Little Machine Shop Mini Lathe User manual

The premier source of parts and accessories for mini lathes and mini mills.

Mini Lathe User’s Guide

from LittleMachineShop.com

Frank J. Hoose Jr. of Mini-Lathe.com took many of the photographs in this

document. Be sure to visit the Mini-Lathe.com Web site, which has a wealth of

information about the mini lathe.

LittleMachineShop.com

http://www.littlemachineshop.com

396 W Washington Blvd #500 • Pasadena CA 91103

(800) 981-9663 • [email protected]

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................5

Specifications ..............................................................................5

Safety Considerations .....................................................................5

Features.....................................................................................6

Front View ...............................................................................6

Rear View ................................................................................7

Basic Accessories...........................................................................7

Cleaning .....................................................................................7

Mounting Your Lathe ......................................................................7

Operating Controls ........................................................................8

Motor Controls...........................................................................8

High/Low Speed Shifter ................................................................9

Power Feed Forward/Neutral/Reverse Lever ..................................... 10

Power Feed Lever ..................................................................... 10

Carriage Hand Wheel ................................................................. 10

Cross Slide Feed Handle.............................................................. 10

Compound Rest Feed Handle ........................................................ 11

Compound Rest Rotation............................................................. 11

Tailstock Lock Nut .................................................................... 11

Tailstock Quill Hand Wheel .......................................................... 11

Tailstock Quill Locking Lever........................................................ 11

Adjustments .............................................................................. 12

Carriage ................................................................................ 12

Cross Slide Gibs........................................................................ 12

Cross Slide Nut ........................................................................ 13

Compound Rest Gibs.................................................................. 13

Apron Position ......................................................................... 13

Half Nuts ............................................................................... 14

Lead Screw Mounting ................................................................. 14

Drive Belt............................................................................... 14

Lubrication................................................................................ 15

Lubricating the Transmission Gears ................................................ 17

Changing Chuck Jaws.................................................................... 17

Grinding Tool Bits........................................................................ 18

Grinding Tool Bits ..................................................................... 20

Grind the Front Relief ................................................................ 20

Grind the Left Side Relief............................................................ 20

Grind the Top Rake ................................................................... 20

Round the Nose........................................................................ 20

Adjusting Tool Bit Height ............................................................... 20

Turning .................................................................................... 21

Manual Turning ........................................................................ 21

Turning with Power Feed ............................................................ 22

Facing ..................................................................................... 22

Turning Angles ........................................................................... 23

Threading ................................................................................. 24

Change Gears .......................................................................... 24

Threading Dial ......................................................................... 27

Tool Bit ................................................................................. 28

Compound Angle ...................................................................... 28

Setting the Cutting Tool ............................................................. 29

Threading Process..................................................................... 30

Common Accessories .................................................................... 30

Cut-Off Tool Holder................................................................... 30

Quick Change Tool Post .............................................................. 31

Indexable Turning Tools.............................................................. 32

4-Jaw Chuck ........................................................................... 32

Faceplate............................................................................... 33

Centers and Dogs...................................................................... 33

Steady Rest and Follower Rest ...................................................... 34

Maintenance .............................................................................. 34

Cleaning ................................................................................ 35

Motor Brushes.......................................................................... 35

Introduction

This user’s guide covers the 7x10 and 7x12 mini lathes that are sold by

Grizzly Industrial, Harbor Freight Tools, Homier Mobile Merchants, Micro-Mark,

Northern Tool & Equipment, Enco, and Wholesale Tool.

These lathes are made in China, in several different factories, but to a similar

set of plans. The general operating principles covered in this document are

common to all of them.

Specifications

The following specifications are common to these lathes.

Metric Lathes

Inch Lathes

Swing over bed

180 mm

7”

Between Centers

200 mm / 300 mm

7.9” / 11.8”

Spindle Taper

3 Morse taper

Tailstock taper

2 Morse taper

Spindle Bore

20 mm

0.79”

Cross Slide Travel

65 mm

2.56”

Compound Rest Travel

55 mm

2.17”

Spindle Speed

100–2500 RPM

Automatic Feed Rate

0.1 mm / Revolution

0.004”/ Revolution

Screw Threads

0.4–2.0 mm in 10 steps

12–52 TPI in 18 steps

Safety Considerations

Always use common sense when using a power tool. Review the safety

instructions that came with your lathe. Besides the general safety rules for any

power tool, the following are specific considerations for the mini lathe.

Your mini lathe is just that, a mini, or small lathe. Don’t attempt jobs that

are beyond its capacity.

Check the work piece after you place it in the chuck or other work holding

device. Be sure it is secure before turning on the lathe.

Don’t wear loose clothing or jewelry when operating the lathe.

Features

Front View

1. Headstock

2. Motor controls

3. 3-jaw chuck

4. Bed ways

5. Carriage

6. Tool post

7. Cross slide

8. Compound rest

9. Compound rest feed handle

10.Tailstock quill

11.Tailstock quill locking lever

12.Tailstock

13.Tailstock quill hand wheel

14.Change gear cover

15.Lead screw

16.Carriage hand wheel

17.Apron

18.Cross slide feed handle

19.Threading dial

20.Power feed lever

21.Tailstock lock nut

Rear View

1. High/low speed shifter

2. Power feed forward/neutral/reverse lever

Basic Accessories

The following accessories come with most mini lathes. Some mini lathes come

with additional accessories.

Chuck key for the 3-jaw chuck

Outside jaws for the 3-jaw chuck

Change gears: 30, 35, 40 (2), 45, 50, 55, 57, 60 and 65 teeth

Hex wrenches: 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm

Open end wrenches: 8 x 10 mm and 14 x 17 mm

Cleaning

Your lathe will arrive coated with grease to protect it from corrosion during

shipment. Follow this procedure to remove the grease:

1. Wipe most of the grease off with rags or paper towels.

2. Clean the surfaces with mineral spirits (paint thinner).

3. Coat the surfaces with oil.

See the lubrication section for specific recommendations for lubricants.

Mounting Your Lathe

All mini lathes come with rubber feet that attach to the same holes used to

secure the lathe for shipping. If you want your lathe to be portable, simply

install these feet.

Note: If your lathe didn’t come with them, adding chip tray braces

(LittleMachineShop.com part number 1328) spreads the feet by several inches

and makes the lathe much steadier.

You can also bolt your lathe to your workbench. The following diagram shows

the holes required. The wider bolt pattern is for the 7x12 lathe, while the

narrower bolt pattern is for the 7x10 lathe.

Mount the lathe to the workbench with 6 mm bolts. The bolts should be about

10 mm longer than the thickness of the workbench. Use fender washers on the

underside of wooden benches to prevent the bolt heads from pulling through.

Operating Controls

There are several controls used to operate the lathe. Become familiar with

them before you use the lathe.

Motor Controls

1. Speed control

2. Forward/off/reverse switch

3. Power switch

There are several versions of the control panel on the mini lathe, but they all

include the same controls. In some cases the power switch is a big red

“emergency” switch, and in some cases it is a rocker switch.

The big red emergency switch latches in the off position when you press the big

red button. To turn the switch on, slide the big red button in the direction of

the arrow. The big red button will swing up to the on position.

The power switch interrupts the input power to the speed control circuit

board.

The forward/off/reverse switch switches the polarity of the speed control

circuit board output power between the speed control circuit board and the

motor.

You control the motor speed by adjusting a potentiometer that provides the

speed setting value to the speed control circuit board. On some lathes there is

a safety switch on the speed control potentiometer that forces you to return

the control to minimum speed when starting the lathe.

CAUTION: Always turn the speed control to the minimum speed position before

starting the lathe. Starting the lathe with the speed control set to a higher

speed can damage the speed control circuit board.

To power up the lathe:

1. Turn the speed control to the minimum speed position.

2. Place the forward/off/reverse switch in the off position.

3. Turn on the power switch.

To start the lathe:

1. Ensure that the speed control is set to the minimum speed position.

2. Move the forward/off/reverse switch to the appropriate position.

3. Advance the speed control to the desired speed.

To stop the lathe:

1. Turn the speed control to the minimum speed position.

2. Move the forward/off/reverse switch to the off position.

3. If you want to power down the lathe, press the big red switch or the rocker

switch to turn off the power.

High/Low Speed Shifter

The high/low speed shifter is on the back of the headstock. It selects the

spindle speed range.

Low speed range

50*–1100 RPM

High speed range

50*–2500 RPM

* Minimum speed varies.

Never move this lever when the lathe is turning. You might need to turn the

spindle slightly by hand as you move the high/low speed shifter.

Power Feed Forward/Neutral/Reverse Lever

The power feed forward/neutral/reverse lever controls the direction of

rotation of the lead screw. When this lever is in the forward, or top, position

the lead screw moves the carriage toward the headstock. When this lever is in

the reverse, or bottom, position, the lead screw moves the carriage away from

the headstock. In the center, or neutral, position the lead screw is disengaged

and does not turn.

There is a strong spring in this lever. Pull out firmly on the end of the lever

while moving it.

NOTE: In many cases the detents for this control are not well formed, and in

some cases are not in the correct position. If your power feed will not stay

engaged, or if it does not disengage properly, inspect the detents in the back

of the headstock and move or enlarge them with a center punch.

Power Feed Lever

The power feed lever locks the half nuts around the lead screw, which engages

the power feed.

The power feed is engaged when this lever is down, and disengaged when this

lever is up.

Carriage Hand Wheel

The carriage hand wheel moves the carriage toward or away from the

headstock, depending on which way it is turned.

Use this hand wheel to position the carriage. Because this hand wheel moves

the carriage quickly it is not easy to use this hand wheel to move the carriage

while you are turning.

You cannot turn this hand wheel when the automatic feed is engaged.

Cross Slide Feed Handle

The cross slide feed handle moves the cross slide across the ways. Use this

handle to advance the tool into the work and for facing cuts.

The dial on this handle indicates the relative position of the cross slide. The

graduated dial can be repositioned for convenience.

On some lathes there are 40 divisions on the dial. On these lathes, each turn of

the handle advances the cross slide 1 mm or approximately 0.040”. The

distance is actually 0.03937”, an error of a little less than 2%.

Other lathes have 50 graduations on the dial. On these lathes, each turn of the

handle advances the cross slide 0.050”.

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