# MX 8-14



## OldFatMan (Sep 14, 2021)

I'm not a machinist but have been in and around industrial machine shops for 50 years and my dad was/is as good as they ever made.  He tried but not much rubbed off on me (He'll be ashamed of me when he finds out I drug this home.)   Found a deal on a year old MX 8-14 originally purchased on ebay.  All metal change gears, 600W brush less motor with only a 3 jaw chuck and minimal tooling.  Runs quiet through the speed range when running the lead screw forward- pretty noisey when reversing it. For what I need it will be better than nothing.  Biggest problems for me with it is I cant find a manual that is even close and although the tail stock seems reasonably stable and the quill is smooth I cant get it to center drill.  Seems like the bed torques or something and even after facing the stock, the center drill wanders.  I haven't put much pressure on it and haven't broken a center drill yet but I also have not got a center drilled yet.  I have a couple of machined centers I can chuck in the lathe chuck and my drill chuck and they seem to be pretty close although I think the drill chuck may not be very accurate.  I do have a new Jacobs chuck and short taper for it and a dead center for the tail stock ordered from LMS.  By the way if anyone is considering one of these (I think it is very similar to the Vevor?? on Amazon)  LMS does not have parts for them yet.  If anyone has a manual for their Vevor I'd pay to have it copied.  Any thoughts on the center drill failure?  Thanks


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## Nutfarmer (Sep 14, 2021)

First I would check to see if the tail stock is centered. Is the center drill sharp? If it wonders around , how are the head stock bearings ? Are they loose,? How hard is the material your trying to center drill? If a file will cut it , a good center drill should too.


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## OldFatMan (Sep 14, 2021)

Thanks.  Appreciate the response- I only have the wife to talk to these days since I retired and she just looks at me with a blank stare when I talk tools.  Hoping to verify the centering when I get the new dead center.  It looks ok?? with the machined center finder I have but the chuck I'm using in the tail stock or the tail stock itself or head stock bearings are not 100% repeatable.   Since it will turn pretty well  I didn't suspect the head stock bearings but I will do a lift check when I get a mount for my indicator.   I can face and turn the stock- from the scrap yard but pretty sure it is cold roll.  It certainly will file.


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## Nutfarmer (Sep 14, 2021)

If it will file it should dril


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## OldFatMan (Sep 23, 2021)

Nutfarmer said:


> First I would check to see if the tail stock is centered. Is the center drill sharp? If it wonders around , how are the head stock bearings ? Are they loose,? How hard is the material your trying to center drill? If a file will cut it , a good center drill should too.


Thanks.  You hit it with your first thought.  Tail stock was out every direction.  I drilled a couple of extra holes to attach little jack screws to get horizontal alignment. I tried shimming to get the vertical but when I got it parallel to the ways it was too high.  Took a good bit of scraping to get it close.  Bluing is now showing pretty large contact surface between the top and the base so it is really slow but I couldn't stand it- had to try my center drill again and it works now.  Making progress.  Still looking for a manual if anyone has one.  I've just found out this is a Preenex copy if anyone has that manual.  Thanks


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## OldFatMan (Oct 2, 2021)

Well I finally did get a manual.  17 pages long mostly generic safety instructions.  You could take a manual for an electric toaster and replace the pictures and there you have it.  Oh well.  This has a 1.5mm lead screw and has an indicator table sticker on it with 14T,15T and 16T columns.  I assume this means there is a metric threading gauge with 3 different gears available for this machine?  Anyone know where to look for it?  Thanks


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