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View Full Version : My Harbor Freight mini-lathe got tired of turning.



Swagerman
04-06-2007, 02:03 PM
Yes indeed, after 12 years that old cast iron Chiney made 7X10 just about totally stopped spinning for me.

Oh great, new motor coming up I suppose at about $110.00 before shipping.

Then I emailed The LittleMachineShop.com and asked if they had any ideas what the duce my problem was.

They sure did, they hit it right on the nose. Said it sounded like the Timing pulley on the electric motor was worn down, new one cost $3.95 plus S&H which was twice that much.

This little timing pulley is made of hard plastic, but apparantly not hard enough after a dozen years of usage.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/Timingbeltpulley.jpg


I'm not what you called mechanically inclined, nor electrically inclined. But looked in the back of the little lathe and pulled off the dust cover off the motor after removing two screws.

Sure enough, the Timing Pulley was worn down to a frazzle where there use to be gear notches...almost smooth...a wonder it even rotated at all.

Belt still looked pretty good, so being cheap as I am, didn't order a replacement belt.

But wound up spending $52.00 with them nice folks on some additional accessories for helping me whip my lathe problem. :-D

Jim

R.M.
04-06-2007, 04:34 PM
Those pulleys are available in cast iron also, but then, you won't be needing another replacement for quite some time.

Glad to hear it was such an easy fix.
R.M.

Swagerman
04-06-2007, 06:44 PM
Thanks, R.M.

But if the belt eventually wears out on me, I really dread taking all them gears off the end of the little lathe to put a new one on.

Its really difficult to realize this little whiz-bang machine can function so well with all them plastic gears.

Jim

floodgate
04-06-2007, 10:20 PM
My Chinese home-industry Smithy reversing switch finally quit on me - after ten+ HARD years reversing and forwarding to put final finish on wood and metal turnings (and I didn't always wait for it to come to a halt before hitting the DPDT reversing switch - BAD practice!). Got a new, improved switch, with a guard you have to lift before pushing a separate switch to reverse the connections; took a while to figure out the wiring, but it runs fine. These machines may be crude, but they are amazingly sturdy! And for you for whom these are entry-level machines, the skills you learn making them do the job will serve you VERY well when you eventually upgrade to a more professional one. We all owe a debt to Smithy, Grizzly, Micro-Mark, - and YES! - even to Harbor Freight, for making these available at affordable prices.

floodgate

Buckshot
04-07-2007, 08:24 AM
............Those little 7" lathes are really amazing little machines for the money. Swagerman you must have not done any threading or feed changes if you haven't messed with those gears on the headstock :-) Due to the limitations of the cuts, the plastic running gear shouldn't have many issues, and that pully runs ALL the time the lathe is running.

..................Buckshot

Swagerman
04-07-2007, 09:13 AM
Yes indeed, they are fun to learn on, and after acquiring a better quick change tool post things got even better.

And you found me out on the extra gears I still have unused after all the years on not being able to do screw threading.

But there is only so much self taught skills one can master without some professional savy help.

But I'm able to do a few things that helps my reloading hobby.

Its so darn cold up here in the north region, still got snow coming down on a foot of it right now. My garage is not a good place to operate a lathe or do any winter casting.

But the little HF mini-lathe is in an extra bedroom just off from my bedroom, its the Gun room as my distraught wife calls it. Actually its not a gun room, its a reloading room.

I would dearly love to have a larger more sophisticated machine, but the weight factor and no good area to put one in, precludes me using only the 90 lb. HF model.

Jim

floodgate
04-07-2007, 12:19 PM
Swagerman:

Go to Lindsay Books and get a copy of their reprint of the 1942 South Bend book, "How to Run a Lathe". A great basic reference, written for novice machinists (many of them women) recruited for the WW II effort. You'll get all you need about change gear threading, and threading tool shaping, setting and feeding (like, for a 60* thread, set your compound at 59* so most of the cutting is on one face of the thread and the other is guidance and light cleanup). Lots of useful tables, etc., etc.

floodgate

georgeld
04-08-2007, 03:54 AM
Floodgate, thanks for that book referrence, I'll get one too.

I got one of the combo HF machines about a 8"x24" or something like that. The boy took it in on trade for some mechanic work. Then when he moved shop and had no bence for it I offered to set it up where it could be used in my shop. Although it's been 35 yrs since, at one time I was pretty hot stuff on a good lathe, paid the bills for a few yrs til they closed the plant down on us. Never could find another machine job, so went to driving a truck to eat.

Anyway, it quit working a couple months ago. Thought it was the motor gave up. But, after some checking found the outter bearing on the headstock shaft had some broken balls in it. New one at the industrial bearing store cost $17 and it's back in business.

Now I need either new brake flats or advice that works to hold the tailstock in place when locked. This won't do it and now I can turn anything that needs tail support, such as anything longer than 5-6" as it tapers then gouge's.

It's nowhere near the quality, or tolerance levels of the Hardinge Chucker the company bought me on the job. But, it sure beats hell out of trying to turn something in the drill press with a file.

HF also has a link in their tools site to print out the Tools manuals. I did for this one. I'll bet there's one for that mini lathe. I've looked them over a few times thinking I'd get one. Then this one came along first.

MSC has tools, bits, reamers and metals at a decent price, their shipping is quick I've found, and I've spent a bunch on things. Might be an outfit you'd find beneficial to get a catalog from. 800/645-7270

Good luck, and make up a nice set of jags while you're at it.

Char-Gar
04-08-2007, 06:28 AM
When I took my Machine Shop 101 course at South Plains College (Levelland, Texas) that little South Bend booklet was the text for the lathe. I sitll have my copy it is great!

Four Fingers of Death
04-08-2007, 06:57 AM
If you want to waste a few hours on the puter, check this out. Bigggggggggg section on mini lathes, making goodies for them, yarda, yarda, yarda. Also interesting section on varmint hunting, etc.

I have always fancied getting a lathe. Planned on big, but the further I go on I am becoming more interested in revolver work and making small dies, etc, so a small one would be ok. The trouble is I don't know anyone who has a small lathe, but I do know a few guys who have 20" between centre sized machines. They all say buy bigger! I know one guy who has a 36" BC lathe and he is very happy, teases te heck out of the others as well. I don't know which way to go. I kinda figure one of the small ones to get me started and even if I upgraded, it would be handy to have around anyway for small jobs.

Buckshot
04-08-2007, 09:15 AM
Floodgate, "like, for a 60* thread, set your compound at 59*". Er, you mean 29*, right?

4fingermick, the small 7" machines run here about $400, or a bit more. Then you go to the 9"x20 machines and they run from $700+ on sale to $1000 depending upon what color they're painted and the name on'em. There are 11" machines for a bit over $1100 and they have maybe a 26" bed. All of these are similar in that they either use change gears for feed and threading or a one lever QC box and loose gears in combination. Plus a small spindle hole ID.

A 'real' lathe :-) with a QC box and power crossfeed and you're talking a 12x36 and it'll be close to $2000. They have both belt and gearhead versions, and for that size I'd go with a beltfed version. They also get up to a spindle hole size where you can use 5C collets, and the ER series, etc.

Now, the REAL issue here is will you get $2000 worth of use out of it? If you don't tinker and just like to make stuff, probably not. If' it's just going to sit until you need a new M die or nose punch or maybe a couple brass jags, you can buy a whole crapload of that stuff for $2000 and not have to buy any additional tooling either.

Having a lathe is a super nice tool to have around, but it's not like going down and buying a new Black & Decker 7-1/4 circ saw. I enjoy mine so much I'd encourage anyone with a bit of tinkeritis to seriously think about getting one, but unless you really have the burn, think about what you'll be doing and how much you'll be doing.

One other thing to remember is: You can easily do small stuff on a big lathe, but you can't do big stuff on a little lathe.

................Buckshot

DaveInFloweryBranchGA
04-08-2007, 09:19 AM
There is no such thing as a bad tool. All tools bought are added to the list and are totalled as part of the group known toys. He who dies with the most toys wins.

Georgeld,

Check out the link at the beginning of this post 4fingermick provided. They should have parts for your machine.

Regards,

Dave

PatMarlin
04-08-2007, 09:36 AM
Well this is the good side of our relationship with China, but can we just stop buying foodstuffs like "wheat gluten" from them?.. :roll:

I bought one one of the HF combo lathe/mill/drill units for $450 with a cupon on sale, without a lick of metal turning experience (little wood), I was able to make some parts for my boat.

This is just what us remote mountain hillbillies need. Now I need to learn more on it.

floodgate
04-08-2007, 12:18 PM
georgeld:

Hardinge! I had a chance to run a 10" or 11" Hardinge in the school shop for a while. I loved the Logan I learned on, but the Hardinge was a REAL class act! For some reason, I've never been comfortable on a South Bend; the controls seem all wrong to me. Depends what you learned on, I guess.

Not clear what your problem is with the tailstock, but should be easy to fix, if you take it off and study it a bit. On my Smithy, there is a little angled-end pin that fits between the locking lever and the gib; if that drops out or is mis-aligned, the tailstock won't lock in place. Could that be the problem?

floodgate

floodgate
04-08-2007, 12:29 PM
Buckshot:

Yeah, you're right, if working to the degree scale on the compound; maybe even 29 1/2*. Depends on how you visualize the setting - I was thinking "one degree less than the tool's 60* point angle."

R.M.
04-08-2007, 01:02 PM
Yup, the Hardinge is the Cat's Meow. Run one exclusively for 13 years. There's just nothing that compares.
When looking to purchase a home shop lathe, one of the most important features for me would be the ability to cut threads. I had an old SouthBend years ago at home that I had to manualy change the gears to cut threads. A pain, yes, but at least I could cut them.

R.M.

Swagerman
04-08-2007, 01:08 PM
floodgate, a phone call to a local used book store (45 miles away) located lathe book you recomended dated 1942.

The pictures alone are worth the price. WW-2 era for sure.

And it is indeed a wealth of information to a know nothing hacker like myself...ashamed to say I didn't even know all the focal points on a lathe.

However, this book will not change me into a machinest over night, haven't got the Timing Pulley from LMS.com yet.

Kind of sorry I didn't order another headstock belt to timing pulley, it may be more worn than I thought.

OK, on the compound setting 29.5 * sounds close enough for government work.

Your darn book just makes me want to learn and learn, and spend more money, more money on bigger and better lathes and accessorie tools.

I guess I really ought to dismantle the gear end of this little China toy, and apply some lithiem grease to everything as it sounds a little nosey and dry in rotation...especially at the chuck end of the headstock.

Still wish they had a night school course in this backwoods area on running lathes, first hand experience is always better.

Thanks for the tip on the book. :-D

Jim

floodgate
04-08-2007, 03:36 PM
I remember back in the '60's when a gunsmth buddy decided to upgrade from the 12" Atlas he had worn out ('way back before the inexpensive imports were on the market) we spent a couple of days cruising the Los Angeles Street "Used Machinery Row". First thing we found was that ALL used lathes in serviceable condition and comparably tooled up cost the same, regardless of size; you could buy 60" monster for about the same as a 9" South Bend, IF you could arrange to haul it away! One dealer with a two-station Pratt & Whitney rifling machine offered to GIVE it to us - problem was, it was set up to cut two 3" artillery barrels at a time, and was about 50 feet long (and I hate to think what it weighed!). He ended up with a 13" Logan with some tooling for a bit over $1000 (in 1960's $$$). I had a little 6" Craftsman/Atlas, and was saving up to buy a Maximat V10 - but the price went up faster than I could feed money into my "tool account", so I stuck with the little Atlas until I wore it flat out; then I got my Smithy.

As to books, one worth looking up is Fred Colvin & Ethan Viall "The Manufacture of the Model 1903 Springfield Service Rifle", 1917, reprinted by Wolfe in 1984, ISBN 0-935632-20-4. Colvin was the foremost machinist of the day, and he was asked to prepare complete specification and procedures, tooling and material specs. for prospective makers of the 1903 for WW I; as we know, this project was shelved in favor of adapting the in-production 1914 British Enfield to make our 1917; but the book is a fascinating look at how to set up for quantity production of a military rifle. A hard book to find, but worth it at about any price.

floodgate

Four Fingers of Death
04-08-2007, 07:15 PM
Thanks for the info Buckshot, pretty much summarises what I have gleaned on the subject from other lathe users over the last few years.

My son (32yr old mad scientist, more inspriration than perspiration) wants to build a Gingery lathe. Going out and buying a Chinee one sounds a lot easier, but it might be a good father and son project.

I will put a thread about this on Humour and Off Topic.
Mick.

floodgate
04-08-2007, 10:39 PM
Mick:

"My son (32yr old mad scientist, more inspriration than perspiration) wants to build a Gingery lathe. Going out and buying a Chinee one sounds a lot easier, but it might be a good father and son project."

DO IT! Gingery's stuff looks great, and it'll be a great "bonding" experience, if you need one. I wish my son were closer than Houston, TX - half-way across the country - so he could work with me on some of my projects. After dropping out in high school, he has built himself a good career the hard way, and will graduate from the local Community College (AA in Industrial Arts: Welding Certification) next month, at 46. We're both busting with pride, and will be there to cheer him on.

floodgate

PatMarlin
04-09-2007, 11:58 AM
You can actually still do that at a Community College? I have hope for our country yet... :mrgreen:

Swagerman
04-09-2007, 01:40 PM
Hey, I love that ***** cat doing the right-cross sucker punch. Way to go, kitty.

Have not found a community college closer than 60 miles...to far for night school and me an old fart.

Having already sent off my payment and order for my timing pulley, boring bar set, center punches, 3 sets of knurling wheels...I decided I was skateting on thin ice without ordering a new timing belt as well.

Sent an additional letter and funds for pullley belt, might as well do this restoration right instead of half-a$$.

Jim :coffee:

melw
04-11-2007, 11:05 PM
All this talk on lathes! I have one of those 7x10 from HF as well.
They are good to start with I like mine. Here is a pic of it and me.
http://home.pacbell.net/melw/Meandlathe.jpg
I had just got the other lathe in the photo. I needed to compare them.:mrgreen:
I am the guy in the forground. My uncle and I had just finshed moving the new to me lathe in to my garage.
Mel W.

Four Fingers of Death
04-12-2007, 08:05 AM
Both look good melw!

Swagerman
04-12-2007, 11:03 AM
What a massive lathe you fellers moved into your garage, the tail stock looks like it weighs more than the HF mini-lathe. :D

What do you plan on making, cannon barrels. :holysheep

Jim

melw
04-12-2007, 11:24 AM
What a massive lathe you fellers moved into your garage, the tail stock looks like it weighs more than the HF mini-lathe. :D

What do you plan on making, cannon barrels. :holysheep

Jim
Well maybe.[smilie=1: I would then need to build a rifling machine.
I wanted a larger lathe then the 7X10 and had saved up some money. My uncle (the othe guy in the pic) is a retired machinist and knew of a good buy.
I got that lathe a 17X40 for $1200. I then had to get the tooling and other things to make it run. I built the 3 phase converter from a kit I found on eBay and a 15 horse motor from a salvage yard. I still need to get the garage wired for it. The lathe wants 40 amps. THe 30amp dryer circuit is not happy!
My wife was taking the pics was just shaking her head the whole time we where moving it. We worked for four hours to get it in the garage.
We moved that 4000lb tool by hand with comealongs roollers and long pry bars.

Mel W.

grumpy one
04-12-2007, 07:35 PM
melw, because this is your first toolroom lathe I'll risk insulting you by asking whether you leveled it properly? Unlike your minilathe, toolroom lathes have enough flexibility in their long beds so that if you just put it on a nominally flat floor, it ends up with the tailstock not aligned with the headstock when they are a long way apart.

I'm not a Buckshot-style serious operator, but I did have to do at least a reasonable job of leveling mine. I used a precision level (NOT a normal Starret level) across the two ends of the ways, and shimmed the support points until I had it within one-and-a-half thousandths of an inch across the width of the bed, from end to end. I could have done better by spending more than the 20 minutes I invested - the level was easily sensitive enough to do much better - but since I never make long objects on the lathe I took the slack approach. In a toolroom it would have been done properly of course. You also need to recheck it occasionally - your shims are likely to settle after it has vibrated in service for a while.

melw
04-12-2007, 08:25 PM
Why yes I did.
My uncle helped me. What I meant when I said he was a retired machinist was he had his own small shop. He keeps busy finding and restoring forklifts.
We leveled it and wated a week or more then did it again.
No insult was taken.
Mel W.


melw, because this is your first toolroom lathe I'll risk insulting you by asking whether you leveled it properly? Unlike your minilathe, toolroom lathes have enough flexibility in their long beds so that if you just put it on a nominally flat floor, it ends up with the tailstock not aligned with the headstock when they are a long way apart.

I'm not a Buckshot-style serious operator, but I did have to do at least a reasonable job of leveling mine. I used a precision level (NOT a normal Starret level) across the two ends of the ways, and shimmed the support points until I had it within one-and-a-half thousandths of an inch across the width of the bed, from end to end. I could have done better by spending more than the 20 minutes I invested - the level was easily sensitive enough to do much better - but since I never make long objects on the lathe I took the slack approach. In a toolroom it would have been done properly of course. You also need to recheck it occasionally - your shims are likely to settle after it has vibrated in service for a while.

Buckshot
04-13-2007, 02:39 AM
..............You probably know you'll need to check it several times in the next 6 months. You oughta be able to make some BIG fancy stuff with a 17" machine! There's a story around on the web (with pictures) of a guy that turned a dang big cannon barrel on a 10" Logan!

He had to use a hoist to get the barrel up onto the lathe, and then swap the barrel end for end to turn the entire length, as the barrel was about 18" longer then the bed. When it came time to bore it he went to a friends who had a big Monarch with a 72" bed.

..................Buckshot

Swagerman
04-13-2007, 01:39 PM
Well, good news for me. :-D :-D :-D

This came in todays mail...


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/44and45/Timingbeltpulley.jpg

Me little watch fob of a mini-lathe is back in business of turning metal again. :drinks:

Man, it runs like it was just taken out of its shipping box. Really strong again. :mrgreen:

They forgot to send me my pully belt, but its doing great on the old one.

Jim

melw
04-13-2007, 01:52 PM
Yes the guys at The LittleMachineShop.com are great to work with. I have a bunch of acc from them.
Mel W.

RSOJim
04-14-2007, 08:39 AM
My wife and I go to yard and garage sales on Fridays here in central Florida. Yesterday I found a craftsman 109 lathe. I bought the thing for 150 bucks. I have been wanting one for a long time. Now I have to learn how to use it. I ask the guy if he had any reloading supplies to sell, well yes he did. I got twelve one pound cans of unopened powder for 50 bucks. Six of them were winchester 748, one container of unique, two cans of 4198, one can of 4350, one 296 and one of something else, can't remember right now, the coffee hasn't kicked in yet. Jim

PatMarlin
04-14-2007, 08:58 AM
Your good fortune is almost upsetting.. :mrgreen:

Swagerman
04-14-2007, 02:34 PM
Nice finds, got a picture if the Craftsman lathe.

About 25 years ago I had a chance to buy Sears Craftsman at a yard sale, but it was a rusted out ***. The original owner never took good care of it...must have got rained on and never dryed or lubed.

Can't remember what they were asking for it, might have been hundred bucks.

Jim

Buckshot
04-15-2007, 09:01 AM
................I don't know why but those Craftsman 109's go for some crazy money on E-Bay. They're more of a toy then a real lathe but I guess it's a nostalgia thing or something. They ARE cute :-)

...............Buckshot

HTRN
04-17-2007, 11:04 AM
You can actually still do that at a Community College? I have hope for our country yet... :mrgreen:

My "Community" College had Machining Centers, Turning Centers, and right before I graduated, a STL machine.

But then, they were offering a Man. Eng degree. :mrgreen:


HTRN

targetshootr
05-07-2007, 07:52 PM
What kind of revolver barrel work can you do on a Harbor Freight lathe? Had the urge to get one several years ago but it passed. To make an octagon barrel I guess you need a milling machine?

Buckshot
05-07-2007, 11:43 PM
What kind of revolver barrel work can you do on a Harbor Freight lathe? Had the urge to get one several years ago but it passed. To make an octagon barrel I guess you need a milling machine?


.........Or a planer, or a surface grinder. Or lots of patience and a drawfile :-)

............Buckshot

leftiye
05-08-2007, 03:56 AM
.........Or a planer, or a surface grinder. Or lots of patience and a drawfile :-)

............Buckshot

And lots of time/energy if you file. You could do a real short one with a milling attachment.