An old man and a New Vevor mini lathe

[Old Everything Tech]

In my early years I spent high school in a Quason hut 2 hours a day in training for machine shop.
Then off to tech school to complete the education.
Machine shop work was scarce and electrical work was plentiful.
My first lathe was a Springfield 19" with a three-phase motor. It came from a navy ship.
I kept it in a farm shop.
Well, that lathe found itself in a farm tractor shop.
Sixty years passed and I once again found the urge to get a small lathe for some piddling.
Last week my little jewel arrived.
The case was beat to a pulp, along with the sheet metal surrounding the 7 x 14 lathe.
It must have taken me over and hour to get the lathe out of the container.
I asked friends to help pick it up and put it on the bench.
I spent six hours straightening the metal and adjusting all of the overly tight screws.
Now it was time to plug it in and see how well it ran.
I push the green start button after making sure there is nothing near the chuck.
I followed the instructions, turn the speed know to zero, select the direction, then increase the speed.
NOTHING! I push the green button again and it tries to spin the chuck.
So, I hold the button this time and the chuck comes up to speed as long as I hold the button in.
I am thinking: What a revolting development!
I spent four days texting the seller. They were not easy for me to get across my problem.
I finally sent a video of the exact problem.
I am still waiting.
Here is the video:

 

[markba633csi]

Send it back. Your disappointments are just beginning. We advise folks to stay away from this brand for exactly these reasons.
Even an old Atlas would be better. Vevor has a poor track record for quality and service after the sale.
South Bend and Logan are very good older US made machines that often come up on the used market.
If you really want a new import, look at Grizzly or better yet, Precision Matthews

 

[Smithdoor]

In my early years I spent high school in a Quason hut 2 hours a day in training for machine shop.
Then off to tech school to complete the education.
Machine shop work was scarce and electrical work was plentiful.
My first lathe was a Springfield 19" with a three-phase motor. It came from a navy ship.
I kept it in a farm shop.
Well, that lathe found itself in a farm tractor shop.
Sixty years passed and I once again found the urge to get a small lathe for some piddling.
Last week my little jewel arrived.
The case was beat to a pulp, along with the sheet metal surrounding the 7 x 14 lathe.
It must have taken me over and hour to get the lathe out of the container.
I asked friends to help pick it up and put it on the bench.
I spent six hours straightening the metal and adjusting all of the overly tight screws.
Now it was time to plug it in and see how well it ran.
I push the green start button after making sure there is nothing near the chuck.
I followed the instructions, turn the speed know to zero, select the direction, then increase the speed.
NOTHING! I push the green button again and it tries to spin the chuck.
So, I hold the button this time and the chuck comes up to speed as long as I hold the button in.
I am thinking: What a revolting development!
I spent four days texting the seller. They were not easy for me to get across my problem.
I finally sent a video of the exact problem.
I am still waiting.
Here is the video:

Check the for rev switch the center is off. Some mini lathes need chuck guard down to turn on

Dave

 

[Smithdoor]

Turn speed control up too.
I just purchased one last November works great . I did upgrade to better tool post.

Dave

 

[Old Everything Tech]

The reason I bought the Vevor was 1. I have limited space. 2. I only have a minor project.
I have covered everything mentioned by your posts.
Here is their reply after multiple texts and sending the video:
Hello customer, after our discussion, we can send you a solenoid switch for replacement. But in order to send you the correct parts, we hope you can provide the production batch code of the product. We look forward to your reply. Of course, if there has any problems with it, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will solve the problem for you. Hope you have a great day. With best wishes, Elia Customer Support
I have looked everywhere for that code. Not to be found.
So, I will have to go to Lowes, buy a sheet of plywood. (about 50$) rebox it and deal with Amazon.
For my project it is suitable.
@ Smithdoor: I tuned it and it works great up to the point that I have to hang weights on the start button to keep it running.

 

[dabear3428]

I buy a lot of stuff from Vevor, but i'm not brave enough to buy a lathe from them.
PM or Grizzly is your best bet for a known product that will require a min of tinkering to make it serviceable.
My solution was Ebay and an MX-600A. i documented my journey here:

MX-600A 9"x24" mini lathe

well i bit the bullet and bought a MX-600A (1100w brushless 8.7X23.6 with a F/R H/M/L gearbox and a 1.5" spindle bore, shipps with a steady rest, a follow rest and a dead center) off of e-bay, after getting it and turning some steel (does a decent job IMO). I got this expecting a box of lathe...

www.hobby-machinist.com

good luck but i would avoid Vevor for the lathe.

 

[matthewsx]

Hello and welcome.

We do understand the appeal of the Vevor price but their quality is somewhat hit and miss.

Since we don't know your project, shop space or budget it's hard to advise but one thing for sure is you should get the product you paid for.

These are nice small lathes and $250 is a good price, not sure if you're willing to travel but it might be worth it.

Unimat Woodworking Lathe - heavy equipment - by owner - sale - craigslist

Heavy Pick up in Fredericksburg

fredericksburg.craigslist.org

Otherwise, look to a reputable supplier like forum sponsor Precision Matthews or Grizzly for decent customer service on a new machine. Having run a decent sized machine in the past you can appreciate how mass will make turning even fairly small pieces much easier, but again, not knowing your needs it's hard to recommend anything specific.

Keep looking around on here, there are many stories like yours and folks eventually found what works for them. @DavidR8 went through a similar progression and he's now one of our moderators

Cheers,

John

 

[matthewsx]

Oh, and disregard the "woodworking" in the add title. Unimat's will work with metal, probably just need to fit the right chuck.

John

 

[dabear3428]

Hello and welcome.

We do understand the appeal of the Vevor price but their quality is somewhat hit and miss.

Since we don't know your project, shop space or budget it's hard to advise but one thing for sure is you should get the product you paid for.

These are nice small lathes and $250 is a good price, not sure if you're willing to travel but it might be worth it.

Unimat Woodworking Lathe - heavy equipment - by owner - sale - craigslist

Heavy Pick up in Fredericksburg

fredericksburg.craigslist.org

Otherwise, look to a reputable supplier like forum sponsor Precision Matthews or Grizzly for decent customer service on a new machine. Having run a decent sized machine in the past you can appreciate how mass will make turning even fairly small pieces much easier, but again, not knowing your needs it's hard to recommend anything specific.

Keep looking around on here, there are many stories like yours and folks eventually found what works for them. @DavidR8 went through a similar progression and he's now one of our moderators

Cheers,

John

Craigs list, Face Book adds are difficult to actually complete, I find a lot of good deals but more often than not if it is a good deal you have to find it when it hits the internet and know that you want it and get it right then. the bad deals will wait around forever and some of the !@ck @$$s selling stuff on there are frustrating to deal with. but if you have the time to watch the adds some good deals pop up.

 

[matthewsx]

Yes, you do have to be ready to buy when good stuff comes up locally. Sometimes it's overpriced though and if you wait the seller will come down to a reasonable price if you ask.

Small portable machines tend to go quicker while large machines that are difficult to move hang around longer and you can often get great deals on stuff that's obsolete for professional shops but a little too big for most home shops.

Of course, if you just want to get going ordering a new machine is a good prospect. Just buy one that's more likely to work straight from the box, it's no fun having to fix something new just to get it working.

John