The Mini-Lathe

by David Fenner

The Mini-lathe has become the best-selling item of machinery in the hobby engineering market - often purchased as a first step by beginners to the hobby. For many years Myford lathes were considered as 'standard issue' for model engineers, but at about one-twentieth of the price of a new Myford, these new Mini-lathes set the benchmark for the future. This book is a complete course on using and improving this new generation of budget lathes. It explains everything from setting up and 'tuning' the machine for best performance to using accessories and carrying out tasks. "The Mini-Lathe" Safety, Preparing the lathe, Tooling materials and geometry, Tooling up, Getting started, Gear cover, Head stock dividing attachment, Modifications for milling, Improving rigidity, Making a part off too , Guided centre punch, filing rest, use of steadies and chuck depth stop, Toolpost powered spindle, saw table and grinding rest , DRO handwheels, taper roller bearings.

132 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

Reviews

[Smellsofbikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

About 60% of this is fairly specific to the ubiquitous 7x13 Import Lathe that shows up anywhere metalwork is done, but a significant portion is applicable to all small lathes, including sections on designing toolholders, alternate materials for tooling, general alignment and usage, and lathe-as-milling-machine modifications.