Plans, projects and How-to's for Home Machinists and Other Makers
This is a review of a very inexpensive Quick Change Tool Post (QCTP) set for 7x mini-lathes that can be purchased on Ebay for about $38 (including shipping). It is considerably less expensive than similar size QCTPs that you can find on LittleMachineShop.com and Amazon that cost about $135 to $155 plus shipping.… Read the rest
This excellent article was written by Bob Bickerton, a new contributor to Machinistblog.com. It was originally published to the files section of the Yahoo 7x12minilathe discussion group.
The slowest feed rate on the Mini-lathe is about .004 in/revolution. This is fine for many applications but when you want a nice, smooth turned finish the slowest rate isn’t slow enough. … Read the rest
I want to tell you about Ralph Patterson’s free plans for a ball turning tool post that will fit a 7-by-whatever mini-lathe, and show you how he used it to fix a broken shower head. I’ve also included a YouTube video that shows a similar tool post being used to make a ball end for a tool handle. … Read the rest
This article describes how I added an easy-to-make DRO (Digital Readout) to the cross-slide of my 7×12 mini-lathe. It uses an inexpensive digital dial indicator that I bought from Harbor Freight for about $25. It works very well and you won’t have to drill any holes in your lathe or disassemble it to install it.… Read the rest