I am new here and need help with using a mini Lathe

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EddieT

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Hi,
I am new here and have recently started with a Mini Lathe.

I am hoping i could ask for some help and tips on how to get the most i can from the machine, which is an Amadeal AMABL210 Lathe

I have couple of simple components i would like to produce, but first and foremost i should clarify that i am very much a novice with the equipment.
So far i have kept my operations simple, with facing turning and drilling with the machine i have.

I would be grateful to get advice on these however anf the first and formost is with turning, can anyone help please?
 
No offense but your post is pretty vague.
Like if I asked how much my dog weighs, it would help if I told you the breed of dog I have.
You mention turning. Turning what? What are you making, what kind of material, how accurate must it be, are you using carbide or high speed tooling, do you understand the relationship between speeds and feeds?
 
For really good instructional tutorials on machining please visit Mr Pete on Youtube. There are endless videos on the subject, and will do a far better job of giving you the information you are requesting.


This forum is really good for the single detail questions you cannot find elsewhere. Good luck on your search for knowledge.
 
Congratulations on your lathe! It is a great hobby that I'm sure you will enjoy. This is a good place to learn and meet new like minded people. I am certainly no expert but many here are. My advise is to read as much as you can and watch videos. There are very good YouTube videos on the subject. I'm sure you can find some that have a comfortable style for you. Of course you can't ask questions to a video or a book and this is a wonderful place for that. But FYI these guys like pictures. Like the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words. I'm sure you will feel welcome here. Wear safety glasses!
 
In addition to the vague description, your post lacks photos. Show us what you intend to make, and from what material.


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Sorry i didn't intend to be vague.

I am starting out so i've only a few hours of use of the machine to try to learn basic stuff like facing, turning drilling etc on the machine.

Ive been learning from YT and dont have much machining experience.

I have no real goal as such, but eventually i would like to make simple components.

Here is what i have been doing, just so we have an example.

I have some aluminium bar, which is 40mm diameter.

I used a band saw and cut a 60mm length, as i felt this could be chucked up safely.

I faced each end and also used the tailstock to centre drill and then drill out a hole in one end.
(not sure if my order of operations is right)

I found that the bar is nothing like a straight piece (which i understand) and when in motion that was very obvious.

So I have used the lathe to turn it down and it is now 37mm diameter (which seemed a lot to remove - but i might be wrong)

Currently my goal is that i need to learn how to turn both ends of the stock so the piece has the same diameter along the full length of the stock,
Not overly impotant what that number is atm, but lets same im aiming for 36mm along the length of the piece...

As it stands, i have a ridge in the material at the moment. Its marginal but i can feel it.

I think my speed and feed is 'ok' as the finish seems alright on the face and along the length of the aluminium, again i welcome any input and again, as i really am a novice.... please feel free to berate me or offer advice that you might consider way to obvious to mention!

So what i am asking is how do i go about that, super dumb i know but whats the advice on how to do that and what equipment should i be using to assist me.

(a couple of pics attached in case they help in any way - you can see the ridge line where i turned on side, then rotated the piece and tried the other end)

like a said newbie, go easy on me :)
 

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Back to basics: Any operations done with a 3-jaw chuck are called "first operations" and the workpiece must stay
in the chuck for the entire time. If the workpiece is removed, the accuracy is lost. This is why collets were invented.

One can often cheat and recenter the part by tapping and using a dial indicator, but it's better to use a 4-jaw chuck in the first place, if the
part is large and needs to be taken in and out of the chuck several times.

There should be two sets of jaws for your 3-jaw. Most of the time you would be using the other set, for smaller diameter pieces
(less than about 2.5 cm. or 1 inch)
There is a limit to how far a workpiece can protrude from the chuck unsupported- the rule of thumb is about 4 times the diameter
although sometimes one can get away with more by taking very light cuts. Long work must be supported by the tailstock, or a steady.

It would be advantageous to learn to grind your own high speed steel toolbits- small lathes do well with HSS

Buy a good dial caliper to measure diameters, and if/when the budget allows it, a micrometer or two

The alignment of the headstock and tailstock should be checked and adjusted if necessary. On many mini-lathes it's pretty far off
 
Last edited:
markba633csi said:
Back to basics: Any operations done with a 3-jaw chuck are called "first operations" and the workpiece must stay
in the chuck for the entire time. If the workpiece is removed, the accuracy is lost.

One can often cheat and recenter the part by tapping and using a dial indicator, but it's better to use a 4-jaw chuck in the first place, if the
part needs to be taken in and out of the chuck several times.

There should be two sets of jaws for your 3-jaw. Most of the time you would be using the other set, for smaller diameter pieces
(less than about 2 cm.)

It would be advantageous to learn to grind your own high speed steel toolbits- small lathes do well with HSS

Buy a good dial caliper to measure diameters, and if the budget allows it, a micrometer or two
Click to expand...
thanks very much for the advice, this is i think the thing i needed :)
 
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