Essential MINI Lathe Upgrades
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- #minilathe #minilatheupgrades #metallathe #latheupgrades #warcowm180
In this video I will show you 10 Upgrades that I think are essential to do on your MINI Lathe. It doesn't matter if YOU ARE new too machining or being do it years, each one of these upgrades will help you out.
If you find this video useful please consider subscribing to my channel and help me reach that 1000 subscriber milestone. By doing this you'll enter the ever growing community surrounding hobbyist machining.
/ machiningwithjoe
And for more info on individual upgrade videos then check out this playlist below
• It’s all about the War...
Warco DRO Kit
www.warco.co.uk/digital-reado...
Quick change tool post
www.warco.co.uk/quick-change-...
Composite digital calliper for tail stock DRO
www.amazon.co.uk/Adoric-Verni...
What’s your favourite Upgrade/ mod on the lathe ???
I recently put DRO on both me mill and lathe. Love it too. I'm Retired ARMY combat Veteran, but also a certified tool maker machinist. Thats all I know..is machining. You should try making some tooling.
As it so happens Todd I have just started a new little series on the channel where I make tools. Probably no where near the skill level you could at this point in time but I hope to get to a good level and have some useful tools to show for it.
Absolutely brother. Cant wait to watch them. Me favorite that I made is a 3 tooth insert cutter for milling small materials. It was me project while I was young and taking classes. Over 30 year ago. I still use it and it does a nice job. I'd love to send you a photo sometime. Always like talkin to machinist and getting ideas.
First upgrade: remove the cover over the chuck 😂
@@johannriedlberger4390 haha yeah doesn’t everyone lol
Exceptionally well done video young man. I've been a machinist for about 30 years and have 'mini' machines at home. You seem to have a really good handle on what you're doing. Keep up the good work sir!
Thank you Stacy really appreciate that, I’ve been using this mini lathe for a year now and love it, it’s great be able to make your own tooling and parts. All the best
Take a shockasorber protektrubberfrom a Cross bike over the screw they are very flexible , sorry for my bad English I’m from Sweden ..
Have it best. Chrick
Great idea. I'll do that.
I like your upgrades and plan on copying several of them. Thank You!
Enjoyable, Informative and a well presented video, well done Joe.
Thank you very much glad you enjoyed hope it gave you some ideas
Great vid mate, keep em coming 👍
I'm really loving the stepper controlled leadscrew. I'd really like to try something similar out, though I might make a bronze (not sure which type maybe lead bronze) half nut to reduce wear on the leadscrew. Cheers
Yeah it works great dude for taking lots of consistent paces. Great idea with the bronze half nut would definitely reduce wear on the lead screw.
very good. Lots of good information for upgrades/ Good job mate!
Thank you glad you enjoyed hope it helps.
Very good video Joe you have something in there or everyone, Also nice to see your subs on the rise, I wish the best for you, cheers!
Thank you Howder glad you enjoyed it. Yes it’s great to see the subs creeping up I’m planning on doing a free giveaway when I get to 1000 to celebrate. 👍
This was a great presentation! I like the idea of the magnetic way covers, and I love the idea of extending the chip guard. Just little things that make the operation much more pleasant. Nice work.
Thanks Tom glad you enjoyed and hope you can take some of the ideas and improve your lathe all the best.
Good upgrades...Thanks for the video.
Your welcome Richard glad you enjoyed.
Thanks for some nice ideas
Nice video mate. Thanks very much!
Thanks Paul glad you enjoyed
Fantastic Video. Subscribed! Cant wait for new updates. A video covering how you did the lead screw stepper setup would be really useful. I am interested in duplicating your setup.
Hi Paul if you check out this Playlist in there I cover everything you will need to do this yourself. Along with some other Mini Lathe Upgrade ideas.
czcams.com/play/PLtViO-fcUPEPvnq7Hp9Hv7UkIdesiCLwZ.html
Well done :-)
You have some great upgrade ideas, nice video
Thank you glad you took something from the video.
Great info here ! Thanks
Your welcome glad it helped.
Hmm.. I really like the power feed built into my lathe... plus its nice being able to do accurate threading with it. Some of these are good ideas though.
Excellent video thanks🤠👍
You quite welcome Ty glad you enjoyed.
When I thought about driving the saddle by motor my first thought was the lead screw, but since they are mainly meant for threading and prone to wear I opted for a small DC motor and adapted a pot controller and a DPDT switch for reverse. I am machining the coupling mechanism to attach to the handwheel shift and a quick on and off mount to retain original functionality. Gives me the option of adjustable feed bypassing the lead screw and half nut. Let you know how it works out, all for under $100.00 US. Love your resourfulness. You are a very creative individual, keep up the good work.
Cheers Jack be interesting to hear how you get on the concept sounds like a great idea. All the best
G’day mate this video was well done by you you explained well and your approaching how to look after and improve your machine. That apron lock on your saddle was very good it’s something that I will do soon , good video look after yourselves regards John Tasmania Australia 🇦🇺
Glad you enjoyed John, even if you take one of the improvements like the apron lock means making these videos is worth while. All the best down there.
I have a mini lathe and this video is perfect !!!!!! I just suscribed grate job master !!!!!!
Thank you Jorge !!!
I have many more videos on the mini lathe so when you have time check them out. And welcome to the channel / community.
I saw the Ades sticker and just had to sub.
All really good additions.
Thanks Das yeah he is a good guy.
Great video thanks!! .... like the idea of the DRO and the stepper leed screw driver... like having a automatic change gearbox (which the imports do not generally have)
Hi Chris,
Glad you enjoyed the video for me having a dro is a must it makes machining so much easier.
Brilliant 👏 👏 I need to get to work on them
Glad you enjoyed
Awesome list of upgrades! The next upgrade level for the lead screw ought to be a programmable electronic one for multipurpose threading.
Yeah that would be awesome and so much easier for single point thread cutting. I have seen the Channel @Clough42 do it and looks great.
Thats a really neat idea
The DRO will also negate the backlash. Great video keep up the good work.
Thank you Rev it’s a great upgrade for the lathe.
Ignorant. doesn't negate backlash at all.
Favorite upgrade? CNC of course... :) Subscribed.
Thank you for subscribing MakersEase. A cnc upgrade would be awesome maybe one day on a separate machine.
Think they all worth doing, me thinks the DRO first, but I like the simplicity of the ways cover.
Yeah that are all great upgrades but I agree with you a DRO for a hobbyist is a great first addition.
Hello sir, great job, nice
I agree. As silly it may seem to some, DRO on a lathe is a must if you want to do quick precision work without looking at the dials all the time.
Yeah I can’t wait until my big Harrison has a dro fitted it is a game changer.
Yeah I can’t wait until my big Harrison has a dro fitted it is a game changer.
Nice one! Cheapest way of doing "about 20mm" is wrap insulating tape around the drill "about 20mm" from the end😂
I love the flat block! You could mount a vertical slide on it too!
Cheers dude, great idea.
This gives you a 'Z' axis then add milling cutter to the chuck
Great vid fella, have you considered adding a limit switch to the power drive feed so that I is stopped say 3mm from the chuck, as you useing a QCTP you probably never use odd tools for stock removal, a limit may be the final element in a great idea
You seen retro steam tech latest video,, he done a cooling mod for the motor as he had a motor melt down aswell and explained why.. Well worth adding to the list joe
Hi jinx I checked that video out yeah nice little mod there. I have actually been meaning to do this for a while as when my motor broke the first time Warco themselves actually advised me this is something people do.
All the best and thanks for the idea
As an hobbist for my mini lathe, i already have installed upgrade 2, 5, and 6.
I'll try to install also "Tailstock-DRO" ( n. 8 ) that i believe very usefull.
I don't like "toolpost riser" ( n. 3 ), but i can fix the compound with a screw when not to be used. So i can achive a good rigidity of the tool post.
Best regards from Italy.
Yeah the tail stock Dro is an easy cheap mod very handy.
WM180 have a pre-installed DRO option, although waiting for new stock at the moment.
Upgrading the spindle bearings to angular contact bearings makes a huge difference - at least it did to mine. Also, if you are going to fit a stepper motor to the lead screw, might be worth investigating clough42's electronic lead screw project for change gear-less single point threading.
Hi BM I done a video recently where I found out this brand of mini lathe comes with tapered roller bearings in the head stock as standard so that was impressive. Yeah I’ve seen Clough42 video on this smart guy.
The magnetic cover is very nice, but what materials did you use? It would be nice to see the construction, simple but really effective!
HI Joe
you can use an Aluminum strip of angle iron for your lead screw cover.
Hi there Blue Fox
I think on a larger lathe this could be a great idea however on this small bench top lathe I may struggle to fit a piece through the apron.
Love that music. Maybe you can keep in mind that it feels better if you keep the track sounding “rich” and “full” - not cutting out too much of the bass for example.
Loved the sounds though 🎉 bravo
All nice upgrades but I am most impressed with the DRO for your quill feed and the lead screw motor setup. Where can I buy setups like these? Great Video, by the way!
I’m pretty sure some of the parts for upgrades are in the video description hope that helps.
Have you tried wire loom tubing for the lead screw cover? I don’t know if it would work but they sell many different sizes and I’m sure they are available on Amazon UK. (Or are in Australia ?) Anyway good job with the video and I’ve subscribed.
A point about lead screw cover, I don't know if it's the same on the Warco but on the Sieg when the leadscrew cover is fitted it gets in the way of the top half-nut, so they did away with it and only used one half nut on the bottom and a 'hook' for the top, might be worth looking to see if a cover will get in the way.
Great to know what other makes suffer from. I know people have done it on the Warco so should be ok.
These 180 videos are incredible Joe, its nice to see videos like this from another Brit, as the more common American videos tend to be based around machines that are only available in the US - I’m looking at setting up a home machine shop soon and the 180 seems like an ideal first machine in terms of size and price, it’s just a shame they don’t offer a WM180+ model with all these extras as stock options, I’d gladly pay £1500/£2k for a 180 with a power feed, AC inventor driven motor, reinforced gib, DRO etc. Considering one of the bigger units but in all honesty i don’t want to go too far and end up buying one that I’m out of my depth with!
Out of curiosity where do you buy your metal stock from?
Hi Benjamin first of all welcome to the channel I can’t say I’ve seen a comment from you in the past so hope all is well and your enjoying the content.
Yeah the WM180 is a great first lathe, it was for me anyways. I agree being able to buy a lathe with these upgrades already done would have been ideal. But also buy doing them yourself I have found I’ve gained lots of new skills and techniques.
As for the metal I mostly buy through eBay shop : steelcitygav and aluminium_online.
@@MachiningwithJoe I only discovered the channel last night so yeah, fresh meat! Have subbed to keep up with the latest though! How do you find the 180 for accuracy, and what’s the run out like? From what I’ve seen the 180 is a better class of machine than the Sieg mini’s that the likes of Axminster / machine mart sell (and the warco mini) - yeah i guess learning the machines quirks and making DIY mods gives you a better appreciation of how it all works - the auto feed one is one I’d definitely want to do!
So I had a few little troubles with it early on ( burnt out motor) but since then it’s been good as gold.
I can’t say I’ve noticed any major run out in the 3 jaw Chuck and as for the four jaw you dial out the run out before doing any work so no major issue. It will be a great little lathe to get your machine shop started and lots of useful videos online.
Hello
Thank you because of sharing your video with us.
Iwill say your all upgrades was amazing only the power feed not.
Because the original power feed on the lathe They move in harmony but your extra power feed that you did not,so can make your lead screw be damaged.
You might want to check out Clough42 and his ELS (Electronic Lead Screw) project, to take your "power feed" to the next level. You're almost half way there already. Nice list of upgrades though. One more upgrade I would suggest is also swapping out the stock radial bearings on the spindle for angular contact bearings. Cheers!
Hi Mark yeah I’ve seen the Little series he done on it really clever stuff definetly some i may consider in the future. As for the bearings my believe was these lathes come with tapered bearing as standard but I may be wrong so I will do some research into this because you are right angular bearing would be much better for the loads the spindle goes through. All the best.
@@MachiningwithJoe A lathe should come with angular contact bearings [or tapered roller bearings], however as many have discovered the cheap mini-lathes out of China generally do not. Or in the few cases where they did, the quality of those bearings was not very good.
or the nanoELS nanoels if your budget is tight
Great info, can you flip the around and mount it's below the carriage to cut down o d length of d setup and also having to mount the motor on d bench?
I imagine you could to give it a more compact look. I went with this design as it seemed at the time an easier setup to make.
Nice video! I kept looking at the battery impact holder was that custom or they have it at a store?
Hi cheese,
So these are 3D printed you have two choices really buy them off eBay think there selling 3 for like £10. Or if you have a 3D printer head over to thingyverse and they are on there to download.
Did you ever find a cover for your lead screw? I might be able to help you out. I have a pretty bouje 3d printer (raise3d pro3 plus)
Do you not need to add a limit switch to the power feed so it doesn't run into the chuck?
DROs from SHAHE are the most affordable. They are good enough by far and easy to insall. They run with batteries, but power them with 3,3 volt from a 5Volt saurce with a little 3,3V regulator is easy done.
Hmm, so with this setup you can’t do threading? I didn’t see if you have an encoder tracking your spindle position hooked up to the stepper motor like other ELS projects.
Nice video!
this is just a powered LS, not an ELS exactly because it's not synchronizing with the spindle. And looking at his '23 WS tour video the powerd LS has been removed already - got a bigger lathe in there.
I'm confused about the Lead Screw Power Feed motor. Doesn't your lathe gearbox turn the lead screw, making the external motor superfluous?
Otherwise...Great video! Thanks for putting this together.
Will any of these upgrades allow you to turn a 22 inch diameter gear blank?
Hello Joe, have you tried Warco for leadscrew covers? The telescopic leadscrew covers they supply for the WM240/250 might fit, and they may hold them as spares.
Great idea Steve, will be well worth contacting them regarding this. Thanks for the idea 👍
@@MachiningwithJoe My pleasure.
Did a quick search for ways covers. MSC wants hundreds for any version. Can anyone suggest a source for the stiff bellows paper that I can fold and combine with magnets to make one like Joe's?
If you search on eBay for ways covers there is a lot of cheaper alternatives like the one I bought. Hope that helps Mark.
@@MachiningwithJoe Thanks, Joe, I'll do that.
tapered roller bearings. if not already installed.
That is a great upgrade. Luckily this lathes headstock came fitted with them as standard.
Hi Joe, I have the same DRO installed on my WM180, just a question regarding the cross slide axis, one turn on the hand wheel removes 2mm of material but DRO only says 1mm as that's how far the slide has travelled, is there a way to compensate for this on the DRO? Cheers. Adam.
Hi Adam hopefully this will be an easy one to answer. So your hand wheel is showing material removed from the diameter of your work. If I’m right in thinking this will be displayed by a circle with a line through it. Where as the dro is showing material removed from the radius as it’s the actual movement. As radius is 1/2 the diameter you just need to double the measurement displayed on the dro to work out overall material removal. Hope that helps
@@MachiningwithJoe Isn't there a d/r button on the dro which shows diameter or radius, also was this easy to fit as Warco suggest it is for the smaller machine.
WIth regards to the stepper motor feeding the leadscrew, doesnt the WM180 already have power feed? Mine certainly does so wondering if I shouldnt be using it? Do I need to remove a belt to stop the motor turning it?
Hi dude so with regards to this modification the main reason behind it was Yes the lathe has a power feed of sorts but due to the gear reduction the power feed doesn’t go slow enough to get a good surface finish. So by using the stepper motor to power feed the lead screw you can get a really slow feed. If you do this mod make sure to disengage the gear train at the headstock end.
@@MachiningwithJoe Ahhh that makes sense. I guess you can then vary the rate at which the stepper feeds independently then as well. Good upgrade i'll have to have a crack at doing that.
What model is the DRO you have on the lathe?
it looks cheesy, but looks like it works well!
Hi Dzarren, yeah the dro is simple but works really well. The kit is direct from Warco I’ll add the link to it for you.
www.warco.co.uk/digital-readouts-scales-dro/303409-mini-lathe-dro.html
Just use on of those telescoping umbrella cover
Yeah that is an option.
hi Joe, where did you purchase the way cover?
Hi Steve I don’t have a direct link for the one I bought. But if you head over to good old eBay search milling machine ways cover there is usually plenty there. Hope that helps.
I’m looking at buying a sub 1 k Vevor for knives but my main lathe is 10 times the size of that and weighs 1500-2000 kg
You're hard...in the boy's showers. 😂
Hi Joe, if possible I need help fitting a 250x500 mm dro scales on a al 51 g mini lathe . Regards Sean, Australia
Hi Sean without seeing it, it is hard to give advise. Check out my dro installation video as this may help you. Let me know how you get on.
Maybe it can be possible to use an AXA tool post on a minilathe instead the smaller chinese tool post ?
Yeah if you wanted to fit one of these you would either have to machine the bottom of the tool post to accept the boss register on top of the compound or make a spacer plate.
how did you make the ways cover
The ways cover sells on eBay and then I modified the end to include magnets.
Little machine shop for leadscrew cover
Thanks Marcos, I will check them out.
Love your show me Triple M Brother.
Master of Manipulating Metal.
Cheers dude glad you enjoying the content 👍
I'm surprised that there's not much "After Sales" on Chinese lathe, seing how I had to replace just about everything.
Hi Gary,
So the warco range I would say is actually one of the best from my experience for after sales. They normally respond fairly quick and provide good responses. Including spare parts repair manuals or just general advise. Would definitely recommend as for customer advise and after sales.
Hi Joe, great video, apart from a carriage stop, I think you covered about anything a man could want. Views are going well for this video, I don't get views like that in that time and I have 5k subs. You must be doing something right. Mini Lathe? To me a mini lathe comes with a 100mm chuck or smaller. Both my CNCs have 100mm chucks. My manual lathe has a 160 chuck and that is no mini lathe.
Clever that you replaced the compound slide, it seems to be the major cause of wobbliness in mini lathes. First time I have seen your channel, will have a look at some of your other videos. Cheers from Australia, Nigel
Hi Nigel thank you so much,
The carriage stop is a tool I intend to build in a future video as part of my let’s make a tool series. Glad you enjoyed the video and look forward to hearing more from you on the channel. All the best
How about a carriage stop?
Hi Ralph yes this is definitely something I'm going to be making in my " Lets make a tool" series.
Is that a green hamerite paint job?
Hi Michael this is machine paint in john Deere green. Was trying to match the warco green but it is a tad brighter 😂
Did you manage to get a lead screw cover?
No not yet Sean haven’t got round to printing it yet.
@@MachiningwithJoe
I was going to say i could print one for you if you like.
It does make you wonder if it's worth just buying a better quality lathe that doesn't need upgrading.
Even high quality lathes do not have these features. outside of a dro,that's about it. These upgrades can make any lathe better and easier to use.
It depends on your budget, mini lathes are a great price for something that can be turned into a precision device at a very low cost. Also you might have the budget for a more expensive one, but you want to learn and make your mistakes on a cheaper device.
Joe, what the... happened to your barnet?
I know its gone a bit crazy just recently, I'm like a young Doc from back to the future 😂
Please provide the address for this mini lathe dealer/distributor, in *Indonesia* .
Hi Dodi if you google search warco the model is wm180 you should find all you need. They are based in UK
I have a 3dprinter let me know
well it's a lathe czcams.com/users/postUgkxN9zrzkkhnjUF5PQbuA_B1gYdsfCu9k6z but it wasn't what i would have anticipated. Headstock, tailstock, carriage apron are manufactured from aluminum now not cast iron. The spindle diameter for the bearings is too small allowing for a few play in the spindle so I am using some blue Loctite to take out the play.
Yes I agree James.
Antonmursid
🇮🇩🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Hi Joe, if you have a stl file for the leadscrew cover I’ll print it for you no probs, no cost 👍Drop me a msg
That would be amazing thank you. I'll do some research and find the file I need. I'll let you know once I've found it. 👍
My first and best upgrade was buy a better lathe.
Yeah, bloke should buy a Monarch 10, yeah?
This is the UK. You can't pick up South Bends and Bridgeports at garage sales and the cost of Myfords and Colchesters these days are eye-watering, especially since as a beginner, it's easy to pick up something with wear to the ways or other even worse issues and not even know it.
Essential MINI Lathe Upgrades..........remove oil fill cap and throw the rest of it away !!!!!!
Something is wrong with this video. It does not play.
Please could you ty again and see if it works ?
Aghhh look at the camera
Man, the english accent is.... interesting. 😂
Sounds like you're reading hostage demands. lol, sorry man, j/k, but really, just talk naturally! That way you can look into the camera.
for a feed screw cover use a piece of u channel aluminium or (stainless) steel contact me if you want for pictures
Antonmursid
🇮🇩🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏