Lathe Tailstock Fine Feed Upgrade

G'day everyone,
Today I will be making a simple mod for the mini lathe's tailstock. Adjusting it can be a difficult problem because there is no fine feed and the locking screw is located on the bottom of the tailstock. Thankfully it seems to be quite a simple fix that requires very little material to achieve. I hope you enjoy the video.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Machining The Backing Steel
4:33 - Drilling The Hole For The Adjustment Screw
5:50 - Making The Adjustment Screw
6:56 - Final Tapped Holes
7:25 - Assembly
8:02 - Testing The Mod
Mill - Sieg X2.7l
Lathe - Sieg C3 7x14 Mini Metal Lathe
#machining #DIY #minilathe

[@WhenDoesTheVideoActuallyStart]

Glad to see Mr. Hacksaw getting plenty of exercise! I feel like he's an essential part of this channel now.

[@sdfgsdfg3789]

Every video i wait for the appearance of a bandsaw. :D

[@robertbutler8004]

Sdfg Sdfg then buy him one.

[@classicbandgeek]

He has stated multiple times that there simply is no space in his shop and doesn't mind using a hacksaw for the scale of the work being done

[@cooperised]

I hope it never appears! The hacksaw is a bit of a meme now.

[@WhenDoesTheVideoActuallyStart]

Excuse me, Mr. Hacksaw is an essential part of this channel.

[@sdfgsdfg3789]

@@robertbutler8004 Sir, i dont have that kind of money. I'm not a youtuber :p

[@ParsMaker]

I've done a similar thing to my lathe, but I think it was much better to have the adjuster on the left side of tailstock because it's easier to access

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

Anything that improves the tailstock on a mini lathe has to be a good thing ! I think the tailstock on my Taig micro lathe is better designed than the mini lathe one - it is probably the worse design I have seen . Thanks for the fantastic video !

[@williamvigne6438]

Excellent work!!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Interesting approach! Thanks for sharing. I'm also happy to have done a similar thing to mine. But in my experience exactly aligning the tailstock remains a bit tricky as the tailstock is free to tilt a little bit while adjusting.

[@yeagerxp]

Very good work 👍👍👍 . Thank you for sharing. Be safe 🇨🇦

[@homemadetools]

Clever. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

My MX-210V came with about the same system you built . It works great ! I use a MT2 alignment bar and it's fast work to keep it lined up ! ENJOYED

[@MattysWorkshop]

Great job, cheers

[@kentuckytrapper780]

Great video, 👍👍👍

[@yodasbff3395]

Nice work 👍.

[@robertwalker7457]

great work, thanks.

[@m.m.7511]

The grizzly G0768 does have fine tuning!!! Im learning slowly that it has more features then most other small lathes like this!! Love it.

[@landonhillyard]

Take us on a tour of your shop!

[@jeffesonnovo7409]

📡nice job guy!

[@kimber1958]

I LIKE THAT A LOT

[@MoondyneJoe]

I appreciate your approach to the videos you put out, instead of just showing us your successes every time you are honest and show us the warts and all mistakes and successes. Most of us meer mortals do make mistakes but are reluctant to show them or admit to having made them at all. In your case it shows us how to bypass or rectify the problem and that in many cases is just as important as the original modification or fix as well. Thank you for that 😁 Have you considered with the plastic part that holds the motor doing a collaboration with a Foundry channel like myfordboy, Windy Hill Foundry (Clarke) swdweeb (Perry) Or the many others and have A presence on KZbin to cast the part in aluminium or brass, bronze etc You can add the speed holes to suit when you get the casting delivered, and hopefully a step closer to a better machine. Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺

[@paulsmith2960]

You achieve a really nice finish with your fly cutter. After several attempts with mine I gave up and purchased a shell mill.

[@johnkemas7344]

Did you actually calculate the proper feed and speeds based on the diameter of the fly cutter, used proper RPM for the diameter of the cutter tip and grind the HSS tool bits for the type and hardness of the materials you are machining?? Were you "climb milling" or using "conventional milling for feed direction, or both?? I've been a T&D guy all my life and have never had any problems when following the basic rules. Also, shell end mills with inserts are expensive, costly to replace tips compared to touching up a HSS steel fly cutter. All depends on what you are machining etc. If you you are new to machining and going to stick with it invest in a copy of "Machinery's Handbook" About $100 - $130 these days I guess. But worth every penny of it! If you buy a new one, get the one that includes the Machinists Electrtonic Calclator. It is worth the extra money if you do alot of machining. It will answer every question you will have have in machining!! Even a good used copy is worth the bucks! www.amazon.com/Machinerys-Handbook-Calc-Pro-Bundle/dp/0831150319/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3K1WJU3YN9M3H&keywords=Machinery%27s+Handbook&qid=1704002099&sprefix=machinery%27s+handbook%2Caps%2C247&sr=8-8

[@WireWeHere]

Adding another pair of tailstock side adjustment grub screws let's you leave one set at centered setting... although I've only moved my tailstock once in 4 years it returned to the same position. My grub screws for adjustment have all been turned smooth and where they seat on the tailstock body has also been improved with ball bearing ball contact points.

[@vivigarr]

I appretiate your videos a lot! I am planning on getting a mini lathe soon and am aware of their quality issues and love that your videos show me how I can fix them. My only concern is finishes on steel.

[@peterspencer6442]

Go for it! I am so glad I took the plunge and got a lathe after watching too many youtube videos ;) My only tip about surface finish is that I have to remember that even a decent lathe can suffer from the material grabbing the cutter and leaving a rubbish-looking finish and it can get frustrating especially at first; some people suggest getting started with brass but they must be rich :D

[@axa.axa.]

My God the underside adjustment in and of itself would make me want to get rid of that lathe. Well done no doubt, but I imagine you're still going to have trouble adjusting that tailstock regardless

[@bhoiiii]

Great idea! May I recommend a “hacksaw biceps by artisan” as a second channel?

[@joell439]

👍😎👍

[@Blue_4-2]

⭐🙂👍!

[@robfrancis8830]

If you live in the states, ill give you my band saw.

[@henrydando]

he lives in Australia

[@trashes_to_treasures]

Don’t kill his USP man!

[@orion7353]

Asking bc I don't know if this correct, wouldn't a better design be a adjustment bolt for the front and back of the tailstock? The front may be on point, but the back may be out of alignment? Please advise if possible

[@artisanmakes]

It did occur to me, but Thankfully the set screws at the back square up the tailstock when tightened, so it's not really an issue.

[@marcoam2610]

1:01 I wonder which steel material typ (material number, designation) did you choose?

[@artisanmakes]

I think it was hot rolled 300 grade although I dont think it is that important what grade you use for a part like this

[@TheLastTater]

Another great video! Please man start a go fund me for a cheap band saw! Lol

[@TommiHonkonen]

Damn, buying one of those cheap lathes is really a trap if you dont know what you are doing

[@harlech2]

I think by the time you get all the cheap ironed out of this, you could have built a decent lathe.

[@mitchellbroderick5097]

Hey, How are you going. What is going on at the time of the video at 2:47? I am confused of what is happening there.

[@artisanmakes]

It is called edge finding, I was dining the centre of the stock

[@richardquebec5850]

C'est bien beau tout ca mais sa prend une shop de machiniste voyont se que personne on d'apres moi!!

[@niggo7224]

You are using your edge finder wrong you have to let it flick out to the side then its right

[@artisanmakes]

Another method I have seen work is to push it into the corner, which kicks it into a wobble, back off and then find the edge a second time. Ive done both methods and I've seen practically no difference between the two.

[@cda32]

way too fast for a counterbore btw. They work best at as low speed as possible.

[@artisanmakes]

You dont have much of a choice on a small mills like this, any slower and the mill risks stalling. On smaller machinery you don't always get the luxury of hitting that sweet spot rpm, and counterbore on steel did stall the mill a few times

[@gangleweed]

Hey man, that's too much messing about........if you want a really practical quick trick I learned many years ago for getting the tailstock in almost perfect alignment....good enough for any drilling.........you make a ring with a hole in it the same diam as the tailstock barrel..........holding that in the 3 jaw and sliding the tailstock up to the chuck will soon let you know if the tailstock is aligned when you poke the barrel into the hole......must be a close fit......otherwise if you are a very fussy perfectionist and an ardent nit picker just use a dial indicator.

[@cooperised]

The real problem isn't the adjustment, it's the lock screw that's underneath the tailstock and hidden by the locking plate. No way you'll get it locked in alignment using any method at all without at least _some_ modification.

[@gangleweed]

@@cooperised Bad design.....when I designed and built my first micro lathe back in 1966 I made the tailstock sit on the base piece with a dovetail....it has 2 screws on the side of the dovetail like a gib and this locks the top part to the base.....I have to wonder how these people think when it comes to simple mechanical things.

[@cooperised]

@@gangleweed Agreed, of course. Appalling design. With some of these machines, you get something that _looks_ like a lathe, and then you're on your own. Which is partly why my own lathe is from the 1950s - I'd rather work with a well-built machine with some wear than a brand new machine with these kinds of design problems. Of course there are new machines that are really well engineered, but I can't afford any of them!

[@gangleweed]

@@cooperised Yes it all comes down to money.......my lathe is a 1930 Colchester Bantam, acquired in 1979 in UK, but I also have a micro all steel lathe with taper roller bearings that I built in 1966 and still going strong. If you have decent 3 and 4 jaw chucks work holding takes on a whole different scenario.

[@gary851]

dont cut stock by hand!

[@trashes_to_treasures]

That is the whole purpose of this channel 💪😎

[@robertbutler8004]

Gary 851 if he did not need the exercise in cutting stock with a hacksaw he would have bought a bandsaw. does he tell you what to do?

[@classicbandgeek]

He has stated multiple times that there simply is no space in his shop and doesn't mind using a hacksaw for the scale of the work being done

[@ThantiK]

Dude...get yourself a band saw already, yikes.

[@classicbandgeek]

He has very plainly stated multiple times that there is no space in his shop and doesn't mind using a hacksaw for the scale of the work being done

[@cooperised]

I don't understand why every video gets these comments. _Why_ must he get himself a bandsaw? It's his shop, his choice, whatever the reason. Plus the hacksaw thing is a bit of a meme now!

[@Quagmire0815]

you need a Bandsaw! 🦾

[@djamelhamdia134]

I think he enjoys using hacksaw.

[@CB.5]

You must be the smartest person in the world! I bet he didn't even think of that.

[@trashes_to_treasures]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 😅

[@classicbandgeek]

He has stated multiple times that there simply is no space in his shop and doesn't mind using a hacksaw for the scale of the work being done