Start Model Engineering

For the time being I am sat in Bogs’ chair and based on my own experience I will endeavour to guide you through the preparation and setting up stage.

I recall quite vividly setting up my first mini-lathe back in 2006. The excitement of unpacking and lifting off its pallet up on to the workbench. At this stage try not to let your enthusiasm overrule your common sense. Lifting a mini-lathe is ideally a two man job - you are talking the best part of 40kg (aprox 90 lbs). Once it has been unpacked and the heavier components like saddle, tailstock, chuck etc removed it becomes much more manageable.

You will have already provided a sturdy bench that will raise the chuck close to your elbow height when standing. On my current lathe, which I ordered with the optional stand, I found I had to raise the stand by 100mm (4″) to bring it to a reasonable working height. Choice of lighting is up to you but you need plenty of it and position the light source to be free of shadows when you are stood in position. All pretty obvious stuff but it does need your consideration right from the start.

Most electrically powered goods you buy these days you simply unpack it, plug in and off you go. This I must advise you is not usually the case with your mini-lathe. Made and assembled in China by often an unskilled workforce your mini-lathe will likely need a certain amount of adjustment, cleaning and lubrication before it’s fit for use. Some suppliers will carry out this work for you at a cost usually in the region of an extra £60.00. Unless you are confident in your abilities to strip, de-grease, re-assemble, lubricate, make fine adjustment to the gibs it could be money well spent. As you become more familiar with the workings of your lathe future maintenance should present little problem.

Should you decide to tackle the preparation work yourself arm yourself with an old plastic bucket, a supply of WD40 or white spirit, some cheapo paint brushes, plenty of newspapers and rags. You will have received a basic tool kit with your lathe but I am assuming that as a practical hands on individual you will already have a good supply of spanners, tools, etc.

Some people, including myself, are allergic to WD40 which, in certain cases can cause excema - it contains similar chemicals as used in the manufacture of latex gloves. I avoid problems by using WD40 in bulk form rather than aerosol and apply by brush and it is possible to buy latex free disposable gloves.

For the reassembly stage you should have on hand some slideway oil, general lubricating oil and a tub of grease. http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Chronos_Catalogue_Oils__Lubricants___Adhesives_etc_124.html

You should remove the following items.

1. The 3 jaw chuck with which your lathe will almost certainly be fitted with on arrival. Place a bundle of rags under the chuck to protect the ways on which the carriage slides. Unbolting a chuck if its your first time requires care and you don’t want to drop the chuck onto the machined surface of your ways.

2. The tailstock assembly by releasing the clamp down bolt and an end stop bolt in the lathe chassis.

3. Ideally you should dis-assemble the carriage removing the tool post, top slide, and cross slide. Taking a digital photo at each stage will facilitate re-assembly later. For thorough cleaning remove the carriage from the bed by unscrewing the pillar block located at the extreme right hand end of the lead screw and ‘wind off’ the carriage. Due to the amount of dust which is usually found under this assembly you may find that a solvent such as white spirit, applied with an old paint brush, is the most effective method of ensuring everything is clean. Lubricate well n re-assembly.

As you re-assemble adjust the gibs as you go by releasing the locking nuts and tightening each set screw then backing off a fraction, say an eighth of a turn, re-tighten the lock nut and check that the slide moves easily but without any ’slop’. You may have to repeat this operation several times to achieve the optimum balance between ease of slide without any slack in the movement. It is worth spending time on this procedure as any slack will transfer to the tip of the cutting tool resulting in poor finish. Adjusting your gibs is a regular maintenance requirement but is vital if you are to achieve a good finish to your work.

You should by now be itching to get under way and try your hand at reducing perfectly good lumps of metal to swarf and chippings. I would suggest that initially you arm yourself with a short round bar of brass. To me brass is the easiest of metals to work with and produces a pleasing finish. Secure the round bar firmly in your 3 jaw chuck. Adjust the height of your cutter, for now using the ‘razor blade’ method. As your lathe will rotate in either direction make sure the chuck is turning anti-clockwise  and set your running speed to around 300 rpm and gently feed in your cutter and away you go. If this is your first hands on experience operating a lathe I urge you to take the lightest of cuts to begin until you have developed a feel for your lathes capability.

I would urge you to check out my disclaimer in the left hand column. More guidance notes will follow as this site is developed but hopefully you are now safely under under way.