!


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## emtor

Thanks vtcnc. Should have done this ages ago.
A new world has opened up. Suddenly junk has become stock material. I have a bunch of steel rods taken from printers that I planned on throwing away.
No way! These should come in handy some day. My neighbours better not leave the hood of their cars open for long. There's aluminium under those hoods. Nice for casting round stock. A lathe needs food


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## silence dogood

Emtor, what is the brand name of your lathe?  Except for the color, it looks just like my Lathemaster 8x14  It's even the same weight as mine, 260 lbs.  Harbor freight also sells one exactly like mine but they call it a 8x12.  It is the 10x16 that I'm confused about.   However, if it is what I think you got, it is a nice tough lathe.  Mine has served me well.    Yes. a lathe needs food.  Also, quench its thirst with oil.


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## emtor

The lathe is a 10X16, CJ9525/400.
The shop also sells a 10x22 CJ9525/550. Exactly the same lathe but with a 22 inch bed.
 Made by the Jiangsu Xima Machine Tool Manufacturing Co, Ltd.
The problem is that the chinese make products with the import company's name on them. The same lathe may come in a variety of colors and with different brand names. The company who sell these lathes here in Norway only has the model number from the manufacturer on them.
It would surprise me though if companies like Harbour Freight and Grizzly hasn't discovered this manufacturing company. This lathe really stands out compared to those light weight and cheap Sieg lathes.

I just doubled the weight in kg to get the weight in pounds, but that isn't quite accurate. The exact weight is 280 lbs (127 kg).

I watched a review last night on youtube. A Sieg from Harbour Freight. The guy cut the straps on the crate and pulled them loose.
The crate moved along with the straps across the bench easily. Try that with my lathe. We were three guys sliding this thing across the floor and we got a good exercise doing just that. Lifting it up onto the bench was out of the question. I guess we could have done it but it would have resulted in sore backs and busted knuckles.

When everything is cleaned, oiled and adjusted properly I'm sure the lathe will perform very well for it's size.


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## mrbreezeet1

emtor said:


> The lathe is a 10X16, CJ9525/400.
> The shop also sells a 10x22 CJ9525/550. Exactly the same lathe but with a 22 inch bed.
> Made by the Jiangsu Xima Machine Tool Manufacturing Co, Ltd.
> The problem is that the chinese make products with the import company's name on them. The same lathe may come in a variety of colors and with different brand names. The company who sell these lathes here in Norway only has the model number from the manufacturer on them.
> It would surprise me though if companies like Harbour Freight and Grizzly hasn't discovered this manufacturing company. This lathe really stands out compared to those light weight and cheap Sieg lathes.
> 
> I just doubled the weight in kg to get the weight in pounds, but that isn't quite accurate. The exact weight is 280 lbs (127 kg).
> 
> I watched a review last night on youtube. A Sieg from Harbour Freight. The guy cut the straps on the crate and pulled them loose.
> The crate moved along with the straps across the bench easily. Try that with my lathe. We were three guys sliding this thing across the floor and we got a good exercise doing just that. Lifting it up onto the bench was out of the question. I guess we could have done it but it would have resulted in sore backs and busted knuckles.
> 
> When everything is cleaned, oiled and adjusted properly I'm sure the lathe will perform very well for it's size.


Good for you sounds great.
I'm sure you will have a great time playing with your new toy. (E'r I mean using your new machine)
I was blessed to find a used Logan 10 in Montgomery Ward's. But the same as a 200 that cuts nice and straight at least for everything I've needed to produce on it. To be honest I never turned a test bar or test callers to check for taper but I generally just do little things or center drill something. Congratulations and enjoy. Quick question what is the diameter through your spindle? Sorry I did not read the whole thread if you already dis discuss that.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk


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## emtor

Diameter through the spindle is 20 mm - 0.79 ".
Finding a Logan or equivalent lathe here is next to impossible.
Second hand lathes are usually industrial 3-phase monsters and smaller new lathes are expensive.
I was lucky to find this one. 
Well . . . it is a toy. A lathe becomes a boring machine when you're forced to crank out hundreds of identical parts a day.


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## mrbreezeet1

OH OK, .790 isn't bad. 
It has a back gear too?
The Logan spindle hole id under .750.
Sometimes wish mine was larger, Like the bigger logans. Logan 820 IIRC.
I have all My threading gears, And also added an wiper motor variable speed feed for the lead screw. 
Worked out quite well.


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## silence dogood

emtor said:


> The lathe is a 10X16, CJ9525/400.
> The shop also sells a 10x22 CJ9525/550. Exactly the same lathe but with a 22 inch bed.
> Made by the Jiangsu Xima Machine Tool Manufacturing Co, Ltd.
> The problem is that the chinese make products with the import company's name on them. The same lathe may come in a variety of colors and with different brand names. The company who sell these lathes here in Norway only has the model number from the manufacturer on them.
> It would surprise me though if companies like Harbour Freight and Grizzly hasn't discovered this manufacturing company. This lathe really stands out compared to those light weight and cheap Sieg lathes.
> 
> I just doubled the weight in kg to get the weight in pounds, but that isn't quite accurate. The exact weight is 280 lbs (127 kg).
> 
> I watched a review last night on youtube. A Sieg from Harbour Freight. The guy cut the straps on the crate and pulled them loose.
> The crate moved along with the straps across the bench easily. Try that with my lathe. We were three guys sliding this thing across the floor and we got a good exercise doing just that. Lifting it up onto the bench was out of the question. I guess we could have done it but it would have resulted in sore backs and busted knuckles.
> 
> When everything is cleaned, oiled and adjusted properly I'm sure the lathe will perform very well for it's size.


Thank you Emtor,  you have enlightened me, you really do have a 10x16.   The model number  of my lathe 8x14 is cq6120, which I believe is an earlier model.   Jiamgsu company also makes a hd250 which looks just like the Harbor Freight 8x12 model 4459. I believe that the other model that Harbor freiht sells are Sieg. Grizzly sells a 8x16 Sieg lathe that weighs about 160lbs. My little Lathemaster 8x14 weighs  a little over 250lbs.  Apparently, the Jiagsu lathes are much more robust than the Siegs. You definately have some iron.  Too bad there aren't more suppliers of your lathe brand here in the US.


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## emtor

mrbreezeet1 said:


> It has a back gear too?



Yes, there's a back gear. -3 pulley system and six speeds.


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## emtor

silence dogood said:


> I believe that the other model that Harbor freiht sells are Sieg.


Sieg lathes are sold here also. First time I saw a Sieg advertisement I thought they were Swiss made. Sieg would be a typical Swiss name.
Later I found out they were Chinese and that the cheaper models are at best toys and not performing very well as toys either.
There's a review here: *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIEb-pzfwjQ*

I guess there are four different kinds of lathes:
1) High quality "plug and play". No adjustments or tweaking needed.
2) Decent quality for the price. Needs to be set up and adjusted. No urgent need for replacing parts.
3) Basically decent. Needs adjustment and replacement of smaller parts like gibs, gears etc.
4) Really just a pile of scrap iron. After changing all the parts you're still left with uneven ways and misaligned headstock/tailstock etc.

Looks like the Jiangsu falls into category no. 2.

Before trying it out I'll dismantle and clean everything. Then I'll check for play and make the required adjustments.
Not much use in complaining about chatter if the lathe is not properly adjusted.


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## BROCKWOOD

Welcome & looking forward to your updates & projects.


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## mrbreezeet1

Yes, me too!
You know I have my logan, But the house l'm renting 
(This is It Most Likely, entirely too too much stuff to think about moving again)
But (well everything is NOT set up to say the least, recent move, and I'm a "Slow Moving Train".....................LMAO)
But anyways, I have a smallish garage, But it's nice. Thats going to be kind of my metal working shop,(Albeit no mill)
And where the Logan resides. 
The basement, Is going to be my woodworking area.
BUT, i would Love to have A small, even a 7X20 maybe one of those that is a Mill/Lathe combo. for in the basement. 
been watching craiglist and facebook, but slim pickings. If they do come up, they are too $$$$$!
looking for someone that just wants to get rid of one reasonably. 
Sans the mill, maybe even a craftsman 101.XXXXX lathe would suffice.


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## emtor

I'm renting an apartment here in Norway. There's two apartments in the building and there's one common storage room where the lathe will reside.
My neighbour doesn't care what I do with the room . . . he's male. Had it been a she all hell would break loose.
I own a house and an outhouse in Sweden seven hours away by car. I can't move there permanently until I retire, so until then I'll use the lathe here.
Speaking of Sweden . . . a guy nearby my house there has a large property with two enormous two story buildings on it.
Two monster lathes, one monster mill, a huge pillar drill, welding equipment, tons of hand tools, two mega hoists hanging from the ceiling, all kinds of metal stock material. This guy builds everything: -Tracked vehicles, hydrocopters . . . everything.
When moving there I'll be in the right neighbourhood.

I buildt a frame today and use a boat hoist and car tires to get the lathe up in the air so that I can get it placed on top of the lathe bench.
One tire finished, three to go . . .


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## mrbreezeet1

emtor said:


> I'm renting an apartment here in Norway. There's two apartments in the building and there's one common storage room where the lathe will reside.
> My neighbour doesn't care what I do with the room . . . he's male. Had it been a she all hell would break loose.
> I own a house and an outhouse in Sweden seven hours away by car. I can't move there permanently until I retire, so until then I'll use the lathe here.
> Speaking of Sweden . . . a guy nearby my house there has a large property with two enormous two story buildings on it.
> Two monster lathes, one monster mill, a huge pillar drill, welding equipment, tons of hand tools, two mega hoists hanging from the ceiling, all kinds of metal stock material. This guy builds everything: -Tracked vehicles, hydrocopters . . . everything.
> When moving there I'll be in the right neighbourhood.
> 
> I buildt a frame today and use a boat hoist and car tires to get the lathe up in the air so that I can get it placed on top of the lathe bench.
> One tire finished, three to go . . .
> 
> View attachment 274806


Good job of " Yankee engineering".
I need to do something to get my Oliver wood lathe bed and motor head assembly a backup onto the legs but mine will involve a motorcycle jack and wooden blocks Tractor Supply sort of a farm supply here they had a 3500 pound winch on sale for $60 I've been threatening to get one and I could attach it to the joist and lift her right up I may still do that if I do not put it off too long and they sell out the woman told me on the phone they had been there forever though at that sale price normally was about double that I should get off my butt and go get it today but I am running out of steam again.
I need to pick up a sling or two while I am there I don't know where all my chains are right now 

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk


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## emtor

Same here. All my gear is a mess and laying around everywhere.
Go get that winch before it's gone.
Two tires up now and two to go . . . I prefer doing things on my own.


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## T Bredehoft

Tires...
  A fella's gotta do what a fella's got to do.

I'm proud of you, even the wood blocks where the wooden board isn't long enough. 

You'll get the job done, no matter what it take.s


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## emtor

T Bredehoft said:


> Tires...
> A fella's gotta do what a fella's got to do.
> 
> I'm proud of you, even the wood blocks where the wooden board isn't long enough.
> 
> You'll get the job done, no matter what it take.s



I'll get the job done,-redneck style.


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## emtor

Three tires up,-one to go . . .

Boat winch on the headstock end and a four double-pulley system on the tailstock end.
I'm amazed by how much you can lift with a pulley system. The pulleys are small, so I'll buy larger pulleys tomorrow.


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## emtor

At last,-4 tires. What remains is lifting the lathe slightly above the tires, making it level and roll the tubing on top of the frame until it hangs above the tool bench.


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## emtor

Ta-taaaa . . . . it's done.
To call this a mini-lathe is an understatement. Try moving it.


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## Dabbler

It looks like a nice, solidly built  machine - good choice!


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## emtor

Solid enough to make me spend three days getting it up on top of the cabinet. 
When having adjusted it properly I think this machine will do a great job.
Luckily I could afford to not only have a low price as a priority.


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## jakes_66

I can identify with the sudden change in feelings about so-called 'junk'.  Once you realize that you can take ordinary garbage and turn it into something useful, you'll find yourself slowing down while driving to peek into trash cans, making friends with local scrap metal dealers, etc.  

From now on you'll see value where others see trash.  It's really life-changing in my opinion.


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## Janderso

Isn't that a true statement, "From now on you'll see value where others see trash ",
I pick up washers, scrap metal in all kinds of locations that I never noticed before. Having a lathe and/or a mill sure changes your outlook on life.


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## hman

It ain't junk.  It's useful stuff.  I just don't yet know what it's useful for.


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## emtor

Scrap engine block ---> sledgehammer ---> pieces of aluminium ---> eat canned beans etc. ---> tin cans ---> hole in the ground ---> 
charcoal ---> hair drier ---> ALUMINIUM ROUND STOCK.


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## Janderso

emtor said:


> Ta-taaaa . . . . it's done.
> To call this a mini-lathe is an understatement. Try moving it.
> 
> View attachment 274897



That's good.
You want a solid foundation.
I don't know how much my old 13" South Bend weighs but it is a beast. The Bridgeport is no slouch either.
I can't imagine moving one of those big old Cincinnati or Tucker & Kearney (SP)? machines.
Enjoy that lathe.


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## emtor

Janderso said:


> That's good.
> You want a solid foundation.
> I don't know how much my old 13" South Bend weighs but it is a beast. The Bridgeport is no slouch either.
> I can't imagine moving one of those big old Cincinnati or Tucker & Kearney (SP)? machines.
> Enjoy that lathe.



I'm enjoying this lathe. I had to shim the cutting tool using pieces of hacksaw blades and strips from a coke can.
No button in the center of the round stock and a piece of hacksaw blade stays vertical when pressing it between the workpiece and the cutting tool.
I got some chatter which went away by taking shallower facing cuts.
I also tried turning down the diameter of the round stock with the lead screw engaged. No chatter but the finish was not too good.
Speed was 1000 rpm (carbide insert). Calculating the speed for 30 mm. diameter round stock and HSS tools gave me 300 rpm but the recommended speed for carbide is supposed to be 2 to 3 times that. I'll experiment with different speeds though.
This is my very first attempt at using a lathe and the tool didn't crash into the chuck jaws, nor did the carbide insert shatter.
BTW those chips are hot  and judging from the color they were at around 200 to 250 deg. C.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

You need to spend some time going around the lathe checking that the gibs are properly set.


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## emtor

BaronJ said:


> Hi Emtor,
> 
> You need to spend some time going around the lathe checking that the gibs are properly set.



I'll do that. The gibs feel tight when trying to rock things with my hands, but when turning there's forces involved much greater than applied by my hands.
I don't know what kind of finish to expect but I can imagine that it won't take much chatter to produce a less than good finish.
The finish is such that it's visible, but when I drag a fingernail across the surface I can barely feel it. However it's not a mirror finish by a long strech.
I'll spend the weekend on those gibs.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

The way that I set the gibs is by feel.  I start with the saddle and tighten each adjuster in turn until I start to feel it tightening, then back off a fraction, then go on to the next one and so on.  Do the cross slide next and then the top slide.  From this point on, you will start to learn when you need to tighten or loosen things.


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## emtor

BaronJ said:


> Hi Emtor,
> 
> The way that I set the gibs is by feel.  I start with the saddle and tighten each adjuster in turn until I start to feel it tightening, then back off a fraction, then go on to the next one and so on.  Do the cross slide next and then the top slide.  From this point on, you will start to learn when you need to tighten or loosen things.



Will do,-thanks for the tip.


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## NortonDommi

Hello *emtor,
*When you have your lathe set up you may want to consider making a lift plate. Easy to make and easy to lift with.  My lathe weighs
 650 kg dry and I have no problem lifting wet with a full tank of coolant.  Apron wound to tailstock means a little winding gives perfect balance.  It is haw most factories move lathes around.


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## emtor

The lifting plate is a good idea,-I'll make one. I'm buying a small chain hoist tomorrow too since the lathe will need to be moved when I'll move to Sweden.
I probably need to adjust the gibs. Had a look at the compound rest and it took almost no adjustment at all to make the compound rest bind.
At least the compound rest seems to be plenty tight.
I was wrong about the spindle speed when I tried some chipmaking last night.
Turns out it was running at 600 rpm. Today I tried 1000 rpm and this is the finish it produced:


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

That finish is not too bad.  I can see the fine marks caused by the power feed on the saddle !
Check that the saddle moves smoothly and that the leadscrew is clean.  Its surprising how a photograph shows up things that you would normally find hard to see.

Check that the gears are not too tight they need to have a fraction of free play between the teeth.  A trick here is to trap a thin piece of paper between the gears then tighten the banjo.  You are only looking at 2 or 3 thou.
Another dodge for generating a little play is a 1 thou soft brass shim about 6 -7 mm wide formed into the shape of the teeth and slipped between the gears.


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## emtor

BaronJ said:


> Hi Emtor,
> 
> That finish is not too bad.  I can see the fine marks caused by the power feed on the saddle !
> Check that the saddle moves smoothly and that the leadscrew is clean.  Its surprising how a photograph shows up things that you would normally find hard to see.
> 
> Check that the gears are not too tight they need to have a fraction of free play between the teeth.  A trick here is to trap a thin piece of paper between the gears then tighten the banjo.  You are only looking at 2 or 3 thou.
> Another dodge for generating a little play is a 1 thou soft brass shim about 6 -7 mm wide formed into the shape of the teeth and slipped between the gears.



I'll do the gears when I've thrown out some stuff from the room. Right now there's no space to do anything around the lathe.
I just tried to present the insert at a slight angle to the workpiece. It improved the finish quite a bit. The lines are no longer at an angle and much less visible. I haven't adjusted the gibs yet but there's no tendency to slop no matter how much I try to move things.
I've got chatter as well when turning along the axis of the workpiece. Facing is no problem, no chatter.
 I've read that simply using carbide on small lathes can introduce chatter. So I've ordered some HSS tools. 
Perhaps I should try one of those before blaming everything else. Still I'll adjust the gibs. It's not a bad thing to get to know the lathe.
See the pic below. Left section is with the insert presented perpendicular to the workpiece. Right section is with the toolpost angled slightly towards the chuck.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

Yes that is more like it !  I use very few carbide tools, preferring HSS.  But that finish is very good.


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## emtor

BaronJ said:


> Hi Emtor,
> 
> Yes that is more like it !  I use very few carbide tools, preferring HSS.  But that finish is very good.



I'm happy with the finish, but I do have quite an amount of chatter.
No chatter while facing, chatter while turning along the axis of the workpiece, and lots of chatter when chamfering.
Last night I got long spirally strings of chips,-up to 3-4 feet long, and then I noticed that one inch was yellow,-one inch blue, then one inch yellow and so forth. Equal and consistent distances between the yellow and blue.
I'm thinking,-does the workpiece move back and forth into the cutting tool while rotating? -Or maybe it's just tool / toolpost / cross-slide etc. chatter.
Tomorrow I'll check wether the chuck is consentric or not.
When I got the lathe the first thing I did was taking the three jaw chuck apart, cleaned it and oiled it.
When inserting the jaws I started with number one into the correct slot, rotated anti-clockwise until the jaw snapped into place and pushed the other two into place also. I noticed that number three didn't move inwards while turning the chuck key clockwise. I had to fiddle a bit with it before it fell into place. It seems (judging by eye) like all jaws are correctly centered, but number three did have problems mating with the scroll.
I have three spare jaws and I'll try those to see if I encounter the same problem. If no problems then it was jaw number three who acted up,-if the same problem occurs with the spare jaws then I may have a problem with the scroll.
I'll also insert the live center, put a piece of rod from a printer into the chuck and see if the face of the rod rotates evenly around the live center. (No measuring devices as of yet).
I won't give up until these problems are fixed, and . . . I haven't had so much fun for years,-should have bought the lathe years ago.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

I think as an initial buy, I would get a dial gauge, at least 0.001" (1 thou ) per division, or metric 0.01 mm (1.27 thou ) per division, and a cheap mag base.  You will need to buy or make some clamps to support the gauge.

Actually they are easy to make, particularly in aluminum. Drawing below.  
A bit of square bar, drilled to hold the gauge stem, usually 8 mm diameter and use 8 mm rod as needed.  Some gauges are a slightly different diameter stem.  So drill to suit.

Cross drill a hole at each end, and thread to fit a clamp screw, put a saw cut through from the end into the 8 mm hole.
The idea is to be able to tighten the screw to clamp the gauge stem, do the same at the other end to clamp the 8 mm rod.  Make as many as you need.






The holes marked 3 mm need to be drilled tapping size.  The holes marked 8 mm are simply drilled.
One end is 90 degrees to the other.  When all the holes are done simply slit with a saw from the end into the edge of the 8 mm hole.
Drill one half of the 3 mm hole to clear the screw threads.


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## emtor

Ta-taaaaa . . . . I solved it!
Last night I noticed that the long strings of chips were blue-yellow-blue-yellow etc.
Thanks to my experience in making knives and hardening and tempering steel I knew that the chips were subjected to varying heat caused by a varying load. I knew that this was caused by runout. I took out the jaws and reinstalled them making sure that jaw number three followed the other two.
Then I turned the workpiece and when finished it suddenly dawned on me that what I had heard was only the motor and gears.
I took another pass and there was no chatter. Took a deeper pass and no chatter. Then I let the workpiece stick out a good way from the chuck and took
an even deeper pass, this time the tool was eating steel . . . still no chatter.

The problem was runout from misaligned jaws.
The lathe feels rock solid now and is a joy to work with.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

That's great news to hear !  I'm glad that its problem solved. 

However I would still invest in a dial gauge.


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## emtor

I did order a dial gauge today, HSS cutter set, and center drills plus a few other items.

After some turning the 1" diameter workpiece got way too hot to hold in my hand and the shavings were almost black and crispy.
I must have taken quite deep cuts. This lathe seems to be a sturdy and solid machine despite being a "mini lathe".


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

It is surprising just how big a cut you can take.  But I wouldn't do it too often.
Fine on the parts that you have ordered.  Rather than the cutter set, I would have bought some HSS tool steel blanks and ground my own.  You have more control over the shape.  But it does mean that you need a grinder...  More tools. 

Forgot to add, watch the temperature if you are aiming for a given size !


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## silence dogood

Emtor. When I took my lathe apart the first time, I found some flashing and paint over spray. After cleaning it up, one place that made a big difference were the half nuts. You also can't trust the Chinese nuts and screws.  They seem to be too soft. I replace many of those with better quality.


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## emtor

BaronJ --> I won't be taking as big cuts in the future. I just had to see how much it would take to introduce chatter.
Turned out it took quite a bit.
I did order HSS blanks . . . and I've already bought a grinder 
The set I ordered are solid HSS steel, not inserts that are either brazed or replacable. 
I've heard the same regarding chinese nuts and bolts . . . soft.
I've cleaned out the room now . . . soon time to take the lathe apart. I'll inspect the half nuts.
I had to replace the belt. It was a real pain to take it off and put it on the other pairs of pulleys.
The new belt is a fan belt for old cars and is easy to come by. 100 mm longer than the original and much easier to change speeds now.
The lathe has a belt tensioner so the extra length is of no concern.

You're right about tolerances when hot or cold. A part turned to dimension will have a lot of play inside a hole when cooled off.

Well,-it's a chinese lathe, and although among the better ones it's not a Swiss clockmaker's lathe, so it will need some modifications here and there.


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## BaronJ

Hi Emtor,

Fine about the belt,  on my Myford its a right royal pain to replace it.  It seems that most people go for link belts !

Sounds like you have everything in hand


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## emtor

BaronJ said:


> Hi Emtor,
> 
> Fine about the belt,  on my Myford its a right royal pain to replace it.  It seems that most people go for link belts !
> 
> Sounds like you have everything in hand



The original belt was so short that to get it off the pulley took a screwdriver and loads of prying and bending.
Neither the belt nor the pulleys would have lasted very long doing that. The new belt could have been a tiny bit longer but this was the best I could find at the car parts store.

Went up early this morning and mixed some lapping compound, 220 and 600 grit. The gib for the compound slide looked like it had been machined with the help of a lawn mower. Now it's back in place and it moves quite a bit smoother, and adjusting it rock solid takes less force on the set screws now.
Also the annoying binding of the wheel has improved. Next up is the cross slide. -Lapping is extremely boring BTW.

Yes, it seems like I've got everything in hand.


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