Micro-Mark MicroLux 7" x 16" Lathe, anything similar for less?

[datiLED]

I have wanted a metal lathe for about three years, but have refrained from making a purchase due to space and money limitations. After many months of research, comparison shopping, and countless hours of reading everything that Google had to offer, I have decided to buy a Micro-Mark MicroLux 7" x 16" mini lathe. I plan on buying the lathe early this coming year, so there is still time to look for a good deal.

The powerful DC motor, belt drive and other quality features of the MicroLux 7" x 16" won me over when compared to lathes similar to the Harbor Freight 7" x 12". I also like the fact that the lathe requires less cleaning than most of the goop covered import lathes. Little Machine Shop has a nice 7" x 12" lathe, but it is more expensive than the MicroLux when shipping is factored in. Is there another small lathe priced under $900 that I should consider looking at? I want to stick with a lathe that is at least 7" x 12". I have looked for used lathes, but what I found was older import lathes that needed work, priced close to what a new Harbor Freight lathe would cost with a 20% off coupon. Besides, I know that the tools will be another huge expense, and I will buy them as needed, or when on sale.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Al Combs]

AFAIK, the LMS 7x12 and the MicroLux 7x16 are the only two of the newer style Sieg C2's available. The cam lock tailstock and brushless DC motor easily set them apart from the rest. Surprising for all the companies that sell Mini Lathes, they are mostly the old type. The extra 4 inches of the MicroLux bed seem well worth choosing that one over the LMS. I never realized LMS wanted an extra $195 for shipping to East coast residential. I like the fact that the LMS steady rest has ball bearing. I'll bet with a little modification to the steady rest and the addition of some brass shim stock held by a hose clamp you could re-thread Mag-D's on a 7x16 Mini Lathe.

Everyone is still going to tell you to put the $1,000 into a craigs-list much bigger lathe.Sometimes there just isn't enough room. I have about 3 feet of space in my utility room between the furnace and the washing machine I could just squeeze a Mini Lathe into. A HarborFreight 9x20 only cost $1,300 and may have a store within driving distance of your Atlanta location. That may be an item you can't get in the local stores though. If you consider all the people that started with Mini Lathes and ended up with something like a PM1236, maybe you could start a WTB thread for a Mini Lathe over in the B/S/T forum.😉

 

[datiLED]

Al, thanks for the reply. From my research, there aren't any other SC2 lathes available in the U.S. other than the two mentioned. I don't really have the room for a larger lathe at this time, or I would buy a Grizzly 9" x 19" for $1069, delivered. It is a killer deal, and comes with a lot of extras. Those extras make me want to reconfigure my workshop area in the garage so that it will fit. There is a Harbor Freight within 25 minutes of my house, and I have been tempted see if they have something in stock that I can't pass up. However, I am still stuck on the features of the Micro-Mark, and the high torque motor will make life easy when I get up to speed on using the lathe.

Regarding the Craig's List lathe; there hasn't been anything in my area worth looking at. I have been searching for a few months. They are either $500 beater lathes that need work, or $2000+ monsters. A few people were actually selling Central Machinery lathes for more then they are new.

 

[will]

Bigger is always better. Bed length is only one thing to consider. Also very important is the bore diameter of the lathe and the bore of the chuck. Most of the mini lathes come with a chuck that has a bore of less the .750 inch. The body of a Maglite Mini-Mag will not fit in the bore of the chuck.

I have an ENCO 7x10, I do a lot with the lathe, but it is limited.

 

[DKlaser]

I just bought a mini lathe myself. After doing research I found that there are about a dozen different brands of mini lathe that roll out of 2 factory's. Besides the LMS machine and one other that use brushless motors near all the parts are 100% interchangeable. Price differences are due more to tooling that is included. Once I figured that out I hit craigslist and bought the cheapest one that I could find that was in good condition. When I got it home I blew it totally apart to clean, repaint, and mod. I am putting a 6" chuck on mine that has a through hole of 1.5" (just for D mags) and will still allow me to open the jaws enough to grab the mag and not hit the ways. I also am upgrading the gears that are in the headstock to metal and going with the tapered bearings. Good luck doing internal threads on a mag using the tiny stock chuck.

 

[gadget_lover]

I think that Will once did a nice pictorial on working with larger lights on a small lathe. He did some great work with a 7x?? lathe. If you are doing large lights often, then the fixtures you create make it much easier than it sounds.

I thought about doing a write-up showing how to use the steady rest to allow you to thread a 2D on a 7x12, but have never had the time. Not sure there would be much interest either.

Daniel

 

[gadget_lover]

Bigger is always better. Bed length is only one thing to consider. Also very important is the bore diameter of the lathe and the bore of the chuck. Most of the mini lathes come with a chuck that has a bore of less the .750 inch. The body of a Maglite Mini-Mag will not fit in the bore of the chuck.

I have an ENCO 7x10, I do a lot with the lathe, but it is limited.

The other thing I've noticed with a larger lathe is that there is more room around the lathe to put things like carriage stops, dial indicators and such. Smaller lathes are sometimes cramped.

Daniel

 

[darkzero]

Keep in mind the large differences in price aren't that way off. If you study closer you will see that the more expensive ones come with more accessories & features. You can save money initially with a HF model & with the coupon but it's pretty much bare bones & will require lots of upgrading before it becomes a reliable machine. If you think you won't need all the extras then it works out but gettting all those extras is worth it. And some features can't be added later or very expensive.

That 8x High Torque lathe is pretty nice but it's also pretty expensive.

Smaller lathes are sometimes cramped.

I didn't even work on full size Mags & I outgrew my 8x14 in less than a year.

 

[Kestrel]

I called a few of the Harbor Freights around here (Pacific Northwest), all of them told me that they didn't have lathes in the stores - an online only proposition it seems to me.

From my very limited research I understand how the MM 7x16 looks like an attractive option - like you I absolutely don't want a monster to have to move around and to work with in limited space. Have you read the recent thread that Robocop did a few months ago, considering a mini-lathe?

Edit: The link for his thread is here.

Best of luck,

 

[datiLED]

There is a lot of experience to draw from in this thread! I did read the older CPF threads on lathe choice, and saw that the recurring theme is "Bigger is better". Some threads on CPF and the mini lathe sites have shown me that when a small lathe is properly configured, it can be very versatile.

I will admit that through all of my research, I didn't give spindle bore diameter much thought other than to check that it was at least 3/4". I plan on working on small lights and parts, but do see the value in having a larger bore for a Mag, or other large diameter light. The idea of using a larger chuck and backplate is popular, and the MicroLux 7" x 16" should have the power.

The 9" x 19" that I was looking at has only a 3/4" spindle bore, but comes with a 4-jaw chuck and many accessories. It is considerably bigger than the Micro-Mark, but I may be able to move it by myself without a hoist, once I remove all of the extra parts. (I would probably rent a hoist to avoid a hernia, though.)
http://www.grizzly.com/products/9-x-19-Bench-Lathe/G4000
Overall dimensions: 37"L x 20"W x 15"H, Approx. shipping weight: 293 lbs.

This is another option from Grizzly, but only has a 1" spindle bore. This is a crazy heavy lathe, and would require an engine hoist to move. It would have a lot of room to grow into. Again, it comes with a lot of accessories. It is more than I wanted to spend at this time, but would likely save me money in the long run.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-x-22-Bench-Top-Metal-Lathe/G0602
Overall dimensions 46"L x 22"W x 16-5/8"H, Approximate shipping weight 453 lbs.

 

[moderator007]

As a HF 8x14 owner (or 12 as HF calls it) I can tell you its perfectly cable of turning 2d maglites. The lathe comes ready to use right out of the box once cleaned up. The extra weight of the machine helps in the rigidness of the lathe. It weighs around 240lbs. Two people can move it around pretty well if you remove the tailstock and cross slide. I do like my little lathe, but if I was doing it all over again I would have definitely went bigger. The money I had to spend on various other pieces, that it did not come with would have been the difference of the bigger lathe. I would have probably went with the grizzly 10 x 22. My first purchase after the lathe would be a QCTP and holders. Installed one on the 8x14 and it saves loads of time. My next lathe will probably be a PM 12x36.

 

[Al Combs]

The two Grizzlies you mentioned seem very reasonably priced. Enough to buy one of those HarborFreight 2 ton foldable shop cranes.🙂 Or as you say if you have a local place to rent tools. I don't own a lathe myself, yet. I just have access to one occasionally at work. From what I've read others posting here, being able to change gears for threading by just flipping a level or a dial, is much nicer than actually moving gears around by hand. Although I guess when you change from imperial to metric you still have to flip around the 120/127 tooth gear around by hand. That would be one downside to threading on the MicroMark 7x16. Can anyone comment on whether having a 150 rpm minimum spindle speed makes flipping the half nut lever while threading difficult in terms of timing it just right?

 

[BVH]

The problem with renting a cherry picker is that there's a very good chance that the valve will not gradually release pressure to allow a very slow and smooth lowering of the load. Ask me how I know! I almost dropped a Delta 20" drill press head because it was either open or closed no in-between - maybe a bit of exaggeration but not much. I bought the HF 2-ton'r folding model and am very happy with it.

 

[precisionworks]

Can anyone comment on whether having a 150 rpm minimum spindle speed makes flipping the half nut lever while threading difficult in terms of timing

That all depends ...

How many parts have you threaded?

Is your eye/hand coordination fast or is it average or slow?

How wide a run out groove has been cut to land the tool?

Is it a coarse thread like 13 tpi or a fine thread ... the tool moves a lot slower on the fine thread but it zips along quickly on a very coarse thread. FWIW we thread at 150 rpm on the CNC lathe at work but it will stop the tool .1mm from a shoulder (.010"). On a manual machine most operators go slower if possible.

 

[gadget_lover]

A solution some have used when the speed is too fast for threading is to create a manual crank that is inserted into the left side of the spindle and secured with an expanding plug. 60 RPM is one revolution per second, so manual speed is not outside the parameters for cutting good threads.

Just remember o remove the handle before you turn the lathe on again. 🙂

Daniel

 

[will]

Here is something I have done in the past, probably 99 reasons not to do this.

I have used an inside threading tool mounted in the cross slide. Put the tool on the backside of the round stock, away from you. Run the lathe in reverse, start the thread at the 'O' ring groove and cut away from the chuck. This is with the cross slide set to 0 degrees, not 29.5. Cut a piece of scrap first to make sure you are not cutting a left hand thread.

My mini lathe can be turned easily by hand, so I have not done this more that a few times.

 

[precisionworks]

used an inside threading tool mounted in the cross slide. Put the tool on the backside of the round stock, away from you. Run the lathe in reverse, start the thread at the 'O' ring groove and cut away from the chuck.

That's a great way to thread when there can be no run out groove, allowing the thread to start at the shoulder & continue to the end. Run any speed you like, although at faster speeds it's hard to catch the thread dial when you want to.

 

[Al Combs]

That all depends ...

How many parts have you threaded?

We just replaced our old lathe at work with a "real" one. Officially it is just for facing camera and lens flange rings to zero the body height. But they don't mind people using it on lunch if no one else needs it. Imagine a lathe without a carriage or lead screw. Our old lathe's cross slide would clamp directly to the bed with a large thumb screw like a steady rest does. I have 30+ years experience on that lathe. So the short answer to your question of how many threads is, so far none.😱

Is your eye/hand coordination fast or is it average or slow?

Well slow doesn't really explain it correctly. It's more like irregular. A good example would be perhaps half of the time I double click a mouse I'm either too fast or too slow. My wheel button is redefined as my double click.🙂

How wide a run out groove has been cut to land the tool?

Is it a coarse thread like 13 tpi or a fine thread ... the tool moves a lot slower on the fine thread but it zips along quickly on a very coarse thread. FWIW we thread at 150 rpm on the CNC lathe at work but it will stop the tool .1mm from a shoulder (.010"). On a manual machine most operators go slower if possible.

It's hard to estimate from pictures I'd seen in guides on threading. I Google'd thread undercut and found several references to a typical undercut being 1½ threads wide. Well if you've got the extra room in terms of distance or desired thread strength, it could obviously be more. But 1½ thread pitch @ 150 rpm is 0.6 seconds if I'm understand it correctly. Which is uncomfortably close to the mouse double click range. That was the reason I asked about this in the first place.😱

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A solution some have used when the speed is too fast for threading is to create a manual crank that is inserted into the left side of the spindle and secured with an expanding plug. 60 RPM is one revolution per second, so manual speed is not outside the parameters for cutting good threads.

Just remember o remove the handle before you turn the lathe on again. 🙂

Daniel

That's a very interesting idea! Kind of like a hand tap that weighs a few hundred pounds, or more. OTOH, if you make ≈6 passes per thread and it's a fairly long thread, that could get very tiring I would think. The LMS and Micro-Mark SC2 are both described as having good low end torque in the ≈50 rpm range. I'm unsure if that means as good as anyone else, or good enough to do actual work like a threading operation.:shrug: But 1.8 seconds sounds much better than 0.6 to a mouse challenged guy like me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is something I have done in the past, probably 99 reasons not to do this.

I have used an inside threading tool mounted in the cross slide. Put the tool on the backside of the round stock, away from you. Run the lathe in reverse, start the thread at the 'O' ring groove and cut away from the chuck. This is with the cross slide set to 0 degrees, not 29.5. Cut a piece of scrap first to make sure you are not cutting a left hand thread.

My mini lathe can be turned easily by hand, so I have not done this more that a few times.

I wondered why people don't cut threads in reverse as a means of reducing the size of the undercut? Although as Barry said, there still is the issue of the little wheel zipping around too fast. I would imagine if you engage on the last pass of cutting the thread at the wrong index mark, something might break.:duck:

 

[gadget_lover]

I wondered why people don't cut threads in reverse as a means of reducing the size of the undercut? Although as Barry said, there still is the issue of the little wheel zipping around too fast. I would imagine if you engage on the last pass of cutting the thread at the wrong index mark, something might break.

Not all lathes have a reverse. 🙂

Daniel

 

[precisionworks]

Not all lathes have a reverse.

While that's true it's simple enough to add a single phase reversible motor to most any machine. Control it with a drum switch mounted where it's easy to get to. I probably use reverse at least 20% of the time (polishing, power tapping, threading, some boring operations).