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

[RandallsRaceShop]

I would also like to suggest Joe Pie & Inheritance Machining, both are great channels (Joe is my favorite by the way).
Also, look into some books on machining, machine shop know how, machine shop practice, advanced machine work, to name a few (I have these & they are good resources), find yourself a used copy of Machinery’s Handbook (it’ll be cheaper).
Stay safe, have fun & show us all some pictures of projects you make.

 

[SouthernChap]

I saw the model number as something something 210 and took it too be an 8X lathe. Not night and day, but certainly a step up. But now I see that this company's 7X is numbered as something something 714, so now I question whether I was right in assuming 210 meant millimeters....
I got the right answer apparently, apparently based on unwarranted assumptions....

Lesson- Don't ever take anything some stranger says on the internet as being written in stone.

From the accounts I've seen, for some reason the Chinese mini-lathes do seem to undergo a bit of a step change in design as regards rigidity above 7x (possibly not fit and finish quality, though ). The beds seem to be wider (4"-odd vs 3"-odd) , which is obviously a big help in rigidity and there seems to be a notable increase in weight (60-odd kg as opposed to the 40-odd kg of the average 7x).

As alway though, one can find oneself butting up against the rigidity constraints of the any Chinese mini-lathe's design compared with even the smaller 'old-iron' lathes. You're not going to be taking as deep cuts, even with an 8x Chinese machine, as you could with say a Myford or Boxford, let alone a Colchester or Harrison.

I had about an hour's play on a late 50s Myford ML7 and a early 70s Boxford AUD a few months back, and the difference in capability is significant (to be fair you don't even need to use the older lathes to suss out the extra rigidity; you can see it just by looking at the design of the headstock, bed, carriage and cross slide). What would have taken me multiple passes to do on my 7x took a couple on the ML7 and only one on the Boxford. Okay that was free machining mild steel but even that requires patience on a mini-lathe.

All of which is to say, you can do most of the things on a well-setup Chinese mini-lathe that you can do on old-iron but it takes a fair bit more patience and some work-arounds; for example: if using carbide insert tooling on steel, use of ground, smaller nose-radius carbide inserts meant for aluminium can get one a better finish, avoiding chatter, whilst taking 'deeper' cuts ('deeper' being a relative term here).

 

[EddieT]

Just wanted to say thanks to all for the additional thoughts and comments!
I'll spend more time on the machine and let you all know how i get on.

 

[SouthernChap]

At some point I'll actually put a post replying to your OP directly, @EddieT (well, of course I will, I love the sound of my own voi sight of my own words! ).

Currently my Amadeal 7x14 is in bits; there's a Warco Minor on a pallet taking up too much space (need to borrow an engine hoist, oh and wait for my new bench to put it on to arrive); and my workshop looks like Steptoe and Son's back yard, if they had an engineering plastics sale!

When I have a minute later on, I do have some maybe useful thoughts (but given they're unsolicited, and I'm a rank, green, wet-behind-the-ears, noobie beginner eejit, those thoughts are worth as much as you think are). Initial thought, though, make some chips and have a bit of a play.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

At some point I'll actually put a post replying to your OP directly, @EddieT (well, of course I will, I love the sound of my own voi sight of my own words! ).

Currently my Amadeal 7x14 is in bits; there's a Warco Minor on a pallet taking up too much space (need to borrow an engine hoist, oh and wait for my new bench to put it on to arrive); and my workshop looks like Steptoe and Son's back yard, if they had an engineering plastics sale!

When I have a minute later on, I do have some maybe useful thoughts (but given they're unsolicited, and I'm a rank, green, wet-behind-the-ears, noobie beginner eejit, those thoughts are worth as much as you think are). Initial thought, though, make some chips and have a bit of a play.

I thought one of the advantages to the 7X lathes was the size and not needing a hoist to move them?

 

[SouthernChap]

The engine hoist is for the Warco Minor on the pallet, not the lathe.