Mini lathe - my first attempt turning plastic - useless!

[HankMcSpank]

Thanks guys...I'll give it another bash later with the suggestions posted up here.

Now off to watch those Videos!

PS Bill - point taken about leaving the key in the chuck! In my lame defence, it was late & I just wanted to get some rough & ready photos posted up here (the lathe wasn't even plugged in when the photos were taken!). As it goes my lathe has a chuckguard that is meant to close a safety switch when in position - problem is I got the lathe in a state of disrepair & the chuckguard switch mechanism was lying loose in a box - I can't for the life of me see how the switch can be closed by the chuckguard - so for the time being it's overridden...but I will pencil in a trip to one of the Axminster stores soon, to see if I can eyeball how the darned thing gets actuated by the chuckguard. I realise it's a golden rule & I'm actually paranod about it - far better to have a failsafe like a chuckguard switch which will protect my cheek from being embedded with the key (that said it might get me a couple more weeks off work)

[HankMcSpank]

Yes, i would say the tool is too high.

Put a centre drill or something with a point on in the chuck and offer the tool up to it when mounted in the tool post

Just to give some closure here, it is indeed a misalignment problem...



it's only out by a margin of something approaching six weeks! (ie not even close!)

Looks like I'm gonna have to get some smaller tools.

Thanks everyone ...hopefully some good came out of this thread (ie those videos for others that are clueless like myself!)

[BillTodd]

Looks like I'm gonna have to get some smaller tools.

Looks like a 10mm or 3/8" tool. You'd have to go down to 1/4" (which are feeble little things) to fit that tool post. Generally, there's no disadvantage using a bigger tool, so if you can find a way of mounting them, use them.

If I were you, I'd have a close look at the tool-post mounting to see if you can reduce its height by 4-5mm (even if it means getting some material machined off the bottom), it'll give you greater flexibility in the choice of tool.

If you can find a cheap quick change tool post, it may allow you a greater range of vertical adjustment, plus you get the advantage of easy tool height setting FOC.

[HiltonSteve]

Looks like a 10mm or 3/8" tool. You'd have to go down to 1/4" (which are feeble little things) to fit that tool post. Generally, there's no disadvantage using a bigger tool, so if you can find a way of mounting them, use them.

If I were you, I'd have a close look at the tool-post mounting to see if you can reduce its height by 4-5mm (even if it means getting some material machined off the bottom), it'll give you greater flexibility in the choice of tool.

If you can find a cheap quick change tool post, it may allow you a greater range of vertical adjustment, plus you get the advantage of easy tool height setting FOC.

I completely agree...!

I would strongly suggest changing the toolpost for a quick change system like this one - http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalo...-Tool-Post-Set

It will make life so much easier for you.

[Robin Hewitt]

NEVER LEAVE THE CHUCK KEY IN THE CHUCK

But if your key comes fitted with a spring to stop you leaving in the chuck, remove said spring before it drives you banyanas

[BillTodd]

But if your key comes fitted with a spring to stop you leaving in the chuck, remove said spring before it drives you banyanas

Absolutely, they're a daft idea - the sort of idea H&S people come-up with!

[HankMcSpank]

Thanks chaps ...time to splosh a bit of dosh by the looks of it.

(Bill...'casing the joint' ...there's no way I can get that tool post lower - I can only hope that a quick change toolpost wins me back a bit of real estate below the tool post.)


As it goes, I'd previously tried to wrap my head around how/why a quick change tool post would be so benefeical (though the name of it is a bit of a giveaway!), but I can now see that lining the tool up is likely to be a major time sump.

In the end to make the pulley wheels I needed for my homemade coil winder, I milled them in 'halves' them on my homemade CNC - then glued them together! The edges were a bit rough so I tidied them up on the lathe using a wood chisel & a tool bit (I kid you not). It worked, but my oh my...what a laborious way to get some pulley wheels. Yes, I know....pulley wheels only cost coppers, but I couldn't find them in the sizes I wanted (& I wanted them today!)