Mini Lathe tailstock lever clamping modification - Part 2

[@CRILIKk]

You have taken a tool bought on a budget & shown the people that you can improve anything using your skills & mind without buying expensive gear. Some would say the mini lathe is a cheap tool but you have shown with a little persistence & skill you can make it better , thanks for sharing

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you for your kind comment! That's absolutely right. Ok not everyone wants to put so much time into improving a machine. But if love to think about how to make this little machine a bit better ore more usable, you can improve it quite some bit. Thanks

[@rb67mustang]

I love the simple way you turned the eccentric lobe on the locking shaft. I thought you would have used your 4 jaw chuck, but you got the job done in style, and much better than original. You certainly take pride in a job well done.

[@matts8023]

Very, very impressed by your work. Machinists will try to nitpick about processes, but no one can argue results. This will undoubtedly last as long as the machine, and should something give you have what it takes to correct it. This is fantastic

[@Kyrazlan]

😱 By the time you're done with this machine it's going to basically be a professional piece of equipment. Great work! You've really improved a lot in such a short time.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much for your comment. That's a bit of my plan, to make it as professional as possible :)

[@robertbutler8004]

It's a pity that all lathe manufacturers did not do the same as this man great job!!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks for your compliment! I really do appreciate that

[@chadr00]

Amazing skill, thoughtfulness, and patience using the tools you have.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much! Yes, it takes a lot of time but with some patience you can achieve some good results :)

[@mhc6777]

Thanks, nice work with a great result. I really enjoyed watching your filing techniques to finish the job - a lot of us (well me at least) have forgotten how useful they can be.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much for your comment! Yes, some filing is always good :)

[@maciejchmielewski7187]

Piękna praca.Pomysł z silnikiem majstersztyk akurat u mnie silnik po 4 latach kończy swój żywot.Gratuluję pomysłowości i chęci do pracy.Powodzenia czekam na nowe filmy

[@joell439]

That is the nicest tailstock lock I’ve ever seen for a mini lathe. Extremely well executed 👍👍😎👍👍

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much for your kind words! Happy to hear you like it :) Again I oriented as good as I can on some of the professional bigger lathes.

[@SwissplWatches]

I just binge watched all your videos, now I need more. Awesome work! Inspiring.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much for your kind comment! I really do appreciate that. More to come withhin the next two weeks:)

[@warbirdwf]

I'm not sure anyone will ever out do "My mechanics" love of filing metal! Great job on this project.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much! I also love to watch his videos:)

[@rexaitken]

What a huge improvement! Your skill has really incresed since you started your channel, it's very inspiring. Can't wait to see the next project

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks for your kind words! I reall do appreciate that. Yes, it is a huge improvement. The only thing I have to do now is to grind the underside of the bed parallel to the upper side. They did a horrible job at the factory with the result that the tailstock clamps uneven due to the uneven bedway underside.

[@backyardmachinist]

@@WeCanDoThatBetter omg yes! I've experienced this problem too. Made the carriage loose and tight along different points of the bed on my lathe. Took a file to the high spots on the under side of the bed and its moving a lot smoother now. Amazing vids. Necessity is the mother of invention; you put that little lathe to work. Respect.

[@orangetruckman]

This is my new favorite channel! I will one day build this for my lathe because the wrench thing get old! And the cool factor with a lever-above the charts 😎 Keep the videos coming 👍🏻 *A taping tip: On parts with square edges that have tape hanging further than is desired. Use a flat and smooth piece of metal to rub over the top of the overhanging tape on the square edge and it will be trimmed to size. Be gentle, as moving too fast can rip the tape instead of shear it.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much! I highly recommend to upgrade to this lever thing on the tailstock. Makes the work a lot easier. And thank you for the taping tip! I'll keep that in mind :)

[@pauls5745]

very professional results! this is the tailstock we Should get with our mini lathes!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much! Yes that would be great. But other otherwise we were jobless if they did everything perfect from factory :D

[@garthkay-hards2427]

If we got these extras and quality when we bought the lathe how much more would we have to pay for it 😁. This has added so much value to the machine.

[@juancarlosromeroguevara3170]

Muchas gracias, aprendo muchísimo con sus trabajos. Saludos desde Cuba

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Muchas gracias! Love Cuba

[@geoffrobson2493]

I gotta say... i’ve watched a lot of videos on the Mini-Lathe, and your videos and workmanship is some of the best I’ve seen. I recently bought a second hand Grizzly 7x12 and am still in the process of getting the basics set up... Which lathe are you using here? Have you upgraded the power at all? What about the ways and cross slide? You seem to be able to get very nice finishes and tolerances, even with your 42crmo4 tool steel. After seeing your machine in action, I don’t think anyone can blame the lathe! Aside from your videos here, do you have any other online presence, Blog, Facebook etc where we can see more information on your work and modifications? Thanks again - keep it up!!

[@andli461]

As always brilliant design and execution! 👌 That chamfers… 🥰 This is the result of someone that puts pride in to his work. Together with a lot of experience and skill. Would love to see a lot more content. 👍

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much for your kind comment and compliment. I really do appreciate that and I'm happy to hear you like it! I have some ideas and future projects in mind. It just takes a lot of time and effort to built, film and edit, so I can't upload as frequently as some others on youtube

[@jimsvideos7201]

Very well done indeed; I'll consider this to be on my project list.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you! Yes I recommend that, it's a lot smoother to work with.

[@paulbuswell6566]

superb job! Got me itching to the same on my old Southbend

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much! And good luck for your project ;)

[@Foz9852]

You're using the die holder backwards, you want the shoulder or seat to be on the other side. The die will have that face to hold against better when threading. Love your work :)

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Oh thanks for the hint! :)

[@enricomarangon9961]

Veramente uno spettacolo di precisione, prenderò spunto, ma sarà sicuramente più grossolano..... complimenti

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Mille grazie!

[@billofalltrades2633]

This was a nicely done video, great machining work.

[@mihaimastacaneanu8505]

Hi, I have either appreciated care for good workmanship and quality of presentation, apart from subject. In about 2015 I started myself a campaign of improving this lathe, including tail-stock mod. What I have done and can recommend you further are following: Change spindle bearings to tapered ones (a must for improving quality and precision); tapered-adjustable gibs for saddle (once you say you want to improve straightness of your lathe bed) and an automatic clutch for lead-screw feeding triggered by adjustable stops along the bed. This especially allows careless engaging-disengaging of saddle -always with the right timing- and is very useful for thread cutting; though I could not get used to it so that now is unused. Another good mod. for stiffness improvement was increasing number of existing gibbs set screws. Tutorials were at that time available; now I don't know...

[@dazzhan9826]

Very nicely done ! I like the colour you chose for the tailstock. It would be nice to see the whole lathe stripped down and repainted that colour. Hmm...another video series...? :)

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Hi and thanks for your comment! Some day, when "everything" is done to the lathe, it will be repainted as well ;)

[@tony49PA]

Più che meccanico sei un artista

[@gertjevanpoppel7270]

Nice work 👍😀 The rough finish you mentioned when turning the small diameter is because you haven’t enough “toolpressure”. You use a tungsten carbide insert and they are not truly cutting but rather it’s a controlled crumbling. You must have noticed that these inserts aren’t that sharp when compared to hss tool Therefore they need more power to cut the material and a good constant depth of cut and feeding speed. These small lathe have not enough HP to create enough cutting power to get a constant “toolpressure” on the tip of the insert , and this shows in a rough finish on the smaller diameter or a typical high frequency noise. That is why hss tooling can give a much better result when cutting smaller diameter or when making a “finish “ pass. Specially on the small lathes switching to hss can give better results 👍😀. If you cut with tungsten inserts and you look on the box you see the small feed and speed diagrams for a depth of cut. Depending mostly on the nose radius of the insert it shows the correct feed speed and rpm to get a constant force on the cutting edge. This constant force gives a constant cutting/crumbling of the insert and a smooth finish. As soon if you change on of these parameters for example a finish pass immediately it results in a rough finish or high pitch noise. Because the constant force is not acting upon the insert the holder is pushed down ever so slightly and springs back in a high frequency and this is where the noise and/or the rough finish is coming from . I hope it makes sense 😋 There are a few options you can do to get better finish… 1) use inserts with smaller nose radius 2) a greater depth of cut , feeding speed or lower the rpm ( creating higher torque)… 3) use hss tools when cutting small diameter I hope these tips are helpful and I explained it correctly

[@marcelodemorais21]

Congratulations for your job! God bless you!🇧🇷

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much!

[@dav24x]

18:56 seems to work well 😄 🤣 😂 after that tremendous experience and beautiful job 200% sure my friend it will work perfectly

[@danielstewart3507]

This is insane! So good. I'm really inspired now. Love your channel.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much!

[@pgiamel]

Un lavoro davvero fatto bene con estrema precisione, è un piacere seguire lavori così ben fatti.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Molte grazie! Mi fa piacere!

[@DieselDoktor]

Holy crap… 😅 these videos are incredible.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

:D Thank you very much!!

[@tonyc.4528]

Beautiful work, sir!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much my friend!

[@tommasodecarne5252]

Sei un fuori classe. Complimenti.

[@davidtamas3408]

Very nice job!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much!

[@dwightcarlson7136]

I guess you slotted the bottom clamping piece to allow sudewards movement so that it could 'adapt' to variation in the bottom of the bed? As well as a method to grip the nut. I guess the nut allows height adjustment to allow for wear and to fine tune the handle position?

[@VAdu56]

Bravo et merci de cette vidéo...ce serait sympa de nous dire à quelle vitesse vous tournez, personnellement cela m'aidrait bien... et aussi pour le filetage... merci à l'avance

[@dwightcarlson7136]

Excellent work! I guess these are not available as an option from the lathe manufacturer? i. e. seems like a lot of work... Also surprised that you don't seem to have a quick change tool post for your lathe.????

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Hi and thanks for your comment! As far as I now, there are some conversion kits available for the tailstock but they aren't that well built. And yes, it was definitely a lot of work :D But now in use, it saves a lot of time and is a very helpful modification. You can off course simplify it for your purpose. A quick change toolpost is something I have on my purchase list since a while but haven't finally conviced me to spend the money for :)

[@derekpeters8946]

Very nice work How about two oil points on the top

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you! That's a good idea, thanks. You mean for oiling the quill?

[@EigenkonstruktDe]

Tolle Arbeit 😊 irgendwann muss ich mir die Basis aus dem ersten Teil auch mal nachbauen! Viele Grüsse 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Vielen Dank, das freut mich zu hören, wenn es zum Nachbauen anregt :) Viele Grüße ;)

[@pooryouth8621]

14:00 👌I’ll never get tired of it!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

I feel you:)

[@drucker03]

Well done! A real improvement. By the way: While filing on a lathe you should move the file slowly forward. Else the file works at one single spot all the time and the wear increases at this spot. (Eigentlich blöd, wenn ich hier mein Schulenglisch zusammenkratze, aber die Herrschaften jenseits des Kanals und des großen Teichs wollen ja auch ihren Spaß ...)

[@megejaslt]

Great work. Only I do not understand why hole in vertical slider is round, not horizontal slot? Or I missed this? And does first bras spacer was really needed?

[@James-fs4rn]

👍 very nicely done my friend!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you my friend!:)

[@hoernst2762]

Sehr schöne und gute Arbeit!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Vielen Dank, das freut mich sehr zu hören!

[@icebluscorpion]

Does a counterweighted Chuck exist to compensate for the imbalanced stock fixturing to minimize wobble-vibration? Because that's quite a stress for the bearings and the machine itself.

[@bogusawhicner8726]

pełna profeska szkoda że nie podajesz wymiarów, np.średnic materiału, było by pomocne amatorowi. dzięko za film

[@haroldoaprendendoatornear6488]

Show de bola, parabéns o seu trabalho

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Muito obrigado :)!

[@Flatout56-o8k]

What kind of masking tape was that? I was sooo satisfying

[@daveys]

Very nice job, well done!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you!!

[@AvengerXtra]

Tolles Endresultat :)

[@FaskaRestoration]

Da kann ich dir nur zustimmen.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Vielen Dank, das freut mich! :)

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

@@FaskaRestoration Dankeschön, das ist nett! :)

[@gordon6029]

A thing of beauty.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks!

[@WayneCook306]

Nice Job.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much!

[@jasemali1987]

"Oh please no, please GOD no, not again !" Basically your lathe motor when you insert a milling tool in your chuck.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

You mean, that's not ideal for the motor? I guess the bearings in the spindle are the weakest part and not really made for milling.

[@jasemali1987]

@@WeCanDoThatBetter :) The motor is the thing that keeps your lathe running, if you split your load to another machine "milling machine" your lathe motor will thank you and live more for you :)

[@kamikaze7778]

Nice and cute job 👌👍🥰😁

[@plang42]

The base of the tail stock doesn't sit flat on the bed? Maybe a thin brass sheet glued to the bottom of the tail stock would even it out? My lathe, which is the same size as yours, came with the lever on the tail stock as standard. I thought all these Chinese lathes were the same but obviously they are not?

[@Si-Al-Ti]

Did you make that brass attachment for your indicator? Man you’re creative!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

You mean that brass lever? Yes I made this a few years ago :) Thank you very much! :)

[@Bigredkarl]

Id recommend a larger offset for the cam

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks for your comment! I'm using the tailstock now quite a while and it works perfectly with the lever clamping. I guess, the offset is just right.

[@yogiss18]

I enjoyed your video on this tailstock unit. I have only one question for you. How did you get the unit to stay in the housing? I was thinking you might use a slip ring setup or drill and tap the rod

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank! Yes, there is a snap ring on the shaft between the black steel housing and the inner side of the tailstock casting. I don't know if I showed it in the video but the handle can't fall off to the back side.

[@jamesdepaul3410]

Great work.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks!

[@SuperGleep]

Is there a retention mechanism I missed for the handle/lever? What's keeping it from pulling out of the upper bushing? Just the edge of the eccentric cam on the axle? Edit: just noticed the big circlip on the cam-axle in the final demo shot. Whew, I'll be able to sleep tonight now :P

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

;) perfect!

[@jeyseychelles1370]

I dont know if you noticed your cariage moving i mean in some work this could mean start over could implement a cariage lock

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Didn't notice. When do you mean the carriage moved? A carriage lock is definitely something I will add to the machine some day, yes.

[@ramonmichaud3004]

Nice job, this one got me to subscribe,cheers

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Hey, thanks a lot! and welcome:)

[@RustyInventions-wz6ir]

Very nice work sir

[@reicht4]

well done mate ! i just wonder, do you have height adjustment on tail stock for alignment with spindle? i think it is only side2side right?

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much! Yes, it's only a side to side adjustment at the moment. To adjust the height, you have either remove some material from the baseplate or add material. I think the tailstock is a bit too high at the moment. Perhaps some day, I'll scrape that in.

[@FaskaRestoration]

Incredible work! Do you have a dro on the lathe

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you so much! No, I have no dro on the lathe. Thats probably a project for the future to install one. But its surprising what you can achieve even with the scales on the machine with a little bit of experience and trial.

[@tekniklogam5726]

Very nice tools

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you my friend :)

[@Kyrazlan]

I just want to point out. You have very nice hands 😅

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

thanks my friend :)

[@andrescirulnick2307]

Hola que tipo de pintura usaste para darle ese color verde?

[@gworx-247]

very well done!!!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks!

[@gworx-247]

@@WeCanDoThatBetter a like, just for the "plop" @ 14:01 : ) i love it, when it fits that way 👍

[@haemhorrhoidian]

Very nice :-) very nice indeed!!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much!

[@parfecthelp7964]

Fantastic job bro good

[@ParsMaker]

nicely done

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much:)

[@TuanLe-no5wl]

Like the way you did 👍

[@Washington_Prime]

Bravo!!!

[@axa.axa.]

You deserve a better lathe you don't need to keep improving on

[@jlippencott1]

You can minimize or even eliminate a lot of that chatter and squealing if you slow down your RPMs. I can see a lot of your chips turning blue as you are cutting, which means you are rotating too fast and approaching the work hardening temperature of your material.

[@jackdawg4579]

been a while since you made this, having any issues with clearance on the tailstock spindle lock handle?

[@jamesbaker2802]

Do you sell the plans for this mod? Your videos are awesome, but I don’t need the technique, just the drawings. Thanks in advance.

[@charetjc]

After using this for some time, have you had any issue with vibrations causing the cam clamp to loosen on the tail stock?

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Hi, no. The Tailstock never came loose so far. It locks very safely, I neer had issues with it. The only thing was to grind the underside of the bedways to even thickness so that the tailstock gets clamped evenly throughout the whole bedlenght. That was not given from factory...

[@dwightcarlson7136]

Did you heat treat/harden and temper any of the 42crmo4 or just use it in the as purchased condition?

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Hi, I didn't do any heat treating as you most likely have to grind the parts after heat treatening. I think for this application the steel is hopefully tough enough without heat treatening.

[@DolezalPetr]

well good job

[@kolbakolba]

The art of use file.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much! :)

[@rey-dq3nx]

You need a vise restoration, bro!

[@designer9205]

покажи как нарезать резьбу без плашки на самом станке как переключать шестерни

[@Jameson4327]

Impressive!

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you!

[@sonogenio]

😳Ottimo!!!

[@johnhall8455]

Very nice…👍

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks!

[@Vikingwerk]

Amazing.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks.

[@metrol33]

Nice, do you think this give you similar performance to tightening the nut? I've been considering this modification myself but had concerns that it might slip.

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thanks for your comment. I had this concerns too. From what I have tested so far, it clamps really strong and feels pretty safe and secure. To be sure, I have to first grind the underside of the machine ways so that the tailstock clamps tightly in every position on the machine bed. Unluckily it's from factory thicker on the right side than it is in the middle of the machine. Therefore I can't use the tailstock properly before I have ground it even.

[@janmedlin2554]

Do a voice over on each step.

[@remoman]

What is that diamond carbide insert tool called?

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

To which part of the video you are referring to?

[@lefrancoisjeanpierre3098]

bravo

[@raymondsanderson3768]

I suppose next will be an improved clamping handle on the machine vise, and save the pliers for their intended job? 😂

[@adilnassir5791]

perfect

[@triNguyen-ml8xd]

qua tuyet , good

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Thank you very much :)!

[@robertszuba3382]

no lathe in the workshop is like no computer at home

[@bobmirror7164]

If you had to mod it, it was not made right in the first place.

[@MISHA0150]

Ral 6011?

[@WeCanDoThatBetter]

Yes. Resedagrün as we call it in Germany ;)

[@MISHA0150]

​@@WeCanDoThatBetterThanks

[@stefanov3295]

👏👏👏

[@tluanem]

👍👍👍

[@thisolesignguy2733]

This little lathe isn't spoiled at all, nope. not one bit. lol