Best UPGRADES on a Mini Lathe

[@MachiningwithJoe]

If you’ve enjoyed this video then go check out my playlist all about the Warco WM180 kzbin.info/aero/PLtViO-fcUPEPvnq7Hp9Hv7UkIdesiCLwZ

[@KenHewson-u7j]

Just got a Warco WM180 Lathe and your videos are great for anyone with a WM180, please keep them coming.

[@davidt8438]

Right off the bat I gotta hand it to you for the good lighting and echo free video. You’re already half way there.

[@ianplumridge8747]

Hello Joe, I’ve just finished fitting ‘ DRO ‘ to my wm180 lathe, when I move the main carriage up towards the chuck , few inches before I reach the chuck , the numbers on the.cross slide ( x) readout, start jumping around, as I bring the carriage back again a few inches , the numbers return to there normal ( static ) it’s if it’s caused by interference from the large electric motor ! There’s no problem with ‘ Y ‘.

[@christiantrab6160]

Great video - the tailstock dro is brilliant, Im love simple cheap stuff like that, and thruth is I have missed this for many years - thanks :-)

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Yeah such a cheap and easy mod but so worth it for a quick reference.

[@greg20152015]

LOVE the caliper DRO.. How the hell have I never thought of that?? Great thinking man!

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Cheers dude glad you liked the idea. Defiantly one to add to your to do list 👍

[@lloydbaker7099]

The smaller tool post quick change I would consider it a great upgrade to to my mini lay

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Yeah any suitable quick change tool post is great your right.

[@Sternhammer89]

Nice set of upgrades - when I get the time and material, I will definitely do all of them. I especially like the Tailstock DRO, not seen that before.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Cheers Bill glad you find this video useful. I’ve used the Tailstock Dro. Few times now and have found it very easy to use.

[@HopelessRailmantic]

Just subscribed because of mini lathe. I'm thinking of getting a MicroLux® 7 x 16 Mini Lathe and learning all the minilathe stuff.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hi Edward welcome to the channel. If your new to machining like I am then hopefully my channel will help you. Any questions feel free to ask me or the growing community on the channel. All the best

[@HopelessRailmantic]

@@MachiningwithJoe My major hobby is model trains. The lathe would be a sub hobby to make train parts.🚂

[@e.kharbukikharbuki1310]

Top master 👍👍👍

[@Dano2873]

Interesting vid Joe, thanks. I'm picking up my WM180 next week after they have finally come back into stock. One question I have for you is regarding the QT tool post. Could you do a vid on how you went about fitting the Warco/Myford QTP and any mods required to the lathe or toolpost?

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Well first of all my advise would be if buy this tool post through Warco then ask them if they can machine the centre to take the 18mm register on the compound slide. You will need this to be able to fit it. I was kind of lucky as the register broke off so I could fit it without machining the centre. By all means I can cover this in a video however.

[@Dano2873]

@@MachiningwithJoe Cheers Joe. I guess if the QTP just needs machining to accept the boss on the slide this could probably be done in the lathe with the 4 jaw and a boring bar.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

@@Dano2873 yes most certainly it can, the qctp is extremely hard so will be a lot easier with Carbide insert tooling. Any problems drop a comment and I’ll try to guide you best I can 👍

[@markwoodcock3151]

Great video mate, going to do the lot, Cheers Marra

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Thank you for such kind feedback. Glad you enjoyed and would like to hear how you get on with the Mods. All the best

[@JaySingh-ex6xc]

Hi can i ask where you get the quick change tool post from ? Link please. Thanks.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hi jay if you check this video out there is a link in the description. Essential MINI Lathe Upgrades kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX7ckJiwYp1gj9k

[@charles9friedman]

How much was the DRO? Showing more detail such as how you mounted the caliper to the tail stock would be helpful. Keep making your videos.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hi Charles thank you for your comment So if you check the description I have now added links to the video where I mounted the calliper and also a link to where you can buy the DRO direct from Warco it was £170. Hope this helps all the best.

[@feefifofum]

Hi mate do you have a link or product code for the qctp you bought please? I took delivery of my wm180 today and only saw your video yesterday.....I also bought the same black qctp and lots of holders!!! Also, did your tool post come with the base bored out to accept the boss or did you have to sort it yourself?

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hi there Ahmed So the tool post I bought direct from Warco is catalog number 4017. It doesn’t come with the register hole in the bottom this is something that will need machining. It is a 18mm by 7mm hole I believe and I do know warco offer a service where they will Machine it for you. Hope this helps.

[@machinenutdel6764]

Very enjoyable video Joe, Im in, Del.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hi Del Welcome to the channel and glad you enjoyed the video hope it helps.

[@machinenutdel6764]

@@MachiningwithJoe Hi Joe, nice to see youngsters with an interest in machining, you do realise owning a lathe means you cant have a mobile phone or go on Facebook ! Just posted a video on my mini lathe and you wont believe this but it is British made Regards Del.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Cheers Del yeah I find machining very interesting and get to make cool stuff with the machines. Haha I’ll bare that in mind maybe if I come off Facebook and stop using my phone I’ll turn into a machining Jedi.

[@pcka12]

Do you find this model noticeably better than the more common mini lathes such as Warco’s cheaper model & all the other Sieg type lathes ( I have owned both the Warco lathe & one from Axminster & both of them lived up to the description “a kit of parts from which you might build a lathe”!).

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hello Pat thank you for you comment. So first of all I need to state this is my first lathe that I have owned. However I am really pleased with it and trust me I have put it through it’s paces. For the majority of the work I do it can turn work to a precise dimension. The only downside to it I have found really is you do get a bit of chatter when parting but looking online and lots of mini lathes suffer as the compound rest is the weak point for rigidity. I would recommend this lathe if your looking at a lathe of this size and price range. Hope that helps. I have got more videos on this lathe aswell.

[@pcka12]

@@MachiningwithJoe I had noticed that this model was essentially £300 dearer for a lathe of very similar capacity to the other ‘minis’ (Chester do something similar for a bit more) so I had been wondering “does this one have the ‘fit & finish’ that the others lack?”. I think that you may well have answered that question for me. When you consider that at the time that the original Myford firm ‘went bust’ their excellent (if a little old fashioned) lathes were retailing for up to £9000, you can’t really complain about being able to buy a lathe for £550 to £650 or so which with a little ‘tuning’ will work reasonably well, however I suspect the failings of many ‘out of the box’ minis often discourage beginners.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Don’t get me wrong Pat if you expectation of this lathe is to continuously turned 304 stainless then you maybe let down. But for small 304 jobs or any larger size aluminium, brass or machining steel this lathe works great. The only mod I am left to do of considerable benefit is to mount a servo motor on the end off the lead screw for power feed for finishing passes. You can use the change gears but the gear reduction is still to fast for a nice finish pass and it provides added wear to the drive motor, as I found out when turning a lightsaber from 304.

[@pcka12]

@@MachiningwithJoe actually I was taught to use lathes a long time ago on a British Harrison (much like the one Doubleboost uses) & a Boxford (Doubleboost’s previous lathe). I would like a Harrison since you can’t beat ‘massiveness’ in a lathe but at the moment I have nowhere to put one, and have satisfied my ‘machine tool obsession’ with a variety of antique or Chinese machines in the intervening years!

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Sounds like you have plenty of experience Pat. Maybe this little lathe can fill a gap until you get a big lathe again.

[@Pushyhog]

thats not a red cheap harbor freight mini lathe joe. Wish l had bought the one u have.

[@MachiningwithJoe]

Hi Pushyhog welcome to the channel. Yes as mini lathes go this has served me well. I have done many projects on and with the lathe now and find it pretty good quality.