# New Chinese 8x14 mini lathe - more work then I bargained for



## lowd239 (Sep 4, 2020)

Hello all,

New to the site and appreciate the helpfulness that everyone seems to convey.

Been wanting a table top lathe for a while and originally was going to buy used but wasnt able to find one to my liking close to me...so I decided to buy a new 8x14 "vevor" Chinese lathe.  I'll mainly use the lathe for making parts for motorcycles I restore/modify.

I'm new to the lathe world so I've been reading up and watching youtube videos on modifications and maintenance. 

So unfortunately the lathe was damaged in shipping and has a crack in the bed and a mount broken off.  The seller refunded me $100 though now I've got a lot of work on my hands!  I'm planning to disassemble and braze the crack and broken mount.  Any suggestions or input here would be appreciated!

Photos for cringworthiness -

Thanks, Jeff


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## DavidR8 (Sep 4, 2020)

If it were me I’d file a complaint with EBay. 
The product is broken on delivery. 


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## markba633csi (Sep 4, 2020)

I think I would have returned the machine and gotten a replacement or refund. Brazing that crack will almost certainly make a bad situation worse by warping the bed into a pretzel.  If you have to keep the machine, consider a cold repair of some kind, a bolted plate and epoxy fix

-Mark


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## NortonDommi (Sep 4, 2020)

IF you can't get a replacement and decide to repair have you got access to something very flat big enough to clamp the bed to? I can see an opportunity to make better than new by abrasive blasting the interior of the casting and filling with Epoxy granite. The broken mount is a toss up but a T shaped piece glued and screwed would be a big improvement.


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## benmychree (Sep 4, 2020)

Insist on a replacement; with the cracked bed, a repair will never make it right; the $100 is a pittance and an insult; GO GET 'EM!!!


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## silence dogood (Sep 4, 2020)

What was the shipping weight of that lathe?  From those pictures, the cast iron looks awfully thin and there does not seem to be any side or cross bracing between the feet. Just to be sure,  I went into the shop and looked at my Lathemaster 8x14.  Not bragging, but the Lathemaster definately has more iron.   I would send it back.


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## addertooth (Sep 4, 2020)

I wouldn't accept a Cow with a broken neck; I wouldn't except a lathe with a cracked way.  Send it back, the vendor did not provide a working device, as it was advertised.  Ebay will back you up on this one. The 100 dollar offer is laughable, insulting, and just sets you up for eternal frustration getting it true and machining well.

If you are dead set on keeping it, go to the Little Machine Shop website, and price how much they want for a spare Way.  (hint $154).  That does not include shipping, or the labor to move all the parts over to it.

I don't know the rules here well enough to know whether I can provide a link to the part.  But, go to the littlemachineshop dot com website and search for "lathe ways".  They sell a 14 inch way, which would likely fit yours (most of the Chinese 7X14 lathes are made by the same company (Sieg)).  The downside is that their replacement way appears to be hippy red.  

You don't want a longer or shorter way, as your Lead screw will be the wrong length for ways of a differing measurement.


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## benmychree (Sep 4, 2020)

The fault lies squarely with the seller who prepared it for shipping; obviously they did not adequately prepare it for shipping or it would not have broken; so far as UPS is concerned, breakage is proof of inadequate shipping protection, they accept no liability for breakage due to rough handling, which seems to be the norm.  I found this out the hard way, with a broken dividing head, and a flake of a seller who would accept no liability for his inability to adequately package the item in spite of my detailed instructions as how to go about it.


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## addertooth (Sep 4, 2020)

Most likely it was a shipping company, as even the 14 inch Sieg lathes are over the weight limit that USPS normally wants to handle.


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## addertooth (Sep 4, 2020)

I just noticed you said it was EIGHT by 14, and not 7 x 14... so the ways I mentioned earlier may not fit.


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## silence dogood (Sep 4, 2020)

I will add my second 2 cents worth.  What ever you are cutting, there is a lot of rotating force transferred to the cutting bit down the carriage  to the bed.  Now let's do an interrupted cut.  It is like you took a hammer and start beating on that bed.  That crack is at the worse place and disaster is just waiting to happen.  I would not mess with any kind of fix.  Send it back.


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## WobblyHand (Sep 5, 2020)

Your lathe is broken.  That casting is responsible for maintaining the straightness of the ways.  It is the heart of the machine.  It will be difficult or impossible to align the lathe.  It probably won't perform that well.  Perhaps it could be saved, but probably not.  Guess it's possible to silver (hard) solder it, if you have the right equipment.  Why should it be you that takes that risk?  The lathe was received broken.  Or shipped broken.  All you know is that you have it now and it is clearly cracked.  The casting has lost it's machining integrity.  Your best course of action is to send it back / make a claim with eBay that the machine is broken and you want your money back.  Good luck.


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## lowd239 (Sep 5, 2020)

Oh boy.  Thanks for all of the replies.  Ahh I'm wishing I would have checked here first for advice before I accepted the refund.  I'll see what I can do with the seller getting a replacement.  It was 100 lb shipment and it shipped through fedex which I had issues with the shipment being late and mis labeled as delivered.


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## WobblyHand (Sep 5, 2020)

All you can do is try right now.  That cast piece is essential.  Good luck and let us know what happens.


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## silence dogood (Sep 5, 2020)

100lbs sure is light for an eight inch.  Mine weighs 260lbs.  You say that you work on motorcycles?  May I recommend a 10",  Surely, there must be a nice used Southbend or something in your area.  I hope that you get your money back.


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## bobl (Sep 5, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> If it were me I’d file a complaint with EBay.
> The product is broken on delivery.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Good luck with eBay have had problems with them no response crappy company will never use again good luck 


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## WobblyHand (Sep 5, 2020)

All one can do is try...  I've had issues with suppliers on eBay and Aliexpress.  Either shorted on an order, or non-delivery, or not as described.  Maybe I'm lucky, but all have been resolved satisfactorily.  It does take persistence.  If the product is defective - and it is, you should get some satisfaction.  Face it, it was sold as being fully functional / new.  Therefore you should be made whole.  Let us know what happens.


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## lowd239 (Sep 6, 2020)

Yea Im hoping this gets worked out...though in response to asking for an exchange the seller said "what about another $50" 

Today I'll take some measurements to see if I could replace the bed with this one suggested - https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5000

Heres a picture of my model from ebay -


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## addertooth (Sep 6, 2020)

I have concerns with fitment.  Below is a picture of the tailstock-end legs on a 7 by X lathe.  Note it has a horizontal bridge between the two tailstock-end legs. 
Your picture above does not match in that detail.


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## markba633csi (Sep 6, 2020)

Call your credit card company and explain the situation.  They want you to be happy and keep using their card so they are usually very accommodating.
Mine has bailed me out a couple of times when I had trouble with a vendor
-Mark
I just noticed you live in the "mother lode" of great used machinery- Instead of fiddling around with these import toys you could easily find a great small lathe like a South Bend or Logan or, if you are on a tight budget, an Atlas


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## WobblyHand (Sep 6, 2020)

Have to agree with Mark.  Definitely worth a call to your CCC.


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## lowd239 (Sep 8, 2020)

Thanks for the suggestions guys.  Huge help.  I did end up going with contacting my credit card company, they're handling it now....thats a relief!

Sounds like I'll have a broken lathe on my hands now.  I took measurements of the cross slide and its the same as this replacement bed - https://littlemachineshop.com/images/gallery/drawings/4060LatheWaysCrossSection.pdf 

I would have liked to find an old atlas - my budget was low at $700 - I've searching facebook marketplace and craigslist for months and did not find any in my budget or wouldnt require significant work and investment.

Honestly Im thinking Im back where I started and going try to braze the cracks....I'd like to try my hand at brazing and if the bed is ruined I'll buy the replacement bed.  Reasonable plan?


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## WobblyHand (Sep 8, 2020)

Assuming you are getting the lathe for nothing, due to it being broken, you have nothing to lose.  But your fun with your supplier and your CC company may not be over.  If you are free and clear, you have more possibilities.  I was going to say go for it, but...

I take that back.  Your best bet would be to have it oven brazed, as localized heating probably won't keep it straight.  If you do try it, remember the part is relatively large and would require oxy-fuel to get it to temperature. Not sure if you have such a rig, but you'd be burning a lot of gas to get that piece hot enough (red heat).  Even though I have oxy-acetylene, I wouldn't try it, as the acetylene consumption rate would be too high for my medium size tank.  (If the rate is too high in a tank, the acetylene can become unstable.) Not clear to me if post oven brazing  it would result in straight ways either.    After all, you want those ways to be untwisted to well under a thousandth of an inch.  

The more I think about it, buy the bed.  Before ordering, make sure it actually will fit what you have, otherwise you will have two big paper weights.


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## kb58 (Sep 8, 2020)

No! Don't touch it until the financial side of this is completely solved. What if they say, okay, send it back, then find out that you messed with it. Just. Don't.


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## WobblyHand (Sep 8, 2020)

Agree with @kb58

I did say, _if you are free and clear_...then.  That means you wait until that happens!


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## tq60 (Sep 8, 2020)

Agree with others.

Vendor would scrap it likely so cost more to ship than worth.

Seller may offer a replacement bed which is option*

* Ship replacement parts to a factory authorized service center

*certify original warranty valid after repairs

Or offer to properly dispose of unit no charge after full refund.

Insure you keep any document that indicates refund and or disposal as sometimes they will charge again later.

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## lowd239 (Sep 8, 2020)

Good call.  I won't repair the lathe until the credit card dispute goes through.  They said it will take a month, so thats a bit of a bummer.   Ebay says the seller is located in China though the item was shipped from California...it was the last of it's kind listed by the seller.

The brazing will have to wait.  I have an oxy/acetylene torch though the tanks arent very big.  My thought was to first heat it up on the grill then go at it with the torch.


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## addertooth (Sep 8, 2020)

Keep in mind the coating on part you are about to heat are not ceramic.  Try not to be downwind when you are baking it off.


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## WobblyHand (Sep 8, 2020)

Yeah, the paint burning off will undoubtedly contain some nasty stuff.  Might want to strip it first.  Walnut shell blasting might take the coating off and won't damage the machined surfaces (if you don't dwell on them).  Seriously, if you can, get another casting.  (After the financials are sorted.)  You are facing a low probability of success repair.  If you do everything right, it might be brazed ok.  But if it isn't straight, you might as well toss it.  You'd never be able to re-machine it at an affordable cost.


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## kb58 (Sep 8, 2020)

WobblyHand said:


> Agree with @kb58
> 
> I did say, _if you are free and clear_...then.  That means you wait until that happens!


Your post popped up right as I was writing mine, sorry, my advice was intended for the OP.


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## WobblyHand (Sep 8, 2020)

@kb58, No problem!  I understood it as intended for the OP.


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