# A Source(s) For Machining / Learning To Use A Metal Lathe



## TonyL (May 18, 2016)

Well, I thought living in North GA would present me with many hands-on learning opportunities, there few that I can find. There are plenty of online courses and books, but I doubt they will serve as a substitute. Any ideas, sources, excellent videos would be high appreciated. I will continue my search in the meantime. Thank you!


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## Andre (May 18, 2016)

South Bend "How to run a lathe" is a good start.

Lots of YouTube channels showcase machine work, some of the top contributors are:

Oxtoolco

Suburban Tool

Abom79

Bar z industrial

Metal Tips and Tricks

Mark Elecquer (last name misspelled, for sure!)

(and many others)

Forums, such as this one are a good place to ask questions.


Many vintage training films might also be of interest to you.


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## Tozguy (May 18, 2016)

Have you checked out the beginner's knowledge base thread at the top of the beginner's forum?

This has some good videos to get you going on a few tasks:
http://www.thatlazymachinist.com


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## TonyL (May 18, 2016)

Thank you. I am presently surprised by the number of videos out there. I guess by the time I find a hands-on class, I will know what the parts are called and how to keep all of my fingers.


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## A618fan2 (May 18, 2016)

You might also try MrPete222 on YouTube.  He's a retired shop teacher that has made lots of videos aimed at beginners and hobbyists.

John


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## francist (May 18, 2016)

There's also a pretty good series on YouTube put out by MIT TechTV. About a dozen instructional videos on machine shop basics. Lathe work starts with video number 8, I believe.

And don't overlook TubalCain, aka MrPete. Hundreds of shop videos, many on lathe use, and if you want there's even a How to Run a Lathe video course that he put together. 

Sorry I can't put the links directly in here, I'm still foiled by the iPad in that regard at times! You can search them easily, though.

-frank


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## kd4gij (May 18, 2016)

:+1: on MIT here is the link.
http://techtv.mit.edu/collections/ehs-videos


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## Andre (May 18, 2016)

Also, Dan Gelbart has a very nice 18 episode prototyping video series.


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## Sandia (May 18, 2016)

Goggle AGI and check them out. I think it is American Gun Institute. They have a machinist course that covers lathe, mill and a few other machines. I used the lathe and mill course, comes in CD format and starts from ground zero.  Very good course and will teach you how to run the lathe. This along with the other resources mentioned above will get you started down the road.  After your done with the machinist course, put it on Ebay and sale. That is what I did and got most of my money back.


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## TonyL (May 18, 2016)

I saw MIT and I sent agi  a question this after noon. Thank you for the links   go ing to watch some now


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## royesses (May 19, 2016)

Have you researched local Vocational Technical schools? I used to teach electronics at my local vo-tech. We had night classes for adults that were inexpensive and were two to three nights a week. One of the most popular classes was Intro to machine shop and another was welding. Both very highly rated and taught by very experienced instructors.  There was a waiting list for both classes. Both were hands on and book learning. They even taught CNC programming.


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## higgite (May 19, 2016)

Index of tubalcain/mrpete222 videos on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBC69869E8CB708F2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6HIFled82YXCXpWVcoMvHxr7_qQsXkzR

Also look up The Lazy Machinist (Marc L'Somethingorother) on Youtube.

Tom


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## Charles Spencer (May 19, 2016)

There are some very good US Army publications on machining available for free here:

http://opensourcemachine.org/us-army-courses

And there are two versions of South Bend's "How To Run A Lathe".  One is rather short.  The longer (and better) version can be found here in five parts:

http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=1617&tab=3


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## TonyL (May 19, 2016)

I starting watching these last night..thank you. I have searched for vocational training schools in within 25 mikes of my residence and have not found any that explicitly describe the course to include metal lathe training. Having said that, I have contacted several to see if metal lathe training/machining is available.

Thank you.


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## mce5802 (May 19, 2016)

Don't forget Keith Fenner at Turnwright he is one of the best out there.


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## TonyL (May 19, 2016)

Thank you. I am fully subscribed , also treeing to buy the dvds


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## Andre (May 19, 2016)

A guy I know well took the AGI course for Gunsmithing. I don't think he took the lathe or mill courses, but he does really nice work.


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## TonyL (May 19, 2016)

Thank you! I want to practice machining, cutting threads, boring, and shaping SS (304L and 303,  3/4 inch round rod). My friend has a HiTorque 7 x 16 (LMS). He uses it for something other than what I want to use it for, but he is interested in doing what I am doing with it. Where should I buy the stock please.

Thank you!


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## Sandia (May 19, 2016)

TonyL said:


> Thank you! I want to practice machining, cutting threads, boring, and shaping SS (304L and 303,  3/4 inch round rod). My friend has a HiTorque 7 x 16 (LMS). He uses it for something other than what I want to use it for, but he is interested in doing what I am doing with it. Where should I buy the stock please.
> 
> Thank you!



Tony, you can get material from several on-line dealers, just google steel suppliers.  Speedy Metals is pretty popular with this group. For small quantities the are okay but the shipping runs the price up.  If you are going to use a substantial amount of material try your local steel suppliers, it will be a lot cheaper buying rounds full length. Sometimes they will have drops that they will sale at a discounted price.  That is what I do unless it is something special and a rare project, such as the octagon 41L40 I just ordered from Speedy in 12" lengths.  

Good luck


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## TonyL (May 19, 2016)

sounds like a great plan. thank you.


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## Bluedog (May 19, 2016)

onlinemetals.com is a good online source for materials also.


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## TonyL (May 19, 2016)

I was browsing their site last night. they didn't have the ss that i was looking for..maybe i need should call them. Thank you.

I am not far from you; I would love to see your equipment.


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## Ken S (May 21, 2016)

I started hanging out at a machine shop that does work for the plant I work at. These guys are happy to answer questions and explain how and why they do things. They are also a good source for useable scrap. 
You might call scrap yards in your area for metal. Once people found out about my hobby, round stock started coming at me from everywhere. It's the flat bar that's been a problem to find so far.


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## TonyL (May 21, 2016)

That's good advice Ken. Thank you.


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## MSD0 (May 22, 2016)

Here's one for fun (don't do what this guy does):


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## TonyL (May 22, 2016)

Yes.  I have seen this...a feel sorry for this poor guy. I hope he never gets hurt.

I see you own a PM. I have been driving myself nuts trying to decide between a PM and a HiTorque 7 x or 8.5 x. I just want  it to turn, thread, etc pens and bushings.


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## MSD0 (May 22, 2016)

I started out with a MicroMark 7x16 which is similar to the HiTorque (or any other 7x lathe). The biggest problem is the lack of rigidity, especially in the cross slide. You can still make good parts, but can only take light cuts and parting off is difficult. The PM1127 might be more than you need, but one of the 10x size lathes might be perfect.


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## TonyL (May 22, 2016)

Thank you.


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## mksj (May 22, 2016)

I would look at the PM1228 as mentioned previously, just a wider scope that seems to be what you are looking for (assuming you have the space). Should afford a lot of rigidity and the ability to do small stuff and larger if you decide to do more. A good collet system, you should be able to do the small stuff you want. I do a lot of very small stuff on my 1340 machine, I am actually amazed at its abilities with a collet system. You can watch a lot of videos online, I find that at some point the hands on learning/experience  is what worked for me, then going back to the videos to further understand the nuances. That being said, many things  are shades of gray as opposed to black and white.  The lathe just needs a high level of attention (in my opinion), because a mistake can be more dangerous and cause more damage.


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## pugslyyy (Aug 29, 2016)

TonyL said:


> Thank you! I want to practice machining, cutting threads, boring, and shaping SS (304L and 303,  3/4 inch round rod). My friend has a HiTorque 7 x 16 (LMS). He uses it for something other than what I want to use it for, but he is interested in doing what I am doing with it. Where should I buy the stock please.
> 
> Thank you!



You need to find scrap metal dealers in your area.  I take a swing through mine at least once a week to see what they have on hand.  For what I do, drop and scrap is perfect - I can get a foot or two of round bar cheap.  Brass, aluminum, stainless, etc.

This is the place I go to  - http://www.jdrecyclers.com/


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## TonyL (Aug 30, 2016)

Thank you.


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## TommyD (Sep 1, 2016)

I'm an Educational Assistant at a local Community College where I teach Engineerng students manual machining fundamentals. I have told my boss that opening the shop one night a week may prove beneficial to both the skool as well as members of the Community, such as you, that are looking for a beginners class on machining. So far there seems to be no interest on the skools part. Unfortunately, for me anyhow, I only work part time and can't have more than one State job. They had the dickens of a tme finding me and it continues trying to find qualified people for the open positions we have been trying to fill.


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