Metal Lathes?

Anyone have any GOOD advice on metal lathes for flashlight mods? My father is in another state and saw a Cummins Tools Metal Lathe that he offered to buy for me. It's only $400 so it must be small. I am ready to modify (destroy? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif) some flashlight.

would like to know more info on lathes etc also. looking to buy one to play around with.

There have been a few threads on lathes. I think the latest was THIS ONE of Rothrandirs.

- Don

Thanks Don.

Honestly I didn't even think to search for lathes first.

Checkout this site and its links;

http://www.cctrap.com/~varmint/alath.htm

Harbor freight has one that sells for as low as $330 if you watch their site, normally it's $400. You need to get some cutting tools (also listed on HF site) and a chuck to hold drills and reamers. Total close to $500 (free shiping).An eBay site (search "mini lathe)lists a similar machine (2" longer bed) for $300 with $50 shipping but no tools. Enco, McMasters-Carr and Travers are places to find various drills, taps and blank cutters for grinding that "perfect" tool. OnlineMetals and MetalMart sell short lenghts of stock at reasonable prices.

Here are a few links for anyone considering a 7x10 lathe:

mini-lathe.com
Jose's 7x10
Little Machine Shop
Varmint Al's Mini Lathe Page
Yahoo 7x10 Mini Lathe Group

Enjoy!!

Are you sure that Cummins IS a METAL lathe? I thought they only had wood turners.

That said: Stay away from ANYTHING with the Cummins name on it.

Every cent I have spent with that outfit has been wasted and they have absolutely NO customer support- They won't even talk to you if you have a complaint or question.

yup...that's my link /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

i'm am pretty happy with the hf for the price.

it can only do about 6" reasonably /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif and i've only tested up to 2.5" diameter, and it was getting pretty close...don't expect anything over 3", if that.

also, the crosslide on mine isn't very sturdy, you can move it back and forth, making it difficult to do some inside cutting.

the biggest problem with it though, is the fact that i have a hard time finding 5/16" tooling for it. to be perfectly honest, all i have so far is the 1/4" indexables from the hf site, and some ground down screwdrivers.

someday, i will hopefully get around to buying 15 or so tool blanks and a angle gauge so i can make some threading tools and make reall things...not just heatsinks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

also, it is metric /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

the only stuff i found useful for it on the hf site were the 1/4' indexables (must use a shim), a drill chuck, and a digital caliper.

and remember, it's easier to take metal away then put it back on /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Roth...

Enco ( http://www.use-enco.com/ ) has them for $.84 (M2 HSS). Get their catolog it's full of cool things at reasonable (for machine tools) prices.

thanks whisky, i though i orderd a catalog from them a while ago, but it hasn't come on /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

not being sure though, i just ordered [another?] one. they said they would ship it in jan 2003 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

i just hate their website! it takes sooooo long to load /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

i don't the words "reasonable prices" can even be mentioned with machine tools /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Roth,
Serious sympathies, I didn't know what lathe you had. I have one of those at home and it has proven useful for cartridge case rim modifications. I suppose, with enough tooling, it would be possible to make a "small whatever" with it. At least you will learn! (I be lucky enough to have a 15", 10HP, with a KDK holder/10 blocks, and 5C lever closer, and full set of x64ths collets at work.) At least I know what you need for boring now. Hope to help soon.

Larry

lol, thanks larry /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (maybe i can make it worthwhile for ya eventually /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

cartrige case rims? like ammo?

yes, it should be possible to make small 123 and 2aa lights with the proper tooling, but likely not anything much more than that.
i don't think i would want to make anything much larger than that anyway...

it isn't a serious lathe, but it works pretty well for what i use it for.

After doing a bit of research (i.e. web surfing), I finally got a 7x14 from Micro-Mark. I thought it important to be able to cut threads, and working in inches instead of millimeters seemed a novel idea. As a practice piece to learn threading, turning, and facing, I made this Mag C-sized end cap:

which actually works quite well. It's somewhat more difficult to do precision work than I thought, but I'll learn. I'm now expecting to invest another 50% in measurement tools (e.g. digital caliper) and add-ons (e.g. steady rest, live center).

Like all other things, it's the accessories that cost the big bucks.

very nice paul!

Hey Roth,

Place a US nickel under those 1/4" tools to bring them right up to dead center.

i have some thin metal stips that i bump them up with, but it's quite a bother /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

as soon as the catalog come in, i think i will have to order some tools...

Micro-Mark sells a "Rocker Tool Post" #82689 for $25 that lets you quickly adjust tool position to exact center. I don't have this so don't know how well it works, but it's on my list for next month's purchases. I've been using aluminum shims, which work fine, but are a bother.

a bother indeed!

i wonder if it would fit on my lathe...?
do you have a link?

I had a prac today in one of the University Laboratories (Mech Eng), while looking around the room and generally wasting time what do I see:



It's about 50 cm (20 inches) across. Just for kicks I turned it on and had a play, too bad I didn't have long enough.

Those with an engineering background will know that these labs are very dangerous...



-YC