I finally got a metal lathe

I finally got myself a metal lathe, making some parts for my strength testing machine with it, and going over issues with it.
Metal lathe in this video: s.vevor.com/bfQKTC
Discount Code VVSALE5 (5% off)

[@ThisOldTony]

something... something... Dark Side! congrats, MW! despite their limitations those are are remarkably versatile machines. I look forward to seeing the uses you dream up for that thing! Play safe!

[@matthiaswandel]

I watched your video about your mini lathe after going over this one and realized most of the flaws I noticed are pretty common with these lathes. Yours also has the useless metalized plastic angle indicator for the cross slide.

[@grattetout69]

Swapping the ball bearings with tapered roller bearing is probably the first thing to do and the best advice!

[@Guardian_Arias]

But would either of you be willing to dive deep into the world that is 3D printing? One could make their very own 3rd arm capable of lifting a metal workbench.

[@philarmishaw3730]

I’m pretty sure Matthias put the the key in the chuck on purpose to bait everyone into commenting and help the algorithm 😊

[@PiefacePete46]

@@philarmishaw3730 : I heard a gasp as my father spun in his grave!

[@kaboomer13]

"I got a new tool!" 90 seconds in: "I'm customizing it!" 2 minutes in: "I'm pushing it a bit!" Lol, love you Matthias!

[@cnervip]

open box: first thought "let's disassemble it", second thought let's customize it, third thought let's make one from scratch, final thought.... let's make another but bigger and better, repeat

[@nate6692]

That's pretty much what every mini-lathe owner does, me included. It's kind of a kit, some manufacturing required.

[@gorak9000]

it's a "minila the" - they're always a work in progress. He should get a real big-boy lathe and not muck around with these toys. You buy a mini lathe if you want to muck with it, you buy a real lathe if you want to make actual parts

[@cnervip]

@@nate6692 I would add "every tool owner" you'll will be surprised on how many ways you can tan tweak a pair of scissor to cut nothing

[@cnervip]

@@gorak9000any "mini", "lite", etc tool is for hobbyist or wanna learn to be a machinist (imo)

[@phookadude]

Doesn't mention the time he made a Morse taper with an angle grinder. Absolute Canadian levels of humility on this guy here.

[@jfakoggl]

And a lot of Swabian levels too.....

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

He's still on @thisoldtony's "enemy list"... for actually working.

[@matthiaswandel]

I'm wondering if I need to make a morse taper on that lathe, whether I'll end up tuning it with an angle grinder!

[@lennym1636]

@@matthiaswandel Make an attachment to hold a small angle grinder for the new lathe, I did...

[@phookadude]

@@matthiaswandel I am a little disappointed because I always expected you to make a metal lathe out of wood.

[@luv2mx]

I pray to the KZbin gods for a Matthias/Tony collaboration.

[@essamkhshaba5153]

God is the One God, the One and Only, the Eternal, the One who did not give birth, nor was He begotten, and there is no one equal to Him, Who taught man everything.

[@custos3249]

@@essamkhshaba5153 So what chapter covers wiping your ass?

[@milos_radovanovic]

Throw in the AvE and ElectroBOOM too, and you can't go wrong with that many skilful quasi-professionals.

[@JanTuts]

​@@milos_radovanovic Metal! Wood! Electricity! Chooch! By their powers combined, they become unstoppable!

[@eastwood111]

Yeah, keep using Gods name in a sarcastic matter. I bet you won’t talk like that when you take your last breath and you stand before the holy God.

[@jeffreyorion]

Bolting it to the table will help with the chatter a bit. Metalworking tools crave as much stiffness and rigidity as possible to work right.

[@mattym8]

Definitely won’t hurt. May not cure all ills. But very recommended.

[@Spiker985Studios]

The large amount of chatter was likely also caused by the interrupted cut, higher depth of cut and lack of torque from the motor gearing

[@1pcfred]

Ferrous metal is when machining starts to get real. Before then you can pretty much ignore everything and it all still works. But at a certain hardness things get hard. Then your surface speed matters. Along with as you say rigidity. The more marginal the setup the closer you have to be to optimal for things to work.

[@urgamecshk]

These machines are kind of a joke. Expect 10 thou DOC ​@@1pcfred

[@debramcknight]

I was thrilled to see this video as I took a community college continuing Ed course in metal shop and was looking a a potential purchase of a desktop metal lathe. Thank you!

[@custos3249]

There's something that tickles me about a trained engineer who worked on the original Blackberry explaining "I turn the screw and it jams it in there real good."

[@samellowery]

@@mr.somebody1493 I had an LG clone of a blackberry that I brought in 2012 that I just replaced last year and there was nothing wrong with it it's just they got rid of the network

[@Schwuuuuup]

When Matthias used the angle grinder I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of machinists cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced

[@JanTuts]

They weren't really silenced, you just couldn't hear them over the sound of the angle grinder

[@Schwuuuuup]

@@JanTuts You, Sir, got me laughing real good 😂

[@hampopper3150]

For real! also he has lose clothing and long sleeves. Just terrifying!

[@chaklee435]

@@hampopper3150 I mean, he's several times heavier than the machine. Probably can't die

[@hampopper3150]

@@chaklee435 That lathe weighs 150 pounds. It is only 1100watts but it will eat your arm and make its way to your head. Don't underestimate a small lathe they are way more fatal than a table saw.

[@peteranon8455]

Seeing a master wood worker learn the metal lathe feels like I'm learning it with him. Inspirational!

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Love the 7xX lathes. They are forgiving but capable machines, congratilations!

[@orijimi]

Do you know of one of these that is suited to cutting steel?

[@StefanGotteswinter]

@@orijimi yeah, all of them. It comes down to tools and how much of a cut you take.

[@MattFieldPhoto]

Agreed, you need to get the machine properly secured and dialed in, in its default state it may need a fair amount of adjustment depending on the seller. But once done i have no issues with machining steels like 1040, O2, and 303 and 17-4 stainless within the size limits of the machine

[@moham1287]

Always a pleasure to see a new video from Matthias. Thanks!

[@lv_woodturner3899]

Cut an angle block from a scrap piece of wood at 29deg so you can set the compound angle against the chuck for single point threading. This will reduce the load on the threading tool which should reduce chatter when threading. I use a similar block to set my 12in swing metal lathe. I normally leave my compound at the 29deg so I am ready for threading.

[@matthiaswandel]

I just ground a point on the tool and went in straight at 90

[@zorro587]

@@matthiaswandelyou can go straight in Matthias, just use both the compound slide (set in the usual position perpendicular to the cross slide) to add a side cutting element, ie, zero both cross slide and compound slide dials (or at least note the start positions of both) then for each pass, go in 0.003” on the cross slide and add 0.001” on the compound slide (or equivalents). This should ensure you only cut on one edge of the tool and will help remove the chatter

[@brandonfrancey5592]

@@matthiaswandel ThisOldTony has an excellent video on thread cutting that covers the hows and whys of cutting at 30 deg (~29) can help. It's worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet.

[@1123pawel]

Congratulations! Last week I purchased my old English lathe, it's a long time dream come true. I hope you get a lot of use out of it, and I look forward to the future videos!

[@ArcanePath360]

Making the crank with the lathe itself is like a paradox. The machine made itself better. We in the 3D printer business know this great feeling. Great review. It looks like typical Vevor quality control, lol

[@NotQuiteFirst]

"I used the lathe to make the lathe" - Thanos, probably

[@catnip1009]

In most (if not all?) of his machine builds, Matthias uses the partially finished machine to do useful work. E.g. using a half-finished bandsaw with an improvised table to cut the trunions for the tilting table.

[@fookingsog]

Self replicating 3D printer!!!😂

[@robertharris1748]

That was the very point of RepRap! @@fookingsog

[@bertbertmann5823]

Can't wait for more This Ol' Matthias content

[@guitarman256]

This is a slippery slope Matthias! What is next, a 3D printer?! 😂

[@mikewatson4644]

And then pocket screws??

[@PiefacePete46]

Are you mad?!!!! You could get banned for that sort of sacrilegious talk! 😱 🥴

[@Lizlodude]

The tuning and modifications required really do give me early 3D printer vibes Though any time someone suggests he get a 3D printer I have to remind myself that he can freehand a gear on the band saw better than I can make one in CAD lol.

[@andrewgalbreath2101]

Very exciting! I've wanted a metal lathe for a long time, and plan to get one someday, but for now I can't wait to see what you do with yours

[@bradley3549]

I really appreciate your reviews and I'm glad if not impressed that brands are willing to continue to work with you.

[@billide1463]

A metal lathe opens up many possibilities not achievable with any other machine. The bearing appears to be a sintered part so is inherently not as strong as a solid. As you are well aware we learn so much from experiments that don't succeed. I really respect your honesty in trying and failing on the path to good solutions; real life in the shop. Many thanks for your quality content. senior from Ajax

[@ChuckBronson100]

Hi Matthias, glad that you have joined the metal hobby lathe group. I have the Vevor 7” x 14” Metal/Wood lathe model CJ18A and it needs a lot of fine tuning. You will find that the more ridged you make the base the better it will preform. Keep up the great job on the videos

[@krzysiej--9229]

I like where it is going. Metal lathe unlocks so manny path for Matthias now.

[@RookieLock]

Yes!! Looking forward to seeing what you create with it! I bought the x/y table you mentioned in this video, and it actually works pretty well..

[@almosthuman4457]

Oh man I'm excited for you! You're going to have so much fun getting into a new world of materials

[@JayBates]

I had a 7x10 mini metal lathe to replace ferrules and tips on pool cues in the 2000's. Making joint protectors with old pool balls was fun. Seeing all you've done to this one makes me wonder how bad off mine was. It spun true, but the only thing I did was wipe off the shipping grease.

[@Guardian_Arias]

To be fair manufacturers have had 20 years to learn how minimum viable a product can get before their target audience gives up and ships back the product.

[@eastwood111]

Man, I’ve been wanting one of these for years. That’s so cool you have a miniature metal lathe

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

Yes, you so needed this. I'm curious to see how long until you go bigger and better.

[@messaoudkrioua5002]

You are an honest man and that is what makes your videos great

[@grannyflatgarage7599]

With the threading gears obviously the metric ones are complete stuff ups, but I think the imperial threads have just forgotten to mention that you need a 100 to 127 tooth gear ratio before the gears they're saying (thats the normal conversion gear because .5" = 12.7mm exactly)

[@matthiaswandel]

If you are aiming for exact. Being 1% off for threading is ok for most cases.

[@grannyflatgarage7599]

Oh for sure, I was mostly just pointing out why none of the imperial threads work out properly

[@Iskelderon]

Congrats! I'm looking into getting one for plastic and aluminium next year, so it's interesting to see how others venture into this area.

[@CraigsWorkshop]

I have been waiting for this day! I have been following you since pretty much the beginning Matthias, I have made one of your 20" bandsaws, a bunch of sets of the shelves you designed, and also the sawhorses. Looking forward to any upcoming metalworking content!

[@howder1951]

I keep seeing that band saw in a lot of videos. It is a sweet machine and a commercial equivalent is terribly pricy.

[@paulkolodner2445]

The surface finish you show at 10:30 looks like what you get when you machine brass with a cutting tool that has a sharp point. A cutter with a rounded point can produce a mirror finish on brass.

[@roboman2444]

Mathias, you want something really, really stiff to mount the lathe to. Stiffness helps reduce chatter and will help keep you from breaking cutters. Artisan Makes has some good videos on this. Also be careful with the cross-slide for the drill press. Drill presses aren't meant to take side loads, so you may have issues if you try to do anything "heavy" with it.

[@mckenziekeith7434]

Might be useful for precision hole layout though.

[@stihl0256]

Good point! Tried to do some milling on my drill press. The chuck is mounted with a Morse taper that will not tolerate side loads. Milling machines use a drawbar to hold the chuck or collet in, drill presses do not.

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

Yes, the mini lathe as shipped is more of a "suggestion" on how to put the casting kit together. I'm sure your tips will be greatly appreciated! And yes, Vevor does have some good stuff. I quite fond of the annular cutters I got there.

[@blacksupra10]

you are so good with numbers, you would make a great machinist.

[@bmz1]

I get an old Schäublin 102 lathe from the 1970th some weeks ago. Still improving my skills, but even if the think is more 50 years old, when I see this cheap hobby lathe, I'm confident to have a wonderful tool to learn!

[@TheLXKid]

I'm really impressed with your craftsmanship! Great job overcoming the flaws. Really impressed with the hand crank for cutting threads. Thanks for sharing!

[@yardman0132]

Can’t wait to see more metal lathe content! I got the exact one last week! I’ve been watching your videos for years. (first video was of you shooting marbles out of a homemade air gun)

[@AndreaCuchetto]

It is fascinating to watch the learning in action here.

[@themountain3230]

1st thing we were taught in operating a lathe is "Never leave the chuck key in the chuck." It can get ugly. And no loose clothe. ✌️

[@hasanzakeri8708]

Appreciate the honest review!

[@vharboe]

Can't wait till the green BIG metal lathe materializes. :D Awesome stuff, Matthias - the threading crank was just your cup of tea type solution. LOVED it! I am considering a mini lathe myself. :) This was awesome, because threading seems to be a difficult process - the wooden crank was inspiring!

[@kperkins1982]

My first thought was wow a fully metal machine with no wooden parts, but then I got to the crank part. I love your content so much!

[@simonhopkins3867]

Nothing but love for you Matthias.

[@tacticalskiffs8134]

I went through a lot getting my first lathe, first buying chinese, and then a few different types. Where I came out was buy old South Bend. Prices can be reasonable. There is more aftermarket support for a 1937 SB, than there is for any one of the chinese lathes. They are made immensely better. They are true Imperial (depends how you swing on that). Most chinese lathes are metric, but they put different handles on them and gears to sorta do imperial. I learned both system in school, but after 50 years in the shop, I just threw in the towel over being out of sync with the neighbours and having two systems. One tip for buying SBs is that they come in a variety of levels, and often the cheaper lathes are in better condition because they were bought by small shops, or even hobbyists who didn't put a lot of time on them. While the high end toolroom lathes got a lot of work and may have been desirable to buy up till they got totally clapped out. My first lathes had hand change gears, but it really didn't seem to be more expensive to get a gearbox, so I look for those. However, hand change geared lathes often have better condition, and the gears are a separate proposition to the lathe, so you aren't locked into the condition of the gearbox. There are a lot of other old lathes out there. I owned a beautiful Drummond, but for parts and info one can't beat a South Bend. I have seen them for sale in NB. When the electric motor shop was where the ski shop is now, they used to have old ones from time to time, though Kijiji and Craigs. The other reason to get old iron is that it is not uncommon to come across a deal where the owner throws in everything else he ever bought or found as a package, and you get a fortune of parts basically for free. In the US every part is potentially saleable on ebay, but here, the market is so small, people often just forget it.

[@jceggbert5]

Only Mathias would put a wooden crank handle on his Minilathe. Congrats on the new tool excited for what's next!

[@benhollanders7911]

Bolting it directly to a sturdy bench will reduce vibration and thereby chatter a lot, thatoldtony talked about it in his video about mini lathes, a must watch if you buy one of these i think

[@user-kj9fb9cv7s]

Congratulations on the new machine. I hope you benefit Of it very well

[@AlfistaWayne]

Great job, Matthias !

[@howder1951]

Good plug for Vevor, I like the free shipping and taxes in purchase price. I have been very happy with stuff from them.

[@artswri]

Great video, thanks! Really helpful that you went through the shortcomings and your fixes. Because of your successes, gives me the confidence to give one a try. Have been held back because the lathe seemed like it couldn't handle steel, but you show it can be done! 😮

[@matthiaswandel]

you need to take small cuts with the steel, and small workpiece. wouldn’t want to turn anything bigger than a few centimetres on it

[@reparosempra8901]

Very exciting stuff, these turn wood really well. I've seen them used to make dowel pins. 6:53 Please PLEASE do not leave the chuck key in the chuck. If the key is engaging the chuck, the other end of it MUST be your hand - never open air. On a machine shop lathe, just imagine turning it on with the key in the chuck. You don't want to have that accident. Looking forward to more!

[@charlemagnesclock]

Let me double and triple underline this. I have made this mistake and it is a good way to do serious damage to the shop, and if you happen to catch it - well, then the lathe and shop will belong to someone else, and we won't get any more videos from Mathias.

[@cinnamonhill]

As a retired vocational education teacher and university professor, I was agast when I saw the chuck key in the chuck with no hand on the key. That was a total no-no in my shops. Whenever a student left the chuck key in the chuck, I immediately called "Cleanup" and lectured on safety. I talked about never using files without handles, never using dull drill bits, always wearing safety glasses, never grabbing the long steel cutting chips when turning on the lathe, etc. The students lost a shop period but they learned to be safe. I never had any accidents and am grateful for that.

[@WizzardofOdds]

I have bought an ultrasonic cleaner from Vevor, works great no issues, does everything it's suppose to. Great price as well.

[@cdouglas1942]

Ok, I'm not a machinist either, just a wood butcher. But I can truthfully say, I've never watched one of Matthias' videos and thought, "Oh, I've seen this before" A Canadian treasure!

[@Wrockyy]

Thanks Mathias for your perspective. I've always wanted to get into a bit of metal work, but am apprehensive after looking at the cost and how much I'd use it.

[@scottcates]

I like the way he modifies off-the-shelf parts to reduce machine work. For instance, turning down the outside of those coupler nuts and then parting them off to make the adapters and the bushing--which also used the threads for added stability and concentricity.

[@TheAsianVillain]

I ran multiple brands of lathes in the past. Everything in your "needs work" section of this video pretty much highlighted everything that is necessary to have on a lathe, but is not found on this brand's lathe. Fascinating.

[@larrykent196]

Honest review, they work, but plenty of room for improvement. Amazing product for the price. Watched many of your videos, enjoy the experience machining. Cheers!

[@atkelar]

One important safety tip: train yourself to *always* remove the chuck key from the chuck. Never ever leave it in there, even for a short period of time. I learned the "ouch" way of why that's a good idea back in the day. Good thing my instructor didn't see me limp out that day. :) EDIT: I did a full teardown/cleanup/rebuild of my own lathe back when I got it... quite an adventure

[@paxwort]

I'm always surprised that a built-in safety against that isn't like, a standard feature. It could be as simple as "you have to put a chuck key in this handy magnetic chuck key holder, or the lathe won't start." Obviously you'd get people just leaving a spare key in there the whole time, but it seems like such an easy win.

[@Spott07]

@@paxwortThere exist chuck keys with a spring around the shank that extends to the end of the tip. It's not difficult to compress the spring enough to engage the tip of the key in the chuck, but the spring is strong enough to push the key out of the chuck and drop it onto the floor or into the chip pan, when you take your hand away. Search "self ejecting lathe chuck wrench" for examples.

[@TWmOrfar]

On these small lathes it's not a hazard leaving the key in the chuck, they're too weak to cause any problems

[@atkelar]

@@TWmOrfar While it might be less dangerous, it's still a good thing to train yourself to do IMHO.

[@randyshoquist7726]

Self ejecting chuck wrenches are OK, but annoying to use. A wrench storage spot with an electrical cut-off is OK too, and often sensible on drill presses as well. But most of us machinists just develop a really strong habit of never leaving the wrench in the chuck. We also jump each other's shit if we ever see it. I get the heebee jeebees just thinking about it. If you don't regularly use a lathe it may difficult to develop and maintain the habit. But given how dangerous woodworking tools can be, good safety habits are a high priority for all of us. (Or should be.)

[@mattym8]

Brass and aluminum will be more fun than steel. Plastic and wood too. This little guy doesn’t want to cut steel with that motor and that tool post. You are more patient than I am!

[@pmdoit]

This turned out to be an amazing unbiased review for this lathe.

[@PhaTs00p]

Nice, can't wait for the upcoming jigs for thread cutting and metal gears.

[@CVSBobby]

Matthias! I'm so happy for you to get your first lathe. I have been following for at least 10 years and I have been to be a machinist more than twice as long as that. I'd love to donate some cutting tools with some more forgiving geometry's.

[@CVSBobby]

I should note, I run a shop older than I am and have lots of old and very small, for the work we do, unused brazed tools. So at no personal loss I get to give back to the channel, win win 😂 right!?

[@matthiaswandel]

what sort of cutting tools? Carbide brazed onto a carrier? I ordered some HSS blanks, but they didn't arrive until I face cut that disk towards the end.

[@CVSBobby]

@@matthiaswandel yeah carbide brazed to a square shank. I have a small selection set aside.

[@SamJantz]

I also just got a vevor mini lathe, but didn't think to look at their site first. It's a fun little machine, but like you said just about everything needs a little tune up

[@lohikarhu734]

good day, eh...just a little 🇨🇦 fun... A couple of quick ideas.. another commenter mentioned rigidity: absolutely, it should be bolted down to a bench, BUT, since this is not a $2,000 lathe, you need to make sure that it doesn't get any misalignment, either "twist" or "bend"... there are "several" videos about this issue, so check that out... maybe Blondihacks? Also, getting the tailstock centered on the chuck end is critical, sonst you will end up "grinding tapers" on everything. Joe Pie has a video on threading by running in reverse, so that you never run into the chuck. You might also check the centricity of the chuck, you can grind it to a state that is much better than "out of the box", although I actually scraped mine, so no abrasive particles to worry about... I used a boring tool to get to the first stage, and I figured out that most of my work is about 6 to 10 mm diameter, so I adjusted the chuck to 8 mm to do the grinding/boring/scraping, so that the concave radius on the tip of the chuck jaws is kindbof matched to my typical work..... Sie werden viel Spaß haben, und mehr erfolgreich Werkzeugen! keep well, have a lovely Christmas, and healthy, happy 2024! der 🇨🇦 in 🇩🇪

[@art58wong]

Ah industrial arts was a favourite class in high school. One side had dedicated machines for woodwork with lathes, bandsaw, jointer etc and metal working with milling machine, lathe plus welding on the other. The variety of skills taught blew my mind and contributed to becoming an engineer. So fond are those days I ended up building a smaller but well equipped wood working facility and crude metal working. Yes a metal lathe would be nice. So Matthias, keep living my dreams.

[@PaulMorley1]

My head is about to explode... Watched you forever Matthias and never EVER thought I would see this day. ha ha. I realize you're probably not going to "get into" machining extensively but I have often wondered of all the cool ideas that you would come up with if you added this to your skillset. It was cool to see just in the span of this video how you had improved as you were obviously working things out mechanically as you went along. Very glad to see you backing off the cross slide after you originally were reversing the threading tool through the cut. Definitely would love to see more and hear more about what you do with the machine. Congrats... Now you can cut round metal pieces. Next you have to get a knee mill so you can cut square things. :-)

[@PiefacePete46]

He's mellowing with age! 😜

[@anon_usa4209]

Or turning a cube using a circular piece of steel. That's when the fun begins haha

[@sdp8483]

If you are interested in learning more on how to run a lathe look for a copy of "Manual of Lathe Operation and Machinists Tables" by Craftsman also by Atlas. I was given a copy by my grandfather when I got my first mini lathe. You can even find PDF versions if a used copy is not available. Congrats on getting a lathe!

[@haroldchoate7497]

I saw the short you made about leaving the chuck key in the chuck. Having been guilty of this I can tell you that having a chuck key fly out of a chuck is not a way to improve your day. Most every machinist I’ve worked with make a habit of laying it on the headstock of the lathe. Some even make a bracket for the chuck key on the side of the lathe, anything to keep it out of the chuck. I love your videos and appreciate your laid back style of doing woodwork. Stay safel

[@JordanHaisley]

My university’s lab has a safety switch that you have to put the chuck key in for it to turn on. They added those after several were embedded into drywall.

[@FabricateUnclear]

Venor: We sent Matthias the good model right? Venor: guys? Matthias: [Makes the video] Venor: Write that down, Write that down!

[@modifierle]

Woooo!!! 🥳Congrats Matthias!!!!!🤗

[@theidlehandsworkshop3884]

Love the almost automatic customizing of it lol. I get a discount on their stuff through my work and I've gotten quite a few things. The quality seems to be on par with Harbor Fright and Wen, which is fine, you get what you pay for and with even the simplest maintenance it will last for years. Thanks for the review because I've been eyeballing one of those for a while now.

[@gbspikyfish]

A very useful "upgrade" on these little lathes is to remove the compound slide and replace it with a solid block of steel or cast iron. For most cuts you don't need it, and a solid mount for the tool post greatly improves the rigidity. I still use mine for small jobs, despite owning another lathe that's over ten times the mass.

[@anon_y_mousse]

Oh yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to you using that lathe more.

[@maddox0110]

I'm going to make the simular hand crank for my lathe (1 size larger), it makes a lot easier. And the parting tool, I made a holder for my angle grinder to be fitted in the toolpost. And that "bronze bushing" was a sinterbronze bushing with some steel powder to get better/cheaper results.

[@baconsledge]

If anyone should have a metal lathe, it has to be you Matthias! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

[@cmc4741]

Thanks for the video, Matthias! As a retired millwright you’ve peaked my interest in smaller hobby machine work. One tip is to make sure your tool is centred on the stock you’re machining. Some of your finishes look like they may be due to this. Use some tool steel and sandwich it vertically between your tool and the stock you’re machining. It the tool is dead centre of the stock, your tool steel should be perfectly vertical. Another thing that will drastically improve the cuts you’re making is buying a carbide cutting tool especially with the underpowered unit!

[@EnlightenedSavage]

About time. You do need a really solid base for that lathe though. I like using stone countertop cutoffs. You can often find them for free. The more stiffness the better the lathe will perform. use a precision stone for the machined parts.

[@patricklo0]

To learn a little bit more about working with that machine, i recommend you searching for "cutting angles on a tool" and "Feeds and speeds". The positioning and working directions of your turning tools was not optimal. Some important things: + cutting speed (in steele something about 30m/min, aluminum 70m/min) + cutting depth (for final cut about 0,05-0,1mm, + feed (for final cut about 0,1mm/round and as smooth as possible) + The three angles af a cutting edge (on this tiny lathe you have to use pretty sharp tools, maybe just a tiny edge radius for tool lifespan) + cutting tip on center height of mainspindel + Dont touch the workpiece with the tool when spindle is off + Dont just drive back empty to reposition after a cut while scratching the surface (turn a little bit back) + lubricate whenever possible (oil for steele, in aluminum we call it "spiritus" in germany. Its a alcohol) + Most of this data only works with high speed steele + I dont recommend using carbide tools (you will never reach the cutting speed and most of them are not so sharp which means higher cutting forces) You've already noticed some things, most of this you can also find in the mechanical and metal trades handbook. I hope this helps a little bit.

[@bradley3549]

Never thought I'd see the day! But I'm here for it.

[@TheGOATof909]

That lathe is badass bro!!

[@1pcfred]

I'm not keen on it being direct drive. That's going to be a limiting factor. The name of the game is torque at low speed. With a direct drive lathe you get what you get and there's nothing you can do to improve things. I'm sure stock it's not nearly good enough too.

[@aserta]

Tips: 1. make a heavy bench for this lathe. Movable (with one of those wheel sets that's also legs if you need them to be) but heavy. The more connected to the ground this lathe is, the better. 2. The bench and the lathe should be connected. You'll get a lot more performance out of it if it's solidly mounted. 3. Try to make it as flat as possible. Devise a method to check that the lathe's ways are not twisted, being that it's a cheaper and small lathe, only go 50% effort at it. Just enough for eye inspection as it were. 4. ball bearings out, tapered roller bearings in. Bang for buck, the best modification you can possibly do for a lathe like this (if it doesn't already have them - in which case, then the next step up is getting higher quality bearings). 5. Bar stool seat, comfy. While standing is the preferred working option on lathes, on one so small, you're better off seated. Good luck and have fun! Having fun with this is the best part. :)

[@piconano]

I had one in 2008. They're all made at the same factory. Old Grizzly clones. If you lap and true them up, they're pretty good. I'm a trash machinist, so I quickly converted mine to CNC with NEM23 steppers and ran turboCNC on a DOS 6.22 box I found on the side of the road on recycling day. 😁

[@daveash9572]

Hey Mathias, When threading, you want to set your compound to a whisker under 30 degrees, and feed it using that. This Old Tony posted a fabulous video about single point threading which I heartily recommend.

[@daylen577]

On the hand crank, you should consider putting the handle in a bearing (with the same exact bearing on the opposite side as well so you don't get an unbalanced weight) and making the handle removable. That's going to save you a massive headache when the handle gets snagged on something or comes off one day

[@waynec369]

It's great to see you've already developed the habit of leaving the key in the chuck.

[@bulletproofpepper2]

I got into hobby metal machining 30 years ago before the internet. With my small lathe I run in reverse and my cutters upside down, the cutter needs to be on center of the stock being cut. Cover you ways with a board when grinding and clean it after. You doing much better than me when I first started for never using a metal lathe.

[@droko9]

You can get a lot better rigidity and surface finish if you bolt the whole machine down to something stable

[@bazxl57]

Nice Pencil Sharpener.

[@luckyshark32]

That hand crank is absolute genius. I would have never thought to do that

[@johningram2153]

Yes, but remove it when you're not using it, Mathias. It's so unnecessarily dangerous, as you know :)

[@adamrisberg6507]

Mathias metal working era sure is a great christmas gift

[@WrongTimeWatch]

If i had more room in my garage workshop, i'd be tempted to get one of these.

[@wobblysauce]

Auto thread cuts are generally made for main sizes, and near on most are out in some range.

[@MrMega200]

I find that Vevor is excellent for the entry level tools. Got a quiet air compressor from them and it works great. Not capable of more than using a nailer in the PSI department but that's all I need other than airing up tires and dusting computers.

[@waynedigby8008]

Started out with a mini lathe myself and they are a project in their own right, hundreds of mods you can do to make it a slick little tool

[@ccoder4953]

It's kind of funny you should mention the threading chart had inaccuracies. Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) has a much fancier lathe and was having issues with his threading also. He mentioned that most of those charts have errors. I think in Adam's case, it was more a matter of him having to do some repairs to the internals of his lathe.

[@kBIT01]

"So i figured hand cranking it would work better" is an accurate description of the little 7" lathes.

[@briantaylor9266]

You'll probably want to invest in a quick change tool post. IMHO, definitely worth the investment. To increase overall rigidity and vibration damping, I bolted mine to a piece of 1" thick granite countertop. Of course that means it has to be on a dedicated cart.

[@00BillieTurf00]

You are the best, thx so much for this.

[@samTollefson]

As an old man who has spent a lifetime building and woodworking, a metal lath just intimidates me, including a bit of a scare factor! I have always been able to fabricate the metal parts I have needed by hand, not precise but good enough. Just getting a handle on welding was enough to round out my "let's just get it done" attitude about metalwork.

[@darkwinter6028]

You probably already have taken care of it, but - you need to clean off all the grit from the angle grinder; or it will destroy any precision that the machine has. In the future, be sure to cover up the bed and carriage when using anything abrasive on a workpiece.

[@matthiaswandel]

did you notice the cover on the bed while I was using the grinder?

[@darkwinter6028]

@@matthiaswandel Yes - however, it’s not enough. FWIW, I use a plastic trash bag on mine when I’m doing abrasive stuff; and make sure it shields the entire carriage assembly as well as the tailstock. Grit has a way of getting everywhere and seems magically attracted to the spots where it can do the most damage. 🙂

[@zrebbesh]

Here's a technique if you want good concentricity making bushings etc. in a drill press. You take a chunk of wood bigger than your workpiece, clamp it down in the drill press, and drill a hole big enough to put your workpiece in. Then put your workpiece in the hole, change bits, and you can put your hole right down its center. Having the workpiece tight fit in a hole you've just drilled means it's exactly on center w/r/t the axis of your drill press.

[@matthiaswandel]

except of course the drill will wander before it goes in. Also, the bushing will spin in he hole you put it in. I assume you haven't tried this technique.

[@zrebbesh]

@@matthiaswandel Actually I have. If the drill wanders before it goes into a clamped piece, IN A DRILL PRESS, you have a mechanical problem that you need to fix. Most likely the chuck quill is misaligned in its arbor. Fixing this will magically fix the oversized-hole problem that lets your workpiece spin, too. If you can get it out without a mallet there's something wrong.