Mini Metal Lathe

Well, it was well crated, took a bit to get it all opened.

I've been wanting a small metal lathe for years now, and every year they seem to have gotten a little more expensive. I saw they were selling some of the more basic, no name brands for a bit cheaper on ebay,
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This wasn't the same one pictured that I thought I was buying, but I'm not complaining, this one is the two speed version. The one in the ebay listing showed a single speed. Overall, after watching all the videos on these, this one is very clean and looks ready to use in comparison to some of the ones that folks get caked in grease.
 
Neat! That would be super handy. Perhaps post retirement in the new shop :)

Does it have screw cutting capability?
I does, thought I'm still trying to figure out if it's metric or imperial. You can do both with it, but there's no threading dial, so you have to just reverse the feed rather than relying on the dial. It looks like I can get a dial, but just for the one that the screw is designed for (metric or imperial).

Edit: looking at the pics, there may be a dial...I'll have to check when I get back up to the shop.
 
Nice, I have the same one that Enco sold many years ago.

This place is a gold mine of information Little Machine Shop
Yup, found it a while back. It's looking like I'll spend more on accessories than the lathe. :D

I should add, I used mine to cut a 1/2"x50 thread. Only took three try's.

That's the thread pitch for the nut at the end of the bolt on a Savage rifle.

That is part of my plans for now, have some simple smithy projects for it. Might even try changing over one of my single shot .22 LR rifles to .22 WMR for fun.
 
I was always told, plan on spending twice on tooling vs the cost of a lathe. Appears that applys to metal and wood lathes.
:rofl: Or just about any tool for that matter.

Gotta say, I envy you. I have always wanted a metal lathe, even though I am not sure what I would make with it. I would need take lessons on how to use it.
I did take a machinist class at the local technical college a few years back, and was the most enjoyable class I've ever taken since high school shop classes. I think the lathe was the easiest of all of the tools I learned to use that semester.

Most of the same basics apply, such as knowing tool placement, knowing materials you're working with, knowing sharpening angles, and safety. A lot of it is just trial and error, the basics apply, but you can push the tool further on different materials and you learn to do that (or not) to get the finishes you want.
 
A mill is on the list for someday. I've got several benders/formers but never gotten into the sheet metal work as much as I thought I would. It's a shame, I've got a 24" box brake on the shelf, but it only gets used about once ever 2 years for a small project. I may change that, one issue is not having it on a stand where it's easily used.
 
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