New to this group

[smithdoor]

I have been working with South Bend lathes since 1963 .
I just sold my last South Bend 9A a week and purchased a mini lathe.
I will have the new lathe next week.
Looking for information on mini lathes.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/8x14-225...Motor-for-DIY-Wood-Metal-Work-More/5116832219
Dave

 

[lakeroadster]

I have been working with South Bend lathes since 1963 .
I just sold my last South Bend 9A a week and purchased a mini lathe.
I will have the new lathe next week.
Looking for information on mini lathes.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/8x14-225...Motor-for-DIY-Wood-Metal-Work-More/5116832219
Dave

I've got a JET1236, which works fine for one off rocketry wood working projects.

There aren't many folks here with actual lathes or mini-lathes of which you speak. Good luck on your search.

​

 

[JimByrne]

I have a Jet 1440 wood lathe and use it to sand body tubes, engine tubes & nose cones.
Also to turn down bulkheads.

 

[NTP2]

I am not sure why you thought a rocket forum would have this information but I see your getting answers so I guess it’s working out.

 

[prfesser]

It's a bit old but I bought one of these last year. They're very similar, made with the same swing but varying bed lengths. Mine has 28" between centers. FWIW:

• They're rather top-heavy---the bed is lightweight despite being made of cast iron, so be careful unloading and mounting, they can tip over.
• Bolt the machine to the bench from underneath. Measure bolt distances carefully for drilling the bench. IMHO a concrete bench or a heavy metal plate for mounting would be desirable.
• Mine is a metric machine. I didn't pay attention when ordering. Something of an annoyance since I'm used to Imperial, but I can get used to it.
• There is no threading dial. To thread (I haven't tried it yet) it appears that the machine must be left in gear, but reversed back to its original position for each pass. I actually bought a threading dial that may work but haven't assembled it yet.
• Cross slide and compound slide dials are a bit sloppy and tend to move during work, which can screw up a part rather badly. They need to be carefully adjusted and tightened just so...
• Threading chart is strange. In particular, 20tpi and 40 tpi, both rather standard, are not available. No quick-change gears, you have to go in and swap out different gears. Might be different on an Imperial machine.
• Quick-change tool posts are readily available and inexpensive, much easier than swapping out bits. Most such items are cheaply made though, and may require frequent tightening of screws.
• It came with a 3-jaw chuck. I bought a separate 4-jaw which as machinists will tell you, is far more versatile and more accurate but takes longer to set-up than a three-jaw.
• The compound slide angle adjustment is a royal PITA. There are fixes you can make once the machine is in your shop. The scale for angle adjustment is useless, a piece of stamped metal.

That's all I can think of offhand.