I used a mini lathe to make my own nuts and bolts. Here's how it went
Vložit
- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- I have been looking into getting a mini lathe and mill for quite a while. But I got stuck on the question of whether such small machines could do real work. Enter the @eastwoodco mini lathe and mill! In part one of a video series testing these machines, I investigate whether a newbie (myself) using a mini lathe can handle a real-life task: Making an emergency bolt for those times that you really need a fastener but just can't get one.
Learn more at projectlab.how.
Get the latest on new Project Lab videos and blog posts in your inbox: landing.mailer...
I hope you liked this video! If you want to see more, then please consider subscribing. And if you have any thoughts or questions, please share them in the comments below. I try to respond to anyone who stops by.
Thanks for watching!
========== L I N K S ==========
The Eastwood mini lathe: www.eastwood.c...
The Eastwood mini mill: www.eastwood.c...
“Everything Matters (instrumental),” Fear of Water: • Fear of Water - Everyt...
More great music at / davidcoltperry . Thanks Dave!
Frank Hoose, a great teacher on mini-lathe usage: • Video
Quinn Dunki, an incredible teacher on lathe use and machining in general: • Metal Lathe Tutorial 1...
Eastwood's excellent series on its machining... machines: • The PERFECT Mini Lathe...
"Asakusa oumayagashi," Hirokage Utagawa: www.loc.gov/it...
"A canoe striking on a tree," Patrick Gass: www.loc.gov/it...
"De Soto crossing the Sewassee fork," J.W. Orr: www.loc.gov/it...
"Profile view of a cannon": www.loc.gov/re...
Any affiliate links above support this channel. Thanks!
====== THANKS PATRONS ======
If you like my stuff and want to give back, check out my Patreon. There I post behind-the-scenes video stories via Lens, directory commentary, and early access to new videos. Everyone also gets a credit in new videos and my eternal appreciation.
Thanks Patrons! Susan and Bill Mahaney; Matthew Reuter; David and Deb Reuter; Winolotonolo
========== SOCIALS ==========
Twitter: / andrewreuter
Instagram: / reuter_andrew
Facebook: / projectlab.how
Patreon: / andrewreuter
Great to see someone showing their errors and the journey to success! Thanks for the great video.
Plenty of that excitement on this one! 😆 Thank you!
I recently picked up a mini lathe to tinker around on, and this video cleared up a lot of the mystery surrounding it! I'm so excited to jump in and start making stuff!! Thanks for showing your process, mistakes and all! So helpful!
Great to hear! Good luck with your lathe! And great channel BTW!
Thats a great journey with you till the final results. Hope you maybe do some more projects on the lathe and keep us updated.
Greetings from West-Germany
Thanks as always! Will definitely be more on the lathe in the future. Take care!
Can’t wait for the mill video. I use the lathe for handgun barrels and threading. The mill will be nice for handgun slides and optic mounts.
Did you hear me screaming: "You are using the thread-cutter to mill!!!"?
Before you shape the nut head, run a nut down to the head, nip it tight and there you have a fixed template, shape, then remove nut down the thread.
With a background and career in accounting, I DO NOT have prior experience with machine tools. Therefore my purchase of a mini lathe began with lots of study and learning. It paid off. I bough a 7x16 Micro Mark brushless DC motor mini lathe. My studies taught me that I needed a quick change tool post and an outboard spider. I had to buy the QCTP, but I made the spider from a 1" black pipe fitting. The spider allows me to use a whole length of round stock and not have a chuck holding piece to throw away after the project is completed. The MM lathe is called a "True Inch" machine and it only lists a few imperial threads that it will cut, no metric threads. However Little Machine Shop has a program on their website that will tell which change gears to use and where to put them for almost any thread. My first project was for a set of stock makers screws for a Mosin Nagant, and they came out perfect. The Mosin uses a very unusual metric thread pitch thread which which is what inspired me to get closer acquainted with my lathe since I could not locate dies for that thread. The only "plans" I needed to make the screws was the screws that hold the trigger guard/floor plate to the action and a set of Mauser 98 stockmakers screws for the handle dimensions. Machining is a great retirement hobby.
I very seldom get an opportunity to get to the range, but my machine shop hobby sure helps with my gunsmithing hobby.
When people ask me if I would like to do that as as a career, my response is always: "I'm retired."
I went from too many guns and motorcycles to a wife a house a dog 2 kids in less than a year. I hear you on the I wish there was more time part. Wouldn’t change it for the world, do miss wheelies and drag racing though :)
BETTER !! STICK !! TO !! BEING !! AN !! ACCOUNTANT !!!
Very good honest and informative video. Thank you for sharing.
Wow this is top quality content, you deserve waay more subs
Thank you Andrew Reuter for all the good work on this video: informative and honest and entertaining. I'm living in Puerto Rico doing some construction and I'm thinking of getting some kind of machine to make the odd bolt or even a part which I sometimes find hard to find here.
Andy, another great video. Love the humor. Keep it up!
Really enjoyed the video. Subscribed!
Glad to hear it! And thank you very much!
Just found this video, liked it a lot. I thought you were going to try to single point thread it at first. I bought a Grizzly 7x12 about 15 years ago and it is a very useful tool when u need it. Subscribed
Pick up a copy of How To Run A Lathe by Southbend Lathe, when I was in trade school the instructor stressed that if you followed that book you would become a frist rate lathe operator, it worked for me. The mini lathe will do most small jobs, and I used my small lathe more than my large one,
Me too! I trained for nine weeks to start a
Career as a machinist and was put on a chop saw then a CNC metal lathe
It's good to see Quentin Tarantino's gotten into machining.
thanks for sharing your learning experience.
I'm waiting for my 1st lathe to arrive, and I'm trying to absorb as much information beforehand, to have the rough idea what I can expect.
looks like the lathe was a very good idea for me to get before the mill.
Thank you! Congrats on the lathe purchase! After using both the lathe and the mill, I'll agree, lathe is waaaaaay better to start with. Feels like the mill shouldn't be that much harder, but wow, all those extra axes really put my brain into loops. Was legit hard to keep track of all of it. Still fun, but way more enjoyable to get introduced to machining with fewer axes. Anyway, good luck! I'll check out your videos!
@@AndrewReuter cheers man!
learned. a lot keep them coming
He used those welded bolts for mounting the lathe lol Helpful video. Curious to get a mini lathe.
Haaa.....this was a great video, man. I'm gonna see what else you have.
dude! this is really great video. the way you convey information is really nice, i love that you own your fuck ups, and the whole flow of the video is just really enjoyable. easy sub
Thank you so much
Excellent review. Thank You.
Parting is always troublesome.
Eastwood seems to have the best price for this lathe right now especially if its good to go without rebuilding it like some unknown importers.
ONLY !! FOR !! AMATEURS !!
Don’t be fooled! They all come out of the same factory (Sieg) in China!
Nice work, Andrew! Thanks.
One of your best videos yet. Keep up the good work.
Wow! You lived through your learning curve and still have fingers, hands and eyeballs. Try learning like that on a milling machine. I used to work with a guy who lost half of his hand playing around with a milling machine. A lathe can sling a part right in your face. Be careful. Watch lots and lots of videos before starting out with your new lathe. Learn from the idiots and the pros so you can survive your first cuts.
PLENTY !! OF !! THEM !! OUT !! THERE !!! BETTER !! KEEP !! THERE !! OTHER !! PART !! FIXED !!! PERMANENTLY !! IN !! THE !! VICE !!!!
I saw someone say that a lathe is trying its best to kill you so remove everything that would help it achieve its life's work. Treat it with respect, and wear protection (not that kind of sex ed protection). Face shields (not just goggles really) and they do make (my old shop teach from decades ago wore one) an apron like thing that I think would stop a bullet. That apron, and the full face shield, will save your life, or at least a hospital visit most times. Careful with the fingers as gloves are not to be worn when the machine is on.
Good point at the end there! Negative talk about our current world abounds, but we are truly blessed to be alive during these times. If we all had that mindset things just might be better overall.
Thank you! Well said!
TOMMORIW !! PEOPLE !! WILL !! LAST !! LONGER !! THAN !! YOU !! EVER !! WILL !!!
You can cut the hex in the lathe to make a nice job of it.
Mount the bolt length ways in the chuck a just cut 6 faces turning the bolt 60° each time
Great video. Hoping to see some forging projects.
Thank you! Now that it’s getting chilly here in Wisconsin, I’m hoping to get that forge out again real soon...
when using your Tap, use the chuck with all the jaws fully open and have it push/feed the back end of the tap onto the work/job.
also when parting off and it struggles and stalls, try using it in low gear, as it runs in a high torque, and not to cut fast. and make sure it is square to job.
Also when parting off you can have a tube in the tail chuck end, and sleeve it over the thread, and so it keeps hold of it when its parted, and help save damaging thread when it pings onto a sharp edge.
I agree with the last post, when parting off you must use the lowest speed, and turning tool height must line up with the lathe centre.
The tricky part is that not all of these mini lathes have a low gear and their DC motor doesn't really have much power in the low RPM ranges forcing you to run quite a bit faster than you'd like if you don't want it to stall on anything but the lightest of cuts.
Another great video, Andy.
Thank you, Jeremy! 👍👍👍
I appreciate this video, I am very keen to get a minilathe and learn machining.
10:27 is my favourite part, it's like the cutoff part jumps away in spite haha.
Thank you! Good luck to you when you get one! And I know what you mean! 😆
Lots of fun to watch! Look forward to more 🙂
This is a great video. Answered many of my question. Thanks.
Could you, in theory, use a mini mill to shave down the tool to the correct height?
I just started using a lathe and I have experienced alot of similar problems
I have a harbor freight 7x10 mini lathe and I've found the best way to part is to go a lot slower with the speed and feed slow as well. Also, when parting off everything has to be perfectly square and centered. It took me quite a bit of practice to part off and I'm still not perfect with it. But you did pretty damn good!
Haha 😂😂! That "hmmm" from moma after the "look moma" was most definitely not a "hmm this is interesting", it sounded much more like a " hmmm, how much did this thing cost and did he really need it" kind of "hmmm"! 😂😂😂
"Look mama!"
"mmmmmm..." *eye roll*
lol
😆
always learning well done
Now, assuming you have some "easy duty" use for your bolt, you've done well. However, for high stress applications you will need to maybe use higher spec and even heat treated materials. Start with larger grade 5 to 8 fasteners and cut them down to your size.
I have a bench top lathe and a mini mill and they are both excellent. I have run mine hard for years now and they are still excellent. No, they are not 5000 pound industrial machines, but for a guy in his garage they are capable of incredible work.
Rigidity, rigidity, rigidity.... This will be your constant root of problems with the mini-lathe. I bought a used craftsman 109 lathe which has a 3-5 inch chuck but I upgraded the motor before really knowing what I was doing. Nearly a year into owning it I finally looked into why my parts were let's say out of spec and rigidity. I thought because I wasn't feeling the vibration it wasn't significant but it was. Welcome to the world of precision where that grain of sand you missed is adding a taper to your parts. I ended up making a concrete slab with anchor bolts to mount my lathe and motor, scraped the machine ways, bought new gibs and set screws, and new hardware for anything involving moving parts. It went from a mechanical oscillator to a clean running lathe that slaps cheeks. I'm also looking into epoxy granite based which is the meta for vibration dampening and adding mass but that will be for my shop made lathe I've been working on.
Incorrect. His taper is from 1 of 3 things, improper bed way alignment (he bolts the bed down and didnt remove the bed way twist, improper tailstock alignment, improper compound slide alignment.
These mini lathes work just great within there limits. Precision is not an issue for these machines, which are used by watch makers. Tell me a watch does not require precision.
hi, I'm in school to become a fabricator and I just wanted to let you know on the parting you were going too quick u wanna use it very slowly, touch it just a little bit until u stop seeing fragments coming out, then move it in ever so slightly and repeat
HOPELESS !!!
I know nothing about this but I was curious to look into metal / wood lathes potentially as a tool for puppet fabrication ( armatures ) and anything really to build things for the set for animation... I'm only just starting out looking for YT vids on what a lathe can do.. but in this context of building bolts and nuts, to stabilise the lathe down onto the worktop, why not just use threaded rods then and cut to size, would have been easier maybe?? but it was an experiment though I guess to see what was involved in making your own nuts and bolts and see what the lathe can do right...
You got my sub just for referencing Quinn😁👍
Honestly, a hacksaw is the best (but not safe) parting tool. Turn the lathe on slow speed and slowly move the saw forward to clear chips from the teeth. Just you know don't hit the chuck with anything.
>> OK. VERY GOOD VIDEO.
That looks like a great start you've made. Lots of things up ahead, so plenty of learning time to come. Try playing around a bit more with ways of adjusting your tool height (stacks of thin sheet can help). Looking at the video my guess is that your cut-off tool was too high which means it's mostly rubbing and not so much cutting. Anyway, I wish you success and happy turning!
Thank you very much! Looking forward to getting back to the lathe soon. (I actually did cave and buy a quick change tool post after seeing how critical tool height is, especially for the cut off tool...)
WHAT !! UTTER !! CRAPS !! THIS !!???
@@AndrewReuter QCTP is a game changer!
Thanks for sharing. If your back hurts, you may want to raise the lathe up a few inches or so.
JUST !! LEAVE !! IT !! ON !! THE !! FLOOR !!
Looks like they should have sent the milling machine with it so you could fix the lathe tool holder faster and more accurately…
Loved your video, I am sold on getting this lathe.
Curious how carbide or hss insert tooling would work, I imagine anything from Kennametal would improve it capabilities.
Awesome video thank you
Lordy! You're a rambler!
Hi Andrew, I am restoring an antique fan and missing a round slotted knurled nut. Are you able to help me to make it? Thanks.
Hey Pleekh! Feel free to send me an email with photos/links to andy@projectlab.how, and we can see if we can figure something out.
Does the lathe have the ability to cut threads without using the tap?
Why did you not single point cut the thread?
great
Thank you!
Yeah, nah! I'll just wait for the hardware store to open
you break the tool because the swarf has no where to go so jams in the cut try making the cut in steps - cut in out across in again out back to the start cut again making a wider gap
>> At time stamp. 10:18. Sceaming sound is generally Too High RPM. Machinst Trick. Hard material like Steel. Is Slower RPM. Aluminum and softer materials are higher RPM's..
I would have thought that if your project was to make a 6mm screw using a mini lathe that you would be using the lathe to cut the threads? Anyway, suggest you start with hex stock when making nuts.
You saved $10!
I do like to buy one and I lot people have opinion that some are terrible.Did you use plastic gears ? on that lathe ?
So you couldn't thread with it ?
Speed control? Never saw you change your speed. Different metals take different speeds. It looks like you had your speed full on not good-dangerous. And Center is another most important for tools. Good job over all.
Thank you! I could have done a better job of showing the speed adjustment process. I was experimenting a bit there but generally tried to avoid running it at full bore. Have a good one!
HE !! PROBABLY !! HASN'T !! GOT !! ONE !! FOR !! IT !!!
Still a good job
I can see now it was your video that was sped up not your lathe me bad. I have not had my mini lathe long so keep up with the videos we all appreciate your hard work lessons learned.
@@IBFinchie IF !! IT !! SUCH !!! A !! GREAT !! JOB !? THEN !! LET'S !! SEE !! HIM !! MAKE !! IT !! WITHOUT !!! THE !! DAMM !!! LATHE !!!
why not just use a dye and tap kit ?
Another good option, but the lathe does keep things lined up more easily.
"their take" ? still the same ones coming from the same factory, just different paint and stickers
COULDN'T !! AGGREE !! MORE !! THAT !! IS !! WHAT !! PLANET !! CHONGA !! IS !! EXACTLY !! DOING !!!
Son of a bitch thank you for giving me confidence !!!!!!!!!!! I was also discouraged from working with manual controlled machines
And...SUBSCRIBED. I’m debating between this Eastwood lathe and it’s grizzly counterpart.. any advice? Opinion?
I have a Grizzly G0765 and I love it! The sad part is that all these machines, regardless of brand, have had major price increases since covid started! Grizzly and Little Machine Shop (LMS) both stock all the parts for the mini mills and lathes they sell. Other vendors, not so much!
Andy, Great vids. You might like This Old Tony if you don't watch his channel already.
Oh, I'd guess that he's way ahead of you on that one, lol. No doubt a lot of editing work, but I love the result.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
is it possible to make .17 diameter parts with very consistent results. could it be used to make precision bullets for a rifle as well. They would have to be consistent in weight, length, thickness, etc?
CALL !! NINE !! ONE !! ONE !!!
I have a quick question,
What drill chuck did you purchase for this lathe? Thanks
Harbor Freight sells one with an MT2 taper shank that works on these mini lathes. The price is right, and I’ve really good service out of them! Little Machine Shop has a lot of options also, but not as cheap. If you have a mini mill or lathe and don’t know about LMS, you’re missing out!
Please for christs sake use coolant next time 🤣🤣
I think you going too fast for parting
NO !! LIGHT !!! SPEED !! FOR !! PARTING !! OFF !!!!
Cutting tools are to high +.000- .004
I appreciate the video but these little mini lathes look like hot garbage. Nothing against you or your video but this should be a promotional video for how bad these things are.
Give that piece of shit back to Eastwood. It's the same junk harbor freight sells just a different color. If you want a lathe, it just takes effort to find a good one. The name of the game is rigidity and your lathe is on par with a wet chinese noodle. So NO STEEL PARTING WITH IT! I'm new to this stuff myself, but some of what I saw here was scary. I recommend watching Marc at THATLAZYMACHINIST for beginner stuff or Pete (tubelcain) If you're turning tapers, which looks like you are, it's because your tail stock isnt aligned.🙄 On second thought, avoid anything bigger. Your cute kid needs a dad with both arms for hugs. Good luck, you'll be dumping that barbie lathe in 6 months!🥴
And BE CAREFUL!